Ruth Rowland Nichols, 1901-1960
The only woman to simultaneously hold the women’s world speed, altitude and distance record for heavy
land planes. received her pilot's license after graduating from Wellesley College in 1924, becoming the first
woman in New York to do so; in January 1928 she flew nonstop from New York City to Miami with Harry
Rogers in a Fairchild FC-2. The publicity stunt brought Nichols fame as "The Flying Debutante." In 1958,
she flew a Delta Dagger at 1000 mph at an altitude of 51,000 feet. A Hamilton variable pitch propeller (which
allowed a pilot to select a climb or cruise position for the blades), from her Lockheed Vega is displayed in
the Golden Age of Flight gallery. Nichols' autobiography is titled Wings for Life.
The only woman to simultaneously hold the women’s world speed, altitude and distance record for heavy
land planes. received her pilot's license after graduating from Wellesley College in 1924, becoming the first
woman in New York to do so; in January 1928 she flew nonstop from New York City to Miami with Harry
Rogers in a Fairchild FC-2. The publicity stunt brought Nichols fame as "The Flying Debutante." In 1958,
she flew a Delta Dagger at 1000 mph at an altitude of 51,000 feet. A Hamilton variable pitch propeller (which
allowed a pilot to select a climb or cruise position for the blades), from her Lockheed Vega is displayed in
the Golden Age of Flight gallery. Nichols' autobiography is titled Wings for Life.
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