In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, Aireon is proud to recognize the groundbreaking contributions of female innovators and pioneers in aviation. This tribute reflects our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, honoring the trailblazers who have shaped the industry.
Blanche Stuart Scott was born in April 1884 in Rochester, New York.
She gained widespread recognition after driving a Willys-Overland Model 38 automobile across the country. After this accomplishment, she received flying instructions by Glenn Curtiss. During her training, on September 2, 1910, she unintentionally became the first American woman to fly solo when a block on her aircraft’s throttle slipped, causing her to take off.
Scott subsequently became a professional pilot.
Sheila Christine Scott was an English aviator who set over 100 aviation records throughout her career. Born in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, she learned to fly in 1958.
Scott gained international recognition for her long-distance flights, including a 34,000-mile “world and a half” journey in 1971, during which she became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a small aircraft. She also made history as the first British pilot to complete a solo flight around the world.
Katherine Stinson, a trailblazing American aviator, became the fourth woman in the United States to earn an FAI pilot certificate in 1912 and went on to set multiple records for aerobatic maneuvers, distance, and endurance.
Stinson was the first woman to fly the mail in the U.S. and the first civilian pilot to do so in Canada. She also became the first female pilot to fly in both Canada and Japan.
