Student led Interview (Keri Kittleson) with writer Henry Holden
Henry M. Holden is an experienced writer, aerospace historian and author with almost 30 years’ experience. He specializes in aerospace, and travel destinations in USA, often with a historical angle. Henry is the author of over 1,000 magazine and newspaper articles appearing in national and international magazines. In 1996, he launched the Women in Aviation Resource Center, an online repository of educational, historical, and networking resources for women interested in all aspects of aviation. In 1994, Henry M. Holden was cited in the United States Congressional Record for his work in recording the history of American women in aviation. Also, in 1994, he was the recipient of the Author’s Award from the New Jersey Institute of Technology for his book, Her Mentor Was An Albatross, which is about Harriet Quimby .
Interviewer: Can you give me some background about being a writer and historian on the topic women in aviation?
Mr. Holden: I was researching my first book on the DC-3 in the McDonald Douglas Company in Long Beach, California. I took a day off and headed for San Diego to the air and space museum there. I saw a nice display of women in aviation and dozens of women I had never heard of. So I thought I’d do some research by buying a book or two on (Women In Aviation) WIA. The only books I found had mostly European WIA and usually in the back of the book were a few American women like Amelia Earhart and Jackie Cochran. I thought that it was a topic I might enjoy writing about.
Interviewer: How many historical books about women in aviation have you researched and written?
Mr. Holden: I have written Ladybirds - The untold story of Women pilots in America, Ladybirds – the continuing story of American women in aviation, Her Mentor was an albatross, Hovering – The History of the Whirly-Girls: International Women Helicopter Pilots, Women in Aviation – Leaders and Role Models for the 21st Century
Interviewer: Why did you decide to write about women in aviation?
Mr. Holden: Because at the time (early 1991) no one else was.
Interviewer: As a historian and author, where did you gather your most valuable facts from?
Mr. Holden: Mostly from reading other books and looking at bibliographies. Be careful of Wikipedia. There is a lot of miss- and false information on it.
Interviewer: Which aviator did you find the most inspiring, how did they inspire you?
Mr. Holden: Harriet Quimby. She did things that women were “not supposed to do”. Harriet drove a car when women were not supposed to. I think her example added to the changing dynamic of what women could do in the post-Victorian age. She traveled the world as an unmarried woman unescorted (she had a friend and fellow pilot A. Leo Stevens who sometimes traveled with her) as far as Egypt and became a photographer photographing her journeys for Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly. I personally think that her best trait was she never responded to her critics and there were many. She just kept doing what she wanted to do in spite of the negative critics that were all around her.
Interviewer: How were the women aviators treated differently from the men?
Mr. Holden: They were not paid the same as men, not given the same opportunities as men and marginalized at times. Unless the women were married to men of means who were generally aviators or they possessed their own “fortunes” it was difficult to gain access to flight lessons because they were women. (money talks).
Interviewer: How were they marginalized and what was their response??
Mr. Holden: Women in general were marginalized in the society, stay home, cook, have babies, not paid the same as men, not given the same opportunities, and heaven forbid they wanted to work in the “real world.”
Interviewer: Did they go even further to achieve their goals and make it better for future women?
Mr. Holden: Women aviators sort of sucked it up and focused on their goals. I don’t believe that they were working to make it better for future women. They were trying to survive in the macho world of aviation in the 1930s.
Interviewer: How were the African-American women treated differently from the other women?
Mr. Holden: They were segregated. They were segregated and one, Bessie Coleman sailed to Europe to get her pilot's license.
How many men or other women follow in her footsteps? None traveled to Europe that I know of but she set the example that allowed other black women to learn to fly and open flight schools for black men and women. She set the example for others.
Interviewer: How have women aviators changed from 1850-1945?
Mr. Holden: There were no American women flying in 1850. By 1945 they were setting dozens of records. You should also read up on the WASP’s.
Interviewer: The theme for this year in NHD is leadership and legacy. Which female aviator do you think was the best leader and the worst leader, and why (pre-1945)? What do you think stood out most as their legacy?
Mr. Holden: Many of the women in the late 1920s and 1930s were leaders and set examples for other women. The best leader I would say was Jackie Cochran. Can’t say worst, I’d say best pilot, worst pilot. Jackie Cochran was a record setter who broke all the men’s flying records. Amelia Earhart was a not great pilot. While she set many records she had a serious landing accident before her final trip and she exhibited very poor judgment when she removed radio and navigation equipment before her last flight. That led directly to her running out of fuel and crashing in the Pacific (good aviators don’t bust up airplanes and get lost). She had a good PR person with her husband and money.
Interviewer: What women left the most positive legacy in aviation and why?
Mr. Holden: Harriet Quimby for reasons I outlined. Her piloting skills aside, Amelia Earhart because she had the means (rich husband) and she was brave and courageous setting an example for other women. Jackie Cochran because she set more speed altitude an distance records than any man in her day. Now that’s inspiration!
Interviewer: What part of the Jim Crow laws do you think impacted the female African-American aviators the most?
Mr. Holden: That’s an easy one, Segregation which affected male and female aviators, especially in the South.
Interviewer: How much impact do you think the suffrage movement had on women entering aviation (pre—1930)?
Mr. Holden: Had very little effect. None of the famous female aviators were widely outspoken suffragettes or feminists. It would have killed their precarious place in aviation.
Interviewer: Which women in government do you think had the most impact in helping women in aviation; Eleanor Roosevelt? Why?
Mr. Holden: Eleanor Roosevelt was a big advocate for women period. And she had a Bully Pulpit.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for this interview.
Mr. Holden: If you’d like to see all the books I’ve written (about 45 I think) see my website http://hireapublishedwriter.com/about-us-2/ or type in Henry M Holden into Amazon.
I hope I was of some help to you. Good luck with your project and always reach for the stars and question that doesn’t feel right.
All the best, Henry M. Holden