Jean Ross Howard Phelan (1916–2004) was the founder of the Whirly Girls and the 13th woman in the world to earn her helicopter accreditation.

Personal life

She was born on September 5, 1916, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as Jean Ross Howard. Her grandfather was John W. Ross, .

Education

Phelan attended

Sidwell Friends School Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' ( en, Let the light shine out from all), al ...

and Western High School. She went to

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

and then transferred to

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, where she received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

in 1939. In 1955, she earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in history from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

with her thesis on "Selected Economic Problems in the Operation of Common Carrier Helicopters."

Career

Phelan worked briefly at

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

as a reservations clerk. Phelan, after being inspired by Jackie Cochran, signed up but did not complete the Women's Airforce Service Pilots training. She did earn her pilot's license in 1941. Phelan was asked to stay by Cochran to help run the

Women Airforce Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

school. After a year, she joined the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

, worked for the Red Cross, and then joined the Aircraft Industries Association as an administrative aide in the helicopter division. In 1954, after convincing her supervisor to allow her to train at the Bell Helicopter School in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, and 18 days of training, Jean became the eight American woman and 13th woman worldwide to earn her helicopter accreditation. In 1955, she founded the Whirly-Girls International with the goal of building a community of support for women helicopter pilots. She retired as director of helicopter activities in 1986.

Awards and recognition

Phelan was also the first woman chair of the

American Helicopter Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

's Annual Forum, hosting forums in 1958 and 1959. For her contributions to the Washington, D.C. aviation community, Jean was presented with the Washington Air Derby Association Trophy in 1963. From 1966 to 1968, she was elected president of the American Women's News Club. In 1969, she was awarded the Lady Drummond Hay Trophy, granted by the Women's International Association of Aeronautics. Phelan was inducted into the Women in Aviation International's Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2003, Phelan was named as one of the "100 Women Who Made A Difference" by

Women in Aviation Women have been involved in aviation from the beginnings of both lighter-than air travel and as airplanes, helicopters and space travel were developed. Women pilots were also formerly called "aviatrices" (singular "aviatrix"). Women have been fl ...

Death

Phelan died at the age of 87 on January 29, 2004, at

Medical Center.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelan, Jean Ross Howard Helicopter pilots George Washington University alumni American University alumni Women aviators 1916 births 2004 deaths Whirly-Girls