Harriett Quimby was an early American aviator and a movie screenwriter. In 1911, she was rewarded a U.S. pilot's certificate by the Aero Club of America, becoming the first women to gain a pilot's license in the United States. In 1912, she became the first women to fly across the English Channel. Although, Quimby lived to a young age of thirty seven, she had a huge influence upon the role of women in aviation. She was born on May 11, 1875 in Arcadia Township, Mainstee, Michigan. When her family moved to San Francisco, California in the early 1900's she decided to become a journalist. She moved to Manhattan, New York City in 1903 to work as a theater critic for Leslie's Illustrated Weekly and more then 250 of her articles were published over an …show more content…
Later she met a man named John Moisant a well known avaitor and operator of a flight school, and his sister Matilde. On August 1, 1911 she took her pilot's test and became the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America avaitor's certificate. Matilde Moisant soon followed and became the nation's second certified female pilot. On April 16, 1912, Quimby took off from England to France and made the flight less than an hour landing about 26 miles from Calais on a beach in Equihen-Plage, Pas-de-Calais. She became the first woman to an pilot an aircraft across the English Channel. She received a little media attention, however as the sinking of the RMS Titanic the day before consumed the interest of the public and filled newspapers. On July 1, 1912, she flew in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet in Massachusetts. Although, she obtained her ACA certificate to be allowed to participate in ACA events, the Boston meet was an unsanctioned contest. Quimby flew out to Boston Light in Boston Harbor about 3,000 feet and returned and circled the airfield. Charles Willard was a passenger in her brand-new two-seater