Matilde Josephine Moisant (September 13, 1878 – February 5, 1964) was an American pioneer

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

, the second woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's license.

Early life

Moisant was born on September 13, 1878, in

Earl Park, Indiana Earl Park is a town in Richland Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 362 at the 2022 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Earl Park was laid out July 31, 1872, by Ad ...

, to Médore Moisant and Joséphine Fortier. Both parents were

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

. Her siblings include George,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, Annie M., Alfred Moisant, Louise J. and Eunice Moisant. John and Alfred were also aviators. In 1880, the family was living in Manteno, Illinois, and her father was working as a farmer.

Career

Moisant learned to fly at Alfred's

Moisant Aviation School The Moisant Aviation School was a school in the early days of aviation founded by Alfred Moisant at Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Alfred and his brother John Bevins Moisant formed the ''Moisant International Aviators'', a flying circus w ...

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. On August 13, 1911, a few weeks after her friend

Harriet Quimby Harriet Quimby (May 11, 1875 – July 1, 1912) was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter. In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilot's license and in 1912 the first woman to fly solo a ...

received her pilot's certificate, Matilde Moisant became the second woman pilot certified by the

Aero Club of America The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New E ...

. She pursued a career in exhibition flying, known as barn storming. In September 1911, she flew in the air show at Nassau Boulevard airfield in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

and, while competing against Hélène Dutrieu, Moisant broke the women's altitude world record and won the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy by flying to .

Retirement

Moisant stopped flying on April 14, 1912, in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

when her plane crashed (the same day that the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' struck an iceberg and only two days before her friend,

, became the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

). A few months later on July 1, 1912, Quimby was killed when she was thrown from her plane. Although Moisant recovered from her injuries, she gave up flying. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

she volunteered at the front in France. She spent several years dividing her time between the U.S. and the family plantation in

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

, before returning to the Los Angeles area.

Death

Matilde Moisant died in 1964 in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, aged 85, and was interred in the

Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation, also known as Valhalla Memorial Rotunda and The Rotunda, is a shrine to aviation located at the former entrance to Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood and Burbank, California, Burban ...

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ...

Timeline

*1878 Birth in Indiana *1880 Living in Manteno, Kankakee, Illinois *1880

US Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 under Secretar ...

in Manteno, Illinois *1900

in California *1910 Death of her brother *1911 Received pilot's certificate *1911 Won Rodman-Wanamaker altitude trophy *1912 Crash in Texas on April 14 *1920 Living in Los Angeles, California *1920

in Los Angeles, California *1930

in La Crescenta, California *1964 Death in California *1964 Burial In Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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Hargrave: Matilde Moisant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moisant, Matilde E. 1878 births 1964 deaths American aviation record holders American women aviation record holders American people of French-Canadian descent American women in World War I Aviators from Indiana Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Members of the Early Birds of Aviation People from Benton County, Indiana People from Greater Los Angeles