Aviatrix

by Elinor Smith

Reading Aviatrix is a journey back in time that all who were there will find irresistible. For the later arrivals, it tells of the real beginning....Finally, we have a factual and detailed record of aviation's most romantic period, by the top woman pilot of the era." -H. A. Ottewill, Captain, U.S. Naval Reserve (Ret.) and Captain, TWA (Ret.). In 1917, six-year-old Elinor Smith went up for her first airplane ride. From then on, she spent every spare moment hanging around the planes and fliers at Long Island's Roosevelt Field - the site of many aviation firsts of that era - for her dream to make flying a career had begun. That was a revolutionary idea in those days. Flying was still in its infancy, and only a few women had managed to become licensed pilots, most of them supported by rich husbands. Even the top male pilots had to struggle to make a living in this newfangled industry. Determined to make her dream come true, Elinor soloed at the age of fifteen; a year later she became the youngest licensed pilot in the United States when Orville Wright signed her F.A.I. flying license. After attracting national attention by flying under the four New York City bridges, she went on to pilot 158 different models of aircraft, to set altitude, endurance and refueling records, and to be named "Best Woman Pilot" in 1930, the same year her idol and friend Lt. Jimmy Doolittle was named "Best Aviator." All of this was "seat of the pants" flying, since pilots were lucky to have a compass and an altimeter in the cockpit, and their lives depended on their intimate knowledge of each plane that they flew. Aviatrix is a warm and loving memoir of an exciting time in aviation. The author shares with us wonderful adventures, and some wonderful people. She knew all the great Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, Bert Acosta, and Casey Jones; and the women Amelia Earhart, Bobbie Trout, Lady Mary Heath, and Louise Thaden. She also recounts a few unpleasant experiences with a gentleman named G.P. Putnam, who happened to be Amelia's husband and manager. Along the way, we meet some of the top stage, screen, and radio stars of the day as Elinor's flying fame takes her in front of Hollywood cameras and NBC's microphones. This is an enthralling piece of history, especially about women's contribution to early aviation. Elinor Smith is a wonderful storyteller and a feisty lady who has never lost her touch at the controls, or her determination to fight for what she believes in. Elinor Smith retired from active flying in the early 1930's to marry Patrick Sullivan and raise four children. In 1960, an invitation to address the United States Air Force Association led her back into the aviation world, piloting a T-33 jet trainer. In March 2000 she visited the Ames Research Center at Moffatt Field in Mountain View, California, at the controls of the Space Shuttle simulator she became the oldest pilot to complete a simulated shuttle landing. In 2001 at the age of 89 she travelled to Langley Air Force Base where she flew a C33 Raytheon AGATE, Beech Bonanza. Up until her death on March 19, 2010 at the age of 98, she captivated audiences with her aviation knowledge and exciting adventures.

Genres: Aviation

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend and myself were interested in further exploring Elinor Smith’s feats after reading the historical fiction novel The Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead.

This is a memoir everyone should read. Elinor Smith was a high caliber pilot about which few people know about these days. She is up there with (if not surpassing ) the better known pilots Orville Wright, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, etc. compiling first after first aviation achievements. The stories she tells in her memoir - wow.

[Chris Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grateful to Elinor to share her flying life with us! Love her wittiness and courage and gained a great appreciation for her ceaseless pioneering! Wild to realize her name is not more of a common household one!! What other histories are we missing in modern times?

[Genetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elinor Smith personified the daredevil female flyers of the 1920s and 1930s. Her autobiography offers the reader a glimpse into her passion for aviation, her sense of humor, independence, charm, and spunk. She was one of the greatest pilots of all. As a professional who studied aviation, Elinor flew airplanes, seaplanes, monoplanes, biplanes, multi-engine planes, and in later years jets and the space shuttle. She set endurance, speed, and altitude records, was the first hired female executive pilot and the first female test pilot.
From her first thrilling introduction to flight when her father purchased an airplane ride for seven-year-old Elinor and her brother Joe, she knew her future would involve aviation. At a young age, her goal was to become a professional pilot. And before she was 19, she flew every plane possible, including civilian and military planes, with a plan to become America's number one aviatrix.

[Ange Heins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe how little attention this book has had. How fortunate that one of early aviation’s most dedicated women was also a gifted storyteller!
I loved this book and only wish she had written a follow up about the second half of her airborne career. Could have done with being twice as long :)

[GARY J. SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early days of aviation

Very good read. Fascinating account of women in aviation. Me Smith gAve first hand accounts of the many aviation challenges she faced

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elinor Smith was probably the most accomplished female airplane pilot in history. At a time when flight was a new technology, she became the youngest licensed pilot in the world at age 16; broke more records at the age of 18 than most male pilots of that era did in their lifetimes; and managed to remain very down to earth and professional while doing it. She later took 30 years off from flying to raise a family, then returned to the field in her 50's, and became the oldest pilot to land the space shuttle simulator in her 80's. She died in 2010, aged 98.

In short, Elinor Smith was really awesome. This book is somewhat less so. While the first chapter is certainly thrilling and I appreciate her down-to-earth tone, Smith's writing style is relatively dull and the chapters really start to run together as a series of flat "this is what I did at this time with these people" recitations. There are a few really interesting nuggets in here - most especially the revelation that, despite conventional wisdom, Amelia Earhart couldn't actually fly a plane until about a decade AFTER she was famous and her reputation was concocted entirely by her husband, promoter G.P. Putnam, whom Smith, despite her affection for Earhart, also reveals to have been a horrible human being. Most of the reason Smith is not a household name today despite having been worthy of the hype is entirely due to Putnam going out of his way to sabotage her career in any way that he could. However, in spite of some historically interesting details such as these, much of the book is still a litany of names, dates, and places that have no meaning to a casual reader in the 21st century. More disappointingly, despite having lived a thoroughly awesome life, Smith only covers two years of it in this book - her early flying triumphs as a teenager. I would've liked to read about the rest as well. Although one of the best things about her as a person, Smith's humility really resulted in her selling herself short when it came time to tell her own story to the world.

With that said, if you have an interest in aviation history or in stories about women succeeding in a largely male field, this is a must-read. However, there's also a reason why I was able to get an autographed copy secondhand on Amazon for just $4. Elinor Smith was the real Amelia Earhart. It's just a shame that she didn't embrace that a little more and put more effort into telling the world about it.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books out there by an early woman pilot. Having the good fortune to meet Elinor Smith, she exemplified the independent and passionate woman one would expect to find during the Golden Age of Aviation. Selected as the woman pilot of the year in 1928(9), she was still a teenager with big dreams. Although she gave up flying in the early 1930s, she left her mark in aviation history. This is reflected in her book.