Blanche Stuart Scott

Blanche Stuart Scott
Blanche Stuart Scott
	Aviator and scriptwriter

Blanche Stuart Scott (April 8, 1884 – January 12, 1970), also known as Betty Scott, was possibly the first

aviator. For her automobile journey across the United States she won the attention and admiration of pioneer aviator Glenn Curtiss who gave her flying lessons at the Curtiss flying school, in Hammondsport, New York

, America's first flying school.

Biography

Early life

Blanche Stuart Scott was born on April 8, 1884, in

automobile. Her father bought a car and she drove it about the city in a time before there were minimum age restrictions on driving. In 1900 the family, still in Rochester, lived at 116 Weld Avenue. Scott's family considered her a tomboy and sent her to a finishing school

.

Automobile adventure

In 1910 Scott became the second woman, after

reporter, was her passenger. 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.

Achievements in aviation

The publicity surrounding the automobile journey brought her to the attention of Jerome Fanciulli and

Bessica Medlar Raiche's flight on September 16 was accredited as first by the Aeronautical Society of America at the time.^[2]

Scott subsequently became a professional pilot. On October 24, 1910, she made her debut as a member of the Curtiss exhibition team at an air meet in

Glenn Martin and became the first female test pilot when she flew Martin prototypes before the final blueprints for the aircraft had been made. In 1913 she joined the Ward exhibition team.^[2]

Scriptwriting and museum work

In the 1930s Scott worked as a scriptwriter for

TF-80C piloted by Chuck Yeager. Knowing Scott's history as a stunt pilot, Yeager treated her to some snap rolls and a 14,000 foot dive. In 1954 Scott began working for what was originally known as the United States Air Force Museum

, helping to acquire early aviation materials.

Death and legacy

Scott died on Monday, January 12, 1970, at Genesee Hospital in

Mount Hope Cemetery

. Her grave is at Rochester's Riverside Cemetery.

On December 30, 1980, the United States Postal Service issued an air mail stamp commemorating Scott's achievements in aviation. ^[5]^[6] In 2005, Scott was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.^[7]

Citations

^ Merrill, 1944, pp. 136, 141
^ ^a ^b ^c Cummins, 2001, pp. 21, 30-31, 75
^ Merrill, 1944, pp. 136, 141
^ Scott's first flight took place between September 2–12, 1910, but there is no verifiable evidence for an exact date so the Early Birds of Aviation certified Scott's achievement as occurring on the averaged date of September 6. Some U.S. institutions, such as the Smithsonian, prefer to give the earliest possible date of September 2.
^ "Blanch Scott ( on U.S. Airmail stamp )". U.S. Postal Service; Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
^ Smithsonian National Postal Museum
^ National Women's Hall of Fame, Blanche Stuart Scott

Sources

Cummins, Julie (2001). Tomboy of the air : daredevil pilot Blanche Stuart Scott. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
ISBN 978-0-06029-2430
.

Merrill, Arch (1944). The Lakes Country. Rochesster, New York: Louis Heindl & Son.
Trenton Evening Times; Trenton, New Jersey, May 28, 1910; Blanche Scott at Roycroft Fair

The 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.

The New York Times; February 27, 1960, page 21, Woman Who Began Flying in 1910 Recalls the Day

The 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

External links

Hargrave: Blanche Scott Archived 2004-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
Early Aviators: Blanche Scott
U.S. National Postal Museum: Blanche Scott air mail stamp

[1] Merrill, 1944, pp. 136, 141

[cummins30-75-2] Cummins, 2001, pp. 21, 30-31, 75

[3] Merrill, 1944, pp. 136, 141

[note-4] Scott's first flight took place between September 2–12, 1910, but there is no verifiable evidence for an exact date so the Early Birds of Aviation certified Scott's achievement as occurring on the averaged date of September 6. Some U.S. institutions, such as the Smithsonian, prefer to give the earliest possible date of September 2.

[5] "Blanch Scott ( on U.S. Airmail stamp )". U.S. Postal Service; Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved October 23, 2023.

[6] Smithsonian National Postal Museum

[7] National Women's Hall of Fame, Blanche Stuart Scott

[2]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	United States