First woman to fly publicly in America

On October 23, 1910, Blanche Stuart Scott made her first public flight as a member of the Glenn Curtiss Exhibition Team at an air meet in Fort Wayne, Indiana.[11] Before a crowd estimated at 10,000, she flew a Curtiss biplane to about 12 feet, giving spectators their first view of an American woman piloting an airplane at a public event.[10][11]

Aviation historians and transportation agencies widely recognize this flight as the first time a woman flew publicly at a U.S. aviation meet and the first professional appearance by a woman aviator in the country.[1][11] Scott was billed as the "Tomboy of the Air," a moniker that highlighted both her daring stunts and the novelty of a woman flier.

Her public debut came at a time when air meets were major spectacles showcasing technological modernity. Bringing a woman pilot into this arena challenged prevailing gender norms and signaled that aviation could be open to women as performers and professionals, not just as passengers.

The Fort Wayne flight launched Scott’s career as a stunt and exhibition pilot, leading to engagements across the United States where she performed inverted flying and dramatic "death dives" from thousands of feet.[11] More broadly, this October 23 milestone helped normalize women’s public visibility in aviation and inspired later generations of female pilots by demonstrating that they could occupy center stage in one of the era’s most celebrated technological fields.