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Chapter II

The woman credited with being the first in the U.S. to pilot her own aircraft was Mary H. Myers of Mohawk, New York. She made her first solo balloon flight on July 4, 1880, at Little Falls, New York, billed as "Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut."

Her husband, Carl E. Myers, had for several years been experimenting with air navigation, especially ballooning, influenced by the work being done in Europe. He worked on making a portable, efficient hydrogen generator and on designing a balloon basket which would be lighter than the wicker ones then in use. His greatest contribution, however, was in the development of a new balloon fabric: by dipping cotton fabric into a specially prepared linseed oil mixture, he arrived at a durable, non-porous product which was so flexible it would not crack when folded and would last as long as ten years, surviving many rough landings.

Mary Myers assisted her husband in his research, and then became so interested in the work that she began piloting balloons herself. No one knows where her professional name "Carlotta" originated, but it was certainly more attention-getting than "Mary" and also identified her with her husband Carl.