CIA NOTABLE FLIGHTS

Part K, Famous Females

1784-06-04

First flight with a female passenger. Mme Elisabeth Thible

Pilot:

Mr. Fleurant

Copilot:

Lyon.

Witnessed by Gustav III. King of Sweden. Balloon named in his honour

1785-06-29

First English woman to ascend. Passenger Mrs Letitia A. Sage

Pilot:

George Biggin

Copilot:

London (Saint George's field) to Harrow Common

1798-11-10

First all female crew. Paris

Pilot:

Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin (Miss Labrosse)

Copilot:

Miss Henry

Also claimed to have been first woman to parachute (1802-09. England. Rechs)

1810-06-21

First woman to die in a balloon accident.

Pilot:

Marie Madeleine Sophie Armant Blanchard

Copilot:

Fireworks under basket set balloon on fire

Tethered ascent on Champ de Mars. Wedding of Napoleon and Marie-Louise

1815-08-25

First woman parachutist. Elisa Garnerin

Pilot:

Elisabeth Garnerin

Copilot:

Elisa Garnerin. ascends at Champ de Mars. Paris

May have been (only) a balloon flight. not parachute jump

1909-10-26

First flight from the continent to England by a woman

Pilot:

Marie Marvingt

Copilot:

Nancy. France to Southwold. Suffolk

First crossing of the English Channel/North Sea by a woman pilot

1913-10-12

First woman in Gordon Bennett

Pilot:

Rene Rumpelmayer

Copilot:

Mme (Gustave) Goldschmidt

8th Gordon Bennett race 1913. 6th place

Paris (Jardin des Tuileries). France to

1931-08-05

Made her last balloon flight. 63 years old.

Pilot:

Käte Paulus

Copilot:

Made 510 balloon flights 1868-1935

Made 150 parachute jumps from balloon

1934-10-23

First woman in the stratosphere

Pilot:

Jeanette Ridlon Piccard

Copilot:

Jean Félix Piccard (1884-1963)

Altitude research flight

From Dearborn. Michigan to Cadiz. Ohio

1979-10-01

Longest flight by female pilot. Pollution research

Pilot:

Vera Simons

Copilot:

Rudolph Engleman. Fred Hyde. Randy Birch

Tillamook. Oregon sept 26 to Spencerville. Ohio Oct 1. Duration not verified

Pollution research

1983-06-25

First female pilot in "modern" Gordon Bennett

Pilot:

Nini Boesman

Copilot:

Gerrit Visscher

Place de la Concorde. Paris to Orly. 8th place

1984-07-07

Duration record

Pilot:

Héléne Dorigny

Copilot:

Michel Arnould

Germaine to Le Mele-sur-Sarthe. France

1984-10-13

First all female crew in Gordon Bennett

Pilot:

Nikki Caplan

Copilot:

Jane C. Buckless

Airport Kloten. Zürich to Villefrance. 11th place

1986-08-29

First solo crossing of the Channel by a woman

Pilot:

Jacqueline Sax-Van Havere

Copilot:

Solo flight

Capel-le-Ferme. Folkstone. Kent. UK to Oye Plage. Calais. France

1990-09-21

First all female crew in Gas Balloon World Championships

Pilot:

Jana Vodsedalkova

Copilot:

Olina Vodsedalkova

Tyndall. South Dakota. USA. 11th place

1993-10-13

First female pilot to make over 1 000 flights in gas balloons.

Pilot:

Helma Sjuts

Copilot:

1994-02-19

Distance record. female

Pilot:

Karen L. Gould

Copilot:

McAfee. Caliche. Amarillo. Texas to Beatrice. Nebraska

Pilot fell out during landing

1998-03-01

Gas Balloon Pilot licence holder during 50 years

Pilot:

Nini Boesman

Copilot:

1999-10-06

43rd Gordon Bennett race 1999. 2nd place

Pilot:

Danielle Francoeur

Copilot:

Albuquerque. New Mexico to Goodman. Mississippi

2001-06-30

2nd World Air Games. First WAG Gas balloon event. 1st place

Pilot:

Klaus Weisgerber

Copilot:

Astrid Gerhardt

First female pilot (copilot) to win a major (World) event

Seville. Spain

© CIA, Hans Åkerstedt

2010-09-08