Best Female Aviator

Valentina Tereshkova is a Soviet aviator and cosmonaut recognized for her pioneering role in space exploration. She achieved global significance as the first woman to undertake a solo spaceflight in June 1963. Her mission aboard Vostok 6 involved orbiting Earth 48 times, providing crucial data durin...

Sally Ride was an American physicist and NASA astronaut recognized for pioneering achievements. She flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger as part of mission STS-7 in 1983, making her the first American woman to travel into space. Her historic flight inspired countless individuals and advanced opp...

Eileen Collins is an American aviator and retired U.S. Air Force officer. She achieved significant milestones as the first female pilot and commander of a NASA Space Shuttle mission. Her leadership on STS-93 in 1999 marked a pivotal moment for women in space exploration, paving the way for future fe...

Hanna Reitsch was a pioneering German aviator recognized for her exceptional skill and contributions to early aircraft development. She achieved significant milestones including being the first woman to pilot a helicopter and establishing numerous glider record flights during World War II. Her work...

Jacqueline Cochran was a pioneering American aviator recognized for her exceptional skill and courage. She served as a pilot during World War II with the Women Airforce Service Pilots and achieved significant milestones, most notably becoming the first woman to surpass the sound barrier in 1953. Her...

Beryl Markham was a British-born Kenyan aviator and author who became the first woman to fly solo east-to-west across the Atlantic Ocean, accomplishing the feat in 1936.

U.S. aerobatic pilot who won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship three consecutive years from 1991 to 1993, becoming the first woman to claim that title.

Amy Johnson was a pioneering British aviator who became the first woman to fly solo from Great Britain to Australia, completing the historic 11,000-mile journey in 1930.

Bessie Coleman was an early American civil aviator who became the first African-American woman and first Native American to earn an international aviation license in 1921.

Soviet pilot Lyudmila Litvyak became the world's first female fighter ace in 1943, credited with 12 aerial victories, before being killed in action over the Eastern Front in August 1943.

Harriet Quimby was an American aviator and screenwriter who became the first woman in the United States to earn a pilot's license in 1911 and flew across the English Channel in 1912.

Jean Batten was a New Zealand aviator who set numerous international flight records in the 1930s, becoming the first person to fly solo from England to New Zealand in 1936.

Soviet pilot Nadezhda Popova was one of the most decorated members of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, the 'Night Witches,' flying over 800 combat missions in her WWII career.

Soviet aviator Marina Raskova set a women's long-distance flight record in 1938 and during WWII organized and commanded the three all-female Soviet air regiments, including the famed 'Night Witches.'

Nancy Love was an American aviator who established the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron in 1942, enabling female pilots to ferry military aircraft during the Second World War.

Jeana Yeager is an American aviator who co-piloted the Voyager aircraft in 1986 to achieve the first nonstop flight around the world without aerial refueling.

Soviet female fighter pilot Katya Budanova was credited with 6 individual aerial victories and was a close comrade of Litvyak, killed in action over the Eastern Front in July 1943.

Polina Osipenko was a record-breaking Soviet aviator who set international flight distance records in 1938 and was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title.