Tomboy of the air

While American women were fighting for their right to vote, Blanche Stuart Scott asserted her right to fly. She had always been a daredevil and couldn't resist the temptation of traveling at incredible speeds and heights. So despite the dangers associated with early flight, public disapproval, and the forbidding attitude of men, Blanche took to the air. She became the first woman to fly a plane in public in America. After Blanche's launch into aviation, other women surpassed her feats by flying solo across the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean -- and even racing through space. But the contributions Blanche made were significant. Julie Cummins's engaging biography celebrates an aviation pioneer whose spunky, courageous personality helped her successors' dreams take flight.