Nancy Livingston Stratford, nee Miller, started out studying psychology, with hopes of becoming a schoolteacher. But after her brother took her on her first flight in 1935, she was hooked.
She trained as an “aviatrix” — female aviator — at Oakland Airport and in 1942 was recruited for the Air Transport Auxiliary of the Royal Air Force in the U.K.
After the war she returned to California to find work as a commercial pilot, but the industry was dominated by men and finding a job was difficult. But she didn’t let that stop her flying. In 1947, she became the first woman on the west coast and the fourth woman in the world to receive her helicopter rating, according to the archives at Texas Woman’s University. She earned her seaplane rating that same year.
At that time she was the only helicopter pilot in Oregon and flew a Hiller 12B as flight instructor! Nancy was one of the first helicopter crop duster pilots. Also, she flew other missions such as air shows, photoflights and fighting wildfires.
After working as a commercial helicopter pilot in Oregon, she and her husband, Arlo Livingston, moved to Juneau and in 1960 founded Livingston Copters, at what is now NorthStar Helicopters on the Douglas Highway.
The Livingstons cleared trees for the landing pad and hangar, and lived in a small trailer on the property. As the business expanded, other homes were built for pilots to live in with their families, and after many years, sold their business in 1978 and moved to Anacortes, Washington. Nancy was forced to give up her pilot’s license in 1970 because of hearing loss caused by so many years of flying.
She gathered her memoirs and made a book with the help of her niece: https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Britain-Pilots-During-England/dp/1453787836
She flew over 100 types of aircraft over her career, she served in WWII, she owned and operated the first and for a long time, only helicopter company in Juneau. She recently celebrated her 100th birthday at her home in Carlsbad, California, and has remarkable total PIC time of 8500 flighttime hours.
https://www.juneauempire.com/news/juneaus-1st-woman-helicopter-pilot-turns-100
https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16283coll1/id/47
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/living-legend-nancy-livingston-stratford-renate-buchner
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