Driving across the United States in a Willys-Overland Model 38 in 1910, Blanche Stuart Scott solidified her reputation for mechanical aptitude and endurance. This transcontinental journey from New York to San Francisco drew significant public attention, acting as the catalyst for her subsequent career as a pioneering pilot and professional exhibition flyer throughout the early twentieth century.
Automotive Beginnings
Born in Rochester in 1884, Scott demonstrated an early interest in automobiles that predated formal licensing or age restrictions. By thirteen, she was driving through her home city with enough frequency and boldness to concern local authorities. In 1910, she undertook a monumental drive alongside passenger Gertrude Buffington Phillips. The pair traveled westwards from New York City, reaching San Francisco on July 23, 1910. This journey successfully demonstrated that a woman could manage the rigors of long-distance motoring and perform essential roadside repairs.
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Her automotive publicity attracted Glenn Curtiss, who invited her to his flying school in Hammondsport, New York. As the only woman to receive direct instruction from Curtiss, she initially practiced taxiing with a throttle limiter. On September 6, 1910, her aircraft lifted off unexpectedly during a practice session, marking a pivotal moment in her training. She later became the first woman to fly at a public event in America on October 24, 1910, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her reputation grew as she mastered maneuvers including upside-down flight and high-altitude dives.
Professional and Later Years
Scott became the first female test pilot in 1912 for Glenn Martin, evaluating aircraft prototypes. Her career included long-distance records, such as a 60-mile non-stop flight from Mineola, New York. After retiring from flying in 1916, she turned to screenwriting for RKO, Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers. In 1948, she experienced jet flight as a passenger in a TF-80C piloted by Chuck Yeager. She later contributed to the United States Air Force Museum by acquiring early aviation artifacts. She passed away in 1970 and is interred at Riverside Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1884, Rochester
- Died: 1970, Rochester
- First American woman to fly in a jet: 1948
- National Women's Hall of Fame induction: 2005
- Occupation: Screenwriter, driver, aircraft pilot
- Buried at: Riverside Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Was Blanche Stuart Scott the first woman to fly in the United States?
She is credited by the Early Birds of Aviation as the first woman to pilot and solo in an airplane in the United States following her flight on September 6, 1910.
What was the significance of her 1910 transcontinental drive?
It was only the second time a woman had driven a car across the United States, and she was the first to do so driving west from New York to San Francisco.
Achievements
- National Women's Hall of Fame
- Women in Aviation International
- Recorded as aircraft pilot, screenwriter and driver
