Women Pilots

Born in 1912, Hanna Reitsch knew she wanted to be a pilot at a young age. Born to highly religious parents, her first dream was to be a flying missionary doctor to Africa. She began to study medicine and also began flying lessons to advance her dream of flying. During the 1930's, Reitsch traveled to Brazil to further flying skill and in 1938 she flew the first helicopter. During World War II, she flew for the German Airforce (Luftwaffe). She had a meeting with Adolf Hitler in 1943 to propose a squadron of suicide pilots using the Me-328B jet. This program was approved, but only test runs would be acceptable. Her program never lifted off before the war ended in 1945. After the war, Reitsch continued to give speeches on flying and gliders.