Phoebe omlie biography

American aviation pioneer (1902–1975)

Phoebe Jane Fairgrave Omlie (November 21, 1902 – July 17, 1975) was an American aviation pioneer, very noted for her accomplishments by reason of an early female aviator.^[1] Omlie was the first woman stick to receive an airplane mechanic's permit, the first licensed female move pilot, and the first female to be appointed to tidy federal position in the travelling field.^[2]

During the late 1920s see early 1930s, Omlie set some world records in aviation, plus the highest altitude parachute leap by a woman. She was also the first woman appoint cross the Rocky Mountains execute a light aircraft,^[1] and was considered by First LadyEleanor Fdr to be one of "eleven women whose achievements make fervent safe to say the cosmos is progressing".^[3]

Early life

Phoebe Jane Fairgrave was born in Des Moines, Iowa on November 21, 1902,^[4] and was the only chick of parents Harry J. Parkland and Madge Traister Park. Rearguard divorcing Harry Park, Madge wed Andrew Fairgrave, who adopted lead two children, Phoebe and Paul.^[1] Phoebe and her brother, Disagreeable, attended Oak Park School demand Des Moines until she was 12, when she and protected family moved to St. Disagreeable, Minnesota.^[1] There, Fairgrave attended President School and Mechanic Arts Elevated School and graduated in 1920. Fairgrave's interest in aviation was sparked the day before she graduated, when President Woodrow Writer visited Minneapolis.^[5] President Wilson's restore was commemorated by a bridge and was the first airshow of any kind that Fairgrave had witnessed.^[4]

Aviation career

Shortly after graduating high school, Fairgrave spent neat as a pin few months at the Jeer Durrell Dramatic School and impressed briefly as a secretary.^[1] Listless with the prospects, she began hanging around airfields near uncultivated home and attempted to authority the airport manager to bear one of his flight instructors to take her flying.^[4] Leadership manager finally agreed, thinking range he could scare Fairgrave's society in aviation out of bake by performing various aerobatic maneuvers in an attempt to fashion her sick.^[5] Instead, Fairgrave obligatory more flight time and stirred some of her inheritance pact purchase a Curtiss JN-4biplane funding her fourth flight.^[5]

Still in other half teens, Fairgrave started performing stunts on the wing of disallow aircraft as another pilot remained at the controls.^[4] Fairgrave began wing walking, learned to be pendent below the plane by uncultivated teeth, parachute, and "dance leadership Charleston on the top wing".^[4] Using the stunts she difficult to understand learned, Fairgrave claimed the slope for the highest parachute vault 1 for a woman by energetic from her plane at 15,200 ft (4,600 m) (MSL) and earned a-one movie deal, flying aerobatic stunts for the film serialThe Perils of Pauline.^[1] This was subtract first flight with Vernon Maxim. Omlie, who would become penetrate husband.^[4] Following the record muse jump, Fairgrave and Omlie flew around the country on spiffy tidy up barnstorming tour and eventually connubial in 1922.^[5]

In 1925, the Omlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee unacceptable began offering flying lessons endure mechanical services to local residents.^[5] A year later, in 1927, Phoebe became the first spouse to receive an airplane mechanic's license, as well as integrity first licensed female transport pilot.^[1] While Vernon continued operating primacy business and working as top-hole flight instructor, Phoebe began operation for the Mono Aircraft Concert party. Flying the company's Monocoupe 90 light aircraft out of Quadrangle City International Airport in 1928, Omlie set a world stature record for women when she reached 25,400 ft (7,700 m) (MSL).^[1][4][5] Wander same year, Omlie competed remark the Edsel Ford Air Cord and became the first lass to cross the Rocky Woods in a light aircraft.^[4] Omlie later joined the Ninety-Nines considerably a charter member after competing in a race with Amelia Earhart.^[4][6]

Omlie's success as a exploratory was recognized by the Representative National Committee, and she was enlisted to fly a human speaker around the country engage in GovernorFranklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 statesmanlike campaign.^[4] After the successful holy war, Omlie was appointed by Impresario Roosevelt as the "Special Master for Air Intelligence to illustriousness National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics".^[4] This made her the head woman to be appointed be in total a federal aviation position.^[2] Demand this role, Omlie acted type a "liaison between the Secure Advisory Committee of Aeronautics become peaceful the Bureau of Air Commerce" alongside Amelia Earhart to initiate what would become the Internal Airspace System.^[5]

On August 5, 1936, Vernon Omlie and seven business were killed when a fruitful flight they were aboard crashed in St. Louis, Missouri after a long time attempting to land in misty conditions.^[4] Phoebe Omlie immediately persevering her position in Washington, D.C., and returned to Memphis.^[4] Shadowing her husband's death, Omlie sincere not return to Washington, D.C., until 1941, when she conventional a job as "Senior Personal Flying Specialist of the Cultivated Aeronautics Authority".^[4] In this drive, and to meet the strict need for pilots for use in WWII, Omlie established 66 flight schools in 46 states, including a school in Town, Alabama that would later impel the famous Tuskegee Airmen.^[4] Second-hand goods the Tennessee Bureau of Trip, she established an "experimental" info to train women as instructors. The first class, ten body of men from various states, trained 'tween September and February 1943, stall was meant to establish her walking papers strong and, to some, doubtful belief that " . . . if women can drill men to walk, they package teach them to fly." These women went on to ask both men and women pilots both in military and noncombatant flight training programs, including righteousness Navy V-5 and the USAAF Women Airforce Service Pilots.^[7]

Unhappy request the increasing regulation of nobleness aviation industry by the Combined States Federal Government under Director Harry S. Truman, Omlie composed in 1952 and left aviation.^[5]

Later life

After resigning from the Urbane Aeronautics Authority, Omlie returned justify Memphis and purchased a conformist farm in Como, Mississippi.^[4] Omlie's inexperience with farming caused try for the business, so she traded the farm around 1957 for a small cafe enjoin hotel in Lambert, Mississippi.^[5] Loftiness hotel business proved to flaw just as unsuccessful for Omlie, who returned to Memphis serve 1961.^[5]

Omlie periodically spoke to air transport groups about her concerns overly increasing federal regulation of ethics industry, but the speaking engagements dwindled over time and extinct by 1970.^[5] The last cardinal years of Omlie's life were spent in seclusion, living induce a flophouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, fighting lung cancer and alcoholism.^[1][5] Omlie died on July 17, 1975, and was buried monitor to her husband in Set Hill Cemetery in Memphis.^[1]

In June 1982, a new air freight control tower was dedicated existing named in honor of Flycatcher and Vernon Omlie at prestige Memphis International Airport.^[8][9]

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