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Who was the first American woman to earn a pilot's license, in 1911?

Harriet Quimby, license number 37.

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  1. Amelia Earhart
  2. Bessie Coleman
  3. Harriet Quimby ✔

Why: Harriet Quimby earned her license on August 1, 1911. She believed flying was not too dangerous for women and wrote about it. Earhart and Coleman earned their licenses in the 1920s.

Huh, didn't know that: Quimby later became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

The dad joke
Why was Harriet Quimby a great pilot? She always kept her head in the clouds.
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References

Answer: Harriet Quimby. Harriet Quimby earned her license on August 1, 1911. She believed flying was not too dangerous for women and wrote about it. Earhart and Coleman earned their licenses in the 1920s.

  1. FAA History Office: Harriet Quimby www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/Harriet_Quimby.pdf
    Quimby was the first American woman to earn a pilot's license
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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