Elvy Kalep facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elvy Kalep
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Elvy Kalep in 1930
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| Born |
Alviine-Johanna Kalep
26 June 1899 Taali, Tori Parish, Pärnu County, Estonia
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| Died | 15 August 1989 (aged 90) Lake Worth, Florida, U.S.
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| Nationality | Estonian |
| Occupation | Aviator, author, artist |
| Known for | First Estonian female pilot |
Alviine-Johanna Kalep (born June 26, 1899 – died August 15, 1989), known as Elvy Kalep, was an amazing Estonian woman. She was the first female pilot from Estonia! Besides flying, she was also an artist, a toy designer, and even wrote a children's book.
Elvy grew up in Estonia and Russia. She later moved to China to escape a big conflict called the Russian Civil War. For a short time, she worked as an interpreter for military leaders in China. After that, she moved to Paris to study art.
In 1931, she earned her pilot's license in Germany. This made her the very first Estonian woman to become a pilot! She became friends with the famous American pilot Amelia Earhart. Elvy joined a group called the Ninety-Nines, which encouraged other women to learn how to fly.
She wrote and drew pictures for a children's book about flying called Air Babies. It was first published in 1936. Later, Elvy moved to the United States. There, she started a business making toys in New York. Even though she had to close her business due to health issues, she continued to design toys. In her later years, she created beautiful artworks using leather. Elvy Kalep passed away in Florida in 1989.
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Early Life and Adventures
Elvy Kalep was born on June 26, 1899, in a small village called Taali in Estonia. She was the only child of Joanna and Aksel Emil. Sadly, her parents passed away when she was young. Elvy went to a girls' school in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
As a teenager, Elvy moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia, to live with her aunt. She saw important events that led to the February Revolution in 1917. She tried to leave Russia during the revolution. She and her aunt eventually moved to Vladivostok. There, she married a Russian general and had a son.
After eight years, Elvy and her family managed to escape to China. They chose China because her husband had connections there. Within a year of arriving in Harbin, China, Elvy faced tough times. She had to support herself by working as an interpreter. She knew many languages, including Russian, German, English, and Chinese. She worked for British and Chinese generals.
In 1925, Elvy decided to return to Estonia. She traveled through many countries like Indonesia, Italy, and France. She finally arrived in Tallinn in 1926. Soon after, she moved to Paris, France. There, she studied oil painting with a Russian artist named Alexandre Jacovleff. She also married Rolf Baron von Hoeningen-Bergendorff.
Flying High: Aviation Career
Elvy Kalep started flying in the late 1920s. She met a Dutch pilot named Anthony Fokker while on vacation. She asked him to teach her how to fly a plane. She took five hours of flying lessons with him.
On August 1, 1931, Elvy took her pilot's test in Germany. She passed and became the first qualified female pilot from Estonia! She was also the seventh woman to pass this exam in Germany. Soon after getting her license, Elvy and a German mechanic flew a small plane from Berlin. They flew through the Baltic region, stopping in several cities. They finally landed in Tallinn on August 18. A crowd of journalists and air force officers greeted her.
In May 1932, Elvy traveled to New York from France. She planned to fly back to Europe across the Atlantic Ocean. At that time, no woman had flown solo across the Atlantic. She became friends with the famous American pilot Amelia Earhart. Elvy didn't know that Amelia was planning a similar flight.
Amelia Earhart successfully flew from Canada to Ireland on May 20. After Amelia's flight, Elvy decided not to try her own Atlantic flight. She wouldn't be the first woman to do it anymore. However, she continued to encourage other women to fly. She joined the Ninety-Nines, an international group for women pilots. Amelia Earhart and 98 other female pilots founded this group.
In 1936, Elvy published Air Babies. This was a children's book she wrote and illustrated to teach kids about flying. The story was about two young planes named Happy Wings and Speedy. A later edition of the book included a special introduction from Amelia Earhart. Amelia wrote it just three days before her last flight, from which she disappeared in 1937. Elvy later said she missed Amelia very much. Elvy visited the 1939 New York World's Fair to promote her book on television. She also spoke at a luncheon for the National Woman's Party.
Art and Design Work
When World War II started in 1939, Elvy Kalep began a new business. She started designing toys in the American market. She created a doll called Patsie Parachute. When you threw the doll in the air, it would fall slowly, just like a parachutist.
Elvy had to work hard in the New York factory where the dolls were made. But her health got worse. Most of her earnings went to medical costs. She had to close the factory in 1946. By 1950, she had recovered. She then made a living by selling her toy designs to bigger companies. One of her successful designs was Scribbles Dolls. These dolls had blank faces that children could decorate themselves. This idea came from the 50,000 doll heads left over from her Patsie Parachute factory.
In the 1960s, Elvy lived in Palm Beach, Florida. She started making artworks out of leather. She sold these unique pieces to her neighbors. She created three-dimensional paintings using small, colorful pieces of leather from France. Throughout the 1970s, she showed her art in exhibitions across the United States. She sold her works to important customers, including the famous conductor Eugene Ormandy.
Later Life and Passing
Elvy Kalep passed away on August 15, 1989, at the age of 90. She died in a health care center in Lake Worth, Florida. She had lived there since 1986. Elvy had been married three times. She had no surviving family members when she passed away. Newspapers in Florida and New York published articles about her life.
