Amalia Villa de la Tapia (22 June 1893 - 1994) was a Bolivian aviator. She was the first Bolivian woman to obtain her pilot's license.

Biography

De la Tapia was born in Potosí, Bolivia, the second of five siblings. After completing high school she moved to

Tacna Tacna was known for its mining industry; it had significant deposits of sodium nitrate and other resources. Its economic prosperity attracted a wave of immigrants from Italy. Today, their Italian Peruvian descendants live in the city and many of t ...

, Peru, and then to

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. There she studied education and graduated as a primary school teacher in 1916. In 1921 she started flying lessons at the Escuela Civil de Bellavista (Civil Aviation School of Bellavista). In March 1922, de la Tapia qualified for her pilot's license at a test held at the school. Shortly afterwards, de la Tapia returned to Bolivia and assisted in the establishment of a school of aviation in the country, which opened in 1923. In the early 1930s, de la Tapia went to France and qualified as a pilot at the

Caudron The Société des Avions Caudron was a French aircraft company founded in 1909 as the Association Aéroplanes Caudron Frères by brothers Gaston and René Caudron. It was one of the earliest aircraft manufacturers in France and produced planes for ...

school. She attempted to enlist to fly in the

Chaco War The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko ÑorairõBolivian Air Force The Bolivian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Boliviana or 'FAB') is the air force of Bolivia and branch of the Bolivian Armed Forces. History By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft (Curtiss Hawk fighters, Curtiss T-32 Co ...

was officially incorporated, de la Tapia was given the rank of captain, and later lieutenant colonel. Her artifacts collection of artifacts would eventually form the foundation of the Bolivian Air Force Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villa de la Tapia, Amalia Bolivian aviators Bolivian centenarians 1893 births 1994 deaths Women centenarians