Jessie E. Woods

Who was Jessie E. Woods?

Jessie E. Woods was one of the first women air pilots in the United States.

Jessie E. Schulz was born Jan. 27, 1909, in Stafford County, Kansas, the daughter of William and Clara Schulz. She also lived in Wichita, Kansas, where she garnered a love for aviation since she was a child. In Wichita, she would see aircraft come and go very often every day, as they were manufactured nearby.

In 1928, at the age of 19, Jessie left home with her boyfriend, Jimmie Woods, and they married August 28 of that year in Wichita. The Woods then went on to form the Flying Aces Air Circus, which lasted until 1938, setting a record for the longest-lasting air circus of all time. The Woods and other pilots performing with them flew every weekend at different places.

Woods was a daredevil. She was also the "circus lady." She would fly aircraft on the circus show, often performing dangerous landings. She walked on the wings of flying aircraft, she would parachute off aircraft, or dangle below them, with her knees holding her to a rope ladder. Once while wing walking, she fell off at 3,000 feet; ordinarily, she did not wear a parachute, but this time she did. The circus closed in 1938.