Alma Arlene Davis (ca. 1910 – 1964) was an American aviator and air racer who was the first private pilot to receive an

instrument rating Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under instrument flight rules (IFR). It requires specific training and instruction beyond what is required for a private pilot certificate or commercial pilot ce ...

and the first to fly a private plane across the North and South Atlantic oceans in a single trip.

Biography

Alma Arlene Davis started out studying art in Chicago, Illinois, and Cleveland, Ohio. She became interested in flying when her husband bought a plane and earned her pilot's license in 1931. She later became the first private pilot to receive an

and the first woman to earn her 4M qualification for piloting multiengine planes. By 1940, she held "more different and difficult kinds of ratings than...99 out of 100...commercial pilots". She soon began participating in air races, winning the first race she participated in (Dayton, Illinois, 1934) as well as the 1936 Miami-Havana International Air Race. In 1938, she was the only woman to take part in the New York–Miami MacFadden Race, and in 1939 she finished fifth in the Los Angeles–New York Bendix Race. She finished fourth in the 1946

Halle Trophy Race The Halle Trophy Race, later briefly renamed the Kendall Trophy Race, was an air race for women aviators that ran for a few years after World War II. History Inaugurated in 1946, the Halle Trophy Race took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and was named ...

. During World War II, she taught instrument flying to Army and Navy aviators at

Baldwin-Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace Co ...

. She also served as

President Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

's aviation chair for Ohio and was chair of the

Office of Civil Defense The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961–64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was renamed the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency on May 5, 197 ...

's Operation Skywatch in the region encompassing Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. In 1959, she flew 20,000 miles across the North and South Atlantic oceans in her twin-engine Beech Travel Air, with Clay Donges as her navigator. The trip took 13 days and was the first time that a private plane had flown the North and South Atlantic in a single trip. ''Flying and Popular Aviation'' magazine named her America's outstanding woman pilot of "big ships" in 1940. She was the first woman to receive the Veteran's Pilot Award, and the first woman to be honored with the Elder Statesman of Aviation Award. Davis died of cancer in 1964.

Personal life

Davis was married to Max T. Davis, president of a Cleveland, Ohio, packing company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Alma Arlene 1964 deaths American women aviators American air racers American women civilians in World War II 20th-century American people Year of birth uncertain