Lady Daredevils (Paperback)

Barbara Ganson

ISBN 10: 0252089316 / ISBN 13: 9780252089312

Published by University of Illinois Press, Baltimore, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. Though often restricted as aviators, women helped build a stable aircraft industry that became the envy of the world. Barbara Ganson delves into the lives of the women whose work as test pilots, flight school owner-operators, airport managers, and in other roles impacted and reflected larger trends in society.Women aviators challenged social norms that considered them inept with machinery and incapable of handling early flight's very real dangers. Ganson follows how the New Woman ethos of freedom of movement and career inspired engagement with aviation. Despite resistance, women pushed limits by setting records for speed, altitude, distance, and endurance. The fashions of airwomen, meanwhile, reflected changing attitudes of women toward traditional roles and the pursuit of their career aspirations.Informed by interviews and rare archival information, Lady Daredevils tells the stories of the pioneering women of early aviation history and reveals their dynamic interactions with social and technological change. In this engaging exploration of early aviation, women defied norms by taking on roles from test pilots to airport managers, challenging stereotypes and transforming their industry. Their record-breaking feats in speed, altitude, distance, and endurance echoed sweeping social shifts and a relentless drive for freedom. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780252089312

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lady Daredevils (Paperback)
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press, Baltimore
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0252089316
• ISBN 13: 9780252089312
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Though often restricted as aviators, women helped build a stable aircraft industry that became the envy of the world. Barbara Ganson delves into the lives of the women whose work as test pilots, flight school owner-operators, airport managers, and in other roles impacted and reflected larger trends in society.

Women aviators challenged social norms that considered them inept with machinery and incapable of handling early flight’s very real dangers. Ganson follows how the New Woman ethos of freedom of movement and career inspired engagement with aviation. Despite resistance, women pushed limits by setting records for speed, altitude, distance, and endurance. The fashions of airwomen, meanwhile, reflected changing attitudes of women toward traditional roles and the pursuit of their career aspirations.

Informed by interviews and rare archival information, Lady Daredevils tells the stories of the pioneering women of early aviation history and reveals their dynamic interactions with social and technological change.

About the Author

Barbara Ganson is a professor of history at Florida Atlantic University. She is the author of The Texas Takes Wing: A Century of Flight in the Lone Star State.