This beautiful and statuesque lady, Raymonde de Laroche, started out as a model, but she ended up becoming a pioner aviator
She was born Elise Deroche in Paris, France, in 1886, but changed her name to the more dramatic Raymonde de Laroche, and at some time in her career she had a "Baroness" added to it, presumably by accident. Being a well-known daredevil she wasn't afraid to go for a joyride with the Wright Brothers in 1908 when she had the offer. It seems that from that moment on she was not only a fan of aviation, but an avid pilot pupil. She wanted to become the first female aviator who took a pilot license, took lessons and had her first solo flight in 1909.
She was totally hooked on this new sport, but at some point she wanted to become the first licensed female pilot. Even after a weird accident when she hit a tree, broke her collar bone and had a concussion she went on, and in 1910 she received her license. Actually, she - like other pilots of the time - suffered some bad accidents, but they didn't deter her from her plans. However, in WWI she was laid off for a while as women were not allowed as pilots in the army. Instead, she became a military driver for officers going to the front. After the war she returned to aviation and set new records in women's altitude and distance. Sadly enough, she had a fatal accident in 1919 when she went out as a co-pilot in a new aircraft model, but at her time of death she was fully recognized as a true pioneer.
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