A Seamstress Takes on “Plane Sewing”
In 1910, Ida Holdgreve, a seamstress from Dayton, Ohio, answered an ad for “plain sewing.” Instead, she became part of the Wright brothers’ pioneering aviation efforts. Hired to sew fabric components for airplanes at the Wright Company factory, she worked on wings, fins, and rudders, making her one of the first female aerospace workers.
Aviation’s First Factory Worker
Holdgreve worked in the Wright Company factory, surrounded by buzzing motors and clanking propellers. Trained by Wilbur Wright’s mechanic, she stitched light fabric to create aerodynamic surfaces for planes like the Wright Model B and Model C-H Floatplane.
World War I Contributions
During World War I, Holdgreve became a forewoman at Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, managing women sewing heavy canvas for De Havilland DH-4 planes, the only American-built combat aircraft of the war.
A Flight at Last
Though she sewed the fabric for early planes, Holdgreve didn’t fly until 1969, at age 88. Taking her first airplane ride over Dayton, she described clouds as “just like wool.” Holdgreve passed away in 1977, leaving behind an extraordinary story of her role in aviation’s early days.
In 1910, Ida Holdgreve, a seamstress from Dayton, Ohio, answered an ad for "plain sewing." Instead, she became part of the Wright brothers' aviation efforts, sewing fabric components for wings, fins, and rudders, making her one of the first female aerospace workers. pic.twitter.com/kMGqcZBLJx
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