The World’s First Female Aircraft Designer Emma Lilian Todd

It was with the formation of inventions that the world began to change and develop. The Industrial Revolution began, in particular, with the development of steam-powered machines. With the Industrial Revolution, the development process accelerated.

However, at that time, mostly men were designing inventions. A woman named Emma Lilian Todd, who lived in America, was self-taught and designed an airplane. E is known as the first woman in the world to design and build her own aircraft. Who is Lilian Todd, let’s see together.

• E., was born in Washington, D.C. in 1865. Lilian Todd’s childhood was also spent here. After studying typewriting for a while, Todd returned to New York and enrolled in the first Women’s Law Class to study law.
• After working at different jobs for some time, he realized that his favorite thing was engaged in mechanical things, and then, in 1903, he turned his attention in this direction.
• Lilian Todd, inspired by a sketch of an airplane in a newspaper, decided to design her own airplane. Todd received no training in this subject and began to teach the designs completely on his own.
• In the same year, he attracted the attention of the national press by demonstrating his first aircraft design at the Aero show at Madison Square Garden. Thus E. Lillian Todd also found an investor who would design and build her first large biplane. Olivia Sage gave Todd a full 7 thousand dollars to complete his studies.
• Construction of the first biplane designed by Todd began in the fall of 1908 by the Wittemann Brothers on Staten Island
• The wings of the plane, which has double seats and is 11 meters long, are connected with piano wire. E. Lilian Todd applied to the committee for permission to use her own aircraft, but this was refused.
• Nevertheless, the plane took off on November 7, 1910, by pilot Didier Masson…
• The press followed the flight that took place over the Garden City Aviation Field. Masson was able to climb to a height of about 6 meters by plane. After this incident, E. Lilian Todd has been referred to as the first woman to design and build aircraft.
• Realizing the importance of aviation and wanting to encourage those interested in aviation, Todd founded the Junior Aero Club in 1908. Todd’s career in aircraft design ended in January 1911, when he began working under the direction of Olivia Sage Emma Lilian Todd, a self-taught and the first woman to design an airplane, died on September 26, 1937 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.