Women of Aviation Week – Helen Richey in profile
This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. Today we are celebrating Helen Richey (1900 – 1947). She was a pioneering aviator and was the first woman to be hired as a professional pilot by a commercial airline in the US. During her teenage years Helen Richey demonstrated a forward-thinking, rebellious streak and was one of the only girls to wear trousers. A determined woman, she learned how to fly at the age of 20 years old and when she earned her pilot’s license her family bought her a plane. Richet partnered with another female pilot (Frances Marsalis) to set an endurance record…