Florence Klingensmith
Encyclopedia
Florence Gunderson Klingensmith (3 September 1904 – 4 September 1933) was an American Aviator of the Golden Age
of Air Racing
. She was also a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, a women's pilot group. She was one of the first women to participate in Air Races with men. Unfortunately, she paid the ultimate price when she was killed in the 1933 National Air Race in Cleveland, Ohio
.
. She attended Oakmound School with her sister Myrtle and brothers George and Roy. Her father "Gust" worked at Oakmound as a janitor and the school bus driver. The family later moved to Moorhead, Minnesota, where the daredevil Florence took up riding motorcycles - very fast! She met Charles Klingensmith and they married on 25 June 1927, but within a year and a half the two had split.
In August 1928 Charles Lindbergh
visited Fargo, North Dakota
, where she was living at the time, inspiring Florence to take flying lessons. In 1928, she attended Hanson Auto and Electrical School in Fargo. That summer, she agreed to be a skydiver in return for flight lessons from Edwin Mead Canfield. Her first jump left her unconscious, but didn't deter her from continuing.
Over that winter she literally went door to door to persuade local business men to fund the purchase of a plane. In return, Florence would promote Fargo and carry advertisements at fairs, flying meets, and air races. Her persistence paid off. As Fargo laundry owner William T. Lee said, "If you're willing to risk your neck, I'll risk my money." He and other local business owners put up $3,000 to purchase a Monocoupe. She picked it up and flew it back to Fargo's Hector Field
, where she was working as a mechanics' apprentice, and christened it "Miss Fargo." In June 1929 she became the first licensed woman pilot in North Dakota
. That summer she barnstormed
county fairs, worked as operations manager at Hector, and flew in her first race, where she took fourth place.
On 19 April 1930, she set the woman's record for inside loops with 143 loops. Unfortunately, no National Aeronautics Association members were present to make it official. Laura Ingalls
later raised her loop record to 980. On 22 June 1931, before more than 50,000 spectators (and NAA officials), Florence took off from Wold Chamberlain Field
at Minneapolis, Minnesota
. Four and one-half hours later she landed, "A trifle groggy and gagged by gas fumes," with a verified record of 1,078 loops.
At the 1931 National Air Races
in Cleveland, Ohio
she won four woman-only events and claimed $4,200 in prize money. At the 1932 Nationals she won the most coveted prize in women's aviation, the Amelia Earhart Trophy, presented by Amelia Earhart
herself and winning the grand prize of an Essex
Terraplane
automobile.
In 1932, she came second in the Shell Speed Dash, in a Monocoupe.
Florence flew a bright red Gee Bee Model Y Senior Sportster NR718Y, owned by Arthur Knapp of Jackson, Michigan
. The fabric-covered craft's original 220 horsepower (164 kW) Lycoming
engine had been replaced with a 670 hp (500 kW) Wright Whirlwind
. Late in the afternoon of September 4, one day after her 29th birthday, Florence was flying in fourth place ahead of four male fliers, averaging over 200 mph through the first eight laps. Then, just as she was passing the grand stands, a bit of red fabric fluttered down from the fuselage. The stresses of the race were apparently too much for the overpowered light craft. Florence immediately veered off the course and flew steady and level straight south to a plowed field a couple of miles away. Suddenly the plane nosed over into the ground from about 350 feet up. Florence died instantly. Apparently she had attempted to bail out. Her parachute was found tangled in the fuselage.
Organizers used her death as a excuse to bar women from the Air Races.
Florence's body was shipped back to Minnesota for the funeral. The businessmen who had bankrolled Florence's first plane served as pallbearers. She was interred at Oakmound Cemetery, a few miles from where she was born.
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
of Air Racing
Air racing
- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...
. She was also a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, a women's pilot group. She was one of the first women to participate in Air Races with men. Unfortunately, she paid the ultimate price when she was killed in the 1933 National Air Race in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Life
Florence Gunderson was born September 3, 1904 on her parents' small farm in Oakport Township, MinnesotaOakport Township, Minnesota
Oakport Township is a township in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,689 at the 2000 census. Oakport Township has reached an orderly annexation agreement to enter the city of Moorhead in 2015....
. She attended Oakmound School with her sister Myrtle and brothers George and Roy. Her father "Gust" worked at Oakmound as a janitor and the school bus driver. The family later moved to Moorhead, Minnesota, where the daredevil Florence took up riding motorcycles - very fast! She met Charles Klingensmith and they married on 25 June 1927, but within a year and a half the two had split.
In August 1928 Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
visited Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, where she was living at the time, inspiring Florence to take flying lessons. In 1928, she attended Hanson Auto and Electrical School in Fargo. That summer, she agreed to be a skydiver in return for flight lessons from Edwin Mead Canfield. Her first jump left her unconscious, but didn't deter her from continuing.
Over that winter she literally went door to door to persuade local business men to fund the purchase of a plane. In return, Florence would promote Fargo and carry advertisements at fairs, flying meets, and air races. Her persistence paid off. As Fargo laundry owner William T. Lee said, "If you're willing to risk your neck, I'll risk my money." He and other local business owners put up $3,000 to purchase a Monocoupe. She picked it up and flew it back to Fargo's Hector Field
Hector International Airport
Hector International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Fargo, a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport Authority.The airport was named after Martin...
, where she was working as a mechanics' apprentice, and christened it "Miss Fargo." In June 1929 she became the first licensed woman pilot in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. That summer she barnstormed
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
county fairs, worked as operations manager at Hector, and flew in her first race, where she took fourth place.
On 19 April 1930, she set the woman's record for inside loops with 143 loops. Unfortunately, no National Aeronautics Association members were present to make it official. Laura Ingalls
Laura Ingalls (aviator)
-Birth:She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Francis Abbott Ingalls I and Martha Houghtaling . Martha was the daughter of David Harrison Houghtaling of Kingston, New York, who was a descendant of Jan Willemsen Hoogteling, who arrived in New York on May 9, 1661.Regarding her mother, Laura wrote: "My...
later raised her loop record to 980. On 22 June 1931, before more than 50,000 spectators (and NAA officials), Florence took off from Wold Chamberlain Field
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:...
at Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. Four and one-half hours later she landed, "A trifle groggy and gagged by gas fumes," with a verified record of 1,078 loops.
At the 1931 National Air Races
National Air Races
The National Air Races were a series of pylon and cross-country races that took place in the United States from 1920 to 1949. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew rapidly during this period; the National Air Races were both a proving ground and...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
she won four woman-only events and claimed $4,200 in prize money. At the 1932 Nationals she won the most coveted prize in women's aviation, the Amelia Earhart Trophy, presented by Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
herself and winning the grand prize of an Essex
Essex (automobile)
The Essex was a brand of automobile produced by the Essex Motor Company from 1918–1922 and Hudson Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1922 and 1932.-Corporate strategy:...
Terraplane
Terraplane
The Terraplane was a car brand and model built by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1932 and 1938. In its maiden year, the car was branded as the Essex-Terraplane; in 1934 the car became simply the Terraplane...
automobile.
In 1932, she came second in the Shell Speed Dash, in a Monocoupe.
1933 National Air Races
In 1933 Florence was the first woman to enter the $10,000 Frank Phillips Trophy Race at the Nationals Air Races in Chicago, Illinois. The Phillips was a 100 mile, 12 lap pylons race and was open to planes with no limits on engine size. This race was the main event at the Nationals that year.Florence flew a bright red Gee Bee Model Y Senior Sportster NR718Y, owned by Arthur Knapp of Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
. The fabric-covered craft's original 220 horsepower (164 kW) Lycoming
Lycoming Engines
Lycoming Engines is a U.S. aircraft engine company, known primarily for its general aviation engines. For most of its history Lycoming has been part of the AVCO group as AVCO Lycoming. In 1987 AVCO was purchased by Textron to become Textron Lycoming...
engine had been replaced with a 670 hp (500 kW) Wright Whirlwind
Wright Whirlwind
The Wright R-975 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of about 975 in³ and power ratings of 300-450 hp...
. Late in the afternoon of September 4, one day after her 29th birthday, Florence was flying in fourth place ahead of four male fliers, averaging over 200 mph through the first eight laps. Then, just as she was passing the grand stands, a bit of red fabric fluttered down from the fuselage. The stresses of the race were apparently too much for the overpowered light craft. Florence immediately veered off the course and flew steady and level straight south to a plowed field a couple of miles away. Suddenly the plane nosed over into the ground from about 350 feet up. Florence died instantly. Apparently she had attempted to bail out. Her parachute was found tangled in the fuselage.
Organizers used her death as a excuse to bar women from the Air Races.
Florence's body was shipped back to Minnesota for the funeral. The businessmen who had bankrolled Florence's first plane served as pallbearers. She was interred at Oakmound Cemetery, a few miles from where she was born.
External links
- "Florence Klingensmith", Minnesota Historical Society