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Louise McPhetridge Thaden



Louise McPhetridge Thaden

Louise McPhetridge Thaden
LOUISE McPHETRIDGE THADEN
Pioneer Aviator and Air Race Pilot
Louise Thaden was born Louise McPhetridge in Bentonville, Arkansas on November 12, 1905. She earned her pilot certificate in May 1928.

By April of 1929, she had set international women's records for altitude, endurance and speed, becoming the first -- and only -- pilot to hold all three marks simultaneously. Also in April, she became the fourth female pilot in America to earn a transport pilots license.

On August 26, 1929, Louise Thaden won the first-ever Women's Air Derby, and later that year was a founder member of the International Organization of Women Pilots, the Ninety-Nines. In 1936, with her co-pilot Blanche Noyes, she became the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy Race and set a transcontinental speed record for women in the process.

Although she retired from racing in 1937, Louise Thaden remained active in aviation and encouraged women to pursue aerospace careers through her writing. In later years she served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service and held numerous positions with the Civil Air Patrol. She died on November 9, 1979.

Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1999