Review:
 Book:        United States Women in Aviation 1919-1929
 Author:      Brooks-Pazmany, Kathleen
 Affiliation: Smithsonian
 Date:        1984
          Overview of United States Women in Aviation 1919-1929
       Women were active in U.S. aviation from 1919 through 1929 as
 pilots, barnstormers, promoters, passengers, and supporters.  This
 publication documents their pioneering activities in developing and
 promoting the commercial and military air industry.
                            Introduction
     The challenges that confronted women pilots in the 1920's are
 faced by all women entering a field that is generally considered a
 masculine domain.  The question of whether aviation was or is a
 "proper" sphere for women is still unresolved in many minds.  Des-
 pite the odds against them, women of that era made great contribu-
 tions to the development of aviation.  Women of today in any field
 can look to their experiences for inspiration.
     We are all familiar with the names of Amelia Earhart, Anne
 Morrow Lindbergh, and Jacqueline Cochran, but for most of us that
 is where our knowledge of women in aviation ends.  Yet from the be-
 ginning women have been an integral part of aviation's progress.
 Katherine Wright devoted a great deal of time and effort to her bro-
 thers' research although she did not fly herself.  In fact, when her
 brothers opened a flying school in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1910,
 Orville rejected all the female applicants on the grounds that they
 were notoriety seekers.  Katherine believed in the future of avi-
 ation, and her brother's attitude did not stop her from contributing
 to its progress.
     The attitude that flying was socially inappropriate and even
 physically impossible for women was common.  To overcome the pre-
 judice and the over protectiveness, women often took to the skies
 first as passengers before assuming a more visible role as pilot,
 thereby demonstrating the relative ease and safety of air travel.
 Lillian Gatlin, the first woman to make a transcontinental flight,
 was a passenger.  In the early attempts to cross the oceans women
 flew as passengers rather than pilots.  But even as passengers they
 were taking risks, and some lost their lives.
     There were only a handful of qualified woman pilots at the end
 of World War I.  During the twenties an ever-increasing number of
 women barnstormed, raced, carried passengers, and set records, By
 the end of the decade they had helped to bring the airplane before
 the public as a practicable mode of transportation and a wonderful
 new form of recreation. Their contributions argue for the recogni-
 tion of a place for both men and women in this and all fields of
 human endeavor.
     Much of the material used in this publication came from the
 National Air and Space Museum Library.  This library contains an
 extensive collection of publications, photographs, and other docu-
 mentation on the history of aviation. Yet by far some of the most
 significant information came from the participants themselves; Bobbi
 Trout, Viola Gentry, Elinor Smith, Mary Haizlip, Nellie Zabel Will-
 hite, Martin Jensen, Dexter Martin, and Lillian Boyer.  They added
 invaluable insight to the events of the day, provided information
 and photographs, and guided me to other sources.  Glenn Buffington,
 Babe Weyant Ruth, and Rose LeDuke have also shared their personal
 collections and knowledge with me.  Without their help this study
 would not have been possible.  I would also like to offer special
 thanks to Louise Thaden for her quick and generous response at the
 outset of my research; I regret that she never saw the finished
 product.  Note should also be made of those on the Museum staff who
 contributed their time and talent to this study, especially to Dale
 Hrabak and the photo lab staff; Susan Brown, formerly of the Aero-
 nautics Department; Dorothy Cochrane; and Susan Owen.
     Although the emphasis here is on the most visible figure in
 aviation, the pilot, the many women who filled support roles should
 not be forgotten; there were more of them than ever found their
 names in print.  Throughout the period from 1919 to 1929 there was
 a rapid increase in the number of women interested in aviation as
 well as a greater opportunity for them to become actively
 involved.  Over the years it became socially more acceptable, at
 least for a single woman, to pursue a career in aviation. With the
 advances in aircraft design and maneuverability, the physical bar-
 riers to women flying were greatly reduced; strength and size were
 no longer so important.  Now was the time to move forward.
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