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Catalog Data

Creator:
Richey, Helen, 1909-1947  Search this
Names:
Bendix Air Races  Search this
Central Airlines  Search this
Great Britain. Air Transport Authority  Search this
United States. Bureau of Air Commerce  Search this
United States. Bureau of Air Commerce. National Air Marking Program  Search this
Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.)  Search this
Richey, Helen, 1909-1947  Search this
Extent:
0.1 Cubic feet (2 folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Clippings
Logs (records)
Date:
1933-1944
Summary:
This collection consists of Helen Richey's pilot log for 1944-1945, newspaper clippings covering the period from 1933 to 1944 and seven photographs of Ms. RIchey.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of Helen Richey's pilot log for 1944-1945, newspaper clippings covering the period from 1933 to 1944 and seven photographs of Ms. Richey.
Arrangement:
This collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Helen Richey (1909 - 1947) was an aviation pioneer who made headlines as a stunt pilot, a racing champion, a holder of speed and altitude records, a flight instructor, an Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and Womens Air Service Pilot (WASP) during WWII, the first women to pilot a commercial airliner on a regular scheduled run, and as the first woman to ever fly the United States mail. In April of 1930, Richey enrolled as a student pilot at Bettis Field's Curtiss-Wright flying school and on June 28, 1930, she earned her pilot's license. In December 1930, Richey was granted a limited commercial pilot's license bythe Department of Commerce. During the 1930s, Richey set a number of records and placed in several races, including as a co-pilot to Amelia Earhart in the 1936 Bendix Race. In 1934 Richey applied for a pilot's job with Central Airlines. She was hired and flew Central's route between Washington and Detroit. However, the Bureau of Air Commerce warned Centeral management to keep her on the ground in bad weather and the pilot's union rejected her application for membership. Due to these restrictions, Richey resigned from Central in October 1935. The Bureau of Air Commerce then offered Helen a new job as an air marking pilot for the government. She stayed with the air marking service until 1937 when the job was completed. In 1940 Richey was the first woman to earn an instructor's license and she was appointed an instructor for air cadets at Pittsburgh - Butler Airport. In 1942, she joined the American wing of the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), where she ferried aicraft and needed materials thoughout the British Isles. Richey headed the ATA's American Group from 1942 until April 1943, when she returned to the States and joined the WASPs. Unable to find aviation employment after the WASPs disbanded in 1944, she committed suicide in 1947.
Provenance:
Gene Suskalo, Gift, 1998, NASM.1999.0006
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Women air pilots  Search this
Women in aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics, Military  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial -- United States  Search this
Aeronautics, Commercial  Search this
Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this
Aeronautics  Search this
Airports  Search this
Airports -- Location  Search this
Aeronautics -- Records  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Flight training  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Clippings
Logs (records)
Citation:
Helen Richey Pilot Log and Collection [Suskalo], NASM.1999.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.1999.0006
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg21127adc8-3836-4deb-b62c-e8cb2e4d0a56
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1999-0006