Hilder Florentina Smith
Hilder Florentina Smith (born August 10, 1890 - January 11, 1977 in San Diego , California) was the first female pilot and the first woman in the United States to fly a passenger plane at Los Angeles International Airport .
Life
She was born on August 10, 1890 as Hilder Florentina Youngber. In 1907 she married James Floyd Smith , test pilot and instructor with the Glenn L. Martin Company . On June 10, 1914, she made her first solo flight. The first son, Sylvester Smith, was killed by a car in Chicago in 1919 at the age of 11. They had a second son, Prevost Vedrines Smith (1913–1991). Her husband died of cancer in 1956 in San Diego, California.
Hilder Smith became known nationwide for her aerobatics and parachute jumps. Her first ripcord parachute from 1919, designed and developed by her husband, is in the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
She died on January 11, 1977 and was buried in the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation next to her husband James Floyd Smith in California.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smith, Hilder Florentina |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Youngber, Hilder Florentina |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aviation pioneer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 10, 1890 |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1977 |
| Place of death | San Diego |