> On April 16th 1912, who became the first female pilot to fly across the Englishchannel?> And the answer: Harriet Quimby.Photo credit: public domain.In addition to being the first female pilot to flyacross the English Channel, Harriet Quimby was also the first woman to qualifyfor a license from the Aero Club of America, and only the second woman in theworld!At the time where her contemporaries were wearing petticoats and corsets,Harriet Quimby was climbing into a cockpit in her satin flying suit, waving to acrowd. Born May 11, 1875, Harriet Quimby moved to the west coast at an earlyage, pursuing better living in California. Finding herself in rough and tumbleSan Francisco, Quimby was raised by a culture of performers, dreamers andbohemians. She began writing, which found a home in San Franciscan readers, andmade a name for herself as one of few women in journalism. By 1902, though,Quimby was restless. She moved to New York City, where she began pursuing acareer as a pilot. By May 1911, she had convinced her editors to cover the costof her flying lessons in return for her recording and publishing herexperiences. Effectively, Quimby became the first woman to earn her pilot'slicense in the United States. Quimby soon joined an exhibition group, and began competing in a variety ofevents. Less than one month after receiving her pilot's license, Quimby hadalready won her first cross-country race. She earned a name as an extremely safepilot, who meticulously prepared and checked her plane before flight. Quimbyforever influenced the world of pilot safety with the publication of an articlededicated to avoiding danger in the air. Many of her standards went on to beadapted to become the pre-flight checklist used extensively today. Finally, on April 16, 1912, Quimby's fame reached its zenith, as she became thefirst woman to fly the English Channel. The flight was wildly successful, andsolidified Quimby's place as a pioneering woman in aviation. Learn more about Quimby's remarkable contributions to aviation here[https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/quimby-harriet/].