Hélène Boucher

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Hélène Boucher as a pilot (1933)

Hélène Boucher (born May 23, 1908 in Versailles , † November 30, 1934 in Guyancourt near Versailles) was an early French pilot .

Records

In 1934 she flew the speed record over 100 km (485 km / h as the top speed) and thus became the "fastest woman in the world". Furthermore, she held the altitude record at 5,200 meters and another eight world records.

Life

Boucher was a student of Michel Detroyat. The young stunt pilot was considered one of the most popular attractions at air shows in France and abroad. The Renault company took her temporarily under contract to promote the newly released Vivasport 6 cylindres .

The pilot was only 26 years old and was killed on a training flight near Versailles when the plane crashed over the Guyancourts forest. For her death, the press blamed Detroyat and others who encouraged “a young, innocent girl” to participate in such a “dangerous sport”.

She was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor post mortem . Her body was laid out in the Invalides Cathedral; no other woman had had this honor before her. The Hélène Boucher Cup, which was given to female pilots, was donated in her name.

Adaptations

  • With the title Hélène Boucher: Ein Fliegerleben (Original: Horizons sans fin ), a fictional film was made in 1953 that has her life as its content. She was embodied by Giselle Pascal .
  • Numerous schools and streets in France are named after her, including in Paris , Le Mans and Thionville .

literature

  • Antoine Redier: Hélène Boucher, jeune fille de France . Flammarion, 1935, with a foreword by General Denain (Minister of Aviation).

Web links

Commons : Hélène Boucher  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Antonius Lux (ed.): Great women of world history. 1000 biographies in words and pictures . Sebastian Lux Verlag , Munich 1963, p. 77.
  2. ↑ http://german.imdb.com/title/tt0097526/
  3. ↑ http://www.helene-boucher.com/hommage.htm ( Memento from February 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Boucher, Hélène
BRIEF DESCRIPTION early French pilot
DATE OF BIRTH May 23, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Versailles
DATE OF DEATH November 30, 1934
Place of death Guyancourt at Versailles