Speed Queen

 

On this date in 1970, Colonel Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, United States Air Force Reserve, was presented the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in service to the United States. Following the presentation, her retirement orders were read, bringing an end to her twenty years of service in the Air Force Reserve. 

Cochran was endlessly establishing new records as early as 1938 when she became the only woman to compete in the Bendix Race. She worked with Amelia Earhart to open the race to women. She set a new women's world speed record that same year, becoming known as the best female pilot in the US. Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier on 18 May 1953. Sometimes called the "Speed Queen", at the time of her death, no other pilot held more speed, distance, or altitude records in aviation history than Cochran.

Read about her full career at: https://wikimili.com/en/Jacqueline_Cochran

The Speed Queen

 

Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran (1906-1980) was an American pilot and business executive. She pioneered women's aviation as one of the most prominent racing pilots of her generation. She set numerous records and was the only woman to compete in the 1937 Bendix air race, working with Amelia Earhart to open the race to women. That year, she also set a new women's world speed record. By the next year, she had won the Bendix championship and set a new transcontinental speed record as well as altitude records. She was the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. Cochran was the wartime head of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) from 1943–44. By 1948, Cochran joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. Encouraged by lifelong friend, Chuck Yeager, she was the first woman to break the sound barrier in 1953. She was promoted to colonel in 1969 and retired in 1970. Flying jet aircraft, she continued setting numerous records, including becoming the first woman pilot to achieve supersonic speed. Known to many as the "Speed Queen", no other pilot held more speed, distance, or altitude records in aviation history than Cochran. Detailed history at Cochran.