Harriet Quimby, American Aviatrix

Harriet Quimby (May 11, 1875 - July 1, 1912) was an early American aviatrix and scriptwriter. Quimby became interested in aviation in 1910, when she attended the Belmont Park International Aviation Tournament in Elmont, New York. There she met John Moisant, a well-known aviator and operator of a flight school. In 1911, she was awarded a pilot's certificate by the Aero Club of America, becoming the first woman to gain a pilot's license in the United States. That same year Quimby authored seven screenplays that were made into silent film shorts by Biograph Studios, directed by D. W. Griffith. In 1912, Quimby took off from Dover en route to Calais, and made the flight in 59 minutes. becoming the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the English Channel. Her accomplishment received little media attention, as the sinking of the RMS Titanic the day before consumed the public interest. On July 1, 1912, she flew in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet. Quimby flew out to Boston Light in Boston Harbor at about 3, 000 feet, then returned and circled the airfield. William A.P. Willard, the organizer of the event, was a passenger in her brand-new two-seat Bleriot monoplane. At an altitude of 1, 000 feet the aircraft unexpectedly pitched forward for reasons still unknown. Both Willard and Quimby were ejected from their seats and fell to their deaths. She was 37 years old. George Grantham Bain Collection, 1911

Picture No

12697498

Media ID

47704630

Size

4200px x 3359px (1.4MB)

Credit

LOC/Science Source/Mary Evans