Who Is Harriet Quimby? First Woman To Fly Across English Channel

On April 16, 1912, Harriet Quimby, an aviator and journalist, established history by becoming the first woman to fly across the English Channel. She took off from Dover, England, en route to Calais, France, and made the flight in 59 minutes, landing on a beach in Équihen-Plage, Pas-de-Calais. The first American woman to receive a pilot's license, Quimby's interest in aviation began in 1910 when she attended the International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park in New York. She learned to fly at the renowned Moisant Aviation School and got her licence from the Aero Club of America on August 1, 1911. 

As one of the very few American women in aviation, Quimby drew plenty of media attention. She was referred to as a "China doll" or "China aviatrix", owing to her petite, feminine physique. However, her achievement flying across the English Channel was overshadowed in the media by coverage of the Titanic tragedy.

Who Was Harriet Quimby?

Harriet Quimby was born on May 11, 1875. According to the 1880 United States census, her family was recorded in the Acardia township of Michigan until 1888, when they moved to Aroyyo Grand, California. The family then moved to San Francisco in 1900, where Harriet Quimby pursued an education in journalism.

Best known for her theatre critiques, she started her career with the San Francisco Dramatic Review and also contributed to the Sunday editions of the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Call. In 1903, Quimby moved to New York to work as a theatre critic for Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, where she wrote over 250 articles in nine years.

Her romance with the sky sparked when she attended the International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, in 1910. There, she met John Moisant, the owner of a widely acclaimed training institute, Moisant Aviation School. After 33 flight lessons and two test flights, she etched her name in history books by receiving her pilot's license. 

Adventures Of First American Female Pilot

While flying across the country, Quimby continued to write for Leslie's and often wrote about her flying experiences. Moreover, she wrote about the economy of the aviation business and also encouraged more women to step into the industry. John Moisant's sister Matilde followed in the footsteps of Quimby to become the second American woman to become a pilot. 

Quimby began participating in races and competitions, where pilots would typically earn as much as US$1,000 per performance and prize money of $10,000 or more. She made her professional debut in 1911, earning $1,500 in a night flight over Staten Island enthralling a crowd of almost 20,000 spectators.

On April 16, 1912, Quimby once again made history by becoming the first woman to fly across the English Channel. To complete her flight across the English Channel, she purchased a Bleriot 50 monoplane and flew from England to France in 59 minutes. 112 years later, her legacy continues to inspire several women across the world.

On July 1, 1912, 37-year-old Quimby took her last flight at the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet at Squantum, Massachusetts. She was flying with William A P Willard, the event organiser and famous aviator Charles F Willard's father. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, the aeroplane flipped over for unknown reasons and the duo fell to their deaths.