Patricia Ann Willis (January 6, 1910 – August 1, 1985)
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Retrieved 28 May 2019. was a pioneering
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
woman aviator.
History
Willis was born in
Moline, Illinois
Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...
, and wanted to fly from an early age. She attended Belmont High School, and went to the School of Art in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
On 16 June 1929, at 19, she received her pilot's licence.
She wanted to enter the 1929
Women's Air Derby
The Women's Air Derby was the first official women-only air race in the United States, taking place during the 1929 National Air Races. Humorist Will Rogers referred to it as the Powder Puff Derby, the name by which the race is most common ...
but was unable to obtain an aircraft.
["Breaking Through the Clouds", Archetypal Images documentary, 2015]
Notes
1910 births
1985 deaths
American women aviators
Aviators from Illinois
People from Moline, Illinois
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