Magnificent Women and Flying Machines: The First 200 Years of British Women in the Sky

Balloons, parachutes, aeroplanes, gliders, airships - the extraordinary personal tales of the women who led the way in early British aviation! There is no book that covers the roles played by the lesser known British women in aviation, and while Amy Johnson is a household name, many women performed outstanding feats in this brave new world, from Mrs Hines in 1785 who inadvertently became the first to do a night-time balloon flight and water landing; to Rose Spencer, who while four months pregnant in 1902 became the first British woman to fly a powered airship; to Winifred Brown, the first and only woman to win the prestigious King’s Cup Air Race, beating a formidable array of male pilots. This important new study seeks to record and present the British women who were courageous enough to set the scene for future generations, revealing the tales of the key women who achieved ‘firsts’ in British aviation from 1785 to 1935. These extraordinary women deserve a place in the history books. AUTHOR: Sally Smith is a journalist and writer who has worked for Harpers, Daily Mail, BBC News, ABC News in Australia, was named Business Writer of the Year and has had books published by Pelham Books and Rigby Books (Australia). She was British women’s freefall (style) parachute champion; founder and team leader of the world’s first all-girl parachute display team; a member of the British parachute team; member of the Australian ballooning team; was 2nd overall female at world ballooning championships and a commercial balloon pilot. She now lives in Somerset. 20 colour, 30 b/w illustrations