Aviation Pioneer. Nicknamed "Pinky," in 1938, she became the first woman in history to be licensed by the Civil Air Authority as a flight and aerobatics instructor. In 1939, she married Army Air Force pilot Joe Brier, and together, they opened the Tri-City Airport in San Bernardino, California. For over 40 years, she operated and ran the flying school at the airport. During World War II, she was recruited as a pilot for the U.S. Army's Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASP. As a flight officer in the WASP, she ferried warplanes to U.S. air bases and was the only female pilot to train male military pilots. After the war, she returned to her airport, continued flight instruction, and ran a US Postal flight service. Brier holds the record for the fastest solo cross-country flight in the 1930s, the record for the most takeoffs and landings at Los Angeles International Airport, and over 70,000 hours logged in the air. She retired from flying in 1980. In 2004, she established the Brier Foundation, which provides scholarships to women interested in careers in aviation and other forms of transportation. She died of pneumonia.
Aviation Pioneer. Nicknamed "Pinky," in 1938, she became the first woman in history to be licensed by the Civil Air Authority as a flight and aerobatics instructor. In 1939, she married Army Air Force pilot Joe Brier, and together, they opened the Tri-City Airport in San Bernardino, California. For over 40 years, she operated and ran the flying school at the airport. During World War II, she was recruited as a pilot for the U.S. Army's Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASP. As a flight officer in the WASP, she ferried warplanes to U.S. air bases and was the only female pilot to train male military pilots. After the war, she returned to her airport, continued flight instruction, and ran a US Postal flight service. Brier holds the record for the fastest solo cross-country flight in the 1930s, the record for the most takeoffs and landings at Los Angeles International Airport, and over 70,000 hours logged in the air. She retired from flying in 1980. In 2004, she established the Brier Foundation, which provides scholarships to women interested in careers in aviation and other forms of transportation. She died of pneumonia.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Family Members
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