Betty Skelton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Betty Skelton
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| Born | June 28, 1926 Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
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| Died | August 31, 2011 (aged 85) The Villages, Florida, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Aerobatic pilot, test driver, advertising executive |
| Spouse(s) |
Donald Frankman
(m. 1965; died 2001)Dr. Allan Erde
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Myrtle and David Skelton |
Betty Skelton Frankman Erde (born June 28, 1926 – died August 31, 2011) was an amazing American pilot and driver. She broke 17 records in both airplanes and cars! People called her "The First Lady of Firsts." Betty helped open doors for women in flying, car racing, space travel, and even advertising.
Contents
Betty's Early Flying Adventures
Betty Skelton was born in Pensacola, Florida, on June 28, 1926. She was the only child of her teenage parents. As a little girl, Betty loved watching airplanes fly over her home. It was near the Naval Air Station Pensacola. She liked model airplanes much more than dolls!
When she was eight, Betty started reading many books about flying. Her parents soon saw how serious she was about it. The family spent as much time as they could at the local airport. Betty would often convince pilots to let her ride along on short flights.
A Navy officer named Kenneth Wright took a special interest in Betty. He taught her and her parents how to fly. He even let Betty fly a Taylorcraft airplane by herself when she was only 12. This was not allowed at the time!
At 16, Betty got her private pilot's license. She wanted to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. This program let women fly planes for the United States Air Force. But Betty was too young; you had to be 18 and a half. The WASP program ended before she reached that age.
Betty flew whenever she could as a teenager. She finished high school in 1944. She really wanted a job in aviation. So, she pretended to be 18 to work at Eastern Air Lines. She worked at night, which let her rent planes and fly during the day.
She earned many flying ratings. These included flying single and multi-engine planes on land and water. At 18, she became a commercial pilot. The next year, she became a flight instructor. She taught flying at Tampa's Peter O. Knight Airport. She also joined the Civil Air Patrol.
Amazing Aerobatic Flying
In 1945, Betty's father, David, planned an airshow. It was to raise money for a local club. The airport manager suggested Betty do some basic stunts. Betty had never done aerobatics before. Aerobatics means flying stunts and tricks in the air.
She borrowed a Fairchild PT-19 plane. A famous aerobatic pilot, Clem Whitteneck, taught her to do loops and rolls. In just two weeks, Betty learned many simple aerobatic moves. She performed them at the air show.
Since military and commercial airlines did not hire female pilots, air shows were her main chance to fly. In 1946, she bought a Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer biplane. She performed at the Southeastern Air Exposition. This was the start of her professional aerobatic career. It was also when the Blue Angels team started.
Betty had many amazing tricks. Her most famous one was cutting a ribbon with her propeller. She would fly upside down, just 10 feet (3.0 m) off the ground! She was a major in the Civil Air Patrol. She also became a test pilot. Besides propeller planes, she flew blimps, gliders, helicopters, and even jets.
After winning a championship in 1948, Betty bought a special plane. It was a Pitts Special biplane. This plane was very light, weighing only 544 pounds (247 kg). It was designed for aerobatics. Betty had it painted bright red and white. Her tiny Chihuahua dog, Little Tinker, even flew with her! Little Tinker had his own tiny working parachute.
Betty was the US Female Aerobatic Champion in 1948, 1949, and 1950. Her plane, Little Stinker, became very famous. After her third win, she felt there were no more challenges in aerobatics. She was also tired from the busy air-show schedule. She stopped doing aerobatics in 1951 and sold the plane.
Years later, Betty and her first husband bought the plane back. They gave it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1985. Little Stinker is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. It hangs upside down, just as Betty flew it!
In 1949, Betty set a world record. She flew a Piper Cub to an altitude of 25,763 feet (7,853 m). Two years later, she broke her own record. She flew to 29,050 feet (8,850 m) in another Piper Cub. She also held the world speed record for propeller planes. She flew a P-51 Mustang at 421.6 mph (678.5 km/h).
Record-Breaking Car Racing
Betty moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1951. She flew charter flights for people. In 1953, the person who started NASCAR asked her to fly some car racers.
In 1954, a friend invited her to Daytona Beach, Florida. This was during "speed week." Betty drove the pace car at Daytona. Then, she drove a Dodge car on the beach sand. She set a new speed record for women in a stock car: 105.88 mph (170.40 km/h). Betty had found her second passion: car racing!
She became the first woman to get an auto race driver's license from the Automobile Association of America. In 1954, she also became the first female test driver in the car industry. She worked for Chrysler's Dodge division. She even drove a special "jump boat" over a car for a movie stunt! During this time, she also tried skydiving.
Betty set four world land speed records for women. She also set a record for driving across the United States. She raced cars across the Andes mountains in South America. She drove the whole length of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
She was the first woman to drive a jet car over 300 mph (480 km/h). This happened at the Bonneville Salt Flats. She also set three women's land speed records at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Her last record there was 156.99 mph (252.65 km/h) in 1956. That same year, she broke a 40-year-old record. She drove from New York to Los Angeles faster than anyone before.
Working with General Motors
In 1956, Betty started working in advertising for General Motors (GM). She appeared in their TV and print ads. She was GM's first woman to explain car features at big auto shows. Later, she became the official spokeswoman for Chevrolet.
Betty set many records with Corvette cars. She owned 10 Corvettes in total! GM even designed a special gold Corvette just for her. She drove it as the NASCAR pace car in 1957. Betty also helped start Corvette News magazine. She was its editor for many years. She retired from advertising in 1976.
Dreaming of Space
In 1959, Betty Skelton was the first woman to take NASA's astronaut tests. These were the same physical and mental tests given to the first male astronauts, the Mercury Seven. NASA did the tests for an article in Look magazine.
Betty impressed the astronauts with her personality and flying skills. They even nicknamed her "7½"! She was on the cover of Look magazine in 1960. The United States Navy gave her honorary pilot wings. But even with all this, nothing changed. Betty said, "I wanted very much to fly in the Navy... But all they would do is laugh when I asked."
Later Life
Betty married Donald A. Frankman in 1965. He was a TV director and Navy veteran. They moved to Florida in 1976. Betty kept a seaplane at their home. She became a real estate agent in 1977. She also published her book, Little Stinker.
Her husband passed away in 2001. Betty started flying less often. She said, "I just felt I wasn't as safe as I used to be."
In 2005, she married Dr. Allan Erde. They lived in The Villages, Florida. Even in her 80s, Betty drove a Corvette convertible. It was almost the same color as her red hair!
Betty Skelton passed away on August 31, 2011.
Awards and Recognition
Betty Skelton was honored many times for her amazing achievements. Here are some of the Halls of Fame she was inducted into:
- Florida Sports Hall of Fame, 1977
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame
- NASCAR International Automotive Hall of Fame, 1983 (She was the first woman to be inducted!)
- International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame, 1988
- Florida Women's Hall of Fame, 1993
- Women in Aviation, Pioneer Hall of Fame, 1997
- Corvette Hall of Fame, 2001
- International Council of Air Shows Foundation Hall of Fame, 2003
- National Aviation Hall of Fame, 2005
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, 2008
Special Honors
Bill France, who started NASCAR, said Betty was unique. He said she had all the best qualities, and was always feminine even when doing tough jobs.
In 1988, the International Aerobatic Club created an award in her name. It's called the Betty Skelton First Lady of Aerobatics Trophy. It goes to the highest-scoring woman pilot at the United States National Aerobatic Championships.
See also
In Spanish: Betty Skelton para niños
