Ruth Nichols
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Ruth M. Nichols landed 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.
Oertel's passenger, C.O. Bedford was a mechanic for Curtiss
aircraft. All three were traveling together as participants
in an Aviation Country Club Tour, described in her book cited
in the left sidebar.
Through the course of her flying career, Ruth 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.
You will learn from her curriculum vitae that she
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 ambassador of compassion and goodwill.
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, cited in the left sidebar.
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
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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
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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
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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 (both 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.
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
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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
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Ruth Nichols
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Dossier 2.4.12
UPLOADED: 05/05/06 REVISED: UNDER REVISION NOW
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