Ruth Rowland Nichols: U.S. Aviator

Wikimedia CommonsRuth Rowland Nichols

Ruth Rowland Nichols, born in New York City on February 23, 1901, was an American pioneer for women aviators. She has almost forty records for various achievements related to flying[1] and is still the only woman pilot to hold records for distance, altitude, and speed simultaneously.[2]

Nichols discovered a love of flying following a plane ride gifted to her by her father after her graduation from the Masters School in 1919. After enrolling to study pre-medical at Wellesley College, Nichols decided to take secret flying lessons under Harry Rogers alongside her studies.[3] Following her graduation in 1924, she qualified for a pilot’s license. It wasn’t until 1928, however, that she gained notoriety for flying as Rogers’ co-pilot from New York to Miami, Florida. It was the first ever flight from NYC to Miami without a layover. She was nicknamed by members of the press, “the flying debutante,”[4] because of her family background; she is said to have hated the nickname.

A year later, Nichols joined forces with a group of fellow women pilots, among which was Amelia Earhart, to found the Ninety-Nines, an organization to support female aviators. Many of the members of the Ninety-Nines including Nichols and Earhart participated in the first ever women-only flying race called the “Powder Puff Derby.”[5] Unfortunately, Nichols crashed and sustained a number of injuries.

That was not her only crash. In 1931, Nichols made an attempt to fly across the Atlantic on her own. Despite rigorous planning, she had not realized that a part of the flight path was unsuitable. Whilst trying to make an emergency landing, the sunset obscured Nichols’ vision causing her to crash. She had to stay in hospital for over two months.[6] Only four years later, Nichols was aboard during another plane crash, though she was not the pilot. The pilot was killed, and Nichols was left with severe injuries.[7]

Despite this, Nichols set numerous records throughout her career as a pilot. In 1930, she completed a cross-country flight in 13 hours and 21 minutes beating the record holder at the time, Charles Lindbergh.[8] In 1931, she set the world record for the fastest speed travelled in flight by a woman at 210.7 miles per hour. Later that year, she set the women’s record for furthest distance flown at 1,977 miles.

Nichols was not only a skilled aviator, though. As well as flying, she dedicated much of her time to humanitarian work. In 1940, she founded Relief Wings, an organization sought to provide an air ambulance service during disasters or wars.[9] In 1949 she began a world tour to raise funds for UNICEF, on which she assisted in the crew of a flight crew in transporting a group of immigrants with the International Refugee Organization. She was also the director of the women’s divisions of both Save the Children and the United Hospital Fund and the field director of the National Nephrosis Foundation throughout the 1950s.[10]

Ruth Rowland Nichols was a pioneer woman aviator who used her fame to dedicate much of her life to humanitarian work and those less fortunate than herself. She is an inspiration not just to women and girls, but to people across the globe. 

[1] Noronha, Joseph. RUTH NICHOLS (1901 - 1960). [Online] Available https://www.sps-aviation.com/story/?id=3041&h=Ruth-Nichols-1901---1960.2021.

[2] Ruth Nichols. [Online] Available https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/ruth-nichols.2024.

[3] Hamilton, Penny Rafferty. Ruth Rowland Nichols. [Online] Available https://www.ninety-nines.org/Bio-Ruth_Rowland_Nichols_66.htm.2024.

[4] Noronha, Joseph. RUTH NICHOLS (1901 - 1960). [Online] Available https://www.sps-aviation.com/story/?id=3041&h=Ruth-Nichols-1901---1960.2021.

[5] Ruth Rowland Nichols. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Rowland_Nichols.2024.

[6] Noronha, Joseph. RUTH NICHOLS (1901 - 1960). [Online] Available https://www.sps-aviation.com/story/?id=3041&h=Ruth-Nichols-1901---1960.2021.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ruth Rowland Nichols. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Rowland_Nichols.2024.

[9] Relief Wings. [Online] Available https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relief_Wings.2024.

[10] Noronha, Joseph. RUTH NICHOLS (1901 - 1960). [Online] Available https://www.sps-aviation.com/story/?id=3041&h=Ruth-Nichols-1901---1960.2021.