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.