Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting

Tiny (Georgia Ann Thompson) Broadwick was the first woman to jump from an airplane, the first person to jump from a float plane, the first to make an intentional water jump from an airplane and the first to make a manually-operated parachute jump and all these records were prior to 1915. Tiny Broadwick demonstrated that parachutes could be used repeatedly, that escape from a damaged airplane was possible, that you would not pass out in freefall and that a woman could do something most men would not do. This book recounts history of a person that deserves greater recognition. It is easy and fun to read. As a skydiver (1,200 jumps, D-454), pilot (SEL & gliders, hang gliders and paragliders),author and publisher of seven books on parachutes and skydiving, I recommend this book to those interested in aviation and pioneering women. --Dan Poynter, Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook.

This small book presents the story of Tiny Broadwick (true name Georgia Ann Thompson), pioneer parachutist. Ms. Roberson has made an honest and capable attempt at telling us about Tiny's life and her book has many uncommon images of Tiny. The book suffers in its fact checking, however, as at least one of the "firsts" claimed for Tiny was not hers. Self-effacing as she was, Tiny would have been among the first to correct such erroneous enthusiasms. Still and all, while the reader may have to exercise caution about the captions under photographs and should be careful of accepting without question all of the dates and events presented, this is certainly a book well worth having, reading and enjoying.

I started reading this book at nine in the evening and couldn't put it down. I first learned a little about "Tiny's" career back in June of 1997. I had started to build a website which featured the career of my father-in-law, Walter E. Lees, a member of the Early Birds of Aviation. He had soloed in 1913 and references to Tiny kept popping up among his collection of memorabilia. I finally accumulated enough bits and pieces to build a page for her on my "Early Bird" site, but it only told a part of her story. This book, by Elizabeth Roberson, with its many anecdotes and photographs, satisfies my curiosity about the life of this unique woman. I can recommend it very highly to all aviation history buffs or to anyone who is interested in the story of a remarkable person.