The sky's the limit—this phrase could describe Hermelinda Urvina very well. She was a pioneer of Latin American aviation and the first Ecuadorian and South American woman to earn a pilot's license.
Urvina was born in Ambato, Ecuador, on September 26, 1905. From a young age, she showed an interest in aviation, a field dominated by men at the time.
"Even though Hermelinda had her pilot's license, she had to take private lessons. To get to Ecuador through the air, you have to use a plane with a roof of at least 18,000 feet in order to successfully cross the Andes."
After marrying Rosendo Barzola Briones in 1926, she moved to New York, where she studied aviation and earned her pilot's license from the Safair Flying School in Long Island in 1932, becoming the first South American woman to achieve this milestone.
She was a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, the largest organization of women pilots in North America, where she had the opportunity to meet figures such as Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer and first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and Charles Lindbergh, the famed aviator and engineer.
Urvina participated in notable flights, including the New York-Montreal air raid in 1936, in which only 12 out of 38 pilots—Hermelinda among them — managed to complete the journey under harsh weather conditions. Through hard work and determination, Hermelinda bought a small, used two-seater airplane she painted yellow and named Ecuador. She also obtained a private pilot's license in Mexico and flew commercial and mail routes between Mexico, the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
"Hermelinda is a great example of our women with purpose!"
In 1939, she participated in an aerial carnival raid between Cuba and Miami. The flight over the ocean was a success; however, three days later, Hermelinda was caught in a storm on the return trip, and her plane crashed into the sea several miles off the coast.
Fortunately, a U.S. ship witnessed the accident and rescued both her and her co-pilot. Following that incident, Hermelinda retired from aviation. She returned to her native Ecuador and dedicated herself to the family business.
In 1999, after becoming a widow, she moved to Canada to live with her daughter. While in Canada, at the age of 94, she discovered new hobbies, such as sailing and snowmobiling. Urvina lived in Canada until her passing on September 20, 2008, at the age of 102.
Hermelinda Urvina is considered one of the most influential women in Ecuador and a true symbol of perseverance and audacity for women in aviation and other fields traditionally dominated by men.