Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys

Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys

by Karen Bush Gibson
Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys

Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys

by Karen Bush Gibson

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Overview

A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
 
From the very first days of aviation, women were there. Katherine Wright, though not a pilot, helped her brothers Orville and Wilbur so much that some called her the “Third Wright Brother.” Pioneers such as Baroness Raymonde de Laroche of France ignored those who ignorantly claimed that only men possessed the physical strength or the mental capacity to pilot an airplane, and in 1910 became the first woman awarded a license to fly. A year later, Harriet Quimby was the first woman to earn a pilot’s license in the United States and in 1912 flew across the English Channel—another first.
           Author Karen Bush Gibson profiles 26 women aviators who sought out and met challenges both in the sky and on the ground, where some still questioned their abilities. Read about barnstormers like Bessie Coleman and racers like Louise Thaden, who bested Amelia Earhart and Pancho Barnes to win the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, sometimes called the Powder Puff Derby. Learn about Jacqueline Cochran who, during World War II, organized and trained the Women Airforce Service Pilots—the WASPs—to serve their country by ferrying airplanes from factories to the front lines and pulling target planes during anti-aircraft artillery training. And see how female pilots today continue to achieve and serve while celebrating their love of flight.
 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781641604031
Publisher: Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date: 08/04/2020
Series: Women of Action Series
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 708,400
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range: 12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Karen Bush Gibson is the author of three dozen books for young readers, including Native American History for Kids.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I Pioneers of Aviation 5

Baroness de Laroche: "Bird Woman" 8

Harriet Quimby: First Woman to Fly Across the English Channel 16

Bessie Coleman: Queen Bess 25

Neta Snook: The Woman Who Taught Amelia to Fly 32

Part II The Golden Age of Flight 41

Amelia Earhart: The Most Famous Female Aviator in the World 46

Louise Thaden: Women's Air Derby Winner 55

Bobbi Trout: From Service Station to Airfield 61

Elinor Smith: The Flying Flapper of Freeport 67

Edna Gardner Whyte: Nothing Could Stop Her from Flying 72

Katherine Cheung: The First Licensed Asian American Woman Pilot 79

Beryl Markham: African Bush Pilot Crosses Atlantic 84

Willa Brown: Integrating the US Armed Forces 90

Part III Wartime and Military Flying 97

Jacqueline Cochran: Women Pilots Can Make a Difference 103

Violet Cowden: Determined WASP 111

Valentina Grizodubova: The Soviet Amelia Earhart 118

Hanna Reitsch: The World's First Female Test Pilot 125

Part IV All Part of the Job 133

Poncho Barnes: Stunt Flyer Extraordinaire 136

Lynn Rippelmeyer and Beverly Burns: Airline Pilot Captains 142

Wally Funk: Air Safety Investigator 148

Patty Wagstaff: Aerobatic Firefighter 155

Ingrid Pedersen: Polar Bush Pilot 161

Part V Making a Difference 167

Ruth Nichols: Relief Wings in Times of Disaster 172

Fay Gillis Wells: Promoting World Friendship through Flying 179

Jennifer Murray: Helicopter Flying for Charity 186

Ida Van Smith: Teaching Children to Fly 192

Jerrie Cobb: Missionary Pilot 197

Acknowledgments 203

Notes 205

Glossary 211

Bibliography 217

Index 227

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