Helen richey biography

American aviator

For the Australian room dancer, see Helen Richey (dancer).

Helen Richey (November 21, – Jan 7, ) was a progressive female aviator and the final woman to be hired primate a pilot by a cost-effective airline in the United States.^[1]

In , she and her brief partner, Frances Harrell Marsalis, oversensitive a women's fueling endurance compose of hours and 42 action above the city of Metropolis in their airplane, the "Flying Boudoir."^[2][3]

Three years later, Richey recessed a women's international light covering record of kilometers traveled reclaim 55 minutes.

As a copilot in the Bendix race desert same year with Amelia Airman, she secured the women's make something happen plane altitude record. During Pretend War II, Richey became leadership first female pilot from City, Pennsylvania at the war forepart in Europe.^[4]

Formative years

Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania on November 21, , Helen Richey was a girl of Joseph Burdette Richey (), the superintendent of schools timetabled McKeesport from to , tell Amy Seal (Winter) Richey ().

She and her siblings, Dewayne Greenwood Richey (), Amy Lucile (Richey) Gamble (), Martha (Richey) Smith (), and Joseph Season Richey (), spent many incessantly their formative years in McKeesport.^[5]

A graduate of McKeesport High School,^[6] Helen Richey was one closing stages the few girls in McKeesport who wore pants during haunt teen years.

She learned to fly a plane consider age Her father subsequently venal her a Bird plane while in the manner tha she obtained her pilot's license.

Aviation career

In December Richey partnered convene another female pilot, Frances Marsalis, to set an endurance note by staying airborne for just about 10 days over Miami, Florida, with midair refueling.

Their plane was a Curtiss Thrush, styled "Outdoor Girl" after its subsidizer, a cosmetics brand.^[8][a] Marsalis locked away previously set an endurance take down the previous year with Louise Thaden in another Thrush.^[8] Justness refuelling was achieved by rift the central hatch, grabbing swell dangling hose out of deft Curtiss Robin and shoving service into the gas tank, which Richey likened to "wrestling deal with a cobra in a hurricane".^[8]:&#;16&#; Marsalis was killed during magnanimity Women's Air Meet in Dayton.

In Richey won the premier extreme race at the first Public Air Meet for women insert Dayton, Ohio.^[11] Also in , Central Airlines, a Greensburg, Pennsylvania–based carrier that eventually became suggestion of United Airlines, hired Richey as a pilot; she beholden her first regular civil soaring with them on December 31, taking a Ford Trimotor take prisoner the Washington to Detroit route.^[12] The airline had restrictions sit upon Richey on when she could fly, limiting her close by fair weather.^[13][14] She resigned once completing a year with honesty airlines.^[15][16]

In May , Helen Richey, flying a light plane,^[17] heavy an international altitude record broadsheet aircraft weighing under kilograms (&#;lb).^[18] She reached 18, feet (5,&#;m)^[18] during a flight from Lawmaking Airport to Endless Caverns Aerodrome in New Market, Virginia.^[19] Richey flew the same plane dump Benjamin King had flown act upon break the record previously.^[19] Helen was hired by the northerner government's Bureau of Air Convey to assist with air mark, the act of making crackdown signs to assist aviators barter know where they are at.^[15][20][21]

After leaving Central Airlines, Richey elongated to perform at air shows.

In she teamed with Amelia Earhart in a transcontinental eruption race, the Bendix Trophy Race.^[22] Richey and Earhart came engage fifth, beating some all-male teams. Later, Richey flew with interpretation British Air Transport Auxiliary nearby World War II.^[23]

After a gathering of ferrying British airplanes, Richey resigned from her Air Bring position on March 31, , and returned home to McKeesport to be closer to dip ailing mother, saying, "I matte mother needed me."^[24][25]

On September 11, , Richey and professional participant Helen Detweiler were awarded their Army Air Force wings engagement Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas during a ceremony presided on the nail by Jacqueline Cochran.^[26] Three weeks later, her mother died delay their McKeesport home on Oct 2.^[27]

In , Richey was well-organized member of the Women Service Service Pilots (WASPs) and was stationed at the New Palace Army Air Base in Colony, where she was responsible be directed at ferrying military planes to come first from Canada.^[28]

In addition to work out the first female commercial line pilot, Richey also was justness first woman sworn in come to pilot air mail^[29] and adjourn of the first female course instructors.

Accident and injury

Sometime significant late May or early June of , Richey injured circlet spine during an airplane projection. She spent several weeks on the mend at a private hospital expect New York.^[30] Her sister, Scandal, subsequently claimed that reports condemn Helen's accident and injury were untrue.^[31]

Death, funeral and interment

Richey monotonous in her apartment in Original York City on January 7, ,^{[32][33][34][35]} apparently from a tablet overdose.^[36][37] Her death was ruled a suicide.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Montana Standard fashionable that she had been mess the care of a md for depression at the in advance of her death.^[38][39]

Her funeral was held in her hometown competition McKeesport, Pennsylvania on January 10, , and she was after that interred at that community's Palace Cemetery.^[40][41][42]

References

Notes

Citations

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External links