Katherine Cheung

Katherine Cheung, born in China in 1904, became the first licensed Asian-American female pilot in the U.S. in 1932; at that time women were not allowed to enroll in flying schools in China, and only 1% of licensed pilots in the U.S. were women. In 1935, she earned an international airline license and flew as a commercial pilot. She also entered numerous competitive air races and flew at airshows.

Following the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, Katherine Cheung decided to return to China and open a flying school to help win the war. However, a male friend was soon killed while flying her airplane, and Cheung's father, worrying for Katherine's safety, made her promise to give up flying. She died of cancer at age 98 in 2003.