Ruth Nichols
(Source: IWASM)
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INCOMPLETE
Ruth M. Nichols was an educated and well-traveled woman of prominence, not
only in the aviation community, but on the Golden Age social
scene as well. She was an outstanding international ambassador of compassion and goodwill. Image, left, shows Nichols in the obligatory Golden Age flying helmet, goggles and scarf.
Through the course of her flying career, Nichols flew
71 different kinds of aircraft from 50 different manufacturers.
This PDF
download (664KB) lists the types of aircraft she flew,
and includes her curriculum vitae current to 1943. In it you will learn what an accomplished person she was.
Ruth Nichols landed once at the Davis-Monthan Airfield on
May 6, 1929. She flew Curtiss Fledgling NC5404. She was accompanied
by two others, Robb Oertel flying a Curtiss Robin NC386E,
and Charles M. Taylor flying
Command Aire 609.
Ruth Nichols, Date Unknown (Source: Heins)
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Image, right, shared with us by Andy Heins, shows her in a feathered hat. The photo is signed to "Bennett," with best wishes for "happy landings." The same photograph was posted on eBay during September, 2015, autographed to Annette Gipson.
Oertel's passenger, C.O. Bedford was a mechanic for Curtiss
aircraft. Pilot Taylor, at the link above, led an equally interesting and prestigious life. All three pilots were traveling together as participants
in an Aviation Country Club Tour, described in her book cited
in the left sidebar.
The image, below, pictorializes the itinerary for the Aviation
Country Club Tour. They were a little less than half way
through the tour when they visited Tucson. They remained
overnight at Tucson, and departed the next morning at 8:30
westbound to Yuma, AZ. This chart was derived from information
in her book.
She visited at least one military facility during this itinerary. Below, from the Bureau of Aeronautics Newsletter of July 10, 1929, she is cited as being at the base of the Thirteenth Naval District, Seattle, WA.
Bureau of Aeronautics Newsletter, July 10, 1929 (Source: Webmaster)
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Below, Ruth Nichols in a Curtiss Fledgling. Although the
image does not show the registration number of the airplane,
it is safe to guess it is NC5404.
Ruth Nichols in Curtiss Fledgling
(Source: IWASM)
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Later in 1929, Ruth Nichols was a competitor in what became
the first "Powder Puff Derby". This women-only
race from Los Angeles to Cleveland was the first time female
pilots were officially sanctioned to compete in the national
race. Below are some artifacts commemorating her participation
in that race (see credits in right sidebar).
1929 National Air Race Card & Wallet
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1929 National Air Race Card & Wallet
(Source: IWASM)
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Above, the card wallet and solid brass identification card
commemorating Ruth Nichols' participation in the race. The
red wallet was provided by the Cleveland
Pneumatic Tool Co.
Ruth Nichols' 1929 National Air Race Cards
(Source: IWASM)
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Above, from top to bottom, are what looks like a dining
table place card, Ruth's contestant card and special priviledge
card (all made of paper) for the 1929 National Air Races.
Notice the place for the contestant's name is prefaced with
"Mr." This PDF
download (1.2MB) reveals an annotated race
program. It is not clear from the times written in pencil
on the participant list just where or when the times were
noted.
Nichols set a women's altitude record during the spring of 1931. Below, from Popular Aviation (PA), May, 1931, is an article describing her record flight.
Ruth Nichols' Altitude Record, Popular Aviation, May, 1931 (Source: PA)
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Nichols also flew a Lockheed Vega west during October 1931. Below, an article from the San Antonio (TX) Express of October 16th describes the voyage. It included a visit with her brother, Snowden Nichols, who was a flying cadet at Kelly Field.
San Antonio (TX) Express, October 16, 1931 (Source: Woodling)
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Her itinerary up to San Antonio is cited in the article, along with some of the point-to-point speed records she set en route. Her itinerary included a continuation to the west coast where she planned to try for, "...some new records...." The airplane she was flying was NR496M, named the "Akita," and owned by the Crosley Radio Corporation of Cincinnati, OH. NR496M shows up at Peterson Field on September 22, 1930 flown by William Brock during the 1930 National Air Tour.
Ruth Nichols was among the dignitaries present at the dedication
of the Kitty Hawk Wright Brothers Memorial in 1932. Below,
an image of the unveiling with Ruth on the left and Orville
Wright standing third from right.
Wright Brothers Memorial Dedication, 1932
(Source: IWASM)
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Below, courtesy of site visitor Joe Kranz, is a U.S. postal cachet dated July 1, 1933. It commemorates the National Air Races that year.
U.S. Postal Cachet, July 1, 1933 (Source: Kranz)
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Below, Ruth Nichols with two other signers of the Davis-Monthan
Register. E.E. Aldrin on the left and Vance
Breese on the
right.
E.E. Aldrin, Ruth Nichols, Vance Breese
(Source: IWASM)
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Ruth Nichols also landed once at Parks Field, on Saturday, August 24, 1929. She was flying the Rearwin she identified as NR44E. Please direct your browser to the link for more information about her flight to Parks Field, and about her airplane NR44E.
Ruth Nichols
(Source: IWASM)
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Dossier 2.4.12
THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 05/05/06 REVISED: 07/01/11, 10/15/13, 06/23/14 UNDER REVISION NOW
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