Ada Rogato – Brazil
Ada Rogato (1910 – 1986) received from her parents, Italian immigrants, the same education given to most women of that time – but she wanted to learn to fly. She […]
Katya Budanova – Russia
Katya Budanova (1916 – 1943) was born into a peasant family in Konoplanka village in Smolensk Oblast. Working in an aircraft factory in Moscow, she became interested in aviation and […]
Lydia Litvyak – Russia
Born in Moscow, Lydia Litvyak, (1921 – 1943) was keen on aviation from her youth. At 14, she entered an aeroclub, and at 15, flew an aircraft for the first […]
Jacqueline Cochran – USA
Born Bessie Lee Pittman, she married Robert Cochran, a young aircraft mechanic at a young age. A few years later, Bessie Lee Cochran (1906 – 1980) filed for divorce and […]
Hanna Reitsch – Germany
Although her father wanted her to become a doctor, Hanna Reitsch (1912 – 1979) was interested in aviation and thought she might become a flying doctor in North Africa and […]
Sabiha Gökçen – Turkey
Sabiha Gökçen (1913 – 2001) was one of the eight adopted children of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the founder and first president of Turkey. Her family name, Gökçen, means ‘belonging or […]
Beryl Markham – England
Born in England, Beryl Markham (1902 – 1986) moved to Kenya when she was four years old. As a young adult, she became the first licensed female horse trainer in […]
Jean Batten – New Zealand
Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, Jean Batten (1909 – 1982) was a gifted pianist. At the age of 18, she decided to become a pilot. In 1929, she moved to […]
Marina Mikhailovna Raskova – Russia
Marina Mikhailovna Raskova (1912 – 1943) became a famous aviator as both a pilot and a navigator for Russia in the 1930s. She was the first woman to become a […]