Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien

Post date: Jul 31, 2018

Amelia Earhart was the most famous female pilot, but she was only one of a group of women who set many flying records. Cross-country air races were the rage in the 1920s and 1930s. The few licensed female pilots wanted to compete in the air race with male pilots, but were told they could not because they were "girls". They wanted to be the first females to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. They were mocked and disregarded. They were told they had to be accompanied by a male pilot when flying long distances. They were not allowed to fly against the men in the cross-country air races. They were called “petticoat pilots,” “ladybirds,” “flying flappers,” “powder puffs” and “fly girls.” These women faced many obstacles in order to break the gender barrier in aviation. These women were Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Ruth Nichols, Amelia Earhart, and Louise Thaden. There were other women as well, and some of them died flying. They came from many different backgrounds, but hand one thing in common. They all loved flying.