whataboutbobbed
TRIP IN TIME: Pioneering Pilots
Patricia Kendall’s journey into aviation began as a clerk for the United States forest patrol. From the local office in Alameda, she directed pilots to fires around California and gathered data.
One day in 1931, with a student’s license in hand, Pat went for her first solo flight around the bay and soon after joined the pilot staff of the San Francisco Bay Airdrome in Alameda in September of that year.
At the Airdrome, Pat became aide to Douglas Warren, head of the division of air traffic law enforcement.
Appointed by Alameda Police Chief Vernon Smith after the passing of Warren, Pat became the country’s first official female air cop, according to newspaper reports.
Pat and her pet poodle, Goofus, kept the air and homes of Alameda safe from daredevil fliers long before the days of commercial airfare.