"It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here"
The path for lady pilots was not an easy one, meeting with resistance and stumbling blocks all along the way. Women had extreme difficulty getting flight training or hired in flight based professions.
Early women aviators got involved in record-breaking and long-distance flying, and dangerous stunts to attract attention and raise funds because of their exclusion from being test pilots or operating transport aircraft.
The road for female pilots in Europe as anywhere else in the world was a difficult path, but with the courage, and perseverance of female pilots like Harriet Quimby and Matilde Moisant they paved the way and helped to carve out a permanent place for themselves in aviation history.
2020 none
2021 Cyprus
2022 Belgrade, Serbia
2023, Cluj, Romania
2024, foreseen The Netherlands
2025, foreseen Malta
2026, foreseen Slovenia
Fiorenza de Bernardi has been an airline pilot since 1967 (the first one in Italy, the fifth one in the world).
Initially alone, then with a growing number of international female pilots, meetings were held, friendships established, "battles" were fought with the Airline Companies to facilitate women employment.
It was a successful activity and today a large number of female pilots exist, also Captains, in every area of the world.
Those who are members of API are also members of FEWP
For more see: www.fiorenzadebernardi.it/