Ruth Rowland Nichols, 1901-1960
The only woman to simultaneously hold the women’s world speed,
altitude and distance record for heavy land planes. received her
pilot's license after graduating from Wellesley College in 1924,
becoming the first woman in New York to do so; in January 1928
she flew nonstop from New York City to Miami with Harry Rogers in
a Fairchild FC-2. The publicity stunt brought Nichols fame as "The
Flying Debutante." In 1958, she flew a Delta Dagger at 1000 mph
at an altitude of 51,000 feet. A Hamilton variable pitch propeller
(which allowed a pilot to select a climb or cruise position for the
blades), from her Lockheed Vega is displayed in the Golden Age
of Flight gallery. Nichols' autobiography is titled Wings for Life.
The only woman to simultaneously hold the women’s world speed,
altitude and distance record for heavy land planes. received her
pilot's license after graduating from Wellesley College in 1924,
becoming the first woman in New York to do so; in January 1928
she flew nonstop from New York City to Miami with Harry Rogers in
a Fairchild FC-2. The publicity stunt brought Nichols fame as "The
Flying Debutante." In 1958, she flew a Delta Dagger at 1000 mph
at an altitude of 51,000 feet. A Hamilton variable pitch propeller
(which allowed a pilot to select a climb or cruise position for the
blades), from her Lockheed Vega is displayed in the Golden Age
of Flight gallery. Nichols' autobiography is titled Wings for Life.
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