Lettice Curtis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lettice Curtis
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| Born | 1 February 1915 Denbury, Devon, England
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| Died | 25 July 2014 (aged 99) Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
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| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Flying |
Eleanor Lettice Curtis (born February 1, 1915 – died July 21, 2014) was a remarkable English pilot. She was also an engineer who tested planes, an air racing pilot, and a talented sportswoman.
Early Life and Education
Lettice Curtis was born on February 1, 1915, in a place called Denbury in Devon, England. Her family lived at Denbury House. Her father, Walter Septimus Curtis, was a lawyer and his grandfather, Matthew Curtis, was a very important factory owner and even served as the Mayor of Manchester three times. Lettice grew up with one brother and five sisters.
She went to Benenden School and then studied Mathematics at St Hilda's College, which is part of Oxford University. While there, she was the captain of the women's lawn tennis and Fencing teams. She also played Lacrosse for the university.
In 1937, Lettice learned to fly at the Yapton Flying Club. She quickly earned her pilot's license.
Flying for Britain: The ATA
In July 1940, Lettice Curtis became one of the very first women pilots to join the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). The ATA was a special group that delivered planes during World War II. Pilots would fly newly built or repaired aircraft from factories to airfields where they were needed by the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Lettice started by flying smaller training planes like the Tiger Moth. Soon, she moved on to more advanced trainers like the Miles Master and North American Harvard. She was so skilled that she eventually qualified to fly all types of wartime aircraft. She was one of the first twelve women to be allowed to fly huge four-engine heavy bombers.
Lettice was the first woman pilot ever to deliver an Avro Lancaster bomber. She also flew 222 Handley Page Halifaxes and 109 Short Stirlings, which were other large bombers. She flew almost every day during the war, delivering planes in all kinds of weather. She worked for "thirteen days on, two off" for over five years!
On October 26, 1942, the First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, visited the ATA. Lettice Curtis was introduced to her as the first woman pilot trained on four-engine bombers. By this time, Lettice had already flown 90 different types of aircraft! Her final rank in the ATA was First Officer.
Life After the War
After World War II ended, Lettice continued her career in aviation. She became a technician and flight test observer at a military aircraft testing center called the A&AEE at Boscombe Down. Later, she worked at Fairey Aviation as a senior flight development engineer. This meant she helped test and improve new aircraft designs.
Lettice also loved air racing. She flew different planes in races, including her own Wicko and even a Spitfire XI. She was one of the people who helped start the British Women Pilots' Association. She learned to fly helicopters in 1992 and continued flying planes until 1995, when she decided to stop flying at the age of 80.
When the aircraft industry was taken over by the government in the 1960s, she left Fairey. She then worked for the Ministry of Aviation, helping to plan a new air traffic control center for both civilian and RAF planes. Later, she worked for the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, which manages all flying in the UK.
Lettice Curtis retired in 1976. She passed away in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in July 2014, at the age of 99. She was a true pioneer in aviation!
