Dreams & American Girls

Ruth Elder
Movie actress of the 1920's & fearless aviation adventurer, Aviatrix.

 Five months after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Ruth decided she wanted to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic in her yellow Stinson Detroiter named "The American Girl". A very apropos name for a flight vessel to carry an American girl who grew up in a small town in Alabama with a dream & a determination to prove that a woman is equal to a man.  

"On October 11, 1927 in spite of bad weather, we took off. The American Girl carried 520 gallons of fuel, enough for 48 hours of flying time."  Ruth Elder

Lindbergh made the flight in 21 hours, 40 minutes, and Elder felt the American Girl would make it ,even in worse weather conditions, in better time. The press at first did not take her seriously. Elder, they were sure, was just an attractive actress and liberated woman looking for publicity. They downplayed it until they realized that on October 13, the American Girl was overdue. Then they splashed the front pages with headlines voicing concern and wishes for her safe arrival.

 

Planning routes, she made sure to avoid the worst of the Atlantic storms. However, her approach to this goal ignored some very basic advice:  avoid the North Atlantic in winter.  Lindbergh had succeeded. Everyone before Lindbergh had  tried and failed. All of Elder's supporters wanted her to wait until spring, but other women were preparing to attempt the flight by spring. Elder's competitive spirit & headstrong attitude kept her from waiting.
She was determined to achieve victory.   

   "Everybody in France is eager to see this audacious girl succeed in proving that she is not a weak woman. If she does succeed, that lovely American will have a triumph as great as Lindbergh's. The daring and self-confidence of that American girl has imbued public opinion with the conviction that she will succeed. There will be no pessimistic predictions that sought to discourage flights since the recent scenes of transatlantic disasters."
The New York Times

Flying somewhere between 2,574 and 2,625 miles across the Atlantic in stormy weather ( 28-36 hours) .
 They were forced to ditch in the water due to an oil leak about 300-360 miles short of the Azores.
Elder  was rescued by the Dutch tanker Barendrecht"

Ruth's flight was not completed but it was not in vain.  It remains a flight of historical importance because, up until that time, it was the longest flight ever made over water. It is also widely speculated that  their distance was probably much longer than the measured one on the great circle route.. due to the maneuvers made to avoid storms & bad weather. It was also the longest flight made by a woman at that point in time.
 

Ruth Elder continued flying and in 1929, she came in fifth in the world's FIRST Women's Air Derby.
She later retired from aviation but went on to become a successful Hollywood actress.

A few short years later, in 1932,  Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across The Atlantic solo.

American Girls

We Dream Big & Ohhhh what we do


xo

Birdee