List of women aviators facts for kids

Aida de Acosta flying the airship Baladeuse in 1903 – the first woman to pilot a powered aircraft

This is a list of amazing women who have made history in aviation. It includes pilots, designers, and people who supported flying. You'll also find some important groups they were part of. These women broke barriers and showed the world what was possible in the sky!

Women Who Soared: A List of Amazing Aviators

Pioneering Pilots from Around the World

Pilots Starting with A

Amen Aamir: The first woman pilot from Gilgit-Baltistan.
Aida de Acosta (1884–1962): The first woman to fly a powered aircraft by herself.
Margaret Adams: An Australian aviator. She was the first president of the Australian Women's Flying Club in 1938.
Leman Altınçekiç (1932–2001): Became the first female jet pilot in Turkey and NATO in 1958.
Princess Anne of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1864–1927): The second woman to try flying across the Atlantic Ocean.
Gaby Angelini (1911–1932): The first Italian woman to complete a flight across Europe.
Kimberly Anyadike (born 1994): The youngest African-American female pilot to fly across the entire United States.
Cecilia Aragon (born 1960): The first Latina pilot on the United States Aerobatic Team.
Tamar Ariel (1989–2014): Israel's first Jewish female air force pilot in 2012.
Jacqueline Auriol (1917–2000): A French test pilot who broke many speed records.
Micky Axton (1919–2010): One of the first three women trained as a test pilot for the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). She was the first woman to fly a B-29 bomber.
Asli Hassan Abade: The first African female fighter jet pilot. She is a famous Somali Air Force pilot.
Zoya Agarwal: The world's youngest woman pilot to fly the Boeing 777 in 2013. She also captained the world's longest flight route over the North Pole in 2021.

Pilots Starting with B

Lilian Bland flying the Mayfly in 1911. She built the aircraft herself to become the first woman to fly in Ireland.

Willa Brown, the first African-American woman to receive a commission as a lieutenant in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol

Pancho Barnes (1901–1975): She founded the Women's Air Reserve. She is known as the "mother of the Air Force."
Mary Barr (1925–2010): The first female pilot to join the US Forest Service. She became their National Aviation Safety Officer.
Jean Batten (1909–1982): Made the first solo flight from the United Kingdom to New Zealand in the 1930s.
Ann Baumgartner (1918–2008): A test pilot. She was the first American woman to fly a U.S. Army Air Forces jet aircraft.
Amelie Beese (1886–1925): The first woman pilot in Germany.
Elly Beinhorn (1907–2007): A German pilot who made many long-distance flights around the world.
Dagny Berger (1903–1950): Norway's first woman aviator.
Susana Ferrari Billinghurst (1914–1999): An Argentinian pilot. She was the first woman in South America to get a commercial pilot's license in 1937.
Lilian Bland (1878–1971): She built her own aircraft. She was the first woman to fly in Ireland.
Line Bonde (born c.1979): The first Danish woman to become a fighter pilot in 2006.
Maude Bonney (1897–1994): An Australian aviator. She was the first female to fly from England to Australia in 1933.
Ana Branger (born early 1920s): An early Venezuelan aviator.
Jill E. Brown (born 1950): The first African American female pilot for a major US airline.
Willa Brown (1906–1992): The first black woman to hold both a commercial and private pilot's license in the US. She was also the first black female officer in the Civil Air Patrol.
Mrs Victor Bruce (1895–1990): The first woman to fly around the world alone.
Millicent Bryant (1878–1927): The first woman to earn a pilot's license in Australia.
Beverly Burns (born 1949): An American pilot. She may have been the first woman to captain a jumbo jet.

Pilots Starting with C

Bessie Coleman in 1922

Amelia Earhart standing under nose of her Lockheed Model 10-E Electra

Mary Calcaño (1906–1992): The first Venezuelan woman to get a pilot's license.
Maie Casey (1892–1983): The first supporter of the Australian Association of Woman Pilots.
Pearl Laska Chamberlain (1909–2012): The first woman to fly a single-engine airplane solo up the Alaska Highway in 1946.
Katherine Cheung (1904–2003): The first Chinese-American woman to get a pilot's license.
Robyn Clay-Williams: One of the first two female pilots in the Royal Australian Air Force. She was also the service's first female test pilot.
Jerrie Cobb (1931–2019): The first woman to fly in the Paris Air Show. She was also tested to become an astronaut.
Jacqueline Cochran (1908–1980): The first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound.
Bessie Coleman (1892–1926): The first African-American woman pilot. She earned her license in France in 1921.
Eileen Collins (born 1956): A former test pilot and NASA astronaut. She was the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle.
Linda Corbould: The first woman to command a Royal Australian Air Force flying squadron.
Nancy Corrigan (1912–1983): An Irish-born aviator who became a successful instructor and commercial pilot in the U.S.
Jessica Cox (born 1983): The world's first licensed pilot who does not have arms.
Mary Rawlinson Creason (1924–2021): The first woman hired by the Government of Michigan.
Gráinne Cronin (born c. 1953): The first female pilot hired by Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline.
Lettice Curtis (1915–2014): An early member of the Air Transport Auxiliary. She was the first woman to fly a four-engined bomber.

Pilots Starting with D

Mildred Inks Davidson Dalrymple (1920–2012): A military aviator.
Susan Darcy (born 1956): The first female test pilot for Boeing.
Vera Strodl Dowling (1918–2015): A Danish World War II test pilot. She later became a flight instructor in Canada.
Mariana Drăgescu (1912–2013): A Romanian military pilot in World War II.
Margot Duke, Marchioness of Reading (1919–2015): One of the first women in Britain to get a pilot's license.
Maxine Dunlap (1908–1977): The first woman glider pilot and first woman glider club president in the U.S.
Hélène Dutrieu (1877–1961): The first woman pilot in Belgium. She was also the first to carry a passenger.

Pilots Starting with E

Amelia Earhart (1897–1937): The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Amelia Rose Earhart (born 1983): A reporter and pilot.
Lotfia Elnadi (1907–2002): The first African, Arab, and Egyptian woman to earn her pilot’s license in 1933.
Ruth Elder (1902–1977): A pilot and actress known as the "Miss America of Aviation."
Mary Ellis (1917–2018): One of the last surviving British women pilots from World War II.

Pilots Starting with F

Rosina Ferrario (1888–1957): The first Italian woman to receive a pilot's license in January 1913.
Amalia Celia Figueredo (1895–1985): An Argentine aviator. She was the first woman in Argentina to get a pilot's license in 1914.
Kathleen Fox (born 1951): A Canadian flight instructor and air traffic controller.
Mathilde Franck (1866–1956): An early French aviator who learned to fly in 1910.
Wally Funk (born 1939): One of the Mercury 13 women. She was the first female air safety investigator at the FAA.
Elisabeth Friske (died 1987): The first West German woman to become a commercial airline pilot.

Pilots Starting with G

World's first female combat pilot, Sabiha Gökçen.

Maggie Gee (1923–2013): An American aviator who served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) in World War II.
Betty Gillies (1908–1998): A pioneering American aviator. She was the first pilot to qualify for the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron.
Sabiha Gökçen (1913–2001): The world's first female combat pilot.
Maya Ghazal: A Syrian refugee and pilot.
Patricia Graham (1928–2016): An Australian aviator and a founding member of the Australian Women Pilots' Association in 1950.
Valentina Grizodubova (1909–1993): A long-distance flyer and wartime hero. She was the most decorated woman in the Soviet Union.
Julie Ann Gibson (born 1956): Flight Lieutenant Julie Ann Gibson was the first full-time female pilot for the Royal Air Force in 1991.
Mette Grøtteland (born 1969): The first female fighter pilot of The Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Pilots Starting with H

Melissa Haney (born 1981): Air Inuit's first female Inuk pilot to become a captain.
Else Haugk (1889–1973): The first Swiss woman to earn a pilot's license in May 1914.
Mary, Lady Heath (1896–1939): The first woman to fly solo across Africa from Cape Town to Cairo.
Jane Herveu (1885–1955): A pioneering French aviator who received her license in 1910.
Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943): The first woman to get a British pilot's license. She also opened the first flying school there.
Trevor Hunter (1915–2002): An early New Zealand aviator.
Tadashi Hyōdō (1899–1980): The first woman to get a pilot's license in Japan in March 1922.

Pilots Starting with J

Gidsken Jakobsen (1908–1990): A Norwegian aviation pioneer.
Suzanne Jannin (1912–1982): A French Air Force pilot in Indochina.
Mary Goodrich Jenson (1907–2004): The first woman to fly solo to Cuba. She was also the first woman to earn a pilot's license in Connecticut.
Amy Johnson (1903–1941): The first woman to fly from England to Australia alone.

Pilots Starting with K

Elvy Kalep (1899–1989): Estonia's first female pilot.
Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell (born 1976): The first African American female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
Zinaïda Kokorina (1898–1980): A Russian pilot and flight instructor. In 1925, she became the world's first female military pilot.
Opal Kunz (1894–1967): A founding member and first president of the Ninety-Nines. She trained over 400 cadets during World War II.

Pilots Starting with L

Raymonde de Laroche (1882–1919): The first woman in the world to get a pilot's license.
Ruth Law (1887–1970): An American aviator who performed amazing loops in her plane.
Constance Leathart (1903–1993): The first British woman outside London to get a pilot's license.
Hazel Ying Lee (1912–1944): A Chinese-American pilot who flew for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
Olga Lisikova (1916–2011): The only woman pilot-in-command of a C-47 Skytrain in the Soviet Air Force.
Lydia Litvyak (1921–1943): A fighter ace. She was the first woman to shoot down an enemy aircraft.
Ila Loetscher (1904–2000): A female aviation pioneer and activist for sea turtles.
Rose Lok (1912–1978): The first female Chinese-American pilot in New England.

Pilots Starting with M

Elsie MacGill (1905–1980): The world's first female aircraft designer, known as "Queen of the Hurricanes."
Beryl Markham (1902–1986): The first woman to fly west across the Atlantic alone, directly from England to North America.
Marie Marvingt (1875–1963): The first woman to fly from Europe to England across the North Sea by balloon.
Angela Masson (born 1951): The first woman to qualify to fly a jumbo jet.
Luisa Elena Contreras Mattera (1922–2006): In 1943, she was the first woman to get a pilot's license in Venezuela.
Suzanne Melk (1908–1951): The first known woman in France to fly and the first woman in Europe to receive a pilot's license in 1935.
Pamela Melroy (born 1961): A former NASA astronaut who was a pilot and commander on Space Shuttle missions.
Betty Miller (1926–2018): The first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
Violet Milstead (1919–2014): A Canadian Air Transport Auxiliary pilot during WWII and the first female bush pilot.
Karina Miranda: A Chilean Air Force combat aviator and the first woman from her country to break the sound barrier.
Jerrie Mock (1925–2014): The first woman to fly solo around the world.
Jennifer Murray (born 1940): The first woman to fly solo around the world in a helicopter.
Siza Mzimela: The founder of a South African airline.

Pilots Starting with N

Lyalya Nasukhanova (1939–2000): The first Chechen woman pilot.
Yichida Ndlovu: The first civilian pilot in Zambia.
Carina Negrone (1911–1991): An Italian aviator. She reached a record-breaking height of 12,043 meters in a propeller plane.
Ruth Nichols (1901–1960): Set many aviation records. She also started the first air ambulance service in the US.
Marthe Niel (1878–1928): A French aviator. She was the second woman in the world to receive a pilot's license.
Sakhile Nyoni: The first woman pilot in Botswana.

Pilots Starting with O

Sicele O'Brien (1887–1931): One of Ireland's pioneering female pilots. She raced and set records in Europe and Africa in the 1920s.
Ruth Law Oliver: The first woman pilot to wear a military uniform. She was also the first to deliver air mail to the Philippines.
Phoebe Omlie (1902–1975): The first woman to receive an airplane mechanic's license. She was also the first licensed woman transport pilot.

Pilots Starting with P

Suzanne Parish (1922–2010): A member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. She co-founded the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum.
Ingrid Pedersen (1933–2012): The first woman to fly over the North Pole.
Thérèse Peltier (1873–1926): A French aviator. She was the first woman to pilot a heavier-than-air craft in 1908.

Pilots Starting with Q

Harriet Quimby (1875–1912): The first woman to get a U.S. pilot's license. She was also the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

Pilots Starting with R

Carol Rabadi (born 1977): Captain of the first all-female flight crew on Royal Jordanian airlines.
Bessie Raiche (1875–1932): One of the first women to fly solo in the US.
Rosemary Rees (1901–1994): A leading British aviator at the Air Transport Auxiliary.
Molly Reilly (1922–1980): The first female Canadian pilot to reach the rank of captain. She was also the first woman to fly to the Arctic professionally.
Hanna Reitsch (1912–1979): A German glider pilot who set many records. She became a test pilot in WWII.
Ola Mildred Rexroat (1917–2017): The only Native American woman to serve in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).
Helen Richey (1909–1947): The first woman to be hired as a pilot by a commercial airline in the United States.
Mary Riddle (1902–1981): The second Native American woman to earn a pilot's license after Bessie Coleman.
Isabel Rilvas (1935): The first Portuguese woman acrobatic pilot, parachutist, and balloonist.
Margaret Ringenberg (1921–2008): Started as a WASP. She won hundreds of trophies in racing.
Lynn Rippelmeyer: One of the first women to captain a jumbo jet.
Ada Rogato (1910–1986): A record-breaking Brazilian woman aviator.
Molly Rose (1920–2016): Flew Spitfires for the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII.
Nadia Russo (1901–1988): A pioneering Romanian aviator.
Zara Rutherford (born 2002): The youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world at age 19.
Margaret Fane Rutledge (1914–2004): A pioneering Canadian pilot.

Pilots Starting with S

Blanche Scott, the "Tomboy of the Air"

Neta Snook, who taught Amelia Earhart how to fly

Maria de Lourdes Sá Teixeira (1907–1984): The first Portuguese woman to hold a pilot's license.
Nicola Scaife: An Australian hot-air balloonist. She won the FAI Women's Championship in 2014 and 2016.
Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg (1903–1945): An aeronautical engineer who became a Luftwaffe test pilot during WWII.
Blanche Scott (1884–1970): Possibly the first American woman to fly solo.
Sheila Scott (1922–1988): The first person to fly over the North Pole in a light aircraft.
Tammie Jo Shults (born 1961): One of the first US Navy fighter pilots. She was also captain of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380.
Betty Skelton (1926–2011): Known as the fastest woman on Earth.
Elinor Smith (1911–2010): Known as the "Flying Flapper of Freeport." At age sixteen, she was the youngest licensed pilot in the world.
Eula Pearl Carter Scott (1915–2005): From Chickasaw Nation. She became the youngest pilot to fly solo in the U.S. at 13 years old in 1929.
Ida Van Smith (1917–2003): An educator. She was the first African-American woman in the International Forest of Friendship.
Neta Snook (1896–1991): The first woman to run an aviation business. She taught Amelia Earhart how to fly.
Winifred Spooner (1900–1933): A British aviator. She was the most outstanding female aviator of 1929.
Katherine Stinson (1891–1977): Known as the "Flying Schoolgirl." She was the first woman to loop the loop.
Marjorie Stinson (1895–1975): An American exhibition pilot and instructor. She was the first female airmail pilot in the United States.
Marina Știrbei (1912–2001): A Romanian aviator who founded the women's White Squadron in World War II.
Antonie Strassmann (1901–1952): A German aerobatic aviator. She flew a Zeppelin from Germany to Brazil in 1932.
Maguba Syrtlanova (1912–1971): A flight instructor, flight commander, and wartime hero.

Pilots Starting with T

Louise Thaden (1905–1979): Winner of the first Powder Puff Derby.
Penny Thompson (1917–1975): An American aviator. She promoted women's air shows and published aviation materials.
Bonnie Tiburzi (born 1948): The first female pilot for American Airlines. She was also the first female pilot for a major American commercial airline.
Bobbi Trout (1906–2003): Set endurance records. She was the first woman to fly all night.

Pilots Starting with V

Polly Vacher (born 1944): Flew solo around the world in a small plane, setting a record.
Dolors Vives Rodon (1909–2007): A pioneering Catalan aviator.
Amalia Villa de la Tapia (1893-1994): The first Bolivian female pilot. She got her license in Peru in 1922.

Pilots Starting with W

Patty Wagstaff (born 1951): The first woman to win the US Aerobatic Championship.
Nancy Bird Walton (1915–2009): A pioneering Australian aviator. She founded the Australian Women Pilots' Association.
Zheng Wang (Julie Wang, Wang Zheng, 王争) (born 1972): The first Asian woman to fly around Earth in an airplane. She was also the first Chinese person to fly solo around the world.
Emily Howell Warner (1939–2020): The first woman captain of a scheduled US airline.
Jo Claire Welch (1939-2018): Believed to be the first US woman hired as a commercial co-pilot in 1969.
Fay Gillis Wells (1908–2002): A founding member of the Ninety-Nines and its first secretary.
Cicely Ethel Wilkinson (c.1882–1967): A pioneering British pilot.
Benedetta Willis (1914–2008): One of the first five women to get RAF wings in the 1950s.
Edna Gardner Whyte (1902–1992): Trained many military pilots in WWII. She was the first female member of the Daedalian fraternity.

Pilots Starting with Y

Patricia Yapp Syau Yin: A Malaysian military pilot. She was the first Asian woman to fly a MiG-29.
Jeana Yeager (born 1952): Co-pilot of the first non-stop flight around the world without refueling.

Pilots Starting with Z

Vera Zakharova (1920–2010): The first Yakut woman pilot.
Lydia Zvereva (1890–1916): The first woman in Russia to earn a pilot's license.

Important Aviation Organizations

Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA): A British civilian organization that moved military aircraft during World War II. Many women pilots served here.
Betsy Ross Air Corps: An early American organization for women pilots.
Night Witches: A famous group of all-female Soviet bomber pilots during World War II.
Ninety-Nines: An international organization of women pilots. It was founded in 1929 by 99 licensed female pilots.
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP): A group of civilian female pilots who flew military aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
Women in Aviation, International: An organization dedicated to encouraging women in all aviation careers.
Women's Air Derby: The first official women's air race in the United States, held in 1929.
Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF): The female branch of the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Women's Flying Training Detachment: A program that trained women pilots for the WASP program.
Women's Royal Air Force: The women's branch of the Royal Air Force.