Jessie E. Woods
Encyclopedia
Jessie E. Woods also known as Jessie Woods, was one of the first women air pilots in the United States
.
Woods was a native of Wichita, Kansas
, where she garnered a love for aviation
since she was a child. In Wichita, she would see aircraft
come and go very often every day, as they were manufactured nearby.
At the age of nineteen, in 1928, Jessie Woods left home with her boyfriend, Jimmie Woods, and they married
on August 28 of that year, at a ceremony performed in Wichita. The Woods then went on to form the Flying Aces Air Circus, which lasted until 1938, setting a record for the longest-lasting air circus of all time. The Woods and other pilots performing with them flew every weekend at different places.
Woods was a daredevil. She was also the "circus lady". She would fly aircraft on the circus show, often performing dangerous landings. She walked on a flying aircraft's wing, she would parachute
off aircraft, or dangle below them, with her knees holding her to a rope ladder.
During World War II
, Woods served with the Civil Air Patrol
. Upon returning from the war, she became an aircraft mechanic and a piloting teacher. In 1941, she and her husband Jimmie leased a field in South Carolina
, with the American government granting the couple licenses to train military pilots on that field not long after.
After Jimmie Woods, who became a legend himself because of the connection with the "Flying Aces" circus, died in 1956, Jessie Woods continued flying all over her home country. She gained a commercial aviation license, but she never made use of it, sticking with general aviation. She was admired by many during the era when feminist
ideas were gaining prominence among American women, and, in 1967, she was named the state of Washington's pilot of the year.
Long retired from her years as an aviatior, in 1994, Miss Woods was inducted into the National Women's Aviation Hall of Fame, where she is alongside Amelia Earhart
and Patty Wagstaff
, among others.
She died at the age of 92, in her home state of Kansas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Woods was a native of Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, where she garnered a love for aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
since she was a child. In Wichita, she would see aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
come and go very often every day, as they were manufactured nearby.
At the age of nineteen, in 1928, Jessie Woods left home with her boyfriend, Jimmie Woods, and they married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
on August 28 of that year, at a ceremony performed in Wichita. The Woods then went on to form the Flying Aces Air Circus, which lasted until 1938, setting a record for the longest-lasting air circus of all time. The Woods and other pilots performing with them flew every weekend at different places.
Woods was a daredevil. She was also the "circus lady". She would fly aircraft on the circus show, often performing dangerous landings. She walked on a flying aircraft's wing, she would parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
off aircraft, or dangle below them, with her knees holding her to a rope ladder.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Woods served with the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
. Upon returning from the war, she became an aircraft mechanic and a piloting teacher. In 1941, she and her husband Jimmie leased a field in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, with the American government granting the couple licenses to train military pilots on that field not long after.
After Jimmie Woods, who became a legend himself because of the connection with the "Flying Aces" circus, died in 1956, Jessie Woods continued flying all over her home country. She gained a commercial aviation license, but she never made use of it, sticking with general aviation. She was admired by many during the era when feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
ideas were gaining prominence among American women, and, in 1967, she was named the state of Washington's pilot of the year.
Long retired from her years as an aviatior, in 1994, Miss Woods was inducted into the National Women's Aviation Hall of Fame, where she is alongside Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
and Patty Wagstaff
Patty Wagstaff
Patty Wagstaff is an aerobatic pilot from the United States. Wagstaff traveled all over the world as a child: her father was a pilot for Japan Airlines, and Wagstaff would travel to Southeast Asia, Australia and Alaska to prepare for her own career as a pilot...
, among others.
She died at the age of 92, in her home state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.