Timeline of women in aviation facts for kids

This is a timeline of women in aviation. It shares many of the amazing "firsts" and achievements of women as pilots and in other important roles in flying. Women on this list have flown all sorts of aircraft, like hot-air balloons, gliders, airplanes, airships, and helicopters. Some women have also been super important in support roles. Others became famous as parachutists and for other flight-related activities. This list includes achievements from women all over the world.

Early Flights: 18th Century

1784: First Woman in a Balloon

• June 4: Élisabeth Thible from France became the first woman to fly in a hot-air balloon.

1798: Solo Flight Pioneer

• November 10: Jeanne Labrosse became the first woman to pilot an aircraft by herself.

1799: First Parachute Jump

• October 12: Jeanne Labrosse made history again as the first woman to parachute jump.

19th Century: Ballooning and Beyond

1810: Napoleon's Air Chief

• Sophie Blanchard became Napoleon's main person for air service.

1811: German Solo Balloonist

• Wilhelmine Reichard was the first German woman to fly a balloon alone.

1860: US Parachute Jump

• Louise Bates made the first parachute jump by a woman in the United States. This happened in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1886: High Altitude Record

• Mary Myers from the United States set a new altitude record in a balloon. She rose four miles into the sky.

1888: New Inventions and Jumps

• Teresa Martinez y Perez received a British patent for "navigable balloons."
• Clare Van Tassel made the first parachute jump by a woman in the western United States. She jumped from a balloon over Los Angeles, California on July 4.

1890: Australian First Jump

• Valerie Frietas (known as Valerie Van Tassell) made the first parachute jump by a woman in Australia. This was in Newcastle, New South Wales.

1892: Bangladesh Flight and Jump

• Jeanette Rummary (known as Jeanette Van Tassell) made the first balloon flight and parachute jump in what is now Bangladesh. This happened in Dhaka.

20th Century: Airplanes Take Off

1903: Motorized Flight

• Aida de Acosta of the United States was the first woman to pilot a motorized aircraft. It was a dirigible, and she flew it solo.

1904: Royal Aero Club

• Queen Margherita of Italy started the Roman Aero Club for ballooning.

1906: All-Woman Crew

• July 28: Marie Surcouf earned her balloon pilot's license.
• August 23: She made her first flight as a pilot with Miss Gache. This was the first balloon flight with an all-woman crew.

1908: Airplane Passengers and Solo Flights

• May–June: Mlle P. Van Pottelsberghe de la Poterie of Belgium flew with Henri Farman. She became the first woman passenger on an airplane.
• September: Thérèse Peltier of France made the first solo flight by a woman in an airplane. She flew about 200 meters in Turin, Italy.
• October 7: Edith Ogilby Berg, who worked for the Wright brothers, became the first American woman to fly as a passenger.

1909: More Aviation Milestones

• Marie Marvingt of France was the first woman to fly over the North Sea in a balloon.
• Hélène Dutrieu of Belgium was the first woman to pilot a real solo airplane flight.
• Raymonde de Laroche was the first French woman to pilot a solo airplane flight. She flew just over 300 meters.
• June 16: La Stella, the first aero club for women, opened near Paris.
• Katharine Wright, sister of the Wright brothers, helped their aviation business grow. She was the first woman invited to the Aéro-Club de France.
• October 27: Sarah Van Deman became the first woman to fly in an airplane in the United States. She was a passenger with Wilbur Wright in College Park, Maryland.

1910: First Licenses and Records

• March 8: Raymonde de Laroche of France became the world's first woman to earn a pilot's license.
• August 29: Marthe Niel of France became the world's second woman to get a pilot's license.
• September 3: Hélène Dutrieu of Belgium was the first woman in the world to fly with a passenger.
• September 10: Bessie Raiche of the United States made the first solo airplane flight by a woman in the United States.
• November 8: Marie Marvingt of France became the third woman in France and the world to earn a pilot's license.
• November 25: Hélène Dutrieu became the first Belgian woman and fourth worldwide to earn a pilot's license.
• December 7: Jeanne Herveu of France became the world's fifth woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Hilda Hewlett of England was the first woman to help start a flight school.
• Hélène Dutrieu was the first woman to win a competition, the Femina Cup, for the longest flight by a woman that year.

1911: More Women Get Licenses

• June 15: Marie-Louise Driancourt of France became the world's sixth woman to earn a pilot's license.
• August 1: Harriet Quimby became the first American and the world's seventh woman to earn a pilot's license.
• August 10: Lydia Zvereva was the first Russian and the world's eighth woman to earn a pilot's license.
• August 29: Hilda Hewlett became the first English woman to earn a pilot's license. She later taught her child to fly.
• September 13: Amelie Beese became the first German and the world's ninth woman with a pilot's license.
• October 6: Beatrix de Rijk was the first Dutch and the world's tenth woman to earn a pilot's license.
• October 10: Božena Laglerová was the first Czech woman to earn her pilot's license.
• November 19: Lyubov Golanchikova became the first Estonian woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Hélène Dutrieu won the Coppa del Re ("King's Cup") in Florence, Italy, beating 14 male pilots.

1912: Breaking Barriers

• Amelie Beese of Germany was the first woman to patent an aircraft design.
• Hélène Dutrieu was the first woman to pilot a seaplane.
• April 16: Harriet Quimby was the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
• May: May Assheton Harbord was the first woman to get an Aeronaut's Certificate in the United Kingdom.
• August 15: Lilly Steinschneider became the first Hungarian woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Hilda Hewlett was the first woman to help start an aircraft factory.
• Rayna Kasabova became the first woman to take part in a military flight.

1913: Parachutes and Night Flights

• January 3: Rosina Ferrario was the first Italian woman to earn her pilot's license.
• June 21: Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick was the first woman to jump from an aircraft. She dropped from 2,000 feet in Los Angeles.
• August 22: Carmen Damedoz was the last woman to pass the French flying test before World War I.
• December 1: Lyubov Golanchikova became the first female test pilot.
• Ruth Law was the first woman to fly at night.
• Katherine Stinson and her mother started the Stinson Aviation Company. Stinson also became the first woman airmail pilot and first woman to do night skywriting.
• Ann Maria Bocciarelli of South Africa was the first woman in Africa to earn a recreational pilot's license.
• Katharina Paulus (Käthe Paulus) developed the first modern parachute that fit into a bag.

1914: Military and Aerobatics

• Lydia Zvereva was the first woman to do an aerobatic maneuver (a loop).
• Eugenie Shakhovskaya was the first woman to become a military pilot. She flew missions for the Tsar.
• February 6: Elena Caragiani-Stoenescu became the first Romanian woman to earn a pilot's license.
• May 11: Else Haugk was the first Swiss woman to earn a pilot's license.
• October 1: Amalia Celia Figueredo became the first woman in Argentina to earn a pilot's license.

1915: Combat Flight

• Marie Marvingt of France was the first woman to fly in combat.

1916: China's First Female Pilot

• Zhang Xiahun became China's first female pilot.

1921: Andes and African American Firsts

• Bessie Coleman was the first African American to earn a pilot's license.
• Adrienne Bolland became the first woman to fly over the Andes mountains.
• May: Carmela Combre was the first woman to pilot a plane in Peru, though she never got a license.
• October: Violet Guirola de Avila of El Salvador completed a flight in Guatemala. She became the first Salvadoran female pilot.

1922: South American and Japanese Pioneers

• March 15: Amalia Villa de la Tapia of Bolivia was the first woman pilot licensed in Peru.
• April 8: Thereza Di Marzo was the first Brazilian woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Tadashi Hyōdō became the first Japanese woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Anésia Pinheiro Machado earned her pilot's license in Brazil. She became the first woman pilot in Brazil to carry passengers.

1924: Spanish Pilot

• November 24: María Bernaldo de Quirós was the first Spanish woman to receive a pilot's license.

1925: Korean and New Zealand Firsts

• Kwon Ki-ok was the first Korean woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Gladys Sandford became the first woman in New Zealand to earn her pilot's license.

1926: Australian Pilot

• Millicent Bryant was the first Australian woman to earn a pilot's license.

1927: Airline Pilot and Norwegian First

• Marga von Etzdorf of Germany was the first woman to fly for an airline.
• Dagny Berger was the first Norwegian woman to receive a flying certificate.

1928: Long Flights and New Countries

• February–May: Mary, Lady Heath from Ireland was the first woman to fly from Cape Town, South Africa, to London.
• March–April: Mary Bailey of England was the first woman to fly solo from England to South Africa.
• Maria de Lourdes Sá Teixeira of Portugal earned the first pilot's license for a woman in her country.
• Eileen Vollick was the first Canadian woman to earn her pilot's license.
• Janet Bragg was the first woman accepted into the Curtiss-Wright School of Aeronautics.
• Park Kyung-won became the first Korean woman to earn a 2nd class pilot's license.
• Janet Hendry became the first woman from Scotland to earn a pilot's license.

1929: Stunt Pilots and Engineering

• The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale created a new category for women pilots' records.
• Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes became the first stunt pilot in Hollywood.
• Phyllis Arnott was the first Australian woman to earn a Commercial Pilot's License.
• Elsie MacGill of Canada became the first woman to earn a master's degree in aeronautical engineering.
• Audrey Fiander became the first woman pilot in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
• March 16: Louise Thaden set the women's endurance record, flying for 22 hours and 3 minutes.
• August 18: The first Women's Air Derby was held in the United States. Louise Thaden won.
• November 2: The Ninety-Nines were founded to support and mentor women in aviation.

1930: Global Flights and Flight Attendants

• Amy Johnson was the first woman pilot to fly from England to Australia.
• Elinor Smith and Evelyn Trout of the US were the first women to refuel a plane in flight.
• Mary Riddle became the second Native American to earn a pilot's license.
• Ellen Church convinced Boeing Air Transport to hire the first flight attendants. She and seven other women were hired.
• January: Aris Emma Walder became Uruguay's first woman pilot.
• March: Berta Moraleda became the first woman pilot in Cuba.
• May: Laura Ingalls set a stunt record of 980 continuous loops.
• July: Graciela Cooper Godoy got the first license for a woman pilot in Chile.
• September: Maryse Bastié of France broke the women's flight endurance record, staying airborne for 38 hours.

1931: Gliders and Military Support

• August 5: Katharina Paulus made her final balloon flight at age 63. She had over 510 balloon flights and 150 parachute jumps.
• Anne Morrow Lindbergh became the first US woman to earn a glider pilot's license.
• Marga von Etzdorf was the first woman to fly over Siberia.
• The Betsy Ross Air Corps was formed in the United States to provide military support flying.

1932: Across Oceans and Continents

• Winifred Drinkwater was the first woman in the world to hold a commercial pilot's license.
• Ruthy Tu became the first Chinese woman to earn a pilot's license. She was also the first woman to join the Chinese Army as a pilot.
• Amelia Earhart was the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• Maude Bonney became the first woman to fly around Australia.
• Urmila K. Parekh became the first Indian woman to get a pilot's license.
• Hermelinda Urvina of Ecuador became the first woman in the country to earn a pilot's license.
• Emma Catalina Encinas Aguayo earned the first woman pilot's license in Mexico.

1933: Arab, African, and Flight Instructors

• Bedriye Tahir Gökmen was the first Turkish woman to earn her pilot's license.
• Lotfia Elnadi became the first Arab woman, first African woman, and first woman in Egypt to earn a pilot's license.
• Maryse Hilsz of France was the first woman pilot to fly from Beijing to Paris.
• Fay Gillis Wells was the first American woman to fly a Soviet-made airplane.
• Carola Lorenzini was the first Argentine pilot certified as a flight instructor.
• Aline Rhonie was the first woman to fly solo from New York to Mexico City.

1934: Stratosphere and Commercial Flights

• October 23: Balloonist Jeannette Piccard became the first woman to reach the stratosphere.
• December 31: Helen Richey became the first woman to pilot a commercial airliner in the United States.
• Marie Marvingt was the first woman to run a civil air ambulance service.
• Marina Raskova of Russia was the first woman to teach at a military flight academy.
• Jean Batten of New Zealand was the first woman to fly the "England to Australia" round trip.
• Maryse Hilsz of France was the first woman to fly the "Paris to Tokyo" round trip.
• Maude Bonney was the first woman to receive an MBE award for her "contribution to aviation."

1935: Hawaii Flights and Passenger Licenses

• Marie Marving became the first person to "practice aviation para-medicine."
• Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly a solo round-trip from Hawaii to the continental US.
• Nancy Bird Walton was the first Australian woman to hold a license to carry passengers.
• Lee Ya-Ching, a Chinese actress, became the first woman licensed by the Boeing School of Aeronautics.
• Phyllis Doreen Hooper earned the first women pilot's license in South Africa.
• Ada Rogato became the first woman licensed glider pilot.
• Katherine Sui Fun Cheung earned the first commercial license for a woman from China.

1936: Atlantic Crossing and Chinese Pilot

• Sarla Thakral became the first Indian woman to earn her private pilot's license.
• Beryl Markham from England was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to west.
• Lee Ya-Ching became the first woman to be licensed as a pilot in China.
• Phyllis Doreen Hooper earned the first women commercial pilot license in South Africa.
• Mulumebet Emeru was the first woman pilot of Ethiopia.

1937: Combat Pilots and Helicopters

• Willa Brown was the first African American woman to earn her pilot's license in the United States.
• Sabiha Gökçen of Turkey was the first woman combat pilot.
• Hanna Reitsch of Germany was the first woman to earn a helicopter license.
• Maude Bonney was the first woman to fly solo from Australia to South Africa.
• Susana Ferrari Billinghurst was the first woman commercial pilot of Argentina.

1938: Flight Instructors and Indoor Flight

• Phyllis Doreen Hooper became the first female flight instructor in South Africa.
• Hanna Reitsch of Germany was the first person to fly a helicopter inside a building.
• Berta Servián de Flores became the first Paraguayan woman to earn a pilot's license.
• Aline Rhonie became the first American to earn an Irish commercial pilot's license.

1939: Emergency Relief and Military Groups

• Ruth Nichols founded Relief Wings to help with emergency and disaster relief using private aircraft.
• Inés Thomann became the first Peruvian woman pilot.
• May 15: Soviet A. Kondratyeva set a record flight of 22 hours and 40 minutes in a balloon.
• November 13: María Calcaño Ruiz became the first Venezuelan woman pilot.
• November 17: South Africa created the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.
• December 5: The South African Women's Aviation Association (SAWAA) was formed.

1940: Military Service and Commercial Pilots

• Effat Tejaratchi became the first Iranian woman to earn her pilot's license.
• January 1: The first eight women were appointed to the Air Transport Auxiliary.
• Major Phyllis Dunning became the first South African woman in full-time military service.
• Mirta Vanni became the first woman commercial pilot in Uruguay.

1941: Women in War Efforts

• July 2: Canada created the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force.
• October 8: Joseph Stalin created three regiments of women pilots for the Soviet Union military. The 588th Regiment was later called the Night Witches.
• Jacqueline Cochran of the United States was the first woman to fly a bomber across the North Atlantic.
• Ada Rogato became the first certified woman paratrooper in Brazil.

1942: Air Traffic Control and Training

• September 14: General Henry H. Arnold approved the program that created the United States Army Air Forces Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD).
• June 1: Mary Chance VanScyoc became the United States' first female civilian air-traffic controller.

1943: Flying Aces and WASP

• Janet Bragg became the first African American woman to earn a commercial pilot's license.

• Lidya Litvyak and Yekaterina Budanova of the Soviet Air forces were the only women considered flying aces.
• Dora Koeppen became the first stewardess for Chile's LAN Airlines.
• July 1: Luisa Elena Contreras Mattera was the first Venezuelan woman to get a license after training in Venezuela.
• August 5: The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program was formed in the United States.

1944: WASP Contributions

• Hazel Ying Lee became the first Chinese-American woman to fly for the U.S. military as a WASP.
• December 20: The WASP program was ended.

1945: Post-War Aviation

• Betty Greene, a former WASP, became the first pilot for the Mission Aviation Fellowship.
• The Air Transport Auxiliary was ended.
• Margot Duhalde of Chile became the first female pilot in the French Air Force.
• Valérie André became the first woman to fly a helicopter in combat in Indochina.

1946: Panama's First

• María Quelquejeu became the first woman pilot of Panama.

1947: India's Commercial Pilot

• Prem Mathur became the first woman commercial pilot in India.

1948: Agricultural Pilots

• Isabella Ribeiro de Cabral was the first woman from Trinidad and Tobago to earn a pilot's license.
• Ada Rogato of Brazil became the first woman agricultural pilot.

1949: Australian and African American Firsts

• Margaret Clarke became Australia's first agricultural pilot.
• Dorothy Layne McIntyre became the first African-American woman licensed as a pilot by the Civil Aeronautics Authority.
• Josephine Samaan Ibrahim Haddad became the first Iraqi, Assyrian woman to earn the rank of captain and pilot an aircraft in Baghdad.

1950: Women Pilots' Association

• September 16: Thirty-five women, including Nancy-Bird Walton, created the Australian Women Pilots' Association (AWPA).

1951: Moroccan and Algerian Pilots

• Touria Chaoui was the first woman from Morocco to earn her pilot's license.
• Myriam Ben was the first Algerian woman to earn a pilot's license.

1952: New Guinea and Jamaica

• Patricia Graham was the first Australian woman pilot to work in New Guinea.
• Touria Chaoui became the first Moroccan and second Arab woman pilot.
• Earsley Barnett obtained the first woman pilot's license in Jamaica.
• Kim Kyung-Oh [ko] of Korea was commissioned as the first woman lieutenant in the Republic of Korea Air Force.

1953: Breaking the Sound Barrier

• May 18: Jackie Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier.
• American Airlines started ending stewardesses' jobs when they turned 32.

1954: Korean War Pilot

• Kim Kyung-Oh [ko] of Korea was promoted to captain in the ROK Air Force. She was the only woman pilot in the Korean War for South Korea.

1955: Test Pilots and Helicopter Groups

• Jacqueline Auriol of France was the first Frenchwoman to earn a test pilot license.
• Jean Ross Howard Phelan founded the Whirly-Girls, an organization for women helicopter pilots.
• The British Women Pilots' Association (BWPA) was formed.

1956: Amazon Crossing and Sudan

• Ada Rogato was the first pilot to cross the Amazon rainforest solo in a single-engine aircraft.
• Betty Greene was the first woman to fly in Sudan.

1958: Flight Attendants and Royal Society

• February 11: Ruth Carol Taylor was the first African-American flight attendant.
• Dorothy Rungeling was the first Canadian woman to solo pilot a helicopter.
• Letitia Chitty was the first woman admitted as a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

1959: Civilian Pilots and New Zealand

• Molly Reilly was the first Canadian woman to become a civilian pilot.
• Rhona Fraser and Ena Monk created the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation (NZAWA).

1960: Air Traffic Controllers

• Olga Tarling became the first woman air traffic controller in Australia.
• Yvonne Pope Sintes and Frankie O'Kane became the first female British air traffic controllers.
• Alia Menchari became the first woman Tunisian pilot.

1961: Guyana's First

• Lucille Golas got the first pilot license for a woman in Guyana.

1962: Jet Across Atlantic

• Jacqueline Cochran was the first woman to fly a jet across the Atlantic Ocean.
• Asegedech Assefa became the first Ethiopian woman to earn a pilot's license.

1963: Space and Pacific Crossings

• Valentina Tereshkova became the world's first woman to fly in space.
• Betty Miller was the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
• Anne Spoerry became the first female member of the "Flying Doctors" in Kenya.
• April 17: Eight stewardesses spoke out against the policy of retiring stewardesses at age 32.

1964: Around the World

• Geraldine Mock was the first woman to fly around the world.

1965: Age Discrimination

• September 2: The US House of Representatives showed "public disfavor with airline age discrimination" against stewardesses.

1967: Indian Women Pilots

• The India's Women Pilot Association (IWPA) was formed.

1969: Namibia and Commercial Pilots

• Kucki Low obtained the first woman pilot's license in South-West Africa (now Namibia).
• Turi Widerøe of Norway became the first female pilot for Scandinavian Airlines System.

1970: Canadian and Papua New Guinea Firsts

• Rosella Bjorson was the first Canadian commercial airline pilot.
• Beverly Roediger was the first woman to earn a commercial pilot license in Papua New Guinea.

1971: Speed Records and French Association

• Louise Sacchi set a speed record flying from New York to London in 17 hours and 10 minutes.
• The Association Française des Femmes Pilotes was formed in France.

1972: Britain's Commercial Pilot

• Yvonne Pope Sintes became Britain's first woman commercial airline pilot.

1973: Major Airlines and Military Training

• Kucki Low was hired as the first woman commercial airline pilot in South Africa.
• Bonnie Tiburzi was the first female pilot for American Airlines. She was also the first woman in the world to earn a Flight Engineer rating on a turbo-jet aircraft.
• The United States Navy allowed women to train as pilots.

1974: Forest Service and Pilot's Association

• Mary Barr became the first woman pilot to work for the United States Forest Service.
• Emily Howell Warner became the first woman member of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.

1975: Jamaican Firsts

• Yola Cain became the first Jamaican-born commercial pilot and flight instructor.

1976: Airline Captain and Military Pilot

• Emily Howell Warner became the first woman in the United States to work as an airline captain.
• Yola Cain became the first woman pilot hired by the Jamaica Defence Force.
• September 9: Asli Hassan Abade made her first solo flight as the only female pilot in the Somali Air Force.

1977: Air Force Graduates and WASP Status

• September 2: Ten women graduated from UPT Class 77-08, earning their silver wings for the United States Air Force.
• November: President Carter signed a bill giving all former WASPs World War II veterans' status.
• Beverly Drake and Cheryl Pickering became the first two women pilots of the Guyana Defence Force.
• Beverley Drake of Guyana was the first female pilot of the Guyana Airways Corporation.
• Barbara Adams of Guyana became the first licensed woman helicopter pilot in her country.

1978: Commercial Airlines and Organizations

• The first African American woman to fly for a commercial airline in the United States was Jill Brown-Hiltz.
• The International Social Affiliation of Women Airline Pilots was formed.
• The Professional Women Controllers, Inc was founded to support diversity in air traffic control.
• Chinyere Kalu became Nigeria's first female pilot.
• Judy Cameron became the first woman pilot hired by Air Canada.
• A group of former WASPs formed the Women's Military Pilots Association.
• January: Gráinne Cronin became the first woman to fly for Ireland's national carrier Aer Lingus.

1979: Military Pilots and Flight Officers

• November: Marcella Ng became the first African American to become a pilot in the US military.
• Maria Ziadie-Haddad was hired as the first woman pilot of Air Jamaica.
• Koh Chai Hong was the first woman pilot in the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
• The United States Navy allowed women to train as flight officers.

1980: Boeing 747 and Awards

• Lynn Rippelmeyer was the first woman to fly a Boeing 747.
• December 12: Aircraft manufacturer, Olive Ann Beech, received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy.

1981: Hispanic and African Female Pilots

• June: Mary Crawford became the first women's flight officer in the United States Navy.
• Olga Custodio became the first Hispanic female to graduate from the United States Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training program.
• Chinyere Kalu became Nigeria's first female commercial pilot.
• Yichida Ndlovu became the first civilian female pilot in Zambia.

1982: All-Female Crew

• April: Patrice Washington became the first black woman commercial pilot to graduate from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.
• July: Lynn Rippelmeyer and Bev Burns became the first B-737 Captains at People Express.

1983: Aircraft Carrier Landing and Smokejumpers

• March 21: The first all-female Aircraft Carrier Landing was conducted by a US Navy aircrew.
• April: Elizabeth Jennings Clark was hired as the first female pilot for LIAT.
• November 16: American, Brooke Knapp, was the first person to land at McMurdo Station for a round-the-world flight.
• Charlotte Larson became the first woman smoke jumper aircraft captain.
• Deanne Schulman became the first woman to be qualified as a smoke jumper.

1984: 747 Captains and Paratroopers

• Beverly Burns became the first woman to be the captain on a Boeing 747 cross-country trip.
• Lynn Ripplemeyer was the first captain of a 747 on a transatlantic flight.
• Khatool Mohammadzai was the first Afghan woman to become a paratrooper.
• Patrice Washington became the first woman pilot hired by Bahamasair.

1986: Non-Stop Flight and All-Female Crew

• Jeana Yeager completed the first non-stop, un-refueled flight around the Earth with Dick Rutan.
• Beverley Bass became the first female captain of a commercial plane at American Airlines.
• Jenny Brearley of Australia was the first woman elected to the committee of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
• Rebecca Mpagi joined Uganda's National Resistance Army as a pilot.
• June 11: The Women Soaring Pilots Association (WSPA) was founded to support women in gliding.
• December 30: Beverley Bass captained the first all-female crew in commercial jet aviation history.

1987: British Airways and Board Directors

• British Airways hired its first woman pilot, Lynne Barton.
• Erma Johnson became the first black and first woman chair of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Board of Directors.
• Continental Airlines had the first all-women crew to command a wide-bodied commercial aircraft.

1988: Caribbean Captain and Military Aviators

• Michele Yap of Jamaica became the first female airline captain in the Caribbean.
• Sakhile Nyoni, a Zimbabwean, became the first woman pilot in Botswana.
• The Women's Military Pilots Association changed its name to the Women Military Aviators (WMA).
• Irish woman Gráinne Cronin became Aer Lingus's first female captain.

1989: Military Flight School and Medals

• Latifa Nabizada and her sister, Laliuma, became the first Afghan women admitted to military flight school.
• Deanne Brasseur and Jane Foster were the first women to fly military aircraft in Canada.
• The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale established the Pelagia Majewska medal.

1990: Aviation Organizations and Youngest Captain

• Women in Aviation, International (WAI) was organized to help women in aviation careers.
• Julie Ann Gibson and Sally Cox were the first career pilots in the Royal Air Force.
• January 1: Nivedita Bhasin became the youngest woman pilot in world civil aviation history to command a commercial jet aircraft at age 26.
• Patrice Washington became the first Black woman pilot to fly for United Parcel Service.

1991: Aerobatic Champion and Accident Investigator

• Patty Wagstaff was the first woman to earn the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion.
• Latifa Nabizada and her sister Lailuma graduated from helicopter flight school.
• Beverley Drake of Guyana was the first female accident investigator of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
• The first Canadian Women in Aviation Conference was held.
• July 31: The United States Senate voted to allow American military women to fly aircraft in combat.

1992: Antarctica and Supersonic Flights

• Judy Chesser Coffman, of the United States Navy, was the first female helicopter pilot to fly in Antarctica.
• Barbara Harmer joined the Concorde fleet as the first woman to fly the supersonic airliner as a line pilot.
• Mette Grøtteland was the first woman fighter pilot in the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

• Veronica Foy became the first woman pilot of Malawi.

1993: Fighter Pilots and Flight Officers

• Jeannie Flynn became the first fighter pilot in the United States Air Force.
• Barbara Harmer of England became the first woman to fly a supersonic airline jet.
• Nina Tapula became the first woman military pilot of Zambia.
• Aurora Carandang became the first woman captain for Philippine Airlines.
• Matice Wright became the first African American female flight officer in the United States Navy.

1994: Indian Air Force and British Fighter Pilot

• September 2: Harita Kaur Deol was the first woman pilot to fly solo in the Indian Air Force.
• Jo Salter was declared combat ready by the Royal Air Force, becoming Britain's first female fighter pilot.
• December: Patrice Washington became the first black woman captain of a major US air service.

1995: Helicopter Pilots and Space Shuttle

• The first group of women helicopter pilots joined the Indian Air Force.
• Felistas Matengo-Mkandawire became the first black woman pilot in Malawi.
• The Federation of European Women Pilots (FEWP) was founded.
• Eileen Collins became the first female pilot of the Space Shuttle.
• Sarah Deal became the United States Marine Corps' first female aviator.

1996: Airline Captain and Skydive Record

• Maria Ziadie-Haddad became the first female airline captain in Jamaica.
• Chipo Matimba became the first woman to complete the Air Force of Zimbabwe's pilot training course.
• Hildegarde Ferrea, at age 99, became the oldest person to perform a skydive jump.

1997: Aviation Maintenance and Helicopter Around World

• March: The Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM) was formed.
• Jennifer Murray was the first woman to go around the world in a helicopter.
• Anne-Marie "Mie" Jansen became the first Belgian female fighter pilot.

1998: Combat Missions and Airline CEOs

• Women fighter pilots in the United States military flew the first combat missions off aircraft carriers.
• Asnath Mahapa was the first African woman to become a pilot in South Africa.
• Nicole Chang Leng became the first woman pilot of the Seychelles.
• November: M'Lis Ward became the first African American woman to captain for a major U.S. commercial airline.
• December 17: Kendra Williams was the first woman pilot to launch missiles in combat.
• Aysha Alhameli was the first Emirati woman to become a pilot in the United Arab Emirates.
• Barbara Cassani became the first woman CEO of a commercial airline.

1999: Fighter Pilot Wings and Shuttle Commander

• Caroline Aigle became the first woman to receive the French Air Force's fighter pilot wings.
• Veronica Foy became the first woman captain of Malawi.
• Eileen Collins became the first female commander of the Space Shuttle.

2000: Brigadier General

• Catherine Labuschagne was the first woman in South Africa qualified as a fighter pilot.
• Betty Mullis became the first woman and pilot in the United States Air Force to become a Brigadier General.

21st Century: Modern Aviation Achievements

2001: New Countries and Fighter Pilots

• Susan Mashibe of Tanzania became the first FAA-certified pilot and mechanic of her country.
• Selase Yayra Agbenyefia of Ghana became her country's first female military helicopter pilot.
• Anastasia Gan became the first woman commercial airline pilot in Singapore.
• Teresa Carvalho was the first Portuguese woman to pilot a commercial airliner.
• Roni Zuckerman became the first Israeli woman to qualify as a fighter pilot.

2002: Combat Pilots and Military Academies

• Christine Njeuma became the first woman pilot of Cameroon.
• Maria Eugenia Etcheverry became the first woman combat pilot in Uruguay.
• Inka Niskanen became Finland's first female fighter pilot.
• The Dominican Air Force allowed women to enter the military academy.

2003: Antarctic and Iraq War Pilots

• Sidonie Bosin was the first female aviation officer in charge of air crews in the Antarctic.
• Ayesha Farooq became Pakistan's first "war-ready female fighter pilot."
• Vernice Armour became the first African American combat pilot to fly during the Iraq War.
• Susan Mashibe of Tanzania founded Via Aviation.
• Khoo Teh Lynn became Singapore's first fighter pilot.
• Ramona Palabrica-Go became the commanding officer of the Army Aviation Battalion in the Philippines.
• Astrid Deira became the first woman pilot of Suriname.
• January 10: The Brazilian Air Force opened positions to women.
• August: Cheryl Stearns completed her 15,560th skydive, setting a record for women.

2004: African Airline Captains

• Irene Koki Mutungi of Kenya became Africa's first woman airline captain.
• The first all-female aviation company in Africa, SRS Aviation, was started by Sibongile Sambo.

2005: Saudi Arabia and Coast Guard

• Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi became the first woman in Saudi Arabia to earn her pilot's license.
• Jeanine Menze became the first African American woman to earn the Aviation Badge in the United States Coast Guard.

2006: Denmark's Fighter Pilot

• July: Line Bonde became the first woman fighter pilot in Denmark.

2007: African Helicopter Pilots and All-Woman Crew

• Phetogo Molawa became the first black woman helicopter pilot in the South African Air Force.
• Nicole Chang Leng of the Seychelles became the first woman captain and the first to command an all-woman crew.
• Ulrike Flender became Germany's first female fighter pilot.

2008: Distinguished Flying Cross and Armless Pilot

• Michelle Goodman was the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
• Ha Jeong-mi became the first South Korean female fighter pilot.
• Heather Bartlett became the only woman working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as both a pilot and law enforcement officer.
• Jessica Cox became the first armless pilot to fly solo.

2009: All-Female Flight Crew and Youngest Solo Pilot

• February 12: The first all-African American, female flight crew flew from Nashville to Atlanta.
• Virginie Guyot of France was the first woman to lead a national aerobatic team.
• Kimberly Anyadike, aged 15, became the youngest African-American woman to pilot a plane solo across the United States.
• Angela Swann-Cronin, the first Māori pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, retired.
• Patricia Mawuli Nyekodzi became the first woman in Ghana to earn a civilian pilot's license.
• Ângela Pedro Francisco became the first woman pilot of Mozambique.

2010: Japan's Captain and Congressional Gold Medal

• July: Ari Fuji was the first woman captain in Japan.
• The women who worked as WASP pilots received the Congressional Gold Medal.
• Karina Miranda was the first female pilot from Chile to break the sound barrier.
• Catherine Labuschagne was the first woman to pilot a Gripen.
• Giselah Ebanks became the first Caymanian woman pilot.
• L'Association Suisse des Femmes Pilotes was formed in Switzerland.

2011: South Sudan and Aviation Week

• Aluel James Bol became the first woman pilot in the newly created country of South Sudan.
• February: Johana Belén Santacruz became the first woman combat pilot in the Ecuadorian Air Force.
• March: The first Women of Aviation Worldwide Week was held.

2012: Dominican Republic and Rwanda

• February: Maria Tejada-Quintana became the first woman of the Dominican Republic certified as a combat pilot.
• April: Astrid Deira became the first woman in Suriname to be the captain of a Boeing 737.
• Esther Mbabazi became the first woman pilot in Rwanda.
• Chinese pilot, Yu Xu, became the first woman to fly the J-10 fighter jet.
• Frances Smith, Gwendolyn Ritchie and Gayle Saunders all became the first women promoted to captain in Bahamasair.
• The Afghan Air Force started training women pilots again.
• Sakhile Nyoni-Reiling became the first woman General Manager of government-owned Air Botswana.
• Czarena Hashim became the first woman airline captain in both Royal Brunei Airlines and Southeast Asia.
• Katarzyna Tomiak [pl] became a MiG-29 fighter pilot in the Polish Air Force.
• Andrea Deyling was the first licensed Zeppelin pilot in the United States.

2013: Malawi and Paratroopers

• Flora Ngwilinji became the first woman pilot of the Malawi Defence Force.
• May: Kavistha Maharaj became the first black and first Indian South African woman to captain for South African Airways.
• July: The first women paratroopers in Pakistan completed their training.
• The largest head-down freefly formation with only women was accomplished in Arizona.

2014: Saudi Airspace and Fighter Pilots

• Saudi Arabia allowed their first woman pilot, Hanadi Al-Hindi, to fly in Saudi airspace.
• Mariam al-Mansuri was the United Arab Emirates' first female fighter pilot. She flew combat missions against ISIS in Syria.
• Nicola Scaife of Australia won the first Women's Hot Air Balloon Championship.
• Astrid Deira became the first female captain in Suriname.

2015: All-Female Crews and African Airlines

• Myriam Adnani became the first Muslim woman pilot in Europe.
• Ethiopian Airlines had its first flight "operated by an all-female crew."
• Siza Mzimela founded the first airline, Fly Blue Crane, created by a black woman.
• Ouma Laouali of Niger became the first female pilot to serve in the Niger Armed Forces.
• Selai Saumi became the first woman from Fiji to be a captain for a commercial airline.

2016: Air Commodores and Fighter Pilots

• January: Ellen Chiweshe was appointed as the first woman air commodore in the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
• February 23: The first all-women flight team of Royal Brunei Airlines flew from Brunei to Jeddah.
• June 18: The first female Indian fighter pilots graduated.
• September: Wang Zheng was the first Chinese person to fly a single-engine airplane solo around the world.
• December: EasyJet announced they doubled the number of new entrant woman pilots.
• Singapore Airlines hired woman pilots for the first time.
• Penny Khull became the first woman to qualify as an NH90 helicopter pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
• Yolanda Kaunda became the first black woman captain from Malawi.

2018: Japan's Female Fighter Pilot

• Misa Matsushima became the first female fighter pilot in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

2019: Solo Global Flights

• Aarohi Pandit became the first woman pilot in the world to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Greenland ice sheets in a light sport aircraft.

2022: All-Black, All-Female Crew

• August 20: The first all-black, all-female crew operated a regular American Airlines commercial flight. This celebrated the 100th anniversary of Bessie Coleman's achievements.

See Also

• List of firsts in aviation
• Women in aviation
• Early Australian female aviators