21/07/2014
Lettice Curtis (1915-2014)
Today marks the passing at the age of 99 of Lettice Curtis - arguably the most remarkable woman pilot of the Second World War. Eleanor Lettice Curtis (1 February 1915 – 21 July 2014) qualified as a pilot on 10 July 1937 (below left), and went on to fly a wide range of military combat aircraft with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during WWII – becoming the first woman to qualify to fly a four-engine bomber. Part of her ATA Record Card (below right) lists just a few of the types of aircraft that she flew. Her love of flying did not diminish after the War, and she regularly took part in the National Air Races organised by the Royal Aero Club. In 1992 she gained her helicopter licence, but three years later decided that, at the age of 80, her flying days were over. Her autobiography, “Lettice Curtis”, came out in 2004.