Skip to content

1st British women pilot & flying instructor (1864-1943)

In 1910 at the age of 47 and with 2 children, Hilda Hewlett set up a flying school at the Brooklands motor racing circuit with business partner Gustave Blondeau.

It was the first school in England to graduate a full-fledged pilot, and it was here on August 29th 1911 that Hilda became the first British woman to receive a pilot’s licence. She went on to become a flying instructor, the first English woman to do so.

The partners also set up business building aircraft for the Royal Aircraft Factory during the First World War. Hilda Hewlett still serves as a role model to other women all over the world and her achievements continue to inspire generations.

Image courtesy of Brooklands Museum, Weybridge