Today we would like to commemorate a female American pioneer and a major figure in aviation who was not only a highly successful Golden Age air racer and holder of various aviation records, but also one of the first female pilots to make aviation her business. On 12 July 1936, exactly 80 years ago, Mrs. Louise Thaden set a FAI World Record in Female Light Plane “Speed over 100km” by reaching a speed of 176,356 km/h (109.582 mp/h) in a 90-horsepower Porterfield at Endless Caverns, Virginia (USA).

Click here to read more: FAI Dossier.

There is rare footage of Louise Thaden, please find below a film from 1929 of the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. It begins with the inaugural parade for the event, and then quickly moves to the Cleveland Airport for the arrival of various contestants, including the finish of the women's air derby from Santa Monica, California to Cleveland.

Photo credit: FAI Archive
Video credit: PeriscopeFilm

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