This is a timeline of women in aviation which describes many of the firsts and achievements of women as pilots and other roles in aviation. Women who are part of this list have piloted vehicles, including hot-air balloons, gliders, airplanes, dirigibles and helicopters. Some women have been instrumental in support roles. Others have made a name for themselves as parachutists and other forms of flight-related activities. This list encompasses women's achievements from around the globe.
18th century 1784 June 4: Marie Élisabeth Thible of France becomes the first woman to fly in a hot-air balloon.
1798 July 8: After considerable lobbying with the French government, Citoyenne Henri ascends in a balloon alongside André-Jacques Garnerin.
November 10: Jeanne Labrosse becomes the first woman to pilot an aircraft solo.
1799 October 12: Jeanne Labrosse becomes the first woman to parachute jump.
19th century 1810
Sophie Blanchard becomes Napoleon's chief of air service.
1811 Wilhelmine Reichard is the first German woman to make a solo flight in a balloon.
1860 Louise Bates makes the first parachute jump by a woman in the United States at Cincinnati, Ohio.
1886 Mary Myers of the United States sets an altitude record with a balloon, rising four miles in the air.
1888 Teresa Martinez y Perez is issued a British patent for "navigable balloons". Clare Van Tassel makes the first parachute jump by a woman in the western United States with a jump from Park Van Tassel's balloon over Los Angeles, California, on July 4.
1890 Valerie Frietas (performing as Valerie Van Tassell) makes the first parachute jump by a woman in Australia at Newcastle, New South Wales.
1892 Jeanette Rummary (performing as Jeanette Van Tassell) makes the first balloon flight and parachute jump in what is now Bangladesh at Dhaka.
20th century 1903 Aida de Acosta of the United States is the first woman to pilot a motorized aircraft (a dirigible) solo.
1904 Queen Margherita of Italy creates the Roman Aero Club for ballooning.
1906 On 28 July 1906, Marie Surcouf earned her aeronautical balloon pilot's license and on 23 August she made her first flight as a pilot aboard the balloon "Bengali", accompanied by Miss Gache. This was the first balloon flight with an all-woman crew.
1908 May–June 1908: Mlle P. Van Pottelsberghe de la Poterie of Belgium flies with Henri Farman on several short flights at an airshow in Ghent, Belgium, becoming the first woman passenger on an airplane. September: Thérèse Peltier, a sculptor, of France makes the first solo flight by a woman in an airplane in Turin, Italy, flying around 200 meters in a straight line about off the ground. She had been taught by her partner Léon Delagrange and gave up aviation after he was killed in a flying accident. October 7: Edith Ogilby Berg, business manager in Europe for the Wright brothers, becomes the first American woman to fly as a passenger.
1909 Marie Marvingt of France is the first woman to fly over the North Sea; piloting a balloon from Europe to England. Hélène Dutrieu of Belgium is the first woman to pilot a real solo flight in an airplane. Raymonde de Laroche is the first French woman to pilot a solo flight in an airplane, she hops just over 300 meters. 10 February 1909 Aéroclub féminin la Stella, the first aero club for women, is formed in Paris by Marie Surcouf. La Stella's first balloon ascension is held on June 16 at Saint-Cloud. Katharine Wright, sister of Wilbur and Orville Wright, is instrumental in advancing her brothers' aviation business. She is the first woman invited to a meeting of the Aero-Club de France and is awarded the Légion d'honneur in recognition of her contributions to early aviation. October 27: Sarah Van Deman becomes the first woman to fly in an airplane in the United States. She was taken up as a passenger by Wilbur Wright at the College Park Airport in College Park, Maryland.
1910 March 8: Raymonde de Laroche of France becomes the world's first woman to earn a pilot's license (French certificate No.36). August 29: Marthe Niel of France becomes the world's second woman to earn a pilot's license. August 31: Lilian Bland of Ireland becomes the world's first woman to fly an airplane designed and built by herself. September 3: Hélène Dutrieu of Belgium is the first woman in the world to fly with a passenger. September 10: Bessie Raiche is credited with the first solo airplane flight by a woman in the United States. November 8: Marie Marvingt of France becomes the third woman in France and in the world to earn a pilot's license. November 25: Hélène Dutrieu becomes the first Belgian woman and the fourth worldwide to earn a pilot's license (Belgian certificate No.22). December 7: Jeanne Herveu of France becomes the world's fifth woman to earn a pilot's license. Hilda Hewlett of England is the first woman to co-found a flight school (with Gustav Blondeau with whom she founded the aircraft company Hewlett & Blondeau). Hélène Dutrieu is the first woman to win a competition – the Femina Cup for the longest flight that year by a woman.
1911 June 15: Marie-Louise Driancourt of France becomes the world's sixth woman to earn a pilot's license. August 1: Harriet Quimby becomes the first American woman and the seventh worldwide to earn a pilot's license. August 10: Lydia Zvereva becomes the first Russian woman and the eighth worldwide to earn a pilot's license (Russian certificate No.31). August 17: Matilde Moisant becomes the second American woman and the ninth worldwide to earn a pilot's license. August 29: Hilda Hewlett becomes the first English and the world's tenth woman to earn a pilot's license (British certificate No.122) She later becomes the first woman to teach her child to fly in the same year. September 13: Amelie Beese becomes the first German woman with a pilot's license (German certificate No.115). October 6: Beatrix de Rijk is the first Dutch woman to earn a pilot's license (French certificate No.652). October 10: Božena Laglerová is the first Czech woman to earn her pilot's license (Austrian certificate No.37). November 19: Lyubov Golanchikova becomes the first Estonian woman to earn a pilot's license (Russian certificate No.56). Hélène Dutrieu beats 14 male pilots to win the Coppa del Re ("King's Cup") in Florence, Italy
1912 Amelie Beese of Germany is the first woman to patent an aircraft design. Hélène Dutrieu is the first woman to pilot a seaplane. April 16: Harriet Quimby is the first woman to fly across the English Channel. May: May Assheton Harbord is first woman to obtain an Aeronaut's Certificate (No.16) in the United Kingdom. August 15: Lilly Steinschneider becomes the first Hungarian woman to earn a pilot's license (Hungarian certificate No.4). Jeanne Pallier earned her Brevet de pilote d'aéroplane, No. 1012, on 6 September 1912, at the age of forty eight, making her the oldest female aviator at the time. Hilda Hewlett is the first woman to co-found an aircraft factory Rayna Kasabova becomes the first woman to participate in a military flight
1913
January 3: Rosina Ferrario is the first Italian woman to earn her pilot's license. June 21, 1913: Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick is the first woman to jump from an aircraft, dropping from 2,000 feet in Los Angeles. 22 August 1913: Carmen Damedoz was the last woman to pass the French flying test before the outbreak of the First World War, earning pilot's licence No. 1449 from the Aéro-club de France. December 1: Lyubov Golanchikova becomes the first test pilot. Ruth Law is the first woman to fly at night. Katherine Stinson and her mother start the Stinson Aviation Company. Stinson also becomes the first commissioned woman airmail pilot and first woman to do night skywriting in the same year. Ann Maria Bocciarelli, of South Africa, is the first woman in Africa to earn a recreational pilot's license. Katharina Paulus (Käthe Paulus) develops the first modern parachute which fit inside of a "pocket" or bag.
1914 Lydia Zvereva is the first woman to perform an aerobatic maneuver (a loop). Eugenie Shakhovskaya is the first woman to become a military pilot when she flew reconnaissance missions for the Tsar. February 6: Elena Caragiani-Stoenescu becomes the first Romanian woman to earn a pilot's license. May 11: Else Haugk is the first Swiss woman to earn a pilot's license. October 1: Amalia Celia Figueredo becomes the first woman in Argentina to earn a pilot's license.
1915 Marie Marving of France is the first woman to fly in combat.
1916 Zhang Xiahun () becomes China's first female pilot
1921 Bessie Coleman is the first African American to earn a pilot's license. Adrienne Bolland becomes the first woman to fly over the Andes. May: Carmela Combre is the first woman to pilot a plane in Peru, though she never attained a license. October: Violet Guirola de Avila of El Salvador completes a flight in Guatemala, becoming the first Salvadoran female pilot.
1922
March 15: Bolivian aviator Amalia Villa de la Tapia is the first woman pilot licensed in Peru. April 8: Thereza Di Marzo is the first Brazilian woman to earn a pilot's license. Tadashi Hyōdō becomes the first Japanese woman to earn a pilot's license. Anesia Pinheiro Machado earns the Aero Club of Brazil Brevet No. 77 for her solo flight. She becomes the first woman pilot in Brazil to carry passengers.
1924 November 24: María Bernaldo de Quirós (1898–1983) is the first Spanish woman to receive a pilot's licence.
1925 Kwon Ki-ok is the first Korean woman to earn a pilot's license. Gladys Sandford becomes the first woman in New Zealand to earn her pilot's license.
1926 Millicent Bryant is the first Australian woman to earn a pilot's license.
1927 Marga von Etzdorf of Germany is the first woman to fly for an airline. Millicent Bryant is the first Australian woman to earn a pilot's license. Dagny Berger is the first Norwegian woman to receive a flying certificate.
1928 February–May: Mary, Lady Heath an Irish woman, becomes the first woman to fly from Cape Town, South Africa to Croydon Aerodrome in London. March–April: Mary Bailey of England is the first woman to fly solo from England to South Africa. Maria de Lourdes Sá Teixeira of Portugal earns the first pilot's license for a woman in her country. Geneviève Gemayel is the first Lebanese and Arab woman to fly an aeroplane. Eileen Vollick is the first Canadian woman to earn her pilot's license. María Bernaldo de Quirós becomes the first woman from Spain to earn a pilot's license. Janet Bragg is the first woman admitted to the Curtiss-Wright School of Aeronautics. Park Kyung-won becomes the first Korean woman to earn a 2nd class pilot's license. Janet Hendry becomes the first woman from Scotland to earn a pilot's license. Karolina Iwaszkiewicz becomes the first woman from Poland to earn a pilot's license.
1929
The Federation Aeronautique Internationale creates a new category for records set by women pilots. Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes becomes the first stunt pilot, working in Hollywood. Phyllis Arnott is the first Australian woman to earn a Commercial Pilot's License, however, she only flew for pleasure. Elsie MacGill of Canada becomes the first woman to earn a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. Audrey Fiander becomes the first woman pilot in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. March 16: Louise Thaden does the women's endurance record with a time of 22 hours and 3 minutes. August 18: First Women's Air Derby is held in the United States. Louise Thaden is the winner. November 2: The Ninety Nines are founded to create a group to support and mentor women in aviation.
1930 Amy Johnson is the first woman pilot to fly from England to Australia. Elinor Smith and Evelyn Trout of the US are the first women to refuel a plane in flight.