As we honor National Native American Heritage Month, we turn to the skies and remember Mary Riddle.
Born in 1902, Riddle earned her pilot certificate in 1930. A member of the Satsop and Clatsop tribes, Riddle participated in airshows across the northwest and was featured on the cover of the June 1934 issue of The Ninety-Nines magazine, the magazine of the International Organization of Women Pilots.
While first a pilot, Riddle was best known as a parachutist. In the 1930s, she toured the United States, making more than 40 jumps at air shows. In World War II, she was employed as a civilian aircraft inspector.
Riddle was inspired to become a pilot at age 17 when she saw a woman crash in an airplane. Riddle later said that public opinion at the time was that women could not be successful pilots. She wanted to prove them wrong and did.
Mary Riddle passed away in 1981 at age 79 in Portland, Oregon. For a comprehensive biography and more insight visit the Museum of Flight blog at https://blog.museumofflight.org/who-was-mary-riddle