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During the first years of powered flight, a number of courageous women took to the skies at a time when popular opinion held that flying was both socially inappropriate and physically impossible for women. They boldly challenged the prevailing gender biases by overcoming the opposition of male flight instructors, extensive harassment from male aviators, and condemnation from the public and newspapers. Over the next several years, these brave women, often referred to by the feminized descriptor “aviatrix,” demonstrated their flying skills at air meets, earned victories in air races, and established new aviation records for speed, altitude, and endurance. The photographs on view present these women in or next to their airplanes—determined, confident, and ready for flight. “First Flights: Early Women Aviators and their Aircraft” is on display post-security in Terminal 3, and online at: https://bit.ly/3wzDwfL
This image was posted on May 23, 2022.