JEANNE PALLIER 1871?-1939

 

Jeanne Pallier Contributed by Dave Lam, 2-24-11

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Contributed by Dave Lam, 2-24-11      On 6th September 1912, she received French pilot's licence number 1012 and on that day was probably the FIRST woman pilot to fly over Paris in a Nieuport-Astra. She was 48 years old when she earned her licence which may have made her one of the oldest of the women pioneer pilots at the time. She has also been credited with the FIRST all-female flight when she carried Madame Duchange in her aircraft prior to January 1913.      Pallier is well-known. She never really did much more of note, and stopped flying when the War started. She apparently never started up again. Dave

 

Second International Flying Week excerpt from the HUNGARIAN NATIONAL ARCHIVES from the Hungarian Wikipedia Translated by Julianna Grant

The greatest aviation sensation of the year 1913 was the second International Flying Week which was held in Aspern, near Vienna between 15th and 17th June. Preparations were on the way a week before, the grandstands were decorated, but most importantly the pilots arrived early and started to put together their aeroplanes. A sum total of 140,000 crowns were distributed amongst the participants. For the first time two lady pilots also took part in the contest: Madame Pallier, representing France and Lilly Steinschneider in Austrian colours. In 1913, at the St. Stephen's Day aviation race in Pest, held at the rákosi airfield, Lilly was very successful to the great satisfaction of the spectators present. On landing she hit a sand bar and her machine was damaged, but she got out and left totally uninjured. According to the official results of the race, the young lady pilot won the speed event, came second in the continuous flying race (6 minutes and 15 seconds), and in the event of the total time spent in the air (10 minutes 7 seconds).

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Jeanne Pallier" +aviation, using the Google search engine, (4-1-11), you will find about 104 links. Most of them are in French, but usually it is possible to obtain a translated version. Perhaps one of the most helpful in Elglish is the following.

 

The AERODROME FORUM      This website has several entries which provide at least some valuable information regarding the career of this pioneer aviator.

 

RECOMMENDED READING

BEFORE AMELIA Women Pilots in the Early Days of Aviation   Eileen F. Lebow   Product Details Cloth: 315 pages; 6x9 inches List Price: $26.95 Your Price: $21.56 ISBN: 1574884824

Description: Before Amelia is the remarkable story of the world's women pioneer aviators who braved the skies during the early days of flight. While most books have only examined the women aviators of a single country, Eileen Lebow looks at an international spectrum of pilots and their influence on each other. The story begins with Raymonde de Laroche, a French woman, who became the first licensed female pilot in 1909. De Laroche, Lydia Zvereva, Melli Beese, Hilda Hewlitt, Harriet Quimby, Jeanne Pallier, and the other women pilots profiled here rose above contemporary gender stereotypes and proved their ability to fly the temperamental heavier-than-air contraptions of the day. Lebow provides excellent descriptions of the dangers and challenges of early flight. Crashes and broken bones were common, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. But these women were adventurers at heart. In an era when women's professional options were severely limited and the mere sight of ladies wearing pants caused a sensation, these women succeeded as pilots, flight instructors, airplane designers, stunt performers, and promoters. This book fills a large void in the history of the first two decades of flight About The Author: Eileen F. Lebow is an author and former teacher. Her previous books include Cal Rodgers and the Vin Fiz: The First Transcontinental Flight and A Grandstand Seat: The Army Balloon Corps in World War I. She lives in Washington, D.C.      This book has almost six pages of information on Bernetta Miller and includes a nice photo of her with her plane. The coverage of the many other pioneer women aviators is excellent. It deserves to be in the library of anyone who is interested in these remarkable women. For more information and to order, go to the publisher's homepage by clicking on: Brassey's Inc.

 

Jeanne Pallier died on March 6, 1939 in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne from "urzeit" The Aerodrome Forum   Editor's Note: If you have any information on this Early Bird, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper