Where the Sky Begins

Preface

As we researched this story, we were repeatedly struck by how primitive the aircraft of this period were compared to modern airplanes.

Pilots navigated using little more than road maps and wristwatches.

Most aircraft only had a compass, a turn indicator, a crude altitude indicator, a fuel gauge, and an engine temperature gauge.

The planes themselves were flimsy, constructed of lightweight wood, cotton fabric, and highly flammable glue.

Engines were unreliable, and pilots sat directly behind them, mostly in open-air cockpits, inhaling carbon monoxide exhaust. Not only were these aircraft fragile, but they were firetraps and, arguably, death traps.

Add to that the societal norms for women at the time—they had only recently got the right to vote and drive a car, and most career fields were still closed to them—and it’s even more remarkable any woman found a way to fly.

Early women aviators were bold daredevils who conquered flight and set records in aircraft most modern pilots can’t even fathom risking their lives in.

We stand in awe of their courage in the face of unimaginable danger and their stubborn determination to fly in spite of deep and widespread disapproval of their passion for aviation.

They are truly giants in their field and in our country’s history.

It’s high time they were pulled out of the fading shadows of time and honored for their accomplishments.

Mary and Cindy