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Authors: Karen Bush Gibson
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braids together to keep them out of her face, he lifted her and her brother, Joe, into the second seat, strapping them in together in the Farman pusher biplane.
The ride marked the beginning of Elinorâs love of flying. She was taking lessons by age 10 and soloing at 15. Soon after her first solo flight, she set an unofficial womenâs altitude record of 11,874 feet (3,619 meters).
When she earned her pilotâs license, signed by Orville Wright, she was the youngest pilot the FAI had seen yet. At 18, she was granted a transport pilotâs license, the first person in the United States to receive one. âI had been brought up to think that anyone could do anything he or she put his or her mind to, so I was shocked to learn that the world had stereotypes it didnât want tampered with.â
From 1929 to 1930, Elinor joined a cross-country tour as a demonstration pilot for an airplane manufacturer, Bellanca. She also flew for a group of parachutists to promote the Irvin AirChute Company. Women pilots were often limited to the lighter planes, but Elinor knew the size of the plane didnât matter. She flew the big six-passenger Bellanca, astounding the press that a 17-year-old female could do such a thing.
âBecoming a professional pilot was for me the most desirable goal in the world, and I was not going to allow age or sex to bar me from it,â she recalled about that time.
Records were being set almost daily. Elinor decided she would set the first womenâs endurance records. Viola Gentry beat her to it by flying for more than eight hours. Less than two weeks later, Bobbi Trout pushed that to 12 hours.
Elinor didnât let it bother her. She just beat them both with a flight time of 13 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds. It was her first world record, set on January 31, 1929. She flew in an open-cockpit Bird biplane. Strong winds and fog surrounded her, and the temperature dropped. She had dressed warmly, but the temperature was below freezing. She was ready to land by 3:00 AM but had never landed at nightâplus the visibility was poor. Nevertheless, she did it. And almost three months later, she nearly doubled her endurance time. Elinor, Bobbi, Viola, and Louise Thaden continued to take turns holding the womenâs endurance record for the next few years.
Elinor went on to set more records for endurance, altitude, and speed than anyone. Sometimes, she beat her own records. Together, she and Bobbi Trout became the first women pilots to refuel in the air successfully.
In 1930, Elinor was chosen by other pilots as the woman pilot of the year. Still a teenager, she was honored by the recognition. No doubt her womenâs altitude record of 27,418 feet (8,357 meters) earlier in the year had a lot to do with the award. A year later, at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, she added more than 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) to her altitude record.
Elinor made her mark on aviation in other ways as well. In addition to writing aviation articles for magazines and commentating for NBC radio, she was an advisor to the New York State Aviation Committee. She continued performing at air shows and as a movie stunt pilot.
Elinor met a New York politician and attorney, Patrick Sullivan, and in 1933, they married. When she became pregnant with her third child, she decided to quit flying to raise her family. She had four children in all.
Twenty-five years later, after her husbandâs death, Elinor returned to flying, now as a member of the Air Force Association. She thrilled at flying the T-33 jet trainer and the C-119 for paratrooper maneuvers. In 2000, Elinor was invited to fly the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator. She was successful, which came as no surprise to anyone who knew her. She became the oldest pilot to land a simulated shuttle and was delighted to have an all-female support crew.
LEARN MORE
Aviatrix
by Elinor Smith (Thorndike Press, reprinted 1982)
âElinor Smithâ on Cradle of
The ride marked the beginning of Elinorâs love of flying. She was taking lessons by age 10 and soloing at 15. Soon after her first solo flight, she set an unofficial womenâs altitude record of 11,874 feet (3,619 meters).
When she earned her pilotâs license, signed by Orville Wright, she was the youngest pilot the FAI had seen yet. At 18, she was granted a transport pilotâs license, the first person in the United States to receive one. âI had been brought up to think that anyone could do anything he or she put his or her mind to, so I was shocked to learn that the world had stereotypes it didnât want tampered with.â
From 1929 to 1930, Elinor joined a cross-country tour as a demonstration pilot for an airplane manufacturer, Bellanca. She also flew for a group of parachutists to promote the Irvin AirChute Company. Women pilots were often limited to the lighter planes, but Elinor knew the size of the plane didnât matter. She flew the big six-passenger Bellanca, astounding the press that a 17-year-old female could do such a thing.
âBecoming a professional pilot was for me the most desirable goal in the world, and I was not going to allow age or sex to bar me from it,â she recalled about that time.
Records were being set almost daily. Elinor decided she would set the first womenâs endurance records. Viola Gentry beat her to it by flying for more than eight hours. Less than two weeks later, Bobbi Trout pushed that to 12 hours.
Elinor didnât let it bother her. She just beat them both with a flight time of 13 hours, 16 minutes, and 45 seconds. It was her first world record, set on January 31, 1929. She flew in an open-cockpit Bird biplane. Strong winds and fog surrounded her, and the temperature dropped. She had dressed warmly, but the temperature was below freezing. She was ready to land by 3:00 AM but had never landed at nightâplus the visibility was poor. Nevertheless, she did it. And almost three months later, she nearly doubled her endurance time. Elinor, Bobbi, Viola, and Louise Thaden continued to take turns holding the womenâs endurance record for the next few years.
Elinor went on to set more records for endurance, altitude, and speed than anyone. Sometimes, she beat her own records. Together, she and Bobbi Trout became the first women pilots to refuel in the air successfully.
In 1930, Elinor was chosen by other pilots as the woman pilot of the year. Still a teenager, she was honored by the recognition. No doubt her womenâs altitude record of 27,418 feet (8,357 meters) earlier in the year had a lot to do with the award. A year later, at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, she added more than 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) to her altitude record.
Elinor made her mark on aviation in other ways as well. In addition to writing aviation articles for magazines and commentating for NBC radio, she was an advisor to the New York State Aviation Committee. She continued performing at air shows and as a movie stunt pilot.
Elinor met a New York politician and attorney, Patrick Sullivan, and in 1933, they married. When she became pregnant with her third child, she decided to quit flying to raise her family. She had four children in all.
Twenty-five years later, after her husbandâs death, Elinor returned to flying, now as a member of the Air Force Association. She thrilled at flying the T-33 jet trainer and the C-119 for paratrooper maneuvers. In 2000, Elinor was invited to fly the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator. She was successful, which came as no surprise to anyone who knew her. She became the oldest pilot to land a simulated shuttle and was delighted to have an all-female support crew.
LEARN MORE
Aviatrix
by Elinor Smith (Thorndike Press, reprinted 1982)
âElinor Smithâ on Cradle of
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