Susana Ferrari Billinghurst (1914–1999) was an Argentine aviator of Italian, English, and Irish descent. She was the first woman in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

to earn a commercial pilot's license, in 1937. Susana Ferrari Billinghurst

Career

In 1937, Billinghurst became the first woman in South America to earn a commercial pilot's license. In 1940, she piloted an amphibious

Sikorsky S-43 The Sikorsky S-43 (sometimes referred to as the Baby Clipper) was a 1930s American twin-engine amphibious flying boat monoplane produced by Sikorsky Aircraft. Design and development The S-43 first flew in 1935, and was a smaller version of the ...

in a 4,000-mile trip from

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

to Argentina. During the 1943 Revolution Day in Argentina, she entered the presidential house with a symbolic bouquet, getting from the new president a historical engagement in favour of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, particularly in the aviation field. In November 1943, she made a flight to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

with two other aviators (Elida Carles and Julia Perez Cattoni), officially representing the Argentine government.

Family

Billinghurst was the great-granddaughter of Mariano Billinghurst, for whom the city of Billinghurst, Argentina, is named; niece of Argentine aviator Lisandro Billinghurst, and first cousin twice removed of

Guillermo Billinghurst Guillermo Enrique Billinghurst Angulo (ie. William Henry Billinghurst) (Arica, July 27, 1851 – Iquique, June 28, 1915) was a Peruvian politician of English descent who served as the 37th President of Peru. He succeeded Augusto B. Leguía, fr ...

, who was the

president of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...

. Susana was the grandmother of actress Luciana Pedraza, the wife of actor

Robert Duvall Robert Selden Duvall (; born January 5, 1931) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career spans more than seven decades and he is considered one of the greatest American actors of all time. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, four Gold ...

Bibliography

Vitry, Roberto. ''Mujeres Salteñas: Susana Ferrari Billinghurst''. Editorial Hanne, 2000.

References

External links

Artículo Star Pulse 19/6/2006- "Hollywood legend Robert Duvall discovers he married into a family of great Argentinean aviators".

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrari Billinghurst, Susana 1914 births 1999 deaths Argentine people of German descent Argentine people of English descent Argentine women aviators People from Buenos Aires