First manned flight on October 19, 1783 in Paris, France

It started in 1784, when only 8 months after the first manned balloon flight, Count Jean-Baptiste de Laurencin got cold feet and gave his spot for a balloon flight to Marie Élisabeth Thible, a French opera singer. She dressed as a Roman goddess and sang “La Belle Arsène”, a celebrated opera of the time, as the balloon ascended to 1500 meters. She is was the first woman ever to fly.

A few years later, riding along was not good enough for women anymore.

Raymonde de Laroche, first woman to earn a pilot license

In 1798, Jeanne Labrosse was the first woman to fly solo in an aircraft and, in June 1903, Aida de Acosta was the first woman to fly a powered aircraft, a dirigible designed by her friend, Alberto Santos-Dumont. It is no surprise that just a few years after the airplane was invented, women were taking on the new challenge. On March 8 1910, Raymonde de Laroche, an experienced French balloonist became the first woman to earn a pilot license.

Women did more than flying. Jeanne Herveau of France became the first female flight school owner when she opened a flight school on December 22, 1911.

Lidiya Zvereva, first Russian female pilot and aircraft assembly plant owner

Marie Marvingt of France designed one of the first air ambulances, dedicated her life to making air ambulance services a reality, and created the original flight nurse training program. Bessica Medlar Raiche of the United States built her own airplane which she flew solo on September 16, 1910. She is credited for being the first woman to fly an airplane solo on the American continent. In 1913, in addition to becoming the first woman to hold a pilot license in Russia two years earlier, Lidia Zvereva owned and ran an airplane assembly plant with her husband. Since these early times, women have continued to contribute to the aviation industry.

Eileen Collins, first woman to pilot the space shuttle

However, today, the Women of Aviation continue to be a tiny minority (read “5 decades of women pilots in the U.S. How did we do?“). While the percentage of female doctors, female lawyers, and police women went from nonexistent 100 years ago to around 25% today, the percentage of women involved in aviation has remained steadily low (around 5-6%). As a result, the common perception is that aviation is for men only.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyday, women are enjoying flying for the fun of it or for a career. More and more women are becoming Air Traffic Controllers. Some become aircraft mechanics or aerospace engineers.

March 8 marks International Women’s Day and the anniversary of the first female pilot license worldwide. The aviation industry celebrates for special week for women by showcasing its female members and extending a warm welcome to newcomers during Women of Aviation Worldwide Week.

Whether you want to be part of the welcome committee or you are interested in discovering what aviation has to offer to women, please join us.

Together, we will make a difference.