Early aviation epitomises the triumph of the human spirit over physical and physiological limitations. But there were many tragic episodes, too. Helen Richey’s was one instance of a brilliant flying career cut short by prejudice and insensitivity. Although she was the first woman to pilot a commercial flight in the United States, the first to fly dedicated air mail flights and one of the first female flight instructors, she was not accepted by the industry.

Helen Richey was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on November 21, 1909. When she was still a young girl, she and a friend hitched a ride on a Waco biplane taking off from the nearby airport and bound for Cleveland, Ohio. In the absence of seats, they sat on mail sacks. In Cleveland, they met Ruth Nichols, one of the famous women flyers of the day, dressed in her trademark white flying suit. When Helen saw the hordes of fans and photographers clustered around Nichols, she decided this was the life for her. However, she had to wait some years before she learned to fly. Soon thereafter, her father bought her a small plane. She was a born flyer and skilled in stunt flying. Feeling that her future lay in the airlines, she obtained her commercial pilot’s licence on December 4, 1930. But the airlines were not interested in women pilots.

One day, Frances Marsalis, a prominent aviator, contacted Richey and proposed that she be her co-pilot in a daring feat of endurance – remaining airborne for about 10 days. They took off from Miami on December 20, 1933, in a light aircraft named “Outdoor Girl” and circled above the city with each alternately at the controls while the other rested. They had teamed up with another pair of pilots who mounted 83 flights to keep them replenished with fuel, food, water and repair materials. Refuelling was a rather hazardous activity. One of the women had to climb out onto the wing, grab the fuel nozzle as it snaked down from the tanker aircraft, and insert it into the fuel tank. Apart from the inherent danger of falling, there were bright chances of being sprayed with gasoline. Everything seemed to be going well when, six days into the flight, the nozzle came loose, caught on the wing and ripped the flimsy fabric. The pilots had to decide between abandoning the endurance attempt and repairing the wing in flight. That’s when Helen climbed out, needle and thread in hand, and mended the tear. When they finally landed, the two had set a world record for a refuelling endurance flight. They had remained in the air an astounding 237 hours and 42 minutes, flying about 23,700 miles in the process. The mark stands to this day.

In 1934, Helen Richey won the premier US National Air Meet for women in Dayton, Pennsylvania. However, triumph turned to tragedy when she learned that Frances Marsalis, who had become her close friend, had crashed to her death during the race. That left Richey depressed. She realised that she needed to obtain a more stable job than stunt flying and air racing. Within months, Central Airlines, which later became part of United Airlines, hired her as a pilot. In November 1934, Helen won the prestigious Fairchild Trophy. On December 31, 1934, she became the first woman to pilot a commercial airliner on a regular scheduled flight, flying a Ford Trimotor on the Washington to Detroit route. However, this triumph too was short lived. She soon realised that the airline was exploiting her. It was more interested in her as a public relations mascot than as a pilot. She was sent for numerous interviews, photo sessions and autograph signing. Although she had joined the airline hoping to fly, her efforts to advance professionally were consistently thwarted. The other pilots, all male, spurned her application to join their union. Even the Civil Aviation Authority decreed that women must not be allowed to pilot aircraft in bad weather. After ten months, finding she had logged only a dozen round trips, Helen resigned in disgust and returned to private flying.

In January 1942, Helen joined the women’s division of the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Being wartime, these female ferry pilots had to do some amazing things that are usually frowned upon in peacetime. There was no time to train them on each plane. So, just before being launched, they were told the main handling points of the aircraft, including any oddities or peculiarities, and asked to educate themselves using the detailed pilot’s notes they had to carry with them. As Helen said, “Sometimes we would hurriedly skim through the pilot’s operating manual to find out how to take off; then keep reading the book while in flight to find out how to land the damned thing.” In addition, there was the constant risk of meeting the enemy. Over the next few months, she flew Magisters, Harvards, Oxfords, Masters, Hurricanes, Albacores and Spitfires. She was appointed Commandant of the American Wing of the ATA.

However, when she returned after the War, she again encountered the blatant discrimination of the aviation industry in the US. No airline wanted her because there were too many veteran male pilots looking for jobs. Her 10,000 hours flying experience counted for nothing. Soon her savings were exhausted. On January 7, 1947, Helen Richey was found dead. She had taken her life.