Lyubov Golanchikova

Lyubov Golanchikova (1889-1959) was the third woman of the Russian Empire to receive a pilot's license. She was probably born in what is now Estonia. She was the first female test pilot, testing airplanes for Anthony Fokker, the French aircraft firm Morane-Saulnier, and the Russian airplane manufacturer Fedir Tereshchenko. During World War I, she flew missions for the Red Cross, and may have flown observation missions for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. In 1923, she moved to the United States and made several attempts to be the first woman to make a transatlantic flight, though none ever came to fruition. After 1930, she quit flying and worked in various positions, including as a taxi driver.