Aircraft Quiz No.131

[Doug Robertson]

Name the very first woman of what country to fly an airplane. What year date did this woman learn to fly? This quiz requests three correct answers.

[moxy]

1. Raymonde de Laroche

2. France

3. 1909

Regards
Rob

[Doug Robertson]

Well, this perhaps poses an issue. My un-named published source has it that the first woman pilot to fly solo of a number of women was Mademoiselle Helen Dutrieu of France who learned to fly in 1909, with no further exact date details published in that source.

(The first woman pilot in the U.S.A. was nineteen year old Blanche Stuart Scott who persuaded Glenn Curtiss to teach her to fly in 1910, Curtiss was reluctant, and she persisted, soloing on September 2,1910. She then made an exhibition flight on October 22,1910 at Ft. Wayne, Indiana).

[moxy]

According to my sources Raymonde de Laroche visited the Voisin brother's base in Charlons, France on the 22nd October 1909. She sat in a single seat Voisin aeroplane whilst being instructed by Charles Voisin who was on the ground. She taxied around to familiarise herself with the aircraft and then took off and flew 300 yards.

Helen Dutrieu was a famous Belgian cyclist, stuntwoman and actress credited by the Smithsonian as being the first woman to fly an aeroplane in 1909. No date is confirmed for this. My source says she crashed on her first flight in 1910 in a Demoiselle but walked away from it.

Hopefully Doug someone can confirm one way or the other.

Rob

[Doug Robertson]

Thank you! I agree wholeheartedly. The lack of full and exact dating except your input has bothered me. In addition to just year, I would like to see month and day of month that the first woman flight event took place. That would present exact information in these quiz answers.