Nancy Corrigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nancy Corrigan
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| Born | June 21, 1912 Owenduff, Achill, Ireland
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| Died | 1983 (aged 70–71) Sarasota, Florida, United States
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Known for | Second female commercial pilot in the US |
| Aviation career | |
| First flight | 1932 |
| Flight license | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Racing career | |
| Best position | 1948 Kendall Trophy, Cleveland, third place |
| Aircraft | AT-6 military trainer |
Nancy Corrigan (born June 21, 1912 – died 1983) was an amazing early pilot in the United States. She learned to fly in Cleveland, Ohio, starting in 1932. At that time, it was very rare for women to be pilots. Nancy became a successful flight instructor and a commercial pilot.
Early Life in Ireland
Nancy Corrigan was born on June 21, 1912, in Owenduff, a small place on Achill Island in western Ireland. She was the youngest of four sisters. Her father worked on the railway line from Westport to Achill.
Sadly, her father died in an accident. This left his wife, Maggie Corrigan, with very little money. Because of this, all of Nancy's sisters had to move to the United States.
Nancy moved to the US in 1929 when she was 17 years old. She sailed from Cork, Ireland, to New Jersey. From there, she traveled to Cleveland, Ohio. She found a job as a nanny for a rich family in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Becoming a Pilot
While living in Cleveland, Nancy decided she wanted to learn how to fly. This was in 1932. Flying was very unusual for women back then. It was also extremely expensive.
Nancy was earning about $10 a week. But a pilot's license cost around $700. To earn more money for her flying lessons, she started working as a fashion model.
After three years as a nanny, she left that job. She then got a job with the John Robert Powers modeling agency in New York. This agency was one of the biggest in the US. The women who worked there were called 'Powers Girls'. Nancy worked for them for about 10 years, mostly as a hand model.
Nancy learned to fly incredibly fast. She qualified as a pilot after only 4.45 hours of flying. This was because she had a very tight budget and could not afford many more hours of training. Her quick success was so impressive that it was reported in the Cleveland newspapers.
Training Pilots for War
When the United States joined World War II, Nancy's flying skills were needed. She took on an important role as a trainer for fighter pilots and air cadets. She taught at Spartan College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She also taught at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
After the war ended, Nancy made history again. She became only the second woman in the US to earn a commercial pilot's license. Over the next few decades, she flew commercial jets for 600,000 miles.
During her six years as the head of the flight program at Stephen's College, she oversaw 600 women. Every single one of her students passed their flight tests.
In the 1950s, she became one of only two women in the US with a multi-engine, commercial-rating pilot's license. This meant she could fly larger planes with more than one engine for commercial purposes.
Later Life and Legacy
Nancy Corrigan retired to Florida. She passed away in 1983 from a heart attack. She was 70 or 71 years old.
Nancy's amazing life story has been celebrated in many ways. A TV documentary called Nancy Corrigan: Spéirbhean Acla (which means "Sky-Woman of Achill") was shown on the Irish language channel TG4 on January 6, 2015.
There is also a museum dedicated to her on the Westport Greenway in Ireland. Her life story is also featured in the Tonragee NS Centenary book.
Nancy Corrigan is also the subject of a special exhibit. It is called "The Model Pilot" and is at the International Women's Air and Space Museum at Burke Lakefront Airport.
