Raymonde de Laroche

Raymonde de Laroche was born in Paris, France, on August 22, 1882. Her real name was Élise Léontine Deroche. She grew up in a big city full of new inventions and shows. When she got older, she became an actress. She picked a fancy stage name, Raymonde de Laroche. People even called her a "baroness," even though she was not really born into a noble family.

Back then, girls were not supposed to do dangerous or scientific jobs. Most people thought flying was only for men. But Raymonde loved excitement. She had already flown in balloons before she tried airplanes.

In 1909, she met a plane builder named Charles Voisin. She told him she wanted to learn to fly, and he said yes. She trained at an airfield and practiced driving the plane on the ground before trying to fly.

On October 22, 1909, Raymonde flew all by herself for the very first time. She flew about 300 meters, which is about three football fields long. This made her the first woman in France to fly a plane alone.

On March 8, 1910, she earned an official pilot's license. This made her the first woman in the whole world to get a pilot's license! It was a very big deal, because many people believed women could not do this kind of hard, technical work.

Later that year, she crashed during a flying show and got badly hurt. But she did not give up. She healed and went right back to flying. Soon after, she won a special prize called the Femina Cup for flying nonstop for about four hours. That was a huge accomplishment, since early airplane engines often broke down.

Raymonde traveled to many countries to show off her flying skills. She flew in France, Russia, Hungary, and Egypt. In Russia, she even met the Tsar, who told her how impressed he was.

When World War I started in 1914, Raymonde wanted to fly for the French military. But they said no, only because she was a woman. This shows that even after proving she was a great pilot, she still faced unfair rules.

After the war ended, Raymonde went back to flying. In 1919, she set new world records. She flew higher and farther than any woman before her. She reached about 4,800 meters high, which is higher than many mountains!

Sadly, on July 18, 1919, Raymonde died in a plane crash while testing a new aircraft at an airfield called Le Crotoy. She died with another pilot who was in the plane with her. This happened just weeks after her big record-setting flights.

Raymonde de Laroche is remembered as a hero in the history of flying. She was the first woman in the world to earn a pilot's license. She proved that women could be brave, smart, and skilled pilots, even when others said they could not. Today, people still remember her as a pioneer who helped open the skies to women everywhere.