Nellie Zabel Willhite was the first ever deaf, female pilot. She was born in South Dakota in 1892 and died in 1991. Not only was she the first female deaf pilot, she was also South Dakota’s first female pilot. She first started flying when she was 35 and stopped when she was 52. She was the first almost completely deaf pilot in the world.
She founded South Dakota’s chapter of the Ninety Nines. That was a national organization of pioneering women pilots. She was also a charter member. She was a member of the organization while Amelia Earhart was president. And she lived to be ninety-nine years old.
Nellie was a commercial flyer. She did rides for anyone who wanted one. She was also a barnstormer. Barnstorming was an old form of entertainment that was used by pilots. Her father, Charles Willhite, got her a plane. It was an open-cockpit Alexander Eagle Rock OX-5 biplane. She…show more content… They say that she was a very independent woman and she had a fascinating personality. Mavis said, “She refused to be seen as an individual with a handicap,” Madison said. “She could do anything she wanted to do and no one was going to tell her any different. She was just very, very much a maverick and an independent spirit.”
She had a transport license and also worked as a flight instructor. After about four years of being a flight instructor, Nellie sold her plane. It was during the great depression and too many people needed jobs and it was too expensive to maintain. “She refused to be hindered by her deafness or by the fact she was living in an era before women's liberation.” Nellie tried many adventurous things in her life. One of them was flying a glider.
Nellie Willhite was deaf. Even though she was deaf she became a pilot. She went through a lot of hardships and struggles yet she still accomplished her goals, She is an inspiration to me and many others.
