AVIATION PIONEERS

Men and women who pushed the boundaries of flight technology and air travel

- 

ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT BRAZILIAN, 1873-1932

Alberto Santos-Dumont was the heir to a successful coffee business and used his wealth to fund his passion for aviation, studying engineering in France. He developed a number of designs for balloons and winged aircraft. His first balloon, called Brazil after his homeland, flew in 1898, and he then moved into dirigible design. After hearing about the Wright brothers' success he focussed on powered winged flight and conducted the first public demonstration in Europe in 1906, winning several prizes before returning to Brazil in 1928.

BESSIE COLEMAN AMER

ICAN, 1892-1926

Inspired by stories of women flying planes in France during the First World War, Coleman attempted to earn a licence in America but was turned down by the schools she applied to. Undeterred, she sailed to France in 1920 and enrolled in a ten-month course, becoming the first American woman to earn an international pilot's licence. Returning to America, she started a career as a stunt pilot, travelling the US and returning to Europe for display shows.

Chuck Yeager American, 1923-2020

Enlisted into the US Army in 1941, Charles Elwood 'Chuck' Yeager was fresh out of high school when he joined the Army Air Corps, flying 64 missions in Europe during WWII. Once the war was over he worked as a test pilot and instructor. From 1947 he was selected as a test pilot for the Bell Aircraft Company, helping develop supersonic aircraft. He became the first man to break the sound barrier, in the X-1 on 14 October 1947, reaching 1,066kmph. He set a record of 2,660kmph in the X-1A in 1953.