Maria Josep Colomer i Luque facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Josep Colomer i Luque
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Colomer in January 1931
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| Born | 31 March 1913 |
| Died | 24 May 2004 (aged 91) |
| Known for | Aviator |
Maria Josep Colomer i Luque (born March 31, 1913 – died May 24, 2004) was a very important Spanish pilot. Most people knew her as Mari Pepa Colomer. She was one of the first women to fly planes in Spain. She became the first female flight instructor in Spain. She was also the first woman from Catalonia (and the third Spanish woman overall) to get a pilot's license.
During the Spanish Civil War, she helped the Republican side. After the war, she had to leave Spain and never flew a plane again.
Contents
Early Life and Learning to Fly
Mari Pepa grew up in a rich family in Barcelona. Her father was an artist. He was friends with famous painters like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Her mother was quite strict. Mari Pepa's father often took her to meet artists. He would tell her mother they were just out for a walk.
Her parents wanted her to go to a cultural school. This school taught working women new skills. But Mari Pepa wanted to learn to fly. She had always looked up to the famous pilot Amelia Earhart. When she was seven, she even jumped from a second-floor window. She held an umbrella like Mary Poppins! She broke both her legs, but it showed her love for flying.
Mari Pepa and her father convinced Josep Canudas, who ran the Barcelona Aviation School. In May 1930, she started studying there. She was the first girl to join the school. Mari Pepa would ride her bike to the Catalunya Aerodrome. There, she would test planes that mechanics had fixed. This helped her pay for her flying lessons. It also helped her get many hours of flying experience very quickly. Her father and some money from her grandmother paid for her lessons. Her father told her mother she was at a finishing school. Her mother only found out about the flying lessons when Mari Pepa was on the cover of La Vanguardia newspaper!
Becoming a Pilot
When Mari Pepa was 17, she had flown for 60 hours. She earned her pilot's license on January 19, 1931. Many people thought she was the first Spanish woman to get a pilot's license. But María Bernaldo de Quirós got hers in 1928. So, Mari Pepa was the third Spanish woman to get a license. She was the first woman from Catalonia to do so.
Her amazing achievement made her famous. She was on the front page of La Vanguardia newspaper. The Provincial Deputation of Barcelona also honored her.
After getting her license, she wanted to prove herself. She took a course to become a commercial pilot. She worked transporting goods and dropping flyers. She also joined many amateur flying contests. She became very popular because flying was a big show in Spain back then.
When the Second Spanish Republic was created, she flew a plane over Barcelona. It carried a banner with the new flag's colors. One of her first passengers was Lluís Companys, the President of Catalonia. In 1932, she even landed a Zeppelin in Barcelona! This was a huge event.
In July 1935, Mari Pepa became the first female flight instructor in Spain. In 1936, she helped start the first cooperative for Aerial Work in Catalonia. She also helped create the Catalan School of Aviation, where she taught.
Role in the Spanish Civil War
When the Spanish Civil War began, Mari Pepa joined the Military Pilots' School. She was an auxiliary first class in the Aeronautical Service. Her job was to train new pilots for the Spanish Republican Air Force. She became an officer. She trained 70 combat pilots.
Mari Pepa also had many other roles. She flew supplies, acted as an air ambulance, and dropped propaganda. She helped people leave dangerous areas. She tested bombs and flew to check out the coast. There are no reports of her flying in actual battles.
Mari Pepa supported the Spanish Republic. Her first mission was on August 2, 1936. She was 23 years old. She flew a plane dropping messages against the opposing side. She sometimes flew soldiers to the front lines. She also brought wounded soldiers back. During the war, she flew a de Havilland Dragon. This was the biggest plane in the Catalan fleet.
Life After the War
At the end of the war in 1939, Mari Pepa helped many Republican soldiers cross the border into France. When Franco's army took over Catalonia, she and her teacher, Carreras, flew across the border to France. She later told a newspaper, "All [pilots] left Spain by plane, of course. From the air we could see long lines of people walking toward France."
Mari Pepa and Carreras first lived in Toulouse, France. Mari Pepa thought about flying to Uruguay, where her father was. But she decided to stay with Carreras.
Carreras had worked for Lord Beaverbrook, a powerful person in England. Beaverbrook invited them to England. Mari Pepa and Carreras got married and lived in Surrey. Carreras became a pilot for the Royal Air Force. He won a medal for being brave. He was often away from home. When Mari Pepa was having her twin babies during an air raid, she had to bike to the hospital herself!
Mari Pepa and her children briefly lived in Scotland. This was during World War II when many children were moved to safer places. In Scotland, she helped prisoners and wounded soldiers.
After World War II, she returned to Surrey. She and Carreras worked with horses. Carreras was even made a knight for his service during the war.
Mari Pepa lived in England for the rest of her life. She visited Spain several times. Later in life, she said she would not move back to Spain. She said almost all her friends had died or lived somewhere else. She never flew a plane again. When asked why, she always said there was no pilot job for her in England.
Death
Mari Pepa Colomer died in Surrey, England, on May 24, 2004. Her ashes were taken to the cemetery of Reus, in Catalonia.
Her Legacy
Several places are named after Mari Pepa Colomer. There are avenues in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) and Getafe (Madrid). There is also a street with her name in Castelldefels (Barcelona). A school for young children through teenagers in El Prat de Llobregat is also named after her.
In July 2018, a group called "Herstóricas" created a project. They wanted to make women's history more visible. They made a pack of cards, and one card shows Mari Pepa Colomer.
Even though Mari Pepa Colomer lived an amazing life, many people in Spain still don't know about her.
In Spanish: Maria Josep Colomer i Luque para niños
