Biography about louise thaden

Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden (born Louise McPhetridge; November 12, – November 9, ) was an American aviation pioneer, holder of numerous aviation records, and the first woman to win the Bendix trophy, alongside Blanche Noyes.^[1] She was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society's Hall of Fame in ^[2]

Birth and education

Louise McPhetridge was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, and attended Bentonville public schools.

McPhetridge attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from to and studied as a journalism, physical education, and pre-medical major.

Aviation

In , McPhetridge was working for the J.H.J.

Biography about louise thaden smith

Turner Coal Co. where one of her main customers was the Travel Air Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, owned by Walter Beech. Beech liked McPhetridge and offered her a job as a sales representative in San Francisco, California, which she accepted.

Her salary included free pilot's lessons, and she earned her pil