Betty Miller (pilot)

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Betty Miller
Born
Betty Jean Verret

April 6, 1926
DiedFebruary 21, 2018
Occupationaviator helicopter pilot

Betty Jean Verret Miller (April 6, 1926 – February 21, 2018) was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean, which she did in May 1963.[1]

Early life[]

Betty Jean Verret was born in Venice, California on 6 April 1926 to Earday Verret and Bertha DeLay Verret during one of the worst flooding rainstorms seen in the city. She had two sisters, Merle and Phyllis.[2]

She attended Venice High School, and was drawn to a course called "Radio Shop", having grown up under the traffic pattern of the Santa Monica airport.[2]

Career[]

Specifically, she flew from Oakland, California, USA to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to deliver the plane (a twin-engine Piper) to a buyer.[3][4][5] The flight also made her the first woman to fly solo from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii which she did in just over 17 hours.[4] She started the first leg of the epic flight on April 25, 1963 from Oakland California and took over 17 hours to reach Honolulu. On May 5, she left Honolulu for the second leg of her flight to Canton Island, next Fiji and then New Caledonia. She landed in Brisbane, Australia, on May 13, 1963, Miller climbed out of the plane wearing a cotton dress and high heels to the cheers of a large crowd. The total elapsed flying time for the flight over the Pacific was 51 hours, 38 minutes.[5]

In recognition of her flight, she received the Federal Aviation Administration’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service from President Kennedy, and later President Johnson presented her with the Harmon International Trophy for Aviatrix of the Year (1963).[3]

Pilot Max Conrad suggested she make the flight over the Pacific and helped design the extra gas tanks for the plane.[4][3] William Piper, who manufactured Piper airplanes, also helped her plan the trip.[3]

She had been flying since 1952 and had become the 38th woman ever rated as a helicopter pilot.[4] She was also an instructor, dispatcher, bookkeeper and maintenance scheduler at Santa Monica Flyers flight and ground school (which she co-founded with her husband Chuck) as well as an office manager.[4][3]

In 1961, she became the first woman to solo fly a Hughes Model 269A helicopter, and also helped set physical standards for female astronauts that are still used today by those participating in physical tests at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[3]

Miller died on February 21, 2018, at the age of 91.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "50 years later, pilot looks back on record journey". ksl.com. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Betty Jean Verret Miller Obituary".
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Bountiful woman made aviation history in May 1963 | The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2016-10-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Betty Miller rests following record-setting Pacific flight". The Bend Bulletin (60 #134). UPI. 1963-05-13. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
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