Ann Shaw Carter (December 5, 1922 – September 26, 2005) was an American pilot who was the first female commercial helicopter pilot and the second woman to fly a helicopter, after the German pilot, Hanna Reitsch.
Carter was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on December 5, 1922, and moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, as a child. [1] During World War II, she studied aircraft building in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She then got a job with Chance-Vought as a factory riveter, assembling F4U Corsair aircraft, to finance flying lessons. [1] [2] She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in 1944, training in Texas, and was a member of the last graduating set before the program was discontinued that year. [1] [2] [3]
After the end of the war, she was the first American woman to learn to pilot a helicopter, receiving her commercial helicopter license on June 12, 1947, more than nine years after Hannah Reitsch's demonstration flight in February 1938. [3] [4] She became a pilot with the Metropolitan Aviation Corporation, piloting New York City sightseeing trips and charter flights. [1] [2] [5] She is documented as the world's first female commercial helicopter pilot. [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] She flew Bell Helicopters, including a Bell 47B. [2] [6] In 1955, she was one of the six founding members of the Whirly-Girls, which dubbed her "Whirly Girl #2"; [5] [7] she was one of several society members to meet President John F. Kennedy in a visit to the White House in 1961. [8] One of the helicopters that she flew was preserved by the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pennsylvania. [9] Her aviation career was cut short by polio towards the end of the 1950s. [1] [2]
In later life, Carter continued to live in Fairfield, Connecticut. She was married to Edward Carter (died 2004); the couple had three children. [10] [1] She was active in local politics and in the early 1990s, was one of the founders of Friends of Open Space, a Fairfield organization that aimed to conserve open land for community use. [1] In 1999, she and her husband gave 2.2 acres of land to the Connecticut branch of the National Audubon Society, a conservation charity, to facilitate access to a Fairfield wildlife sanctuary. [1] [2]
Carter died on September 26, 2005, at the age of 83, after a car accident. [10] [1]
Ann Shaw Carter (December 5, 1922 – September 26, 2005) was an American pilot who was the first female commercial helicopter pilot and the second woman to fly a helicopter, after the German pilot, Hanna Reitsch.
Carter was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on December 5, 1922, and moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, as a child. [1] During World War II, she studied aircraft building in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She then got a job with Chance-Vought as a factory riveter, assembling F4U Corsair aircraft, to finance flying lessons. [1] [2] She joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in 1944, training in Texas, and was a member of the last graduating set before the program was discontinued that year. [1] [2] [3]
After the end of the war, she was the first American woman to learn to pilot a helicopter, receiving her commercial helicopter license on June 12, 1947, more than nine years after Hannah Reitsch's demonstration flight in February 1938. [3] [4] She became a pilot with the Metropolitan Aviation Corporation, piloting New York City sightseeing trips and charter flights. [1] [2] [5] She is documented as the world's first female commercial helicopter pilot. [1] [2] [3] [5] [6] She flew Bell Helicopters, including a Bell 47B. [2] [6] In 1955, she was one of the six founding members of the Whirly-Girls, which dubbed her "Whirly Girl #2"; [5] [7] she was one of several society members to meet President John F. Kennedy in a visit to the White House in 1961. [8] One of the helicopters that she flew was preserved by the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pennsylvania. [9] Her aviation career was cut short by polio towards the end of the 1950s. [1] [2]
In later life, Carter continued to live in Fairfield, Connecticut. She was married to Edward Carter (died 2004); the couple had three children. [10] [1] She was active in local politics and in the early 1990s, was one of the founders of Friends of Open Space, a Fairfield organization that aimed to conserve open land for community use. [1] In 1999, she and her husband gave 2.2 acres of land to the Connecticut branch of the National Audubon Society, a conservation charity, to facilitate access to a Fairfield wildlife sanctuary. [1] [2]
Carter died on September 26, 2005, at the age of 83, after a car accident. [10] [1]