Matilde Moisant
Encyclopedia
Matilde E. Moisant was an American
pioneer aviator
. She was the second woman in the country to get a pilot's license.
to Médore Moisant and Joséphine Fortier. Both parents were French Canadians. Her siblings include George Moisant, John Moisant, Annie M. Moisant, Alfred Moisant, Louisa J. Moisant and Eunice Moisant. John and Alfred were also aviators. In 1880 the family was living in Manteno, Illinois
and her father was working as a farmer.
on Long Island, New York. In 1911, a few weeks after her friend Harriet Quimby
received her pilot's certificate, Matilde Moisant became the second woman pilot certified by the Aero Club of America
. She pursued a career in exhibition flying. In September 1911 she flew in the air show at Nassau Boulevard airfield in Garden City, New York
and, while competing against Hélène Dutrieu
, Moisant broke the women's altitude world record and won the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy by flying to 1,200 feet.
when her plane crashed (the same day as the Titanic sank). Less than two months later her friend Harriet Quimby was killed when she fell from her plane. Although Moisant recovered from her injuries, she gave up flying, and moved to the family plantation in San Salvador
.
, aged 85, and was interred in the Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pioneer aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. She was the second woman in the country to get a pilot's license.
Early life
Moisant was born in Earl Park, IndianaEarl Park, Indiana
Earl Park is a town in Richland Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 348 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
to Médore Moisant and Joséphine Fortier. Both parents were French Canadians. Her siblings include George Moisant, John Moisant, Annie M. Moisant, Alfred Moisant, Louisa J. Moisant and Eunice Moisant. John and Alfred were also aviators. In 1880 the family was living in Manteno, Illinois
Manteno, Illinois
Manteno is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,575 in 2009. It is part of the Kankakee–Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Chicago–Naperville–Michigan City, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area.-General information:Manteno, Illinois...
and her father was working as a farmer.
Aviation career
Moisant learned to fly at Alfred's Moisant Aviation SchoolMoisant Aviation School
The Moisant Aviation School was a school in the early days of aviation founded Alfred Moisant at Hempstead, Long Island, New York. Alfred and his brother John Bevins Moisant formed the Moisant International Aviators, a flying circus which toured the United States, Mexico and El Salvador. John had...
on Long Island, New York. In 1911, a few weeks after her friend Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby was an early American aviator and a movie screenwriter. In 1911 she was awarded a U.S. pilot's certificate by the Aero Club of America, becoming the first woman to gain a pilot's license in the United States. In 1912 she became the first woman to fly across the English Channel...
received her pilot's certificate, Matilde Moisant became the second woman pilot certified by the Aero Club of America
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Glidden and others to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New England. It thrived until 1923, when it transformed into the National Aeronautic...
. She pursued a career in exhibition flying. In September 1911 she flew in the air show at Nassau Boulevard airfield in Garden City, New York
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
and, while competing against Hélène Dutrieu
Hélène Dutrieu
Hélène Dutrieu , was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, stunt driver, pioneer aviator, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital.-Biography:...
, Moisant broke the women's altitude world record and won the Rodman-Wanamaker trophy by flying to 1,200 feet.
Retirement from flying
Moisant stopped flying on April 14, 1912 in Wichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
when her plane crashed (the same day as the Titanic sank). Less than two months later her friend Harriet Quimby was killed when she fell from her plane. Although Moisant recovered from her injuries, she gave up flying, and moved to the family plantation in San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
.
Death
Matilde Moisant died in 1964 in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, aged 85, and was interred in the Portal of Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, along the Tujunga Wash. It is bounded on the south by Moorpark Street and the Ventura Freeway, on the southwest by Burbank Blvd...
.
Timeline
- 1878 Birth in Indiana
- 1880 Living in Manteno, Kankakee, Illinois
- 1880 US Census in Manteno, Illinois
- 1900 US Census in California
- 1910 Death of John B. Moisant, her brother
- 1911 Received pilot's certificate
- 1911 Won Rodman-Wanamaker altitude trophy
- 1912 Crash in Texas on April 14th
- 1920 Living in Los Angeles, California
- 1920 US Census in Los Angeles, California
- 1930 US Census in La Crescenta, California
- 1964 Death in California
- 1964 Burial In Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Further reading
- New York Times; May 11, 1911; pg. 6; "Woman in trousers daring aviator. Long Island Folk Discover That Miss Harriet Quimby Is Making Flights at Garden City. Garden City, Long Island; May 10, 1911. Rumors that there was a young woman aviator at the Moisant Aviation School here who made daily flights at 4:30 A.M. have brought many Garden City folk and townspeople from Hempstead and Mineola to the flying grounds here on several mornings. These early risers have seen a slender, youthful figure in aviation jacket and trousers of wool-backed satin, with ..."
- New York Times; Oct 09, 1911; pg. 1; "Escapes sheriff in her aeroplane; Matilde Moisant Takes to the Air Before He Can Arrest Her. Matilde Moisant, who became America's most notable woman flier after seeing her brother, the late John B. Moisant, make his celebrated flight around the Statue of Liberty, narrowly missed being thrown into jail yesterday in Nassau County for going into the air in her monoplane on Sunday.
- Oakes, C. M.: United States Women in Aviation Through World War I; Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978.
- Rich, D. L.: The Magnificent Moisants - Champions of Early Flight; Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. ISBN 1-56098-860-6.