Ruth Elder

Ruth Elder, born on September eighth, nineteen oh two, was a remarkable aviation pioneer and actress, often celebrated as the 'Miss America of Aviation.' With a private pilot certificate P675, she made significant strides in both the aviation and film industries.

In October nineteen twenty-seven, Ruth embarked on a daring journey from New York in the Stinson Detroiter American Girl, alongside pilot George Haldeman, aiming to become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Although mechanical issues forced them to ditch the plane three hundred sixty miles from the Azores, they achieved a new over-water endurance flight record of two thousand six hundred twenty-three miles, marking the longest flight ever made by a woman at that time. Their heroic return was celebrated with a ticker-tape parade.

Following her historic flight, Ruth transitioned into a successful acting career, securing a movie contract that led to her starring roles in 'Moran of the Marines' in nineteen twenty-eight and 'The Winged Horseman' in nineteen twenty-nine. That same year, she participated in the inaugural Women's Air Derby, finishing in fifth place while piloting her Swallow, NC8730.

Ruth's personal life was marked by six marriages, including a union with Walter Camp, Jr. in nineteen twenty-nine, which ended in divorce in nineteen thirty-two. Her final marriage to Ralph P. King lasted twenty-one years until her passing. She had one son, William Trent Gillespie, born in nineteen forty, from her marriage to A. Arnold Gillespie.

In her later years, Ruth worked as an executive secretary in the aviation industry, notably for Howard Hughes. She appeared on the May twenty-nine, nineteen fifty-two edition of 'You Bet Your Life' under the name Ruth King, where she mentioned her autobiography. Her legacy continues to inspire, with a juvenile book titled 'Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America's Heart' published in two thousand thirteen, and her story novelized in 'Crossing the Horizon' by Laurie Notaro in two thousand sixteen.