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Lady Test Pilots in the 1930s

Aviation was a male-dominated occupation in the 1930s, and female pilots were largely restricted to recreational flying. Only a handful of women became fully fledged test pilots, but they made a strong mark in aviation history. They helped lead the way for female pilots during World War II and, in doing so, created opportunities for professional female pilots in the decades to come.

Jackie Cochran
- Jackie Cochran was born in Florida sometime between 1905 and 1908. She first established herself within the cosmetics industry, running her own salon and developing her own beauty products. When she married Floyd Odlum, a millionaire entrepreneur, her new husband suggested she learned to fly. She made her first solo flight after just two days of lessons and received her pilot's licence 18 days later, says Karla Tipton in "Female Test Pilots," an article written for the Edwards Air Force Base Web Team. She went on to have great success as a racing pilot. She tested a number of flight innovations during the 1930s, including the first turbo supercharger installed on an aircraft engine, the first aircraft wet wing and the precursor to the Pratt &Whitney 1340 and 1535 engines.
Hanna Reitsch
- Like Jackie Cochran, German aviator Hanna Reitsch first proved her flying skills on the international competitive flying circuit. Her technical flight innovations then brought her to the attention of the German military. According to HistoryNet.com, she was designated as a Luftwaffe civilian test pilot in 1937, a post she would hold until the end of World War II. Her test flights included both fixed-wing aircraft and early helicopters. Her celebrity increased, at least in Germany, when she began to appear in Nazi Party propaganda during the late 1930s. She was the only woman to receive the Iron Cross First Class for her services during World War II.
Joan Hughes
- Joan Hughes was born in London in 1918. She was a qualified pilot by the age of 17, making her the youngest female flier in the United Kingdom. By the age of 22, she had booked 600 hours ferrying planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary, says the British Air Transport Auxiliary website. She went on to become a test pilot and flight instructor, and later appeared in the movie "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines."
Melitta Schiller
- Melitta Schiller was born in Prussia in 1903 and later moved to Germany. By the onset of World War II, her accomplishments as a pilot were great enough to ensure her safety despite her Jewish heritage. For the Nazis, Schiller's value as a test pilot outweighed her personal background. According to Lois K. Merry in her book "Women Military Pilots of World War II," the Nazi Party placed Schiller in charge of the test station for special flying equipment at the German Air War Academy. Her tests included night flights of Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighter aircraft. Schiller died in 1945 after being shot down by a U.S. fighter over Bavaria.

Aviation