Ruth Rowland Nichols
Ruth Rowland Nichols | |
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Woodlawn Cemetery | |
Education | Wellesley College (1924) |
Parent(s) | Erickson Norman Nichols Edith Corlis Haines |
Ruth Rowland Nichols (February 23, 1901 – September 25, 1960) was an American aviation pioneer. She is the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance for a female pilot.
Biography
Nichols was born in
Career as a pilot
While a student at
During the 1930s, while working for Fairchild and other aviation companies, Nichols made several record-setting flights, most of them in a Lockheed Electra, the New Cincinnati, on open loan from millionaire radio industrialist Powel Crosley Jr.[2] In December 1930, she beat Charles Lindbergh's record time for a cross-country flight, completing the trip in 13 hours, 21 minutes.[2] In March, 1931, she set the women's world altitude record of 28,743 feet (8760.9 m). In April 1931 in Detroit, she set the women's world speed record of 210.7 miles per hour (339.1 km/h).[2] In June, 1931, she attempted to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, but crashed in New Brunswick[3] and was severely injured, breaking at least two vertebrae in her back.[2] Following her recovery, in October, 1931, she set the women's distance record with a flight from Oakland, California, to Louisville, Kentucky, 1,977 miles (3182 km).
On 14 February 1932, Nichols set a new world altitude record of 19,928 feet for diesel-powered aircraft at
On 21 October 1935, Nichols was critically injured in a crash during a private flight in
Following the war, Nichols became involved in other humanitarian efforts, using her celebrity to bring attention to causes and to raise funds. She organised a mission of support for
In 1958, after lobbying the
Women in space program
In 1959, as NASA's Mercury program was preparing for missions to the moon, Nichols underwent the same isolation, centrifuge, and weightlessness tests that had been devised for the astronaut candidates. The tests were conducted at the Wright Air Development Center in Dayton, Ohio, by USAF Brigadier General Don Flickinger. Flickinger, and his mentor Randy Lovelace (the bioastronautics pioneer who performed the medical selection of the Mercury Seven), had a far-reaching interest in research on the suitability of women as astronauts. However, no official records of the Air Research and Development Command, the experimental wing of the Air Force trying to get America into space, survive to document how or why this came about.
Although she didn't pass all the Phase 1 tests that her female peers did (the Mercury 13), Nichols performed well enough on the tests and urged Air Force scientists to include women in their spaceflight plans. The scientists at Wright "thought of this with horror, and they said under no circumstances," according to an oral historian to whom Nichols relayed the story. The test results were leaked to the media which, according to Flickinger, "turned the tide" against Air Force sponsorship of research into female astronaut candidates.[8] Ultimately only Jerrie Cobb was able to complete all three phases of tests before NASA officially pulled the plug on the program.
Death
Suffering from severe
Legacy
During the course of her career, Nichols flew every type of aircraft developed, including the
References
- ^ The Women Who Dared the Skies article at century-of-flight.net
- ^ a b c d O'Brien, Keith (19 August 2018). "The Daredevil Fly Girl Who Challenged Amelia Earhart: Excerpt". Daily Beast. Daily Beast. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ Chicago Tribune, p.12, June 23, 1931
- ^ Associated Press, "Ruth Nichols Unhurt When Plane Crashes", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 3 November 1932, Volume 39, page 1.
- ^ "The Woman Engineer Vol 4". www2.theiet.org. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ Sarasota Herald-Tribune, October 22, 1935, pg. 8, col. 5
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54A-DO (DC-4) N79998 Lurga Point". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ Stephanie Nolen. Promised The Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race. Penguin Canada, Toronto, 2002. p. 88.
- New York Times. October 20, 1960. Retrieved 2012-10-15., the Chief Medical Examiner ...
Ruth Rowland Nichols, 59 year-old woman flier who was found dead in her apartment here Sept. 25, committed suicide, Dr. Milton Helpern
- ^ "Famous Woman Flier Dead". The Age. Associated Press. September 27, 1960. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
Ruth Rowland Nichols world - famous flier was found dead in her apartment yesterday. Miss Nichols, who was lived alone. Police said the cause of death would ...
- ^ Women of Woodlawn article at thewoodlawncemetery.com Archived 2006-04-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ruth Nichols: Record Setter/Dare Devil". National Aviation Hall of Fame. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
Sources
- Roger D. Launius (2000). "Nichols, Ruth Rowland". American National Biography Online.
- Mur Wolf. "Ruth Nichols". Wellesley College - Person of the Week. Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- D. Cochrane and P. Ramirez. "Ruth Nichols". National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- Jone Johnson Lewis. "Ruth Nichols". Women's History. Archived from the original on 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2006-08-28.