Born: 23 June 1900, United States
Died: 6 October 1981
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Blanche Wilcox
The following is republished from the Federal Aviation Administration and was written by Theresa Kraus, Ph.D. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
“I went to a dinner party one night. People were talking about Lindy’s accomplishment, but I thought it was a small thing to deserve so much attention. Now I understand how great it was.”
Taught how to fly by her husband, she soloed her first plane in February 15, 1929, and earned license in July. She became the first women to be hired by a federal agency to fly airplanes. In 1936, (Louise) Thaden and her co-pilot Blanche Noyes won the Bendix Trophy Race in the first year women were allowed to compete against men.