Melli Beese-Boutard Plaque

“Flying is necessary. Living is not.” These poignant words, etched in history, belong to Melli Beese-Boutard. Here at the Melli Beese-Boutard Plaque, affixed to the building at Sterndamm 82, we remember Germany’s first female pilot. The plaque, located left of the entrance stairs, serves as a sobering reminder of her triumphs and tragic end. Melli Beese-Boutard, born Am\u00e9lie Hedwig Beese in 1886, soared through the skies as a pioneer of aviation. She designed, built, and flew her own aircraft, starting in 1911, from the Johannisthal airfield. Imagine her, a woman in a “dressy aviator’s outfit,” as the BZ newspaper described her on the day she earned her license in 1909. She skillfully piloted her Etrich-Rumpler training aircraft, becoming the first German woman to achieve this milestone. Melli Beese-Boutard’s achievements extended beyond piloting. She established her own flying school, the Flugschule Melli Beese GmbH, in 1912. Along with her partners Charles Boutard, her future husband, and Hermann Reichelt, she designed and manufactured the Beese-Taube airplane. The First World War brought financial ruin. Her factory was seized under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Sadly, burdened by these losses and ostracized for her marriage to a Frenchman, she took her own life in 1925. Her final message underscores the profound connection she felt with flight, a passion that ultimately overshadowed her will to live. The Melli Beese-Boutard Plaque serves not only as a memorial but as a testament to her indomitable spirit and her lasting contribution to aviation history. Her legacy continues to inspire, reminding us of the courageous woman who dared to defy gravity and convention.