The search for a definite purpose in life can be a difficult journey filled with dead ends and disappointments. And sometimes, regardless of the journey and the quest, a purpose can be revealed instantly, leaving an incredible impact. And that’s precisely what happened to Mary Riddle, one of the first Native American women to earn a pilot’s license. At the age of seventeen, Mary witnessed a woman pilot crash her plane, and from that moment on, she was determined to be a pilot to prove to the world that women weren’t bad flyers.
Mary, a member of the Satsop and Clatsop tribes, was born in 1902 in Bridgeport, Washington, and given the name Nannie Riddell. Though not much is known about her whole life, we know that her mother died when she was very young and was born into money from her wealthy grandfather. She was known to have an adventurous and daring personality. And because of her inheritance, she could live a lifestyle of freedom that escaped most native American families in this period.
When she decided to become a pilot, she saved up for two years to attend Rankin Flying School in Portland, Oregon. By 1930, she received her pilot’s license becoming the second Native American woman in the world to hold that position. Mary made her first solo flight on May 10th, 1930, and that same year was featured in the Portland Rose Festival Airshow arriving by horseback in fully decked-out tribal attire. She made strides during her time as a pilot, earning her commercial pilot’s license in 1933, and was even featured on the cover of the 99er magazine.
A few years later, Mary Riddle went to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to learn parachuting. Again, she set out to achieve the impossible. Though Spartan was an all-male school, she convinced them to let her enter, and she graduated with honors. Mary went on to parachute out of planes and executed over 40 parachuting jumps. However, flying slowed down for her when she almost died in a jump when her parachute opened incorrectly and got tangled in her legs.
With WWII beginning, and though she would have met every requirement, she was too old to join the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Instead, Riddle aided the Airport Transit Command and was trained to work with sheet metal. She says, “I just had to be near airplanes – even if I couldn’t fly them.” Again, she found herself in a field where she was the only woman and thrived.
Mary Riddle is a shining example of what finding a purpose means and how the journey goes to fulfill that purpose, and it’s clear that possible thinking was always her mindset. The road is not always paved in gold- it’s often treacherous terrain.
However, Mary Riddle was a force who knew her path and was determined to see it through. She used her gender and culture to the best of her benefit; she did it during a time when being Native American and a woman often positioned one at the back of the line. Her bravery opened the doors for other young women to pursue their passions and fulfill their purposes, and her story continues to encourage hopefuls today.
If you’re looking to share more inspirational pilot stories with your office or at your next conference, contact me today. My name is Jessica Cox, and I’m the first licensed armless pilot in aviation history. I’ve shared my inspiring story with companies around the world. Let me motivate your team today.
