Search For The Necessary Financial Resources

For many women and minorities, simply gaining access to airplanes and flying lessons posed particular challenges. Along with practical problems of finding the necessary financial resources, these marginalized groups faced the barrier of social assumptions that ruled it inappropriate for them to fly. Female pilots and minorities who faced skepticism and ridicule pioneered their own way in the field of aviation despite any failure that was used to prove they were physically and emotionally unfit for flying that nearly kept them from embarking their way around the world.

In the United States, the Wright Brothers are known as the inventors of the airplane. After the Wright Brothers first successful aviation in 1903, they hoped to encourage the spread of aviation but were strict about the involvements of females. Samuel Langley, the Smithsonian’s secretary, was another man who entered the competition of flying machines in which he had access to funds from organizations and had resources to help aid him.

Few women had the money to afford flying lessons, let alone an airplane.

The attitude that flying was socially inappropriate and even physically impossible for women was common. To overcome the prejudice, women took to the skies first as passengers before assuming a more visible role as pilots, thereby demonstrating the relative ease and safety of air travel. The challenges that confronted women pilots are faced by all women entering a field that is generally considered a masculine domain. In the years after 1903, women began joining men in expressing interest in flying.

Get quality help now

RhizMan

Verified

Proficient in: Women'S Rights

4.9 (247)

“ Rhizman is absolutely amazing at what he does . I highly recommend him if you need an assignment done ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Critics worried that women were “inherently unsuited to become pilots due to their feminine temperament.” They characterized women as too scatterbrained to master complex technology and so emotional that any crisis would send them into catastrophic panic. Despite the odds against them, women of that era made great contributions to the development of aviation. From the beginning, women have been an integral part of aviation’s progress.

The first generation of American female pilots faced numerous doubters who considered flying inappropriate for women. These obstacles would be multiplied for Elizabeth Bessie Coleman, an African American born in Atlanta, Texas. Coleman soared across the barriers of race and gender in the early days of aviation. Because no American flying school accepted a black woman, Bessie learned French and earned her international pilot license in Paris in 1921. She became the first African-American women barnstormer with a license to fly. Coleman aimed to amaze onlookers with attention-getting acrobatic stunts, including parachute jumps, barrel rolls, loops, and steep dives taking her plane extremely close to the ground. While male pilots usually cultivated a macho image to accompany their daring showmanship, Coleman’s popularity rested on a more feminine brand of personal charisma. For black-oriented newspapers and for the African American public, Coleman’s identification signaled something different, not just another aviation “first,” but a political and social landmark.

In the 1920s, barnstorming was an exciting form of aviation in which stunt pilots performed tricks. Barnstorming demanded physical skill, mental sharpness, and the utmost daring, but was otherwise a relatively open occupation, shunning formal qualifications and rules. Bessie would wow everyone away with her skills. Her accomplishments inspired many generations, especially for black women. However, the bias against women as serious aviators may have increased as they became more and more a part of recreational and stunt flying. Another prominent figure in aviation was Charles Lindbergh, he was initially seen as the All American Hero in aviation. Lindbergh’s success came from flying an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the famous drawings of him shows him being portrayed as strong, showing confidence, and looking up into the skies while Amelia Earhart, a popular female pilot, had a drawing from the “Lucky Strike Vintage Production” in which it delivered a different and a contrary message that instead showed her having a fearful look. Earhart was a decorated pilot and a major celebrity during the 1930s, second only to Charles Lindbergh in terms of sheer notoriety. One of the most famous figures in aviation history is Amelia Earhart becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928; however, her success was marred by the fact that two male pilots had actually been at the controls throughout the flight, even though she was a qualified pilot. Earhart compensated for this by achieving many record-breaking flights and she eventually flew solo across the Atlantic in May, 1932. She was lost at sea while attempting to fly around the world in the 1930s.

Amelia very successful at leveraging her fame by collaborating with different endorsements such as Cosmopolitan that would succeed in parlaying her attractiveness and ability into endorsement contracts. On the other hand, Coleman’s racial marginality limited her sponsorship possibilities. Earhart was portrayed as the exemplary “all-American girl,” steering the press and observers to remark upon how similar her strong facial lines, light coloring, and tall slenderness were to the appearance of world aviation hero Charles Lindbergh. Amelia also became involved in designing her own line of products of sportswear affordable for females in order to bring her aviation career a great publicity. She as well was known for supporting women’s issues and serving as a role model for young women. She appeared on newspapers and magazines for articles such as “What Miss Earhart Thinks When She Is Flying” and “Women Courage”. Yet unlike Coleman, Earhart’s mother, though in a precarious financial state, still helped Amelia purchase her first plane, and Earhart was able to secure work as an airplane demonstrator and sales representative from a friend in the business.

Earhart became the first women as the vice president of the National Aeronautic Association where “she persuaded the organization to establish separate female records because women did not have the money or planes—and thus the experience—to fairly compete against men for “world” titles.” A drawing of Amelia for “Lucky Strike Vintage Production” showed some subtle differences that were drawn from her original photograph. The eyes seemed to have more of an uncertain or fearful look and surely not the same way men in aviation were portrayed (Lecture on February 6 by Dr. R). In the 1920s, women were finally able to vote and at that time females such as Amelia Earhart, were fighting to enhance support for female pilots. The Jazz Age brought individual women new visibility, transforming actresses, musicians, and writers into celebrities. Female pilots that faced a similar situation of entering the spotlight for their individual talent, yet also being evaluated and defining themselves in relation to their entire gender “Even in an era of increased freedom for women like the late 1920s, when flappers were bobbing their hair, smoking, and driving, there was an anxiety over the prospect of women’s flight – and this, even when the controls were held by a man.”

Through Coleman’s astonishing career and Earhart’s great publicity, they broke though the headwinds of racial and gender prejudices as pilots. Women like Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman were highly visible and continually earned kudos and criticism, but most women in early aviation posed an economic threat to the men. Any failure was used to prove they were physically and emotionally unfit for flying. Ironically, if they survived an accident, it was used to show that air travel was safe. Because men controlled the economy and the money, they dominated the new sport of flying. Elitism soon prevailed and women were considered not physically fit to become pilots. This, however, did not discourage all women from learning to fly; even movie actresses got into the act. The majority of women who entered the aviation arena did so for the thrill, for the fun of flying. However, women who desired a career in aviation were very serious about educating the public about the safety and efficiency of flight.