Blanche Stuart Scott
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Blanche Stuart Scott (April 8, 1885 - January 12, 1970) aka Betty Scott was the first female aviator.
Contents
Birth
Blanche Stuart Scott was born on April 08, 1885, in Rochester, New York to Belle and John Scott (1838-?). Her father sold patent medicine. At age 13 she became an early enthusiast of the automobile. In the year 1900 the family was living in Rochester at 116 Weld Avenue 1.Automobile
In 1910, after attending a finishing school, she became the first woman to drive an automobile across the US, travelling from New York to San Francisco in California. The trip was sponsored by the Willys-Overland Company and the car was named the "Lady Overland". They left New York on May 16, 1910 and reached San Francisco on July 23, 1910. The New York Times' wrote on May 17, 1910:- Miss Scott, with Miss Phillips as only companion, starts on long trip with the object of demonstrating the possibility of a woman driving a motor car across the country and making all the necessary repairs en route. Miss Blanche Stuart Scott yesterday started in an Overland automobile on a transcontinental Journey which will end in San Francisco.
Aviation
Her automobile publicity brought her to the attention of Jerome Fanciulli and Glenn Curtiss, and they agreed to provide her with flying lessons. She was the first and only woman to receive instruction directly from Curtiss. To prevent her aircraft from gaining enough speed to become airborne while taxiing on her own, Curtiss inserted a block of wood behind the throttle pedal to prevent her from going too fast. It didn't stop her, she ended up flying to an altitude of forty feet on her first flight on September 5, 1910. She continued her lessons and made her debut as a member of the Curtiss team at a Chicago air meet on October 1st through the 9th in 1910. She retired from flying in 1916.Death
She died on Monday, January 12, 1970 at Genesee Hospital, Rochester, New York at age 84. She was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Rochester.Timeline
- 1885 Birth in Rochester, New York
- 1910 New York to San Francisco auto trip
- 1910 Learn to fly but not get license
- 1916 Retire from flying
- 1970 Death in Rochester
- 1980 Stamp issued
See also
Selected coverage in the New York Times
- New York Times, May 15, 1910, page S4, "Woman to drive auto to Frisco: Miss Scott Will Make Trip and Act as Own Mechanician During Long Journey. Miss Blanche Stuart Scott, a young society woman of Rochester, New York, will leave City Hall, New York City, in an Overland automobile at noon to-morrow, bearing a message from Mayor Gaynor to Mayor McCarthy of San Francisco. Miss Scott announces that there will be nothing spectacular, strenuous, or notorious in the performance, which she treats with a most beautiful modesty."
- New York Times, May 17, 1910, page 11, "Woman to drive auto to Frisco: Miss Scott, with Miss Phillips as Only Companion, Starts on Long Trip. With the object of demonstrating the possibility of a woman driving a motor car across the country and making all the necessary repairs en route. Miss Blanche Stuart Scott yesterday started in an Overland automobile on a transcontinental Journey which will end in San Francisco."
- New York Times, February 27, 1960, page 21, "Woman Who Began Flying in 1910 Recalls the Day"
- New York Times , January 13, 1970, page 45, "Blanche Stuart Scott, 84, Dies; Made First Solo Flight in 1910; Feat Followed Cross-Country Drive Later Toured as Daredevil Flier"
Selected coverage in other periodicals
- Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, NJ, May 28, 1910
External links
- [She Went Where Only Eagles Dared: The Story of Blanche Stuart Scott] by Donovan A. Shilling
- [Hargrave: Blanche Scott]
- [Hill: Blanche Scott]
- [Early Aviators: Blanche Scott]
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