Nancy Harkness Love

Nancy Harkness Love (1914 - 1976) was an American pilot and commander during World War II. The daughter of a wealthy physician, Harkness developed an intense interest in aviation at an early age. At 16 she took her first flight and earned her pilot's license within a month. Although she went to all the right schools, including Milton Academy in Massachusetts and Vassar in New York, she was restless and adventurous. At Vassar she earned extra mone... more

Nancy Harkness Love (1914 - 1976) was an American pilot and commander during World War II. The daughter of a wealthy physician, Harkness developed an intense interest in aviation at an early age. At 16 she took her first flight and earned her pilot's license within a month. Although she went to all the right schools, including Milton Academy in Massachusetts and Vassar in New York, she was restless and adventurous. At Vassar she earned extra money taking students for rides in an airplane she rented from a nearby airport. In 1936 she married Robert M. Love, an Air Corps Reserve Major. They built their own successful Boston-based aviation company, Inter City Aviation, for which Nancy was a pilot. She also flew for the Bureau of Air Commerce. In 1937 and 1938 she flew as a test pilot, performing safety tests on various aircraft modifications and innovations. In one project she served as a test pilot on the new three-wheeled landing gear, which subsequently became standard on most planes.... less