Pancho Barnes
Encyclopedia
Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes (July 22, 1901 – March 30, 1975) was a pioneer aviator
, the founder of the first test pilots union and the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant. She broke Amelia Earhart
's air speed record
in 1930. She was a member of the Ninety-Nines, and raced in the Women's Air Derby
.
. Her grandfather, was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe
, who had pioneered American aviation with the establishment of the Union Army Balloon Corps
during the American Civil War
. In 1919 she married Reverend C. Rankin Barnes of South Pasadena, California
, and they had a son, William E. Barnes. Her mother died in 1924.
Having spent four months abroad, Pancho returned to San Marino, California
and in the 1928, while driving her cousin Dean Banks to flying lessons, decided to learn to fly. Convincing her cousin's flight instructor of her desire that same day, she soloed after six hours of formal instruction.
She ran an ad-hoc barnstorming
show and competed in air races. Despite a crash in the 1929 Women's Air Derby
, she returned in 1930 under the sponsorship of the Union Oil Company to win the race – and break Amelia Earhart's world women's speed record with a speed of 196.19 mph (315.7 km/h). Barnes broke this record in a Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship
.
After her contract with Union Oil expired, Pancho moved to Hollywood to work as a stunt pilot for movies. In 1931, she started the Associated Motion Picture Pilots
, a union of film industry stunt fliers who promoted flying safety and standardized pay for aerial stunt work. She flew in several air-adventure movies of the 1930s, including Howard Hughes' "Hell's Angels."
Pancho had extensive connections in Hollywood. Her early close friend George Hurrell
later would become the legendary head of the portrait department of MGM Studios. Pancho Barnes is credited with helping George Hurrell start his career in Hollywood after taking the photo she was to use on her pilots license.
She lost most of her money in the Great Depression
. By 1935, Pancho had only her apartment in Hollywood left. She sold it and in March, 1935 bought 180 acres (72.8 ha) of land in the Mojave Desert
, near the Rogers dry lake bed and the nascent Muroc Field, then referred to as March Field because it was an adjunct property of March Army Air Base
at that time.
, also known as the Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch, a dude ranch
and restaurant which catered to airmen at the nearby airfield and her friends from Hollywood. Pancho became very close friends with many of the early test pilots, including Chuck Yeager
, General Jimmy Doolittle
, and Buzz Aldrin
. Pancho's ranch became famous for the parties and high-flying lifestyle of all the guests. However, a change of command in 1952 contributed to her getting into a conflict with the US Air Force. The Air Force was planning for the future of aviation, and decided they needed to build a new, super long runway to accommodate new aircraft that were being planned to run on atomic power. That new runway would run directly across Pancho's ranch. The Air Force originally offered her a price for her ranch, land, and facilities that was very close to the cost of undeveloped desert land. She requested a fair appraisal to better reflect the actual cost of replacement of her land and business, but in the midst of getting a re-appraisal, the base leadership accused her of running a house of ill-repute on her ranch. The effect of even the hint of impropriety resulted in her ranch and business being put off-limits to military personnel, and the value of her business plummeted. Pancho then filed a lawsuit against the United States Air Force
to, as she put it, "Roust out the scoundrels in the government who would perpetrate such an injustice." She knew that if she filed a lawsuit, she would have the opportunity to depose under oath the various leaders and personnel on base, and the truth would come out and clear her name. During the height of the intense court battle, in 1953, her ranch burned in a fire of mysterious origin. After the fire, the value of her ranch and business further plummeted to a level more closely reflecting the original buy-out offer from the Air Force. Nonetheless, the court battle continued. Pancho was determined to receive fair value for her land and business, and to clear her name. A main contention of her defense was: "My grandfather founded the United States Air Force." On that argument the court found in her favor and she was awarded $375,000 renumeration for her property and business. Also, her name had been cleared. Despite losing her land and business, Pancho's ranch was never used for an expansion of a runway, and indeed the proposed runway was never built. After the government took her land, she moved to Cantil, California
, with hopes of restarting a similar dude ranch business there. It never happened. It was not until the late 1960s that Pancho once again became a commonplace figure at the base and began to be referred to as the "Mother of Edwards AFB." The wounds began to heal as Pancho reconnected with many old-timers. The officer's mess at Edwards was renamed the Pancho Barnes Room.
Son Bill Barnes died piloting a P-51 Mustang
flying near Fox Field in Lancaster in October, 1980. In 1940, Pancho founded Barnes Aviation of Lancaster
which Bill operated in his adult years. It remains in the general aviation business today.
Her life and personality were portrayed in the 1983 epic film The Right Stuff adapted from Tom Wolfe
's bestselling book of the same name. Kim Stanley
played Pancho Barnes. She was also the subject of a heavily fictionailzed 1988 TV movie written by John Michael Hayes
and directed by Richard Heffron entitled Pancho Barnes, in which she was portrayed by Valerie Bertinelli
. The first biography about Pancho was published in 1986, "The Lady Who Tamed Pegasus: The Story of Pancho Barnes," written by Grover Ted Tate who relied heavily upon the copyrighted autobiography materials of Pancho Barnes. In 1996, a second biography appeared, "Pancho: The Biography of Florence Lowe Barnes," and was written by Barbara Schultz. A third biography appeared in 2000, written by Lauren Kessler, "The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes." Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) sponsored a documentary film, The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
, completed in 2009. In it, Kathy Bates
provides the voice of Pancho Barnes. The documentary was made independent of the estate of Pancho Barnes, however the estate cooperated by allowing the film makers full access to her personal papers and photographs as well as her copyrighted autobiography that are owned by the estate. The film, which chronicles Pancho's life story, was produced and written by Nick T. Spark
and directed by Amanda Pope, in affiliation with KOCE-TV
, a PBS station in Orange County, California. The documentary won an Emmy for best arts and history documentary.
Pancho's Mystery Ship was for a long time located in a hangar at Mojave Airport. It was sold to a private collector a number of years ago, and is currently in the United Kingdom where it has been restored.
The Happy Bottom Riding Club site is the location for the annual Edwards Air Force Base Pancho Barnes Day celebration (established in 1980). A barbecue is held and drinks are served, along with dancing and live music to honor the remembrance of this aviation pioneer and friend. This continues on into the night, as in the old days.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, the founder of the first test pilots union and the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant. She broke 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...
's air speed record
Air speed record
An air speed record is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale , which also ratifies any claims. Speed records are divided into multiple classes with sub-divisions...
in 1930. She was a member of the Ninety-Nines, and raced in the Women's Air Derby
Women's Air Derby
The first Women’s Air Derby during the 1929 National Air Races, commonly known as the “Powder Puff Derby”, was the first official women’s only air race in the United States. Nineteen pilots took off from Santa Monica, California, on August 18, 1929...
.
Biography
She was born as Florence Leontine Lowe on July 22, 1901 to Thaddeus Lowe II (1870–1955) and his first wife Florence May Dobbins in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. Her grandfather, was Thaddeus S. C. Lowe
Thaddeus S. C. Lowe
Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe , also known as Professor T. S. C. Lowe, was an American Civil War aeronaut, scientist and inventor, mostly self-educated in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and aeronautics, and the father of military aerial reconnaissance in the United States...
, who had pioneered American aviation with the establishment of the Union Army Balloon Corps
Union Army Balloon Corps
The Union Army Balloon Corps was a branch of the Union Army during the American Civil War, established by presidential appointee Thaddeus S. C. Lowe...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In 1919 she married Reverend C. Rankin Barnes of South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, and they had a son, William E. Barnes. Her mother died in 1924.
Having spent four months abroad, Pancho returned to San Marino, California
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
and in the 1928, while driving her cousin Dean Banks to flying lessons, decided to learn to fly. Convincing her cousin's flight instructor of her desire that same day, she soloed after six hours of formal instruction.
She ran an ad-hoc barnstorming
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...
show and competed in air races. Despite a crash in the 1929 Women's Air Derby
Women's Air Derby
The first Women’s Air Derby during the 1929 National Air Races, commonly known as the “Powder Puff Derby”, was the first official women’s only air race in the United States. Nineteen pilots took off from Santa Monica, California, on August 18, 1929...
, she returned in 1930 under the sponsorship of the Union Oil Company to win the race – and break Amelia Earhart's world women's speed record with a speed of 196.19 mph (315.7 km/h). Barnes broke this record in a Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship
Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship
|-References:NotesBibliography* Phillips, Edward H. Mystery Ship: A History of the Travel Air Type R Monoplanes . New Brighton, Minnesota: Flying Books International, 1999. ISBN 978-0911139297....
.
After her contract with Union Oil expired, Pancho moved to Hollywood to work as a stunt pilot for movies. In 1931, she started the Associated Motion Picture Pilots
Associated Motion Picture Pilots
Associated Motion Picture Pilots was a union of aviators who worked as stunt pilots in the Hollywood film industry. The group, one of the first unions in film work, was organized by Pancho Barnes in 1931 and formally established on January 4, 1932. It set "a virtual monopoly on motion picture...
, a union of film industry stunt fliers who promoted flying safety and standardized pay for aerial stunt work. She flew in several air-adventure movies of the 1930s, including Howard Hughes' "Hell's Angels."
Pancho had extensive connections in Hollywood. Her early close friend George Hurrell
George Hurrell
George Hurrell was a photographer who made a significant contribution to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...
later would become the legendary head of the portrait department of MGM Studios. Pancho Barnes is credited with helping George Hurrell start his career in Hollywood after taking the photo she was to use on her pilots license.
She lost most of her money in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. By 1935, Pancho had only her apartment in Hollywood left. She sold it and in March, 1935 bought 180 acres (72.8 ha) of land in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, near the Rogers dry lake bed and the nascent Muroc Field, then referred to as March Field because it was an adjunct property of March Army Air Base
March Air Reserve Base
March Joint Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force Headquarters and the 452d Air Mobility Wing , the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force...
at that time.
The Happy Bottom Riding Club
On her land, Pancho Barnes built the Happy Bottom Riding ClubHappy Bottom Riding Club
The Happy Bottom Riding Club, more formally known as the Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch, was a dude ranch restaurant and hotel operated by Pancho Barnes on the site of current-day Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley, in the southwestern part of the United...
, also known as the Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch, a dude ranch
Dude ranch
The guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism.-History:...
and restaurant which catered to airmen at the nearby airfield and her friends from Hollywood. Pancho became very close friends with many of the early test pilots, including Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
, General Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
, and Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
. Pancho's ranch became famous for the parties and high-flying lifestyle of all the guests. However, a change of command in 1952 contributed to her getting into a conflict with the US Air Force. The Air Force was planning for the future of aviation, and decided they needed to build a new, super long runway to accommodate new aircraft that were being planned to run on atomic power. That new runway would run directly across Pancho's ranch. The Air Force originally offered her a price for her ranch, land, and facilities that was very close to the cost of undeveloped desert land. She requested a fair appraisal to better reflect the actual cost of replacement of her land and business, but in the midst of getting a re-appraisal, the base leadership accused her of running a house of ill-repute on her ranch. The effect of even the hint of impropriety resulted in her ranch and business being put off-limits to military personnel, and the value of her business plummeted. Pancho then filed a lawsuit against the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
to, as she put it, "Roust out the scoundrels in the government who would perpetrate such an injustice." She knew that if she filed a lawsuit, she would have the opportunity to depose under oath the various leaders and personnel on base, and the truth would come out and clear her name. During the height of the intense court battle, in 1953, her ranch burned in a fire of mysterious origin. After the fire, the value of her ranch and business further plummeted to a level more closely reflecting the original buy-out offer from the Air Force. Nonetheless, the court battle continued. Pancho was determined to receive fair value for her land and business, and to clear her name. A main contention of her defense was: "My grandfather founded the United States Air Force." On that argument the court found in her favor and she was awarded $375,000 renumeration for her property and business. Also, her name had been cleared. Despite losing her land and business, Pancho's ranch was never used for an expansion of a runway, and indeed the proposed runway was never built. After the government took her land, she moved to Cantil, California
Cantil, California
Cantil is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California. It is located southwest of Saltdale, at an elevation of 2018 feet . Cantil is located in the northern Antelope Valley in the Fremont Valley section....
, with hopes of restarting a similar dude ranch business there. It never happened. It was not until the late 1960s that Pancho once again became a commonplace figure at the base and began to be referred to as the "Mother of Edwards AFB." The wounds began to heal as Pancho reconnected with many old-timers. The officer's mess at Edwards was renamed the Pancho Barnes Room.
Death
Pancho was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Antelope Valley Aero Museum's annual "Barnstormers Reunion" on April 5, 1975. However, when a friend called on March 30, she could not reach Pancho. When Pancho's son Bill went to investigate, he found Pancho dead in her home. The coroner determined that she had died several days earlier. Her son requested special permission from the United States Air Force to spread her ashes over the site of the 'Happy Bottom Riding Club.' Permission was granted, and her son flew his airplane over the site and her ashes came to rest.Legacy
Her fourth husband "Mac" McKendry continued to live in Cantil and survived her for many years.Son Bill Barnes died piloting a P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
flying near Fox Field in Lancaster in October, 1980. In 1940, Pancho founded Barnes Aviation of Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
which Bill operated in his adult years. It remains in the general aviation business today.
Her life and personality were portrayed in the 1983 epic film The Right Stuff adapted from Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
's bestselling book of the same name. Kim Stanley
Kim Stanley
Kim Stanley was an American actress, primarily in television and theatre, but with occasional film performances....
played Pancho Barnes. She was also the subject of a heavily fictionailzed 1988 TV movie written by John Michael Hayes
John Michael Hayes
John Michael Hayes was an American screenwriter, who scripted several of Alfred Hitchcock's films in the 1950s, and subject of the book "" by Steven DeRosa.-Early life:...
and directed by Richard Heffron entitled Pancho Barnes, in which she was portrayed by Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her roles as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television series One Day at a Time , Gloria on the television series Touched by an Angel and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland .- Early years :Bertinelli was born in Wilmington,...
. The first biography about Pancho was published in 1986, "The Lady Who Tamed Pegasus: The Story of Pancho Barnes," written by Grover Ted Tate who relied heavily upon the copyrighted autobiography materials of Pancho Barnes. In 1996, a second biography appeared, "Pancho: The Biography of Florence Lowe Barnes," and was written by Barbara Schultz. A third biography appeared in 2000, written by Lauren Kessler, "The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes." Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS) sponsored a documentary film, The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club is an Emmy award-winning documentary that chronicles the life of aviation pioneer Florence Lowe 'Pancho' Barnes.-Production:...
, completed in 2009. In it, Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
provides the voice of Pancho Barnes. The documentary was made independent of the estate of Pancho Barnes, however the estate cooperated by allowing the film makers full access to her personal papers and photographs as well as her copyrighted autobiography that are owned by the estate. The film, which chronicles Pancho's life story, was produced and written by Nick T. Spark
Nick T. Spark
Nick T. Spark is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. Films he has written, directed or produced include Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines and the Emmy award winning The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club...
and directed by Amanda Pope, in affiliation with KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV
KOCE-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public televisionstation, and is the primary PBS member for Los Angeles and Southern California. KOCE also features programming focused on the communities of Orange County, California. It airs Orange County's only nightly newscast, Real Orange, with...
, a PBS station in Orange County, California. The documentary won an Emmy for best arts and history documentary.
Pancho's Mystery Ship was for a long time located in a hangar at Mojave Airport. It was sold to a private collector a number of years ago, and is currently in the United Kingdom where it has been restored.
The Happy Bottom Riding Club site is the location for the annual Edwards Air Force Base Pancho Barnes Day celebration (established in 1980). A barbecue is held and drinks are served, along with dancing and live music to honor the remembrance of this aviation pioneer and friend. This continues on into the night, as in the old days.
Fictionalized accounts
- Pancho Barnes on IMDb
- The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club on IMDb
- The Right Stuff on IMDb
External links
- Website for the Estate of Pancho Barnes
- Website for the "Happy Bottom Riding Club"
- Website of the documentary film, The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club
- Pancho's story on Chuck Yeager's personal site
- Website of the documentary film about the Powder Puff Derby with Pancho Barnes, "Breaking Through The Clouds"