Beryl Markham

Pioneering aviator and author who became the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic from east to west

Beryl Markham (1902–1986) redefined aviation history through her groundbreaking 1936 transatlantic flight. Born in England but raised in Kenya, she became Africa's first licensed female horse trainer before turning to aviation. Her historic flight from Abingdon, England, to Nova Scotia in a Vega Gull aircraft demonstrated extraordinary navigational skill through severe weather.

Markham's memoir West with the Night (1942), praised by Ernest Hemingway as "bloody wonderful," revolutionized adventure literature with its lyrical prose about African colonial life and aviation daring. Despite disappearing from public view for decades, her legacy was revived in the 1980s through feminist reappraisals of aviation history.

As a bush pilot, Markham challenged gender norms in 1930s East Africa, conducting dangerous rescue missions and aerial surveys. Her life inspired numerous works, including the biographical film Shadow on the Sun (1988). The Beryl Markham Foundation continues promoting aviation education for African women, ensuring her pioneering spirit endures.