The “Ladybirds” Show Their Stuff

The ladybirds are readying their planes for the first Powder Puff Derby.” That’s how American humorist Will Rogers described women pilots at the start of the first Women’s Air Derby. It was typical of Americans’ attitude toward women in the early 1900s. But thanks to the determination shown by the female aviators—and the media attention the race generated—the women earned the country’s respect by the race’s end.

Flying competitions had been held in the United States since