Jacqueline Auriol
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Auriol was a French
aviatrix who set several world speed records.
Born as Jacqueline Marie-Thérèse Suzanne Douet in Challans
, Vendée
, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, she graduated from the University of Nantes
then she studied art at the École du Louvre
in Paris
.
In 1938, she married Paul Auriol, son of Vincent Auriol
(who would later become President of France). During World War II, Jacqueline Auriol, worked against the German occupation of France by helping the French Resistance
.
She took up flying in 1946, got her pilot's license in 1948 and became an accomplished stunt flier and test pilot. Jacqueline was severely injured in a crash in which she was a passenger in 1949--many of the bones in her face were broken--and spent nearly three years in hospitals undergoing 33 reconstructive operations. To occupy her mind she studied algebra, trigonometry, aerodynamics and other subjects necessary to obtain advanced pilot certification.
She earned a military pilot license in 1950 then qualified as one of the first female test pilots. She was among the first women to break the sound barrier
and set five world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s.
On three occasions she was awarded the Harmon International Trophy
by an American president in recognition of her aviation exploits. She once explained her passion for flying by saying: "I feel so happy when I'm flying. Perhaps it is the feeling of power, the pleasure of dominating a machine as beautiful as a Thoroughbred
horse. Mingled with these basic joys is another less primitive feeling, that of a mission accomplished. Each time I set foot on an airfield, I sense with fresh excitement that this is where I belong."
Her life story was told in her 1970 autobiography I Live to Fly published in the French
and English language
s.
Jacqueline and her husband divorced in 1967 and remarried in 1987. They had two sons together.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
aviatrix who set several world speed records.
Biography
Challans
Challans is a commune in the Vendée département in the Pays de la Loire région in western France....
, Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, she graduated from the University of Nantes
University of Nantes
The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:...
then she studied art at the École du Louvre
École du Louvre
The École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and French Grande École located in the Aile de Flore of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France, and is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1938, she married Paul Auriol, son of Vincent Auriol
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol was a French politician who served as the first President of the Fourth Republic from 1947 to 1954. He also served as interim President of the Provisional Government from November to December 1946, making him one of only three people who were heads of state of the French...
(who would later become President of France). During World War II, Jacqueline Auriol, worked against the German occupation of France by helping the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
.
She took up flying in 1946, got her pilot's license in 1948 and became an accomplished stunt flier and test pilot. Jacqueline was severely injured in a crash in which she was a passenger in 1949--many of the bones in her face were broken--and spent nearly three years in hospitals undergoing 33 reconstructive operations. To occupy her mind she studied algebra, trigonometry, aerodynamics and other subjects necessary to obtain advanced pilot certification.
She earned a military pilot license in 1950 then qualified as one of the first female test pilots. She was among the first women to break the sound barrier
Sound barrier
The sound barrier, in aerodynamics, is the point at which an aircraft moves from transonic to supersonic speed. The term, which occasionally has other meanings, came into use during World War II, when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility, a collection of several...
and set five world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s.
On three occasions she was awarded the Harmon International Trophy
Harmon Trophy
The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
by an American president in recognition of her aviation exploits. She once explained her passion for flying by saying: "I feel so happy when I'm flying. Perhaps it is the feeling of power, the pleasure of dominating a machine as beautiful as a Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse. Mingled with these basic joys is another less primitive feeling, that of a mission accomplished. Each time I set foot on an airfield, I sense with fresh excitement that this is where I belong."
Her life story was told in her 1970 autobiography I Live to Fly published in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
s.
Jacqueline and her husband divorced in 1967 and remarried in 1987. They had two sons together.
Honours
- She was awarded four Harmon TrophiesHarmon TrophyThe Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
in 1951, 1952, 1955 and 1956. - She was made Grand officier (Grand officer) of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. - She was made Grand'croix (Grand cross) of the Ordre national du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
in 1997. - Honored as an EagleGathering of Eagles ProgramThe Gathering of Eagles program is an annual aviation event that traces its origin back to 1980, when retired Brigadier General Paul Tibbets was invited to visit the Air Command and Staff College , Maxwell AFB, Alabama, USA to share some of his experiences with the students...
in 1992. - On 23 June 2003, France issued a 4,00€Euro signThe euro sign is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the Eurozone in the European Union . The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. The international three-letter code for the euro is EUR...
postage stamp in her honor.
Sources
- I Live to Fly - Jacqueline Auriol. (1970) E.P. Dutton & Co.: New York; ISBN 0-525-13076-4