In an article titled “Shall You Let Your Daughter Fly?” Amelia Earhart directly addressed the state of opportunities that were increasingly available for flight-minded women in the skies. She wrote, “There are hundreds of thousands of children in America…their parents…do not comprehend how familiar is aviation to the boys and girls today, who continually read and talk and think about it…In short, the year 1929 is ushering in the Flying Generation.”¹ At its inception, aviation was an activity of leisure and sport seemingly free from traditional gender expectations and sex typing, offering new possibilities to women who were otherwise limited.² During this unique moment of opportunity, women established a presence in the sky as aviators. Their gender, combined with their risk taking, and technical knowledge instantly gave the public a reason to celebrate the arrival of the female flier. Promoters and writers capitalized on female fliers and fashioned them into “girl aviators,” the newest and most interesting folk heroine the American public, and in particular women, had seen in decades. The persona of the airborne heroine demonstrated qualities of a liberated woman and offered a new role model for girls and women. Over the course of time, the commercial sector of the aviation industry developed and sex-segregated lines were strictly drawn in ways that marginalized these once independent figures. Women were welcomed as stewardesses, but banned as pilots; they could demonstrate light sports craft, but were denied access to heavier commercial and military aircraft; on the business side, they could work as secretaries, but were frozen from executive positions.³ The transformation of the airborne heroine is striking, speaking loudly to changes in American culture and the aviation industry; nowhere is it more apparent than in a study of the many roles she played in popular fiction.

This essay will explore the quick and dramatic changes experienced by the airborne heroine as she emerged, thrived, and disappeared in popular fiction, covering the years 1911-1982. It is throughout this period that the airborne heroine appears in many guises, her role often changing, reflecting larger social shifts, as well as those others occurring within the developing aviation industry. In order to present a full picture of this transition, I’ve taken into consideration discussions of female heroines in girls’ literature as well as discussions on real-life heroines. Explicating popular texts, I will present the transformation of the airborne heroine in a changing narrative that began as a story of achievement, moved into one of sleuthing, adventure and mystery, and then challenged by the effects of WWII and the post-war era became a prescription for career education and domestic responsibility. The airborne heroine and her cultural usefulness as a moral, intelligent, and professional role model disappeared in the late sixties, when she traded her heroic values for a robe of a modern sex goddess, fashioned with hot pants, hooker boots, and the barely-there skirt. Questions of how the narrative of the airborne heroine conveyed contemporary images of women in their cultural roles as well as their advancement in the airline industry will be examined, and a comparison of these themes with non-fiction personal narratives will be explored along the way.

This essay will explore the quick and dramatic changes experienced by the airborne heroine as she emerged, thrived, and disappeared in popular fiction, covering the years 1911–1982. It is throughout this period that the airborne heroine appears in many guises, her role often changing, reflecting larger social shifts, as well as those others occurring within the developing aviation industry. In order to present a full picture of this transition, I’ve taken into consideration discussions of female heroines in girls’ literature as well as discussions on real-life heroines. Explicating popular texts, I will present the transformation of the airborne heroine in a changing narrative that began as a story of achievement, moved into one of sleuthing, adventure and mystery, and then challenged by the effects of WWII and the post-war era became a prescription for career education and domestic responsibility. The airborne heroine and her cultural usefulness as a moral, intelligent, and professional role model disappeared in the late sixties, when she traded her heroic values for a robe of a modern sex goddess, fashioned with hot pants, hooker boots, and the barely-there skirt. Questions of how the narrative of the airborne heroine conveyed contemporary images of women in their cultural roles as well as their advancement in the airline industry will be examined, and a comparison of these themes with non-fiction personal narratives will be explored along the way.