Lillian Moses became the first woman student to obtain a private pilot license at the Boeing School of Aeronautics. Lillian, only five feet tall and weighing one hundred pounds, used special rudder extensions to reach the pedals. A telephone directory under her parachute gave her the height she needed to see out of the cockpit. Lillian Moses’ uncle Navy Captain Stanford Elwood Moses served as her instructor. Clearly, he appears quite proud of his niece in the photo!
Captain Stanford Moses
Navy Captain Moses served in the in the Spanish-American War and World War I. He commanded the USS Chauncey a 1190-ton Clemson class destroyer. Commissioned in June 1919, the operated along the U.S. West Coast and in Hawaiian waters. In addition, Captain Moses commanded a Naval flight from California to the Hawaii in August 1928.
Boeing School of Aeronautics
The Boeing School of Aeronautics was founded at Oaklands Municipal Airport in 1929. Instruction began with 19 staff members and 100 students. Eight years later, the school expanded operations with 41 staff and 500 students. At its peak in 1942, the number of students doubled thanks to Civilian Pilot Training Program. The school used Boeing Model 81s, Model 100 pursuit flyers, and Boeing Model 203s Students assisted in designing, developing, test flying and maintaining the Boeing Aircraft. In addition, they provide the company sales and engineering.
Notable graduates from the Oakland included Peter M. Bowers, John Thorp, and Ed Yost, father of the modern hot-air balloon. The Oakland Aviation Museum states that Lee Ya-Ching became the first woman to graduate from the school. Clearly, archival records of the aviatrix state she received advanced training there. Ya-Ching earned a pilot license in Switzerland. Hence, Lillian Moses remains the first woman to graduate from the school. The Oakland Aviation Museum now resides in the former Boeing building.