How did Harriet Quimby become a pilot?
Daniel Hoffman
Published May 12, 2026
How did Harriet Quimby become a pilot?
While at the school, she met and quickly befriended fellow student and Moisant sister, Matilde. Quimby quickly discovered a passion for flying, and on August 2, 1911, after four months and thirty-three lessons, she applied for and won her pilot’s license by performing two test flights.
Why did Harriet Quimby fly across the English Channel?
Fearing she would miss her Channel opportunity, Quimby secretly shipped the plane to Dover, England—she wanted to fly from England to France, rather than the other way around as Blériot had done, because she felt the cliffs at Dover were dauntingly higher.
Where did Harriet Quimby get her pilot license?
Along with her friend Matilde Moisant, Quimby learned to fly at a school in Hempstead, New York, becoming the first U.S. woman to earn a pilot’s certificate. She received license number 37 from the Aero Club of America after just 33 lessons.
Who was the first woman to fly the English Channel?
Harriet Quimby
Timeline
| June 13, 1911 | Harriet Quimby, a New York journalist, begins learning to fly a monoplane. |
|---|---|
| June 2, 1912 | Harriet Quimby is the first woman to cross the English Channel. |
| July 2, 1912 | At an aviation meet, Quimby and a passenger are killed in an accident caused by a gust of wind. |
Where is Harriet Quimby from?
Arcadia, MI
Harriet Quimby/Place of birth
Is Harriet Quimby black or white?
Two spirited women—one black, one white—changed aviation history. “I just wanted to be first . . . that’s all,” Harriet Quimby (1875–1912) explained after becoming the first American woman, and the thirty-seventh person in the world, to receive a pilot license in August 1911.
Who was the first woman to be killed in an aviation accident?
Julia Clark (December 21, 1880 – June 17, 1912) was the third woman to receive a pilot’s license from the Aero Club of America, and the first American woman to die while piloting an airplane.
Who did Harriet Quimby marry?
Harriet apparently never married or had children, but she drove her own car and supported herself and her parents.
Where did Harriet Quimby go to school?
Moisant Aviation School
In 1910, Quimby attended an aviation competition in Belmont Park, New York. Fascinated by the airplanes and by their pilots, she developed a passion for flying and enrolled at the Moisant Aviation School.
Who was the first female pilot?
Harriet Quimby became the USA’s first licensed female pilot on August 1, 1911, and the first woman to cross the English Channel by airplane the following year.
