Quimby was writing for something called Leslie’s Illustrated
Weekly in 1910 when the magazine published an article promoting
an upcoming international “air meet” at Belmont Park in New
York. She went, watched the pilots, decided that flying didn’t
look too difficult, and started taking lessons. On Aug. 1, 1911,
she became the first U.S. licensed female pilot. It sounds so
cut and dried, but I find myself thinking about what she must
have experienced to earn that title. Start with the clothes. She
couldn’t wear pants, nor would she wear “harem-style” skirts
that French female pilots favored. According to Eileen F.
Lebow’s excellent book, Before Amelia, Quimby designed her own
flying costume: a plum-colored wool suit that converted from
knickerbockers that could be tucked into boots to a full skirt
by undoing some buttons. If I had to design a completely new
type of clothing for something I wanted to do, I’d probably take
up knitting instead. Some things Quimby experienced will sound
very familiar to today’s av