Matilde Josephine Moisant (September 13, 1878 – February 5, 1964) was an American pioneer
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
, the second woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's license.
Early life
Moisant was born on September 13, 1878 in
Earl Park, Indiana
Earl Park is a town in Richland Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 348 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Earl Park was laid out July 31, 1872, by Adam ...
, to Médore Moisant and Joséphine Fortier. Both places exist in records, but her license from the Aero Club of America shows Earl Park. Both parents were
French Canadians
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
. Her siblings include George,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, Annie M., Alfred Moisant, Louise J. and Eunice Moisant. John and Alfred were also aviators.
In 1880, the family was living in Manteno, Illinois, and her father was working as a farmer.
Career
Moisant learned to fly at Alfred's
Moisant Aviation School on
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...
.
On 13 August 1911,
a few weeks after her friend
Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby (May 11, 1875 – July 1, 1912) was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter.
In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilot certificate, issued to her by the Aero Club of Ame ...
received her pilot's certificate, Matilde Moisant became the second woman pilot certified by the
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New ...
. She pursued a career in exhibition flying, known as
barn storming.
In September 1911, she flew in the air show at Nassau Boulevard airfield in
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census.
The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...
and, while competing against
Hélène Dutrieu
Hélène Dutrieu (10 July 1877 – 26 June 1961), was a Belgian cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, stunt driver, pioneer pilot, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital.
Biog ...
, Moisant broke the women's altitude world record and won the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy by flying to .
Retirement
Moisant stopped flying on April 14, 1912 in
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...
when her plane crashed
(the same day that the ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...
'' struck an iceberg). A few months later on 1 July 1912, her friend
Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby (May 11, 1875 – July 1, 1912) was an American pioneering aviator, journalist, and film screenwriter.
In 1911, she became the first woman in the United States to receive a pilot certificate, issued to her by the Aero Club of Ame ...
was killed when she was thrown from her plane. Although Moisant recovered from her injuries, she gave up flying. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
she volunteered at the front in France. She spent several years dividing her time between the U.S. and the family plantation in
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
, before returning to the Los Angeles area.
Death
Matilde Moisant died in 1964 in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...
,
aged 85, and was interred in the
Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation
The Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation is in Los Angeles, California. The shrine is a structure of marble, mosaic, and sculpted figures and is the burial site for fifteen pioneers of aviation. Designed by Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr. an ...
in
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery,
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
Timeline
*1878 Birth in Indiana
*1880 Living in Manteno, Kankakee, Illinois[
*1964 Burial In Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* New York Times; May 11, 1911; p. 6; "Woman in trousers daring aviator. Long Island Folk Discover That Miss Harriet Quimby Is Making Flights at Garden City. Garden City, Long Island; May 10, 1911. Rumors that there was a young woman aviator at the Moisant Aviation School here who made daily flights at 4:30 A.M. have brought many Garden City folk and townspeople from Hempstead and Mineola to the flying grounds here on several mornings. These early risers have seen a slender, youthful figure in aviation jacket and trousers of wool-backed satin, with ..."
* New York Times; Oct 09, 1911; p. 1; "Escapes sheriff in her aeroplane; Matilde Moisant Takes to the Air Before He Can Arrest Her. Matilde Moisant, who became America's most notable woman flier after seeing her brother, the late John B. Moisant, make his celebrated flight around the Statue of Liberty, narrowly missed being thrown into jail yesterday in Nassau County for going into the air in her monoplane on Sunday."
* Oakes, C. M.: ''United States Women in Aviation Through World War I''; Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978.
* Rich, D. L.: ''The Magnificent Moisants – Champions of Early Flight''; Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. .
External links
*
Hargrave: Matilde Moisant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moisant, Matilde E.
1878 births
1964 deaths
American aviation record holders
American women aviation record holders
American people of French-Canadian descent
American women in World War I
Aviators from Indiana
Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Members of the Early Birds of Aviation
People from Benton County, Indiana
People from Greater Los Angeles
