Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation, New York

Images of Aviation

by Charles R. Mitchell, Kirk W. House

In the beginning of the twentieth century, women were demanding more freedom. What could bring more freedom than a chance to fly? Women went up in those early wire-andfabric contraptions to gain independence, to make money, or to make their names as pilots. They sought to prove that women pilots could do just as well as men—and some did far better. Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation tells the story of Blanche Stuart Scott, who made $5,000 a week and broke forty-one bones; of Harriet Quimby, who flew the English Channel handily and then fell to her death in five feet of water near Boston Harbor; of Ruth Law and Katherine Stinson, who set American distance flying records—all before any of them were allowed to vote. Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation also tells the tales of women behind the scenes—the financiers, engineers, and factory workers—from the earliest days of flying to victory in World War II. These stories of the first female flyers are told in rare, vintage photographs, many previously unpublished, from the archives of the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2002

Reviews

[Sarah Allen]

Mostly photos of early aviators and their airplanes and surroundings. Enough story to patch the photos together. I have not seen most of the photos anywhere else in my research on early women pilots. Wonderful resource.

[Rhonda Breiser]

A very short but fascinating glimpse of the accomplishments of women aviators in the dawn of the new invention. I especially liked to see the differences between the Wright and Curtiss planes.

The things I didn't like were some off topic (to me anyway) photos, as in the poster for donating stockings to "Sock it to Hitler". They also showed a few commemorative postal stamps, but failed to tell you when the stamps were issued. Some of the English could have been edited a bit more. "Her seed money (though very generous) bore fruit beyond all expectations."

It certainly does make you want to learn more, though. I'll certainly be looking for more in depth books.

[Barbara Schultz]

After reading and looking at the images several times, my only thought was "I want more." Combine this book with "Before Amelia" by Lebow a reader's knowledge of early pioneering aviatrices is enriched. Endorsed by Earhart

[Angie Young Patton]

Fascinating read with incredible photographs. I only wish the book included more in depth biographies. There's more to these incredible women than one-paragraph accomplishment blurbs. I'm particularly interested to learn more about Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot as well as the WASP program during WWII. Women were truly an important part of early American aviation.

[Ann Otto]

Flying High: Pioneer Women in American Aviation is a good source for those wanting to learn more about women's role in early aviation. As all Arcadia Publishing books, it is filled with photographs. The profiles include the three earliest famous women who are highlighted in the historical novel Yours in a Hurry, Blanche Stuart Scott, Harriet Quimby, and Matilde Moisant. Very interesting.

[Melissa B]

The best of his books!