Carlotta: the Lady Aeronaut AKA Mary Myers

My presentation will be on the once famous, Carlotta: The Lady Aeronaut aka Mary Myers, who with her husband, Carl Myers, an aerospace engineer, designed and created state-of-the-art balloons.  Carlotta Myers was known as “the most expert aeronaut of her day” and holds many records including being the first woman in the U.S. to fly and pilot her own craft.  By the time she retired in 1891, she had completed more ascents than any woman or man living.  In addition to being a test pilot for the balloons, Mary holds several patents with her husband.  She also sewed the balloons, served as a lab tech, and a bookkeeper for the business.  Her flare for aerobatics and showmanship drew crowds of over 15,000 people as she flew alone and even reached heights no one else had managed. She is a part of the Smithsonian’s Women in Aviation History in the Air and Space Museum, but she is largely forgotten even in the town of Frankfort.  In fact, her home, The Balloon Farm, is up for auction and has fallen into disrepair.