Global InformationHelen Richey information
Helen Richey | |
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| Born | Helen Richey November 21, 1909 McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1947 (aged 37) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Aviator |
Helen Richey (November 21, 1909 – January 7, 1947) was a pioneering female aviator and the first woman to be hired as a pilot by a commercial airline in the United States.[1]
In 1933, she and her flying partner, Frances Harrell Marsalis, set a women's fueling endurance record of 237 hours and 42 minutes above the city of Miami in their airplane, the "Flying Boudoir."[2][3]
Three years later, Richey set a women's international light plane record of 100 kilometers traveled in 55 minutes. As a co-pilot in the Bendix race that same year with Amelia Earhart, she secured the women's light plane altitude record. During World War II, Richey became the first female pilot from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the war front in Europe.[4]
- ^ "Helen Richey, Famous Flier, Is Found Dead." New York, New York: Daily News, January 8, 1947, p. 114 (subscription required).
- ^ "Record Broken, 2 Women Fliers Remain Aloft" (article) and "Set Endurance Record" (photo with caption). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Evening News, December 29, 1933, p. 9 (subscription required).
- ^ "McKeesport Girl Flier Off To Attempt Record Flight." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgh Press, December 17, 1933, front page (subscription required).
- ^ "Helen Richey Dies in Rooming House; Famed Aviatrix." Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Telegraph, January 8, 1947, p. 16 (subscription required).