Aviation Pioneer. Cornelia Fort was the daughter of a prominent East Nashville doctor. Her father made her brothers swear that they would never fly, but he overlooked Cornelia. She first soloed on April 27, 1940, and received her pilot's license on June 19, 1940 and her instructors rating March 10, 1941. Cornelia was Nashville's first woman flight instructor. Cornelia was giving a flying lesson over Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941 and witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. She was the second woman to join the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). She was the first woman pilot to die in the line of duty while serving in the WASP unit. Cornelia was killed while ferrying a BT-13A when it collided with another plane over Texas. Cornelia Fort Airport in Nashville was named in her honor in 1945.

Aviation Pioneer. Cornelia Fort was the daughter of a prominent East Nashville doctor. Her father made her brothers swear that they would never fly, but he overlooked Cornelia. She first soloed on April 27, 1940, and received her pilot's license on June 19, 1940 and her instructors rating March 10, 1941. Cornelia was Nashville's first woman flight instructor. Cornelia was giving a flying lesson over Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941 and witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. She was the second woman to join the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). She was the first woman pilot to die in the line of duty while serving in the WASP unit. Cornelia was killed while ferrying a BT-13A when it collided with another plane over Texas. Cornelia Fort Airport in Nashville was named in her honor in 1945.

Bio by: grave hunter