Adrienne Bolland | |
|---|---|
 Bolland ca. 1921 | |
| Born | November 25, 1895 Arcueil, Île-de-France, France |
| Died | March 18, 1975 (aged 79) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Known for | First flight over Andes by a woman |
| Spouse | Ernest Vinchon |
| Aviation career | |
| Famous flights | Across Andes, 1 April 1921 |
| Flight license | 1920 Le Crotoy |
Adrienne Bolland, born Boland, (25 November 1895 – 18 March 1975) was a French test pilot. She was the first woman to fly over the Andes between Chile and Argentina. She was later described as "France's most accomplished female aviator",[1] setting a woman's record for loops done in an hour. The French government eventually recognized her with the Legion of Honor and other awards. Since her death, she has been commemorated with a postage stamp of Argentina.
Born into a large family outside Paris, she became a pilot in her twenties to pay off gambling debts. An early crossing of the English Channel led René Caudron, her employer, to send her to South America to demonstrate his planes, where she made her Andes crossing, assisted, she later said, by a tip relayed to her from a medium. Later in her life she became involved in leftist political causes, and eventually became part of the French Resistance during World War II.
- ^ "Woman aviator ties with 10 men in race". The New York Times. September 18, 1924. Retrieved July 14, 2012.