EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim Watson is the author of “Mysterious Island: Catalina,” available on Amazon, Kindle and in stores all over Avalon.
When it comes to famous female aviation personalities, the first name that pops into the modern mind is that of Amelia Earhart and her brave—but ultimately tragic—attempt to circle the globe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jim Watson is the author of “Mysterious Island: Catalina,” available on Amazon, Kindle and in stores all over Avalon.
When it comes to famous female aviation personalities, the first name that pops into the modern mind is that of Amelia Earhart and her brave—but ultimately tragic—attempt to circle the globe.
Lesser known are other heroines of the sky like Harriet Quimby, the first American pilot—male or female—to successfully fly across the English Channel; Blanche Noyes and Louise Thadden, who together set the world record for a flight between New York and Los Angeles of 14 hours and 55 minutes, and Helen Richey and Frances Marsalis who set an endurance record in 1933 for staying aloft an incredible 10 days with mid-air refueling.
Then there was New York City-born Elinor Smith who held a variety of records, one of which was a world record endurance flight that she accomplished in 1929 in the skies above Catalina.
With the coupling of 19th Century bravado and 20th Century technology, the Roaring Twenties was an age of superlatives. From airports to baseball diamonds, all manner of records for the fastest this or the furthest that were regularly broken and re-broken. Women were often right in the fighting for such titles. It was an age of Indiana Joneses and Indiana Janes.
In the late 1920s, women had only recently won the right to vote and sexism, as it is known now, was still an institutional fixture in much of society. But women had found a foothold in the world of aviation and were soaring their flying machines straight through society’s glass ceilings.
Like most early aviators, Smith got hooked on flying from an early age.
Her first flight in an airplane took place in a Fermin Pusher that took off from a Long Island potato field when she was all of six years old.
By the ripe old age of 10, she was already taking flying lessons. (Her instructor lashed a pair of wooden blocks to the rudder pedals so the feet of his diminutive student could reach them). Six years later, at the age of 16, she became the youngest U.S. government-licensed pilot on record.
Smith was first thrust into the limelight in 1928 when—on a dare—she flew a Waco 10 biplane under all four of New York City’s East River bridges, a stunt that resulted in a 10-day grounding by the City of New York. (Mayor J. J. Walker, seeing the public relations possibilities, immediately gave her a reprieve).
It was this growing aura of aerial daring surrounding Smith that earned her the nickname “The Flying Flapper of Freeport” after her hometown of Freeport, NY.
Catalina Island came into the picture the following year when Smith and fellow woman pilot Bobbi Trout set the first official women’s record for endurance with mid-air refueling.
Their goal was to break the previous endurance record of 26 ½ hours set, ironically, by Smith herself in April of 1929. The base of operations was to be Metropolitan Airport, now Van Nuys Airport, and the attempt would require the assistance of a Curtiss Pigeon refueling plane.
Smith was to act as pilot, with Trout handling the refueling lines as necessary.
The first attempt nearly ended in disaster. At the 12-hour mark, just as they were circling near Catalina, both planes hit turbulence during an attempt at refueling. The fuel line was yanked from Trout’s hands, dousing their Sunbeam in fuel. Both the Sunbeam and the refueling plane made it back to Metropolitan Airport with no injuries to the crew, save a few cuts and bruises.
There ensued a number of other—though less dramatic—attempts at the record, each one ending in failure due mostly to the temperamental Liberty L-12 engine in the refueling plane.
It didn’t help that the two planes were not well matched for such an endeavor.
The Sunbeam was a much higher performance plane than the Curtiss refueler. When refueling, Smith had to slow the Sunbeam to just above stalling speed in order for the slower Curtiss—flying at its top speed—to keep up with her.
Finally, in November of 1929, all the right factors fell into place. The Curtiss’ Liberty engines managed to make it through 36 hours of operation before failing, forcing the airplane into an emergency landing with its refueling hose trailing along.
Smith managed to keep the Sunbeam airborne another six and-a-half hours, setting the record at 42 ½ hours.
Smith continued to excel in aviation for the rest of her life and even made the transition to the jet age, at one time flying a T-33 Shooting Star as a publicity event for the U.S. Air Force.
She passed away on March 19, 2010, in Palo Alto, Calif.
