She was the first woman to fly on the Pacific Coast and in Canada, and one of the few female members of the Early Birds of Aviation—individuals who had solo piloted an aircraft prior to December 17, 1916.

She set an altitude record for women, and trained pilots during World War I. Bryant was born in rural Indiana on April 28, 1880.

[1] Bryant's father taught her mechanics, and as a child, she wrote an essay "describing an imaginary flight across the country... in an electric-powered craft.

[1] Bryant's interest in aviation grew when she witnessed the final stop of pilot Calbraith Perry Rogers's cross-country flight.

[5] On a trip to Vancouver, she flew in an exhibition for Edward, Prince of Wales, and his brother George, Duke of York – both future Kings of England.

[8] A local paper reported that she "delighted the crowd by the clever manner in which she handled the plane [in] dips, rolls, figure eights and other evolutions of a like nature.

"[4] In August 1913, Alys and John Bryant headed to Victoria, British Columbia to perform a series of exhibition flights for $1,000.

[4] Alys cut her first flight short after ten minutes[9] due to strong winds,[4] stating, "I don't want a ride like that again.

[10] There, she expressed her belief that she too would someday be killed in a plane crash, and told the press:"Some of the happiest moments of my life were spent flying together.

[11] There, she built and prepared airplane parts, assisted aviator Thomas W. Benoist in designing new aircraft, and taught flying lessons.