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
2024-03-28