Mighty Girl, Jacqueline Cochran

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Today in Mighty Girl history, Jacqueline Cochran, the first woman pilot to break the sound barrier and one of the greatest aviators in history, was born in 1906. Cochran amassed more than 200 speed, distance, and altitude records by the time of her death in 1980 -- more than any pilot in aviation history. She set her most famous record on May 18, 1953 when she flew a Canadair F-86 Sabre jet at an average speed of 652.337 mph, becoming the first woman to go "supersonic."

In addition to her many record-setting feats, the Florida native also ferried American built aircraft across the Atlantic to support the British war effort prior to the United States' entry into WWII. Cochran played a major role in the formation of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and served as its director; a role in which she supervised the training of hundreds of women pilots. Under her direction, the WASP pilots flew 60 million miles of operational flights and delivered over 12,000 aircraft of 78 different varieties over two years. For her war efforts, she received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Cochran is one of 26 female aviators featured in "Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys" for ages 12 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/women-aviators

Cochran's story and that of the WASPs is also told in the excellent documentary for ages 10 and up, "Fly Girls," at http://www.amightygirl.com/american-experience-fly-girls

If your Mighty Girl wants to become a pilot or you'd like to encourage her interest in flight, check out our blog post, "Mighty Careers: I Want To Be A Pilot!" for girl-empowering books, toys, and clothing at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=6249

For more stories of female aviators, visit our “Plane / Flight” section athttp://www.amightygirl.com/…/general-intere…/transportation…

And, to discover more adventurous real-life women role models, visit our “Explorers/ Adventurers” book section at http://www.amightygirl.com/boo…/history-biography/biography…