Ruth Elder (September 8, 1902October 9, 1977) was an aviation pioneer and actress. She carried private pilot certificate P675, and was known as the "

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

of Aviation." She was a charter member of the

Ninety-Nines The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...

. In October 1927 she took off from New York in the

Stinson Detroiter The Stinson Detroiter was a six-seat cabin airliner for passengers or freight designed and built by the Stinson Aircraft Company, Stinson Aircraft Syndicate, later the ''Stinson Aircraft Corporation''. Two distinct designs used the Detroiter nam ...

''American Girl'', with George Haldeman as pilot, in an attempt to become the first woman transatlantic airplane flyer. Mechanical problems caused them to ditch the plane 360 miles from the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

, but they established a new over-water endurance flight record of 2,623 miles. It was also at the time the longest flight ever made by a woman. Rescued by a ship, she and George were honored with a ticker-tape parade upon their return. After her flight, she embarked on a series of lucrative speaking engagements and was given a movie contract. She starred in '' Moran of the Marines'' (1928) and ''

The Winged Horseman ''The Winged Horseman'' is a lost 1929 American silent Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and Arthur Rosson and starring Hoot Gibson and aviator Ruth Elder. It was produced and released by Universal Pictures. Cast * Hoot Gibson as Sky ...

'' (1929). In 1929 she entered the first

Women's Air Derby The Women's Air Derby was the first official women-only air race in the United States, taking place during the 1929 National Air Races. Humorist Will Rogers referred to it as the Powder Puff Derby, the name by which the race is most common ...

, flying in her

Swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

, NC8730, and placed fifth. She married six times. She married Walter Camp, Jr., son of the early football innovator, on August 29, 1929, but filed for divorce in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, Nevada, on November 14, 1932. Her final union was a remarriage to Ralph P. King, to whom she was married for 21 years and who outlived her. She had suffered

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

for several years before she died. She had one son, William Trent Gillespie (1940-2008), from her marriage to movie effects pioneer A. Arnold Gillespie. She appears on the May 29, 1952 edition of ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radioHoward Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

who had initially forgotten who she was. In 2013, an inspirational juvenile book titled ''Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America's Heart'' was published, written by Julie Cummins and illustrated by Malene R. Laugesen. The title character of the Ruth Darrow Flying Stories book series is said be based on Ruth Elder. In 2016, her story was told in novelized version in ''Crossing the Horizon'' by Laurie Notaro.Crossing the Horizon: A Novel
Simon and Schuster

References

External links

* * Audi

by John H. Lienhard on The Engines of Our Ingenuity * 1927 Pathé newsreel footage:
The Amazing Atlantic Airwoman

The End Of A Wonderful Flight

New York's Welcome
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, Ruth American film actresses Aviators from Alabama 1902 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American actresses American women aviation record holders American aviation record holders