DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT THE STORY OF DEAF PILOT NELLIE

Nellie Zabel Willhite’s story dips and soars like an airplane in flight.

After losing her hearing at four and following a tumultuous education, Nellie Zabel was introduced to the world of flight while working at the Sioux Falls airport. The planes and pilots captured her imagination as she watched them sail alongside the birds. With some encouragement, she enrolled in pilot training—carefully tailoring the courses to accommodate her deafness. In 1928, she took off on her own, becoming the first female pilot in South Dakota—and the first deaf pilot in the nation.