Who is the first woman aviator which comes to mind when asked? Chances are you thought Amelia Earhart. And though her story is fantastic and her disappearance still shrouded in mystery, there is another woman, the first woman to professionally take to the skies. Her name is Blanche Stuart Scott.

"Lady Overland"

In a time before interstate highway systems, Blanche took on the adventure of driving an automobile coast to coast, becoming the first woman to do so. During her journey, she reportedly stopped in Dayton, Ohio to watch Wright Brothers aircraft in flight. It was then in California when she had her first airplane ride.¹

Sponsored by the Willys-Overland company, her cross-country trip started in New York on May 16, 1910, and ended in San Francisco on July 23, 1910. Truth be told, I thought "Lady Overland" was a nickname, Lady Over Land, but it was actually the name of her car. :car:

"The Tomboy of the Air"

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Only a couple of months later, after Jerome Fanciulli, a member of Glenn H. Curtiss's exhibition team coaxed him to agree, did Blanche get flying lessons directly from the Father of Naval Aviation and founder of the American Aircraft Industry. She is the first and only woman to have flying lessons with Curtiss.

Depending on which news source, it was the year 1910 in Hammondsport, NY, either September 2^nd or September 6^th, and even some reporting as early as August 18, when Blanche claims she accidentally took flight when, upon taxiing the plane, a gust of wind helped her soar to approximately 40 feet in the air. While some critics report that it was a hop and not technically a flight, and intentional or not, Mrs. Scott is credited by many as being the first U.S. woman to take flight.

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Keep in mind that the Wright Brothers took to the air in their 12-second flight only seven years prior!

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Once she joined Glenn Curtiss's exhibition team, she was nicknamed "the tomboy of the air" and wowed the crowds with "death dives" from 4,000 feet. She later went on to become the first female test pilot for Glenn Martin prototypes, and in 1948, approximately 32 years after she retired, Scott was a passenger in the TF-80C piloted by Chuck Yeager, thus becoming the first American woman to fly in a jet.

It's reported that Yeager "included some snap rolls and a 14,000 foot dive" for the pleasure of his passenger. ²

On learning to fly

Blanche Stuart Scott has been quoted as saying, "I learned in two days. The plane had a 33-horsepower motor and we sat out in front. The technique was for the instructor to way 'good bye and God bless you,' and you were on your way." ³

In addition to being a pioneer, adventurer, and test pilot, she was a script writer, producer and performed on radio shows, and worked for the United States Air Force Museum.

Born on April 8, 1885, Blanche Stuart Scott died on January 12, 1970. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2005.

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This is my submission to the aviation challenge hosted by @machnbirdsparo

Part of the challenge is to nominate two people to write.
I choose:

• @yomikibagami - because I bet he's got some great shots on some aircraft carriers
• @lexikon82 - because I know he's got some freak fear of planes landing on his house