Maryse Hilsz (7 March 1903 – 30 January 1946) was a French aviator known for high altitude and endurance flights. She served with the French Resistance during World War II and died in an air crash in 1946.

Life

In 1933 she shared the

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...

"Woman of the Year Award" with

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

, and was the winner of the Harmon Trophy the same year. She had only been flying since 1930, having saved the tuition fee for the aviation license by doing entertainment stunts including parachute jump and standing on the wings of a flying plane. She established a new women's altitude record of on June 23, 1936. In 1936 she won the

Hélène Boucher Hélène Boucher (23 May 1908 - 30 November 1934) was a well-known French pilot in the early 1930s, when she set several women's world speed records and the all-comers record for 1,000 km (621 mi) in 1934. She was killed in an acciden ...

Cup flying a Breguet 270 Series. Hilsz enlisted in the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

after World War II. She and three other crew members died in an air crash at Bourg-en-Bresse on 30 January 1946.

Notable flights

References

Female resistance members of World War II Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France People from Levallois-Perret 1903 births 1946 deaths French women aviators French aviation record holders French women in World War II French women aviation record holders 20th-century French women {{Aviation-bio-stub