Gladys Vickers: Paving the Way for Woman Pilots in Washington

KENNEWICK, Wash.- For Woman's History Month, we dove into the stories of strong woman in the history of our community, starting with Gladys Vickers.

Gladys Vickers was a trail blazer in the world of aviation for woman. She opened up doors and refused to take no for an answer, as I learned from Gale Metcalf at the East Benton Historical Society Museum.

Metcalf explained her philosophy, "If man can do it, we can do it. Period. That's the way it is. There is nothing in aviation that man can do that woman can't do."

Gladys was raised in Kennewick, Washington, graduating from Kennewick High School in 1929, and then earning a bachelors degree from WSU in Pullman in 1933. From there, she moved to western Washington and got a job as a stenographer at Boeing Field. The view of planes taking off every day from the window at her desk inspired her to get in the pilot’s seat and it wasn’t long before she got her own private pilot’s license.

"She became a leader. She became president of the Woman's pilot's Association in Seattle, and queen of the air shows. She was very effervescent, very outgoing. She wasn't afraid to challenge anything they said."

One of the first barriers came when the Bureau of Air Commerce announced plans to ban woman from flying cargo planes.

"They said, 'Well you’re not up to the endurance.' She said 'Not up to the endurance? Housewives work harder than we do during a day when we're flying! They work hard, they do more. You talk about during work, we can do the work, we don't wear out.' She challenged the status quo and made Aviation Rules back down."

Her example inspired other woman pilots to follow her lead.

“Gladys and others opened up aviation for woman in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest like it had never been before. They did airshows in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and they were in great demand. She was impressive."

Gladys was also the first woman flyer in Seattle to get a radio telephone operator license form the Federal Communications Commission, a requirement for flying into the larger airports.

"She tried to make sure women understood there's no barriers for you, there's nothing stopping you from what you want to do."