Transport Atlas

How The World Moves
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Figure

Jacqueline Cochran

Aviation Pioneers and Aviators

Jacqueline Cochran, born Bessie Lee Pittman on 11 May 1906 and died on 9 August 1980, was an American pilot and business executive who pioneered women's aviation. The source lead states that she was the first woman to break the sound barrier, on 18 May 1953. Together with Nancy Love she was the wartime head of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, known as the WASP, from 1943 to 1944, a body that employed about 1,000 civilian American women in a non-combat role to ferry aircraft from factories to port cities. Later she was initially a sponsor of the Mercury 13 women astronaut program before testifying against it in a congressional subcommittee. The lead says nothing about her business career beyond the phrase business executive, or about the aircraft she flew.

Facts
Birth Year
1906 1
Death Year
1980 1
Nationality
American 1
FAQs

What aircraft did Jacqueline Cochran fly when she became the first woman to break the sound barrier?

She flew an F-86 Sabre in 1953 with help from Chuck Yeager.

Jacqueline Cochran flew an F-86 Sabre past Mach 1 in 1953, which made her the first woman to break the sound barrier. Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, helped her make the transition to jet-powered aircraft, and she set new records soon afterward.
Connections

Long-Form Articles

In the Other Atlases

Nationality

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Source Jacqueline Cochran (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph [nationality]
Quote, Lead paragraph [nationality]
was an American pilot and business executive
Sources
1. Jacqueline Cochran (Wikipedia)
  • Lead paragraph
    May 11, 1906
  • Lead paragraph [death-year]
    August 9, 1980
  • Lead paragraph [nationality]
    was an American pilot and business executive
  • In Group: Women Pioneers of Flight, Lead sentence
    Jacqueline Cochran (born Bessie Lee Pittman; May 11, 1906, August 9, 1980) was an American pilot and business executive.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.