Betty Haas Pfister
Elizabeth Haas Pfister | |
---|---|
Born |
Elizabeth Haas July 23, 1921 Great Neck, New York |
Died |
November 17, 2011 90) Aspen, Colorado | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Aviator |
Elizabeth Haas Pfister (July 23, 1921 – 17 November 2011) was an American aviator.
Haas Pfister was born Elizabeth Haas in Great Neck, New York, the second of three children of Robert Haas and Merle Haas (née Simon).[1][2][3] She expressed an interest in aviation from an early age,[2] and she began taking flying lessons while attending Bennington College in Vermont.[3] By the time she graduated (early, with a degree in marine biology),[3] she had enough flight hours to be a candidate to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.[4]
As a member of WASP, starting in 1943, she flew military aircraft within the United States, ferrying them from factory to airfield or airfield to port.[2] Like other WASP members, she also assisted with aerial target practice, towing airborne targets,[2] and flew test flights.[1]
After World War II ended, Haas Pfister purchased (for $750)[2] a decommissioned Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter plane.[5] The plane, with serial number 44-2433, never saw combat during the war.[5] Haas Pfister named it "Galloping Gertie", painted it red and white, and used it in races and exhibitions.[5] The plane was loaned to the Smithsonian Institution in 1950, with the donation becoming permanent in 1956.[5] In her racing career, Haas Pfister twice won the All Women’s International Air Race, in 1950 and 1952.[2]
In her later career, Haas Pfister undertook a number of aviation endeavors. After the war, she worked for Pan American Airways as a stewardess and served as an aviation instructor.[3] She started flying other aircraft like gliders and balloons,[2] and in 1953, she earned her helicopter license,[3] the 52nd American woman to do so.[4][1] She competed with the U.S. Helicopter Team in the 1973 and 1978 world championships and later served as a judge.[3]
Haas Pfister advocated for upgrades to the Aspen–Pitkin County Airport that allowed it to accommodate major commercial traffic.[4][3] She supervised the construction of the Aspen Valley Hospital Heliport.[1] She also helped found the Pitkin County Air Rescue Group, flying numerous rescue missions in the mountains.[4] She founded the Aspen chapter of the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots[3] and the Snowmass, Colorado, Balloon Festival.[2]
Awards and honors
Haas Pfister was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984.[3] The National Aeronautic Association gave her the Katharine Wright Memorial Award in 1992 and the Elder Statesman of Aviation Award in 1994.[3] Whirly-Girls International, which she served as President from 1985–1987, gave her their Livingston Award in 1995.[3]
In 2010, Haas Pfister was in attendance when the members of WASP, as a group, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.[3]
Personal life
Haas Pfister married Arthur Pfister in 1954; he died in 2008.[2] They had three children.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Love at First Flight: Former WASP Still Living Life at Full Throttle". Airport Journals. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hevesi, Dennis (3 December 2011). "Betty Haas Pfister, a Woman With Wings, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Parrish, Nancy (17 November 2011). "WASP Elizabeth 'Betty' Haas Pfister, 43-W-5 Nov. 17, 2011". Final Flight. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 "Elisabeth H. Pfister". Colorado Aviation Historical Society. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 "Bell P-39Q-15-BE Airacobra "Galloping Gertie"". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 24 March 2018.