Betty Skelton Erde
Encyclopedia
Betty Skelton Erde was a land speed record
holder and aerobatics
pilot who set 17 aviation and automobile records. She was known as The First Lady of Firsts, and helped create opportunities for women in aviation, auto racing, astronautics and advertising.
on June 28, 1926. Her parents were teenagers and Betty was their only child. As a toddler, she was fascinated by the airplanes that flew over her home near the Naval Air Station
and preferred model airplanes over dolls. When she turned eight, she started reading books on aviation and made her parents realize that she was serious about flying. Whenever they could, the family spent time at the municipal airport. She would talk pilots into letting her ride on local flights.
Kenneth Wright, a Navy Ensign, took a special interest in the Skeltons and provided instruction to Betty and her parents. Wright allowed her to solo in his Taylorcraft airplane when she was 12 years old, which was not permitted. After receiving her Civil Aviation Authority
private pilot’s license at age 16, she qualified for the Women Airforce Service Pilots
(WASP) program, but the minimum age was 18½, so she was forced to wait. WASP participants ferried Air Force
pilots and aircraft to their duty stations, and it was the only flying program that accepted women. Sadly for Betty, it was discontinued four months before she reached the required age.
While she was a teenager, Betty flew whenever she could. She graduated from high school in 1944 and wanted a career in aviation, so she claimed to be 18 to get a job with Eastern Airlines as a clerk, working at night. The job allowed her to rent planes and fly during the day. She earned ratings for single and multi-engine on land and sea. At age 18, she received her Commercial Pilot Licence
and was certified as a flight instructor
the following year, so she began teaching at Tampa's
Peter O. Knight Airport
. Erde joined the Civil Air Patrol
a few years after it was formed in late 1941.
and Clem Whitteneck, a famous aerobatic pilot from the 1930s, taught Betty to loop and roll. Within two weeks she had honed her skills and mastered simple aerobatic maneuvers, which she repeated for the air show. Because neither the military or commercial airlines would accept a female pilot, air shows provided the only opportunity for her to work as a pilot, other than instructing. In 1946, she purchased a 1929 Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer biplane
and performed at the Southeastern Air Exposition, held in Jacksonville, Florida
. That was the start of her professional aerobatic career, and also that of the Blue Angels
, a new US Navy precision flying exhibition team. Betty's repertoire included dozens of acrobatic tricks, but her most impressive maneuver involved cutting a ribbon strung between two fishing poles with her propeller, while flying upside down 10 feet (3 m) off the ground. She held the rank of Major in the CAP and became a test pilot. Besides piston-driven airplanes, Skelton also flew blimps, gliders, helicopters and jets.
After winning the championship in 1948, she bought a rare Pitts Special
— a lightweight, open cockpit (544 pounds (246.8 kg)) biplane
designed and hand built by Curtis Pitts
for aerobatics. The plane was repainted a dramatic red and white, and Betty's Chihuahua
, Little Tinker, outfitted with a custom made working parachute, flew in her lap.
Skelton was US Female Aerobatic Champion in 1948, 1949 and 1950. Her last two championships made Betty and her plane, L'il Stinker, famous. After her third championship, she was frustrated because there were no other challenges in aerobatics, plus she was mentally and physically exhausted from the hectic, non-stop air show circuit. She retired from aerobatics and sold the plane in 1951, but she and first husband Don Frankman reacquired the airplane and donated it to the Smithsonian in 1985. Li'l Stinker is now on inverted display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
at Washington Dulles International Airport
, part of the National Air and Space Museum
.
In 1949 she set the world light-plane altitude record of 25763 feet (7,852.6 m) in a Piper Cub
. Two years later, she broke her own altitude record with a flight of 29050 feet (8,854.4 m), also in a Piper Cub. She held the world speed record for piston engine aircraft: 421.6 mi/h over a 3-km course in a P-51 Mustang
racing plane.
She became hostess of "Van Wilson's Greeting Time", a radio show in 1950.
in 1951 and piloted charter flights. In 1953, the founder of NASCAR
asked Skelton to fly some auto racers from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
A friend, Bill France, Sr., invited her to Daytona Beach, Florida
during speed week in February, 1954 where she drove the pace car
at Daytona, then climbed into a Dodge sedan and was clocked at 105.88 mi/h on the beach sand, setting a stock car speed record for women. Skelton had discovered her second passion.
She was granted an Automobile Association of America auto race driver's license, the first woman with that distinction, then became the first female test driver in the auto industry in 1954 with Chrysler's Dodge
division. She drove the jump boat, “L’il Miss Dodge,” in a movie stunt above a 1955 Custom Royal Lancer at Cypress Gardens
in Florida.
During that time, she also tried skydiving.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame
reports that "Betty earned a total of four Feminine World Land Speed Records and set a transcontinental speed record." She competed in races across the Andes
mountains in South America and drove the length of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. She set records at the Chelsea Proving Grounds and was the first woman to drive a jet car over 300 mi/h at the Bonneville Salt Flats. She also set three women’s land speed records at the Daytona Beach Road Course
, the last one being 156.99 mi/h in 1956. That same year, she broke Cannonball Baker's 40-year record for the Transcontinental Auto Race from New York to Los Angeles.
and worked with General Motors
on and in their TV and print ads. She was GM's first woman technical narrator at major auto shows, where she would talk about and demonstrate automobile features, later becoming official spokeswoman for Chevrolet.
While Skelton was working with Chevrolet
, she set numerous records with Corvette
s, and owned a total of 10 models. Between 1956 and 1957, Harley Earl
and Bill Mitchell designed a special, translucent gold Corvette for her, which she drove to Daytona in 1957 to serve as the NASCAR pace car. She helped launch Corvette News, the company's internal employee magazine and served as editor for many years. The publication is now known as Corvette Quarterly. She became Vice President of Campbell-Ewald's new Women's Market and Advertising department in 1969, then retired in 1976 after 20 years in advertising.
's physical and psychological tests; identical to those given to the Mercury Seven
astronauts. NASA administered the tests at the request of Look Magazine
for an article. She met and charmed the astronauts with her personality, then impressed them with her pilot skills. They nicknamed her “7½” and Skelton was featured on the February 2, 1960 cover of Look. The United States Navy
even awarded her honorary wings
. However, nothing changed. "I complained that NASA wasn't giving more thought to women pilots ... I wanted very much to fly in the Navy ... But all they would do is laugh when I asked."
. She became a real estate agent in 1977 and published her book, Little Stinker. At the end of the century, Betty was taking care of her ailing husband, who died in 2001, and she flew less often. "I just felt I wasn't as safe as I used to be," she said.
In 2005, she married Dr. Allan Erde, a retired Naval surgeon, and they resided in The Villages, Florida
. She and her husband, both in their 80s, lived in a retirement community where most residents use golf carts for transportation. Betty drove a Corvette convertible
with a color that nearly matched her red hair.
She died on August 31, 2011.
established the Betty Skelton First Lady of Aerobatics Trophy, awarded to the highest scoring woman pilot at the United States National Aerobatic Championships.
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
holder and aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
pilot who set 17 aviation and automobile records. She was known as The First Lady of Firsts, and helped create opportunities for women in aviation, auto racing, astronautics and advertising.
Early years
She was born Betty Skelton in Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
on June 28, 1926. Her parents were teenagers and Betty was their only child. As a toddler, she was fascinated by the airplanes that flew over her home near the Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
and preferred model airplanes over dolls. When she turned eight, she started reading books on aviation and made her parents realize that she was serious about flying. Whenever they could, the family spent time at the municipal airport. She would talk pilots into letting her ride on local flights.
Kenneth Wright, a Navy Ensign, took a special interest in the Skeltons and provided instruction to Betty and her parents. Wright allowed her to solo in his Taylorcraft airplane when she was 12 years old, which was not permitted. After receiving her Civil Aviation Authority
Civil Aviation Authority
This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...
private pilot’s license at age 16, she qualified for the Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots
The Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
(WASP) program, but the minimum age was 18½, so she was forced to wait. WASP participants ferried Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
pilots and aircraft to their duty stations, and it was the only flying program that accepted women. Sadly for Betty, it was discontinued four months before she reached the required age.
While she was a teenager, Betty flew whenever she could. She graduated from high school in 1944 and wanted a career in aviation, so she claimed to be 18 to get a job with Eastern Airlines as a clerk, working at night. The job allowed her to rent planes and fly during the day. She earned ratings for single and multi-engine on land and sea. At age 18, she received her Commercial Pilot Licence
Commercial Pilot Licence
A Commercial Pilot License or, in the United States, a Commercial Pilot Certificate, is a qualification that permits the holder to act as the Pilot In Command of a single pilot aircraft, or as co-pilot of a multi-pilot aircraft and be paid for his/her work.The basic requirements to obtain the...
and was certified as a flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
the following year, so she began teaching at Tampa's
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
Peter O. Knight Airport
Peter O. Knight Airport
Peter O. Knight Airport is an airport on Davis Islands, five minutes from downtown Tampa, Florida. Built as a Works Progress Administration project, it was Tampa's main airport from 1935 to 1945, and is still used by general aviation operators today because of its proximity to the central city....
. Erde joined the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
a few years after it was formed in late 1941.
Aerobatics
David Skelton organized an amateur airshow in 1945 to raise funds for the local Jaycees. The airport manager in Tampa suggested that Betty perform some basic stunts, but she had never done aerobatics. She borrowed a Fairchild PT-19Fairchild PT-19
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....
and Clem Whitteneck, a famous aerobatic pilot from the 1930s, taught Betty to loop and roll. Within two weeks she had honed her skills and mastered simple aerobatic maneuvers, which she repeated for the air show. Because neither the military or commercial airlines would accept a female pilot, air shows provided the only opportunity for her to work as a pilot, other than instructing. In 1946, she purchased a 1929 Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
and performed at the Southeastern Air Exposition, held in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. That was the start of her professional aerobatic career, and also that of the Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
, a new US Navy precision flying exhibition team. Betty's repertoire included dozens of acrobatic tricks, but her most impressive maneuver involved cutting a ribbon strung between two fishing poles with her propeller, while flying upside down 10 feet (3 m) off the ground. She held the rank of Major in the CAP and became a test pilot. Besides piston-driven airplanes, Skelton also flew blimps, gliders, helicopters and jets.
After winning the championship in 1948, she bought a rare Pitts Special
Pitts Special
The Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...
— a lightweight, open cockpit (544 pounds (246.8 kg)) biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
designed and hand built by Curtis Pitts
Curtis Pitts
Curtis Pitts of Stillmore, Georgia, was a designer of a series of popular aerobatic biplanes, known as the Pitts Special. He also designed the Pitts Samson, built in 1948 for aerobatic pilot Jess Bristow...
for aerobatics. The plane was repainted a dramatic red and white, and Betty's Chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
, Little Tinker, outfitted with a custom made working parachute, flew in her lap.
Skelton was US Female Aerobatic Champion in 1948, 1949 and 1950. Her last two championships made Betty and her plane, L'il Stinker, famous. After her third championship, she was frustrated because there were no other challenges in aerobatics, plus she was mentally and physically exhausted from the hectic, non-stop air show circuit. She retired from aerobatics and sold the plane in 1951, but she and first husband Don Frankman reacquired the airplane and donated it to the Smithsonian in 1985. Li'l Stinker is now on inverted display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum 's annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States....
at Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
, part of the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
.
In 1949 she set the world light-plane altitude record of 25763 feet (7,852.6 m) in a Piper Cub
Piper J-3
The Piper J-3 Cub is a small, simple, light aircraft that was built between 1937 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. With tandem seating, it was intended for flight training but became one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time...
. Two years later, she broke her own altitude record with a flight of 29050 feet (8,854.4 m), also in a Piper Cub. She held the world speed record for piston engine aircraft: 421.6 mi/h over a 3-km course in a P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
racing plane.
She became hostess of "Van Wilson's Greeting Time", a radio show in 1950.
Land racing
Skelton moved to Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
in 1951 and piloted charter flights. In 1953, the founder of NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
asked Skelton to fly some auto racers from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
A friend, Bill France, Sr., invited her to Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
during speed week in February, 1954 where she drove the pace car
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
at Daytona, then climbed into a Dodge sedan and was clocked at 105.88 mi/h on the beach sand, setting a stock car speed record for women. Skelton had discovered her second passion.
She was granted an Automobile Association of America auto race driver's license, the first woman with that distinction, then became the first female test driver in the auto industry in 1954 with Chrysler's Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
division. She drove the jump boat, “L’il Miss Dodge,” in a movie stunt above a 1955 Custom Royal Lancer at Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens was an American theme park near Winter Haven, Florida, that operated from 1936 to 2009.-History:Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie...
in Florida.
During that time, she also tried skydiving.
The National Aviation Hall of Fame
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
reports that "Betty earned a total of four Feminine World Land Speed Records and set a transcontinental speed record." She competed in races across the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
mountains in South America and drove the length of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. She set records at the Chelsea Proving Grounds and was the first woman to drive a jet car over 300 mi/h at the Bonneville Salt Flats. She also set three women’s land speed records at the Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
, the last one being 156.99 mi/h in 1956. That same year, she broke Cannonball Baker's 40-year record for the Transcontinental Auto Race from New York to Los Angeles.
GM
In 1956, she became an advertising executive with Campbell-EwaldCampbell-Ewald
Campbell Ewald is one of the largest marketing communications agencies in the United States, offering innovative capabilities both traditional and specialized, including advertising; insights and solutions planning; integrated content strategy and development; social, relationship, retail and...
and worked with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
on and in their TV and print ads. She was GM's first woman technical narrator at major auto shows, where she would talk about and demonstrate automobile features, later becoming official spokeswoman for Chevrolet.
While Skelton was working with Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, she set numerous records with Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
s, and owned a total of 10 models. Between 1956 and 1957, Harley Earl
Harley Earl
Harley J. Earl was first Vice President of Design at General Motors. He was an industrial designer and a pioneer of modern transportation design. A coachbuilder by trade, Earl pioneered the use of freeform sketching and hand sculpted clay models as design techniques...
and Bill Mitchell designed a special, translucent gold Corvette for her, which she drove to Daytona in 1957 to serve as the NASCAR pace car. She helped launch Corvette News, the company's internal employee magazine and served as editor for many years. The publication is now known as Corvette Quarterly. She became Vice President of Campbell-Ewald's new Women's Market and Advertising department in 1969, then retired in 1976 after 20 years in advertising.
Astronautics
In 1959, Skelton was the first woman to undergo NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's physical and psychological tests; identical to those given to the Mercury Seven
Mercury Seven
Mercury Seven was the group of seven Mercury astronauts selected by NASA on April 9, 1959. They are also referred to as the Original Seven and Astronaut Group 1...
astronauts. NASA administered the tests at the request of Look Magazine
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
for an article. She met and charmed the astronauts with her personality, then impressed them with her pilot skills. They nicknamed her “7½” and Skelton was featured on the February 2, 1960 cover of Look. The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
even awarded her honorary wings
Aircrew Badge
The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on board military aircraft. The badge is intended to recognize the training and qualifications required...
. However, nothing changed. "I complained that NASA wasn't giving more thought to women pilots ... I wanted very much to fly in the Navy ... But all they would do is laugh when I asked."
Personal life
Skelton married Hollywood TV director/producer and Navy veteran Donald A. Frankman in 1965. They moved to Florida in 1976, where she kept a seaplane docked at their lakefront home in Winter HavenWinter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County...
. She became a real estate agent in 1977 and published her book, Little Stinker. At the end of the century, Betty was taking care of her ailing husband, who died in 2001, and she flew less often. "I just felt I wasn't as safe as I used to be," she said.
In 2005, she married Dr. Allan Erde, a retired Naval surgeon, and they resided in The Villages, Florida
The Villages, Florida
The Villages is a master-planned age-restricted retirement community located mainly in Sumter County, Florida, United States, but also includes portions of Lake and Marion counties. The community is controlled by several Community Development Districts , most of which are controlled by H. Gary...
. She and her husband, both in their 80s, lived in a retirement community where most residents use golf carts for transportation. Betty drove a Corvette convertible
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
with a color that nearly matched her red hair.
She died on August 31, 2011.
Hall of Fame inductions
- Florida Sports Hall of FameFlorida Sports Hall of FameThe Florida Sports Hall of Fame is an association dedicated to honoring athletes with outstanding achievement in sports in Florida. It has expanded its goals to include encouraging physical fitness among Florida's citizens through the example of its honorees.The FSHOF was founded by the Florida...
, 1977 - International Motorsports Hall of FameInternational Motorsports Hall of FameThe International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer...
- NASCAR International Automotive Hall of Fame, 1983 - the 1st woman
- International Aerobatic ClubInternational Aerobatic ClubThe International Aerobatic Club is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the National Aeronautics Association...
Hall of Fame, 1988 - Florida Women's Hall of Fame, 1993
- Women in Aviation, Pioneer Hall of Fame, 1997
- Corvette Hall of FameNational Corvette MuseumThe National Corvette Museum showcases the Chevrolet Corvette, an American sports car that has been in production since 1953. It is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, off Interstate 65's Exit 28...
, 2001 - International Council of Air Shows Foundation Hall of Fame, 2003
- National Aviation Hall of FameNational Aviation Hall of FameThe American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
, 2005 - Motorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaMotorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaThe Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
, 2008
Honors
Bill France stated, "I would venture to say there is no other woman in the world with all the attributes of this woman. The most impressive of them all is her surprising and outstanding ever-present femininity, even when tackling a man's job". In 1988, the International Aerobatic ClubInternational Aerobatic Club
The International Aerobatic Club is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the National Aeronautics Association...
established the Betty Skelton First Lady of Aerobatics Trophy, awarded to the highest scoring woman pilot at the United States National Aerobatic Championships.
Further reading
- Holden, Henry. Betty Skelton: The First Lady of Firsts. 1994.
- Skelton, Betty. Betty Skelton's "Little Stinker". Winter Haven, FL: Cross Press, 1977.
External links
- National Air and Space Museum, Archives Division, Betty Skelton Collection
- Aerobatic pilot Betty Skelton, 'First Lady of Firsts,' dies at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
- "Betty Skelton, Air and Land Daredevil, Dies at 85", New York Times obituary
- NASA Oral History Project: Aviatrix Pioneers, audio interview with Betty Skelton