Bessie Coleman: Aviation Barnstormer

Photo: Bessie Coleman was the origin American of whatever race or sex to earn an international pilot's license too she was the origin soul of African descent to obtain a license.

The immature Coleman dreamed of a racehorse monastic enjoin too non i of mules. It is inwards her generation that the Wright Brothers would construct the flying machine too American airplane pilot fighters would Pb Europe through The Great War (World War I).

The Young Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman was born inwards rural Atlanta, Texas on Jan 26, 1892 to a draw solid unit of measurement laboring every bit sharecroppers. Coleman completed high schoolhouse afterwards an intensive self-study afterwards she could no longer afford studies at the Colored Agricultural too Normal University inwards Langston, Oklahoma inwards 1910.

Coleman sought to larn inwards flying schoolhouse simply her application was denied because of her race too gender. She decided to motion from Oklahoma north, amongst 2 of the 13 siblings that had relocated to Chicago. Through written report too difficult work, Coleman opened a beauty store inwards Chicago where she would employ her draw solid unit of measurement members immigrating from Texas to Chicago.

First Licensed Woman Pilot to Bessie Coleman's Last Flight inwards Florida

Photo: Bessie Coleman too her plane inwards 1922

Bessie Coleman began studying the French linguistic communication inwards Chicago too before long bought a ticket from Chicago to French Republic inwards 1919. In France, she studied at the Ecole d'Aviation des Freres Caudon at Le Crotoy. After completing the program, she successfully tested to earn her International Flying License. She became the origin adult woman of African descent to earn a pilot's license. Bessie Coleman obtained her pilot's license on June 15, 1921, afterwards The Great War. Amelia Earhart received her airplane pilot license from the National Aeronautic Association, the U.S. chapter of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, on May 15, 1923.

Bessie Coleman died similar she lived, inwards the air. On Apr 30, 1926 inwards Jacksonville, Florida, Coleman sat inwards the cockpit of a novel plane, non the Curtis Jenny. Coleman's plane mechanic took upward the novel plane for a exam flight. When the plane malfunctioned, Coleman vicious from cockpit's opening. The plane crashed several hundred feet inwards the practise session. Her planned elaborate air present inwards Florida would never occur. Coleman's torso was taken past times prepare from Orlando to Chicago to 10 thou mourners who would pay their concluding respects to the flying legend. Bessie Coleman is buried at the Lincoln Cemetery inwards Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois, USA.

Photo: African American aviator. Bessie Coleman.

After Bessie Coleman, African flyers such every bit the Five Blackbirds, the Flying Hobos (James Banning too Thomas Allen), the Tuskegee Airmen, Cornelius Coffey, John Robinson, Willa Brown too Harold Hurd would accept to the skies. In 1929, William J. Powell established the Bessie Coleman Aero Club. Since 1931, the Challenger Pilots' Association of Chicago has flown over Chicago's Lincoln Cemetery inwards laurels of Bessie Coleman. Beginning inwards 1977, women pilots inwards the Chicago surface area lead keep organized too associated every bit the Bessie Coleman Aviators Club.

Further Reading: Hardesty, Von. "Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African American inwards Aviation too Space History," (HarperCollins Publishers, 2007).