January 7 Luncheon

The first untethered hot air balloon lifted off in 1783 followed by the first woman to fly in it the next year.  Aviation itself, flying an airplane, does not necessarily discriminate with the pilot at the controls.  The first woman to receive her pilot’s license was Raymonde de Laroche in 1911 just 8 years after the Wright Brother’s proved sustained flight was possible.  While women have always been involved with aviation, it took several decades before they were allowed by law to fly anything in the military inventory.  In recent history, women now fly and served in all aircraft in military service.  This is the story of Three Generations of Women Military Aviators.