Opal Kunz
Encyclopedia
Opal Kunz, also known as Opal van Zandt Giberson Kunz (November 6, 1894 – May 15, 1967) was a noted early American aviator
, the first president of the "Ninety-Nines", a women pilots’ organization, that was formed in her living room, and an early feminist. She was married to Dr. George Frederick Kunz
.
As an aviatrix, Opal Kunz spent a great deal of time and money on her flying pursuits. "I learned to fly as a sportswoman in the interest of National Defense [sic]. My planes were always called 'Betsy Ross
.' My husband was Gem Expert and vice-president of Tiffany & Co.
N.Y. C. Never flew for any company as my husband was able and wanted to pay my way... I have a huge scrapbook containing clippings from all the papers in the country... All the publicity was given free by the press- No publicity agents were employed. I was the first woman to race with men in open competition. It was an American Legion Air Meet in Philadelphia. I had the fastest plane and won the race..." In another letter, she stated: "I was the first woman to race with men in open competition at Philadelphia American Legion Benefit Air Meet, on April 7, 1930. Won first prize."
" and the "Lady Birds." The Betsy Ross Air Corps was formed as a semi-military service to support the Army Air Corps and to act in times of emergencies, such as flood, earthquakes, etc. "The Betsy Ross Corps was formed to ferry planes, give flight instruction, compete in benefit air meets to raise funds for charities, and provide first aid. Mrs. Kunz obtained about 100 members and kept the organization going for about four years." She also indicated she placed as much money as she could spare into the service. "I spent all my resources trying to form Women’s Reserve Corp [sic]."
There appears to be very little original information or primary sources about this organization, a precursor to many of the women’s flying organizations during World War II. Most of the information found are in the comments of the early members, which often were not recorded for posterity. "...In the spring of 1931, the year before she Pancho Barnes
ran for L.A. County supervisor, she heard about the Betsy Ross Corps, a national organization of female pilots intended to function as an auxiliary to the Army Air Corps, the precursor to the US Air Force. She joined immediately, donning the uniform of khaki jodhpurs and shirt, and meeting with other local women fliers at March Field. But she was disappointed with the lack of activities..."
, later dubbed "The Powder Puff Derby" by humorist Will Rogers, took off from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California, headed for Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, there were only 70 licensed female pilots in the entire US, and only 40 qualified to take part in this contest.
Over 500,000 tickets were sold for this race and air show which took place over ten days, and which instantly became a spectator sport. The flights were limited to daylight hours only, and the pilots navigated by dead reckoning and by using commercial road maps of the states they would fly over.
That there was overt sexism shown against this group was obvious from the first. One of the odd qualifications was that the aircraft would have to have horsepower "appropriate for a woman." Opal Kunz was told her airplane was too fast for a woman to handle, and had to get another craft or stay out of the race. "...Though Opal Kunz owned and flew her own 300 horse power Beech Travel Air
, it was disallowed since it was deemed by the judges to be 'too fast for a woman to fly.' With $25,000.00 in prize money at stake, she found a lesser horsepower craft to race." In August 1929, the first Women's Air Derby was held. Of the 20 entrants, seven flew Travel Airs, and it was Louise Thaden who won the Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland race. Opal Kunz finished eighth. The other five Travel Airs were flown by Pancho Barnes
, Claire Fahy, Marvel Crosson, Mary von Mach and Blanche Noyes
.
The derby was divided into two classes of airplanes based on engine size, and other pilots had Travel Air airplanes. It isn’t known if the judges would have included at third size especially for one airplane engine size or not. Opal Kunz seems to be the source for this story about the airplane motor being too powerful for a woman to use, so she had to buy another one instead.
However, another account by her indicates she crashed an airplane going to the race, and may have decided on this story to explain why she needed a new airplane. Regretfully, no one seems to have the story straight today, and all the original references seem to point back only to the accounts given by Opal, but these stories are not backed up by official decisions of the judges, a letter of disqualification, or any other sources to independently verify this account.
Was sexism shown against the women pilots? Of course. Without a doubt, Thea Rasche
and Claire Fahy claimed that someone tampered with their plane, and both Bobbi Trout and Opal Kunz claimed their instruments were maladjusted before starting the race in California. When another contestant, Marvel Crosson, was killed in a plane crash in Arizona, a police investigation into the charges of sabotage were taken more seriously. No cause for her crash has ever been determined.
had just won the 15 mile race for airplanes with a Curtiss OX-5 motor, used during the World War in the Jenny and in other military aircraft. After winning that race, Captain Donaldson borrowed Opal Kunz’ more powerful and more modern airplane, and shortly afterward crashed at the American Legion Air Races meet in Philadelphia. The airplane fell from a height of 1,800 feet straight down into the municipal airfield, in front of over 40,000 horrified spectators. List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1925–1934)
Even though they were separated, Dr. Kunz was still proud of his former wife. A few months after the annulment, he suggested that she pilot a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh
up in her plane to photograph a partial solar eclipse, something which had never been done before. "...On April 28, 1930 Dr. Fisher [of the Amateur Astronomer’s Association] went up in a biplane from Newark Airport for his first time in the air to photograph a partial eclipse of the sun. He used a Graflex camera with a Zeiss f/4.5 lens from an altitude of 18,200 feet. He wore helmet and goggles, the camera was handled with bare hands at a temperature of 18 below zero. The trip had been suggested to him only a couple of hours before by the husband of Mrs. Kunz, the pilot..."
(CPTP)" during the war, teaching over 400 young men how to fly for the Air Corps.
This was her old dream of the Betsy Ross Flying Corps come true, as she helped train the men who would fly fighter aircraft in combat. An account form the time shows the work she was doing by saying: "Mrs. Kunz has been in Providence since January 1942 as a member of the staff of E. W. Wiggins Airways. She has a mother's confidence in her 'boys' and they reciprocate with respect and enthusiasm. Nothing gives her greater joy than to see them solo, to know she has taken them one step nearer to Uncle Sam's aerial defense line." Later, at her home in California, she would recall with fondness her experiences. "I trained about 400 boys and it was easily the highlight of my career. I really became a sort of foster mother to them. You would be surprised how many of my boys brought their wives and children to see me after the war."
She also indicated in a letter that she had trained combat pilots. "...I was a flight instructor all during the war. Had over three hundred students who served as combat pilots in the war."
After the war, she became an inspector for the Aerojet
-General Corporation in California. She never re-married, and she lived alone in her modest house with her three dogs. While she never had a great deal of money, she was able to do fairly well on her inheritance from her husband and her retirement income from the aircraft company. "These days, I haven’t the money to fly. Aerojet lays off more people than they hire, and I have to depend on my modest income from N. Y. willed to me by my late husband. I have a modest house with plenty of shade trees and my old Oldsmobile runs beautifully. My family consists of three fine dogs- two collies and one German shepherd."
As a final example of her self-confidence, after the historic flight of the Russian Cosmonaut, Major Yuri Gagarin
, in orbiting the earth, she wrote to President John F. Kennedy
on April 14, 1961, and volunteered her services as an American astronaut. "It seems to me that all the Russians did was send a human dummy upstairs. All was controlled from the ground. Anyone could have ridden that course, even I could do that... I would be glad to fly in any contraption offered by my government to outdo this record flight of the Russian. I’m a widow and have no one to leave to suffer in case I didn’t come back."
While a letter from an older woman volunteering to become an astronaut might be laughed at, when they checked her credentials they found she was not unqualified with her many years of flying expertise and her engineering experience. She deserved serious consideration and a courteous reply, and she received both from President Kennedy.
on May 15, 1967, and is buried in one of the public cemeteries, called the "Old Auburn Cemetery", in plot: 127B-3.
Although her Social Security record indicates she was born in 1894, her burial record indicates she was born in 1896. Her cemetery burial card also indicates her mother's maiden name was "Gribble".
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, the first president of the "Ninety-Nines", a women pilots’ organization, that was formed in her living room, and an early feminist. She was married to Dr. George Frederick Kunz
George Frederick Kunz
George Frederick Kunz was an American mineralogist and mineral collector.- Overview :Kunz was born in New York City, USA, and began an interest in minerals at a very young age. By his teens, he had amassed a collection of over four thousand items, which he sold for four hundred dollars to the...
.
As an aviatrix, Opal Kunz spent a great deal of time and money on her flying pursuits. "I learned to fly as a sportswoman in the interest of National Defense [sic]. My planes were always called 'Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross
Betsy Ross is widely credited with making the first American flag. There is, however, no credible historical evidence that the story is true.-Early life:...
.' My husband was Gem Expert and vice-president of Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
N.Y. C. Never flew for any company as my husband was able and wanted to pay my way... I have a huge scrapbook containing clippings from all the papers in the country... All the publicity was given free by the press- No publicity agents were employed. I was the first woman to race with men in open competition. It was an American Legion Air Meet in Philadelphia. I had the fastest plane and won the race..." In another letter, she stated: "I was the first woman to race with men in open competition at Philadelphia American Legion Benefit Air Meet, on April 7, 1930. Won first prize."
Betsy Ross Air Corps
She also was an organizer of two other aviation clubs for women, the "Betsy Ross Air CorpsBetsy Ross Air Corps
The Betsy Ross Air Corps was a pre–World War II pilot's organization of female pilots. Organized by Opal Kunz and named after Revolutionary war heronie Betsy Ross, the organization had a short lived period of existence during the Great Depression and was never formally recognized by the US...
" and the "Lady Birds." The Betsy Ross Air Corps was formed as a semi-military service to support the Army Air Corps and to act in times of emergencies, such as flood, earthquakes, etc. "The Betsy Ross Corps was formed to ferry planes, give flight instruction, compete in benefit air meets to raise funds for charities, and provide first aid. Mrs. Kunz obtained about 100 members and kept the organization going for about four years." She also indicated she placed as much money as she could spare into the service. "I spent all my resources trying to form Women’s Reserve Corp [sic]."
There appears to be very little original information or primary sources about this organization, a precursor to many of the women’s flying organizations during World War II. Most of the information found are in the comments of the early members, which often were not recorded for posterity. "...In the spring of 1931, the year before she Pancho Barnes
Pancho Barnes
Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer aviator, the founder of the first test pilots union and the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant. She broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record in 1930...
ran for L.A. County supervisor, she heard about the Betsy Ross Corps, a national organization of female pilots intended to function as an auxiliary to the Army Air Corps, the precursor to the US Air Force. She joined immediately, donning the uniform of khaki jodhpurs and shirt, and meeting with other local women fliers at March Field. But she was disappointed with the lack of activities..."
Powder Puff Derby
"The First Women's Transcontinental Air Derby," or the Women's Air DerbyWomen's Air Derby
The first Women’s Air Derby during the 1929 National Air Races, commonly known as the “Powder Puff Derby”, was the first official women’s only air race in the United States. Nineteen pilots took off from Santa Monica, California, on August 18, 1929...
, later dubbed "The Powder Puff Derby" by humorist Will Rogers, took off from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California, headed for Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, there were only 70 licensed female pilots in the entire US, and only 40 qualified to take part in this contest.
Over 500,000 tickets were sold for this race and air show which took place over ten days, and which instantly became a spectator sport. The flights were limited to daylight hours only, and the pilots navigated by dead reckoning and by using commercial road maps of the states they would fly over.
That there was overt sexism shown against this group was obvious from the first. One of the odd qualifications was that the aircraft would have to have horsepower "appropriate for a woman." Opal Kunz was told her airplane was too fast for a woman to handle, and had to get another craft or stay out of the race. "...Though Opal Kunz owned and flew her own 300 horse power Beech Travel Air
Travel Air
The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas in the United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.-Company history:...
, it was disallowed since it was deemed by the judges to be 'too fast for a woman to fly.' With $25,000.00 in prize money at stake, she found a lesser horsepower craft to race." In August 1929, the first Women's Air Derby was held. Of the 20 entrants, seven flew Travel Airs, and it was Louise Thaden who won the Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland race. Opal Kunz finished eighth. The other five Travel Airs were flown by Pancho Barnes
Pancho Barnes
Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer aviator, the founder of the first test pilots union and the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant. She broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record in 1930...
, Claire Fahy, Marvel Crosson, Mary von Mach and Blanche Noyes
Blanche Noyes
Blanche Noyes was an American pioneering female aviator who was among the first ten women to receive a pilot's license. She was Ohio's first licensed female pilot in 1929.-Biography:...
.
The derby was divided into two classes of airplanes based on engine size, and other pilots had Travel Air airplanes. It isn’t known if the judges would have included at third size especially for one airplane engine size or not. Opal Kunz seems to be the source for this story about the airplane motor being too powerful for a woman to use, so she had to buy another one instead.
However, another account by her indicates she crashed an airplane going to the race, and may have decided on this story to explain why she needed a new airplane. Regretfully, no one seems to have the story straight today, and all the original references seem to point back only to the accounts given by Opal, but these stories are not backed up by official decisions of the judges, a letter of disqualification, or any other sources to independently verify this account.
Was sexism shown against the women pilots? Of course. Without a doubt, Thea Rasche
Thea Rasche
Thea Rasche was Germany's first woman pilot.-References:...
and Claire Fahy claimed that someone tampered with their plane, and both Bobbi Trout and Opal Kunz claimed their instruments were maladjusted before starting the race in California. When another contestant, Marvel Crosson, was killed in a plane crash in Arizona, a police investigation into the charges of sabotage were taken more seriously. No cause for her crash has ever been determined.
Death of Captain Jack Donaldson
On September 7, 1930, the World War I Air Ace John Donaldson (aviator)John Donaldson (aviator)
Captain John Owen Donaldson was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.Donaldson was born in Fort Yates, North Dakota, the son of General Thomas Quinton Donaldson. He left Cornell and joined the Royal Flying Corps in Canada in March 1917. When the U. S. declared war, he...
had just won the 15 mile race for airplanes with a Curtiss OX-5 motor, used during the World War in the Jenny and in other military aircraft. After winning that race, Captain Donaldson borrowed Opal Kunz’ more powerful and more modern airplane, and shortly afterward crashed at the American Legion Air Races meet in Philadelphia. The airplane fell from a height of 1,800 feet straight down into the municipal airfield, in front of over 40,000 horrified spectators. List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1925–1934)
Marriage Annulment
After only seven years together, Dr. Kunz announced to the press that the marriage was annulled in January 1930. The request for the annulment came originally from Mrs. Kunz, but the legal papers concerning the annulment are still under seal in New York, and the causes and details for the annulment are not publicly known today. To avoid open court proceedings, the annulment was granted by a Supreme Court judge from New York, who had the authority to annul a marriage without open court proceedings and the possibility for more scandal. Mrs. Opal Kunz (she retained her married name) stayed in their apartment in an amiable arrangement. She continued to act as a hostess for Dr. Kunz and to care for him as long as he lived. In his will, he left half of his estate to her, as well as his apartment in New York City and his stock in Tiffany & Co. A frequent flyer, Mrs. Kunz had often said that her long absences on distant flights would make it "impossible for me to be a good wife to any man."Even though they were separated, Dr. Kunz was still proud of his former wife. A few months after the annulment, he suggested that she pilot a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh
Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh
Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh was founded on June 9, 1929 by Chester B. Roe and Leo J. Scanlon. Since then, it has grown to over 500 members and operates two observatories in the Pittsburgh region: the Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory and the Mingo Creek Park Observatory...
up in her plane to photograph a partial solar eclipse, something which had never been done before. "...On April 28, 1930 Dr. Fisher [of the Amateur Astronomer’s Association] went up in a biplane from Newark Airport for his first time in the air to photograph a partial eclipse of the sun. He used a Graflex camera with a Zeiss f/4.5 lens from an altitude of 18,200 feet. He wore helmet and goggles, the camera was handled with bare hands at a temperature of 18 below zero. The trip had been suggested to him only a couple of hours before by the husband of Mrs. Kunz, the pilot..."
World War II
With the threat of war rising on the horizon, Opal later renewed her pilot’s license after taking a refresher course at Hagerstown, Maryland, and began teaching aviation students at the Arkansas State College. She later moved to Rhode Island, and at the start of World War II became an instructor at the Rhode Island State Airport for Navy cadets and the government sponsored "Civilian Pilot Training ProgramCivilian Pilot Training Program
The Civilian Pilot Training Program was a flight training program sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military preparedness....
(CPTP)" during the war, teaching over 400 young men how to fly for the Air Corps.
This was her old dream of the Betsy Ross Flying Corps come true, as she helped train the men who would fly fighter aircraft in combat. An account form the time shows the work she was doing by saying: "Mrs. Kunz has been in Providence since January 1942 as a member of the staff of E. W. Wiggins Airways. She has a mother's confidence in her 'boys' and they reciprocate with respect and enthusiasm. Nothing gives her greater joy than to see them solo, to know she has taken them one step nearer to Uncle Sam's aerial defense line." Later, at her home in California, she would recall with fondness her experiences. "I trained about 400 boys and it was easily the highlight of my career. I really became a sort of foster mother to them. You would be surprised how many of my boys brought their wives and children to see me after the war."
She also indicated in a letter that she had trained combat pilots. "...I was a flight instructor all during the war. Had over three hundred students who served as combat pilots in the war."
After the war, she became an inspector for the Aerojet
Aerojet
Aerojet is an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange, Gainesville and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet is owned by GenCorp. They are the only US propulsion company that provides both solid rocket...
-General Corporation in California. She never re-married, and she lived alone in her modest house with her three dogs. While she never had a great deal of money, she was able to do fairly well on her inheritance from her husband and her retirement income from the aircraft company. "These days, I haven’t the money to fly. Aerojet lays off more people than they hire, and I have to depend on my modest income from N. Y. willed to me by my late husband. I have a modest house with plenty of shade trees and my old Oldsmobile runs beautifully. My family consists of three fine dogs- two collies and one German shepherd."
As a final example of her self-confidence, after the historic flight of the Russian Cosmonaut, Major Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, in orbiting the earth, she wrote to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
on April 14, 1961, and volunteered her services as an American astronaut. "It seems to me that all the Russians did was send a human dummy upstairs. All was controlled from the ground. Anyone could have ridden that course, even I could do that... I would be glad to fly in any contraption offered by my government to outdo this record flight of the Russian. I’m a widow and have no one to leave to suffer in case I didn’t come back."
While a letter from an older woman volunteering to become an astronaut might be laughed at, when they checked her credentials they found she was not unqualified with her many years of flying expertise and her engineering experience. She deserved serious consideration and a courteous reply, and she received both from President Kennedy.
Death
She died alone at her home in Auburn, CaliforniaAuburn, California
Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California. Its population at the 2010 census was 13,330. Auburn is known for its California Gold Rush history.Auburn is part of the Greater Sacramento area.- History :...
on May 15, 1967, and is buried in one of the public cemeteries, called the "Old Auburn Cemetery", in plot: 127B-3.
Although her Social Security record indicates she was born in 1894, her burial record indicates she was born in 1896. Her cemetery burial card also indicates her mother's maiden name was "Gribble".