Pioneering women pilots: from ballooning spectacles to flying escapades

Sally Smith considers the contributions made and significant firsts achieved by British women in the field of aviation, from ballooning and parachuting, to piloting airships and fixed-wing aircraft. Speaking with Emily Briffett, she highlights the extraordinary lives these pioneers led and the trials they faced in order to achieve success.

Sally Smith is the author of Magnificent Women and Flying Machines: The First 200 Years of British Women in the Sky (The History Press, 2021)