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Soar, Elinor! by Tami Lewis Brown5/29/2023 ![]() ![]() In 1934, she became the first woman on a Wheaties cereal box. Charles Lindbergh wished her good luck and said, “…keep your nose down in the turns.” Her stunt has never been repeated.Įlinor Smith Voted “Best Female Pilot” in 1930 by her peers, Elinor set many speed, altitude and endurance records. Elinor not only met the challenge in 1928 at age 17, she flew the Waco 10 plane under four bridges: the Queensboro, the Manhattan, the Williamsburg and the Brooklyn Bridge. ![]() Elinor received worldwide attention when she was challenged to fly under one of New York’s East River bridges. ![]() Her license was signed by Orville Wright. Sitting on a pillow with her feet resting on blocks tied to the controls, Elinor learned to fly and by age 12, “I could do everything but take off and land.” She soloed a plane at age 15 and became the youngest licensed pilot at 16. “By the time the pilot touched the wheels gently to the earth, I knew my future in airplanes and flying was as inevitable as the freckles on my nose.”įarman pusher biplane Elinor took flying lessons at age 10. Six-year-old Elinor Smith persuaded her father to let her fly in a Farman pusher biplane near her home on Long Island, New York. ![]()
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