Helen Richey (November 21, 1909 – January 7, 1947) was a pioneering female aviator and the first woman to be hired as a pilot by a commercial airline in the United States.
Richey was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. She graduated from McKeesport High School in 1927. Her father, Joseph Burdette Richey, was superintendent of schools in McKeesport from 1902 to 1935. During her teens, Richey was one of the few girls in McKeesport who wore pants. She learned how to fly a plane at age 20. Her father bought her a Bird plane when she obtained her pilot's license.In December 1933 Richey partnered with another female pilot, Frances Marsalis, to set an endurance record by staying airborne for nearly 10 days over Miami, Florida, with midair refueling. Their aircraft was a Curtiss Thrush, named "Outdoor Girl" after its sponsor, a cosmetics brand. Marsalis had previously set an endurance record the previous year with Louise Thaden in another Thrush. The refuelling was achieved by opening the central hatch, grabbing a dangling hose out of a Curtiss Robin and shoving it into the gas tank, which Richey likened to "wrestling with a cobra in a hurricane".: 16 Marsalis was killed during the 1934 Women's Air Meet in Dayton.In 1934 Richey won the premier air race at the first National Air Meet for women in Dayton, Ohio. Also in 1934, Central Airlines, a Greensburg, Pennsylvania–based carrier that eventually became part of United Airlines, hired Richey as a pilot; she made her first regular civil flight with them on December 31, taking a Ford Trimotor on the Washington to Detroit route. She eventually was forced to step down from the cockpit by the all-male pilots union.
In May 1936, Helen Richey, flying a light plane, set an international altitude record for aircraft weighing under 200 kilograms (440 lb). She reached 18,448 feet (5,623 m) during a flight from Congressional Airport to Endless Caverns Airport in New Market, Virginia. Richey flew the same plane that Benjamin King had flown to break the record previously.After leaving Central Airlines, Richey continued to perform at air shows. In 1936 she teamed with Amelia Earhart in a transcontinental air race, the Bendix Trophy Race. Richey and Earhart came in fifth, beating some all-male teams. Later, Richey flew with the British Air Transport Auxiliary during World War II.
In addition to being the first female commercial airline pilot, Richey also was the first woman sworn in to pilot air mail and one of the first female flight instructors.
Richey died in her apartment in New York City on January 7, 1947, apparently from a pill overdose. Her death was ruled a suicide.
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Some of their strengths
Helen Richey has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intense, Imaginative, Optimistic, Confident, Energetic, Selfless, and Hardworking.
Intense and Passionate
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Helen Richey is someone who is an intense, passionate, and intuitive person who is fiercely independent, authentic and direct when engaging with others. A person who is ambitious and motivated.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Helen Richey well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Organized and Achievement-oriented
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Helen Richey as someone who is organized, goal-oriented, practical, and persevering.
Who is hardworking, intellectual, and easygoing, who loves higher education and learning and sharing ideas with others, and who loves healthy competition.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Helen Richey is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Mysterious and Methodical
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Helen Richey tends to be someone who can come across as mysterious and intense, who can be a complex thinker who is methodical and intuitive, and who can overcome challenges that most others would not be able to.
Some of Helen Richey's challenges
While Helen Richey has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Helen Richey can be Complicated, Brusque, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, and Callous.
Complicated and Brusque
One of Helen Richey's key challenges is that they are someone who can be complicated and gruff with others.
Callous and Selfish
Helen Richey is someone who can be standoffish, pessimistic, and ruthless, who can have difficulty concentrating and be impatient, can have difficulty discovering the keys to personal contentment, and who can have a tendency to overwork and hoard wealth and possessions.
Sensitive and Aggressive
Finally, Helen Richey also can be too "touchy-feely", have a hard time expressing feelings, be too aggressive and headstrong, and be too unforgiving of others' mistakes.
