Persons [ ] How it feels to fly | Harriet Quimby (1875-1912) | America’s First Lady of the Air
“Everyone asks me ‘how it feels to fly.’ It feels like riding in a high powered automobile, minus
bumping over the rough roads, continually signaling to clear the way and keeping a watchful
on the speedometer to see that you do not exceed the speed limit and provoke the wrath of
the bicycle policeman or the covetous constable.”
“The speed with which an aviator flies and the strong currents created by the rapidly
revolving propeller directly in front of the diver compel the latter to be warmly clad. There
must be no flapping ends to catch in the multitudinous wires surrounding the driver’s seat.
The feet and legs must be free, so that one can readily manipulate the steering apparatus…”
“The men flyers have given out the impression that aeroplaning is very perilous work,
something that an ordinary mortal should not dream of attempting. But when I saw how
easily the man flyers manipulated their machines I said I could fly.”
“I was annoyed from the start by the attitude of doubt on the part of the spectators that I
would never really make the flight. They knew I had never used the machine before, and
probably thought I would find some excuse at the last moment to back out of the flight.
This attitude made me more determined than ever to succeed.”
Harriet Quimby
.
“If a woman wants to fly, first of all she must, of course, abandon skirts and don a
knickerbockers uniform… There must be no flapping ends to catch in the
multitudinous wires surrouding the driver’s seat.”
Harriet Quimby
* Quimby was also known for flying in her purple satin flying suit.
