The Wild Blue Yonder: 10 Aviation Pioneers

Let's face it; we sometimes take pilots for granted. The job of safely shutteling us to that dream vacation, skillfully taking off and landing without a hitch, is vitally important. So before we squeeze into our seats or even book that flight, let’s take a moment to thank these 10 aviation legends who pioneered man's greatest frontier: the sky.

Blanche Scott

Throughout history, women have all always fought for equal rights, so when Blanche Scott became the second woman to venture on a road trip across the United States in 1910, it was only natural for her to set her sights on the skies.  As news spread of Scott’s successful cross-country journey, she attracted the likes of Jerome Fanciulli and Glen Curtiss, who taught her how to fly.

Whether it was a twist of fate or a miraculous rush of wind that lifted the plane’s wings, unexpectedly her first attempt resulted in a flight 40 feet high. Accomplishing this great feat would make her go on to tackle the skies professionally before earning the nickname, “Tomboy of the Air” by performing death-defying stunts like diving from an altitude of 4,000 feet and flying upside-down at aviation events.

However, Scott’s success did not stop there.  She also became the first woman to fly long distance in America and as legends may tell it, she may have been the first female aviator in U.S. history.

Geraldine Jerrie Mock

The next time you’re sitting impatiently on an airplane for hours, you might want to show a little appreciation for Geraldine Jerrie Mock for her solo 29-day trip across the skies.  As a mother of three, flying around the world seemed more like a man’s job than a woman’s conquest. But Mock was determined to “see the world,” especially since her husband was a pilot and her first trip as a youngster in a Ford TriMotor was quite unforgettable. Nevertheless, this “flying housewife” set to conquer the heavens in her single-engine Cessna 180 dubbed “Charlie” in Ohio on March 19, 1964 in a race against Joan Merriam Smith, a pilot who aimed to fly Amelia Earhart’s exact route. 

After a few major mishaps including a broken HF radio, bad weather, as well as a faulty brakes and antenna motor, she returned to Port Columbus Airport on April 17, 1964, as the first woman to fly around the world.  She also broke seven records in the process, which included becoming the only female during that time to fly over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Erich Alfred Hartman

You may want to think twice going up against this this German fighter pilot.  After all, he wasn’t nicknamed “The Black Devil” by his Soviet rivals for nothing.  Erich Alfred Hartman, affectionately called “Bubi” by his mates, was a glider pilot before becoming one of the best military aviators during World War II.  Under strict training as a fighter pilot he developed unique skills that would cause him to fly in over 1,000 combat missions, complete more than 800 aerial combats and reportedly take down a record-breaking 352 allied aircraft. 

However, his pilot fighter days came to a stop when he was captured by the United States Army in 1945, and was sentenced to many years of hard labor and imprisonment.  Hartman was eventually released and later joined the German Air Force until he officially resigned in 1970.

Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger

When the US Airways aircraft Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger was flying hit a flock of Canadian geese that damaged the engines, the pilot had a rash decision to make. Should he return the plane to La Guardia?  Would it make it to New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport safely?  Would passengers survive if he headed straight for the Hudson River?

By exuding the elemental skills he acquired as a fighter pilot veteran in the U.S. Air Force, a mission commander for Red Flag techniques, and many years as a commercial pilot, Sullenberger performed an emergency landing in the Hudson River.  And in true captain decorum, he made sure all passengers had safely exited the plane before leaving himself. Currently, he is a celebrated American hero who educates the world with important safety tips.

If his heroic act teaches us anything, it is to play close attention when the flight attendant is going over safety procedures.

Emily Howell Warner

While many of us have flown on a plane, how many of us recall having a female pilot?  In 1976, Emily Howell Warner defeated the odds when she became the first woman to command a commercial flight for Frontier Airlines. Although women had already conquered the skies at this point, earning her wings at a major airline company was no easy feat. Particularly after witnessing her male peers at the Clinton Aviation Academy find permanent positions within leading airlines, it seemed like her career in the aviation business was at a standstill — until she assertively took her seat on a de Havilland Twin Otter. 

Since then, her name has been written in the aviation history books in addition to the National Woman’s Hall of Fame because she also piloted a Boeing 737, and has her uniform proudly preserved at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

Robert Pearson

An aircraft plummeting to the earth from an altitude of 41,000 feet would make any pilot say “sayonara” before grabbing a parachute and jumping to safety. But not Robert "Bob" Pearson, who was on his way to Montreal before noticing his engines were unresponsive because the fuel that was used in the Boeing 767-233 (Gimli Glider) was measured in pounds instead of kilograms.

So with the help of his co-pilot, Pearson chose to land the Air Canada Flight 143 by attempting a forward slip at Gimli Industrial Park Airport at Gimli, Manitoba.  This maneuver would cause the plane to skid sideways to prevent it from gaining speed as it landed.  Still, with many years attributed to piloting much smaller aircrafts and towing gliders, they were no match for this massive airplane falling out of the sky from such a high elevation.

Robert A. Hoover

A big straw hat and old Southern charm made Robert A. Hover a beloved pilot among his comrades.  But not even his wide-toothed smile was enough to get him out of prison when his plane was shot by a Focke-Wulf 190 while flying over the Mediterranean in 1944.  After serving a little over a year at the Stalag Luft 1 prison in Germany, he escaped and hijacked an Fw 190 that he used to fly to Holland before eventually setting his sights on American aviation.

From the F-86 Sabre to the FJ- 2 Fury, he sat in the pilot’s seat of almost every airplane under the sun in the Air Force as well as civil airshows.  Hoover also got has hands in the P-51 Mustang fighter that he showcased in aviation events across the country. But it was his stunt of performing a loop and eight-point hesitation that caused the Strike Commander he popularly piloted to roll slowly before hitting the runway that earned him the title, “The Pilots’ Pilot” as well as other accolades. 

Beverly Lynn Burns

Just in case you thought a Boeing 727, Boeing 737 and Boeing 747 were only flown by the big boys, then you haven’t heard of Beverly Lynn Burns.  And as the first pilot woman to captain the Boeing 747, she has become a pioneer in her own merit.   On July 18, 1984, she made her first voyage amid the clouds on a People Express flight to Los Angeles International Airport from Newark International Airport and never looked backed (or down). 

Since then she has commanded the DC-9, DC-10 Boeing 757 in addition to the Boeing 767.  But, she really entered the big league when she added the high-tech Boeing 777 under her belt. Plus knowing the ins-and-outs of the aviation industry doesn’t hurt, especially working as a baggage handler, stewardess and the first female to serve double duty as a line captain and specialized dispatcher with People Express.

We rarely hear a pilot over the intercom in the form of a woman’s voice, but with captains like Burns hitting the airways, you can expect to hear more and more.

Clay Lacy

When you add military aviator, United Airlines captain, air race extraordinaire, aviation entrepreneur as well as groundbreaking victor of 29 world speed records under one person’s  name, you just might have one of the world’s most legendary aviation pioneers.  At least that’s what we’d like to think of Clay Lacy, who has been building his first model planes since a child, chartered thousands of flights by his late teens, joined the California National Guard where he got to fly an F-86 Sabre jet and has become an executive at Clay Lacy Aviation, a jet charter company he founded.

With a painted “Snoopy” on his signature plane, he performed in many air races and placed highly among his competitors.  And adding aircrafts like the Douglas DC-6, Convair 340 and Boeing 747-400 to his list of flown aircrafts, the sky’s the limit for this renowned pilot.

Elrey Jeppesen

Studying the flight of eagles for hours on end allowed Elrey Jeppesen to tap into his creativity and become one of the most important figures in aviation history.  And with merely two hours of flying lessons, he was able to perfect his craft by flying photographers in a De Havilland DH-4, before officially acquiring his license in 1928.

Subsequently, Jeppesen became a mail pilot, which allowed him to take notes of the various routes he traveled, adding landmarks, altitudes he flew and other geographical information along the way.  He would then sell the information to his buddies, allowing word of the information he collected to spread in the aviation industry like wildfire. And thanks to his birdwatching days, his information spawned a navigation empire that continues to this day.