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Black Hawk Publishing Co.
Ruth Elder - The American Super Girl and her Critics
Ruth Elder - The American Super Girl and her Critics
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Most people know that Amelia Earhart’s first trip across the Atlantic began when it departed Newfoundland on June 17, 1928. She was an admitted passenger on the Fokker F-VII Trimotor. What is virtually lost to history is that Ruth Elder, a movie actress and aviation adventurer attempted a transatlantic flight as a copilot on October 11/12, 1927, just five months after Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight, and a full eight months before Earhart’s flight.
She, and fellow pilot George Haldeman, made the attempt to cross the Atlantic together in a yellow Stinson Detroiter named "The American Girl" NC1384.
Depending upon the account you read, they flew somewhere between 2,574 and 2,625 miles across the Atlantic in stormy weather, in 28-36 hours, with Ruth at the controls for about nine hours. They were forced to ditch in the water due to an oil leak about 300-360 miles short of the Azores.
In spite of the numbers, and regardless of whether they completed the flight or not, their flight is historically significant for two reasons: First, it was, up to that time, the longest flight ever made over water. Their distance was probably longer than that measured on the great circle route, since they had to maneuver to avoid storms. Second, it was the longest flight ever made by a woman. As a note, Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, flew 2,026 miles.
In spite of Ruth Elder’s achievements, she had both admirers, and many critics who voiced their opinions in the press. “Ruth Elder - The American Super Girl and her Critics” was published in The Literary Digest, October 27, 1927.
She, and fellow pilot George Haldeman, made the attempt to cross the Atlantic together in a yellow Stinson Detroiter named "The American Girl" NC1384.
Depending upon the account you read, they flew somewhere between 2,574 and 2,625 miles across the Atlantic in stormy weather, in 28-36 hours, with Ruth at the controls for about nine hours. They were forced to ditch in the water due to an oil leak about 300-360 miles short of the Azores.
In spite of the numbers, and regardless of whether they completed the flight or not, their flight is historically significant for two reasons: First, it was, up to that time, the longest flight ever made over water. Their distance was probably longer than that measured on the great circle route, since they had to maneuver to avoid storms. Second, it was the longest flight ever made by a woman. As a note, Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, flew 2,026 miles.
In spite of Ruth Elder’s achievements, she had both admirers, and many critics who voiced their opinions in the press. “Ruth Elder - The American Super Girl and her Critics” was published in The Literary Digest, October 27, 1927.
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