Today we are celebrating Pancho Barnes (1901 – 1975). She established a career as an aviator and movie stunt pilot who was one of the first American women to build a career in aerospace. Barnes came from a wealthy family who married a clergyman at 18 years old. She was unsuited to the life of a wife and mother and so she left her family for a while. It is at this time she began wearing men’s clothes and travelled through Mexico.
In 1928 she bought her first airplane and hired an instructor. She made her first flight after only 6 hours of lessons. She was known for her mischievous antics while flying but nonetheless endeavoured to become an expert pilot.
In 1929 she took part in the first Women’s Air Derby race where she was due to come in second place but had to withdraw after colliding with a truck on the runway. This didn’t hold her back and she returned the following year where she set a new world speed record for women, surpassing Amelia Earhart’s the year before.
In 1929 she performed air stunts for the film Hell’s Angels and became the first woman stunt pilot in a film. After her success with the film she built her own stunt airplane company. Ever ambitious, Barnes went on to become the first woman to pilot a plane from Los Angeles to Mexico City. She also joined other female pilots in organising a group to provide emergency assistance in times of disaster.
Barnes was a gregarious character who opened doors for women of aviation in films and business. Find out more about her here.
Every day this week we will be looking at a remarkable woman in aerospace, join our community to keep up-to-date.
What women do you think have been pioneers in the aviation and space industries?
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