Suzanne Bernard

Suzanne Bernard
Born1892
Troyes, France
Died10 March 1912 (age 19)
Étampes, France
NationalityFrench
Known forearly pilot

Suzanne Bernard (1892 – 10 March 1912) was a pioneer French aviator. She was killed in a plane crash at the age of 19.[1]

Bernard was killed at Étampes in an accident during her test for her pilot licence on 10 March 1912. The aircraft she was flying, a Caudron biplane, was caught in a wind and rolled inverted, falling to the ground.[2][3] Bernard was crushed beneath it.[1] The previous year, another French woman, Deniz Moore, aged 35, had also died while flying. The deaths caused a great deal of mourning and reflection in aviation circles, and there was criticism of parents who permitted their daughters to engage in such dangerous activity.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b D.V.M., Ralph S. Cooper. "Suzanne Bernard". www.earlyaviators.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  2. ^ Popular Mechanics, May 1912.
  3. ^ Boase, Wendy (1979). The Sky's the Limit: Women Pioneers in Aviation. MacMillan. p. 12.
  4. ^ Lebow, Eileen (2002). Before Amelia: Women Pilots in the Early Days of Aviation. Potomac Books. p. 50.