Viola Gentry
Encyclopedia
Viola Gentry was an American
aviator
, best known for setting the first non-refueling endurance record for women.
. She learned to fly an airplane in 1924, which made her the first woman from North Carolina to fly an aircraft.
flew from California
for 12 hours straight. After Smith's flight, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)
rules were regulated stating that endurance records had to be broken by a full hour.
, where she spent more than six months recovering.
Upon discharge from hospital in Mineola, Gentry took up residence with friends in Freeport
. She was unsuccessful in obtaining further work as an endurance pilot although she did return to flying, albeit as a passenger.
.
, both of which tried to help common friend Irene Craigmile Bolam
find happiness by the means of introducing her to aviation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aviator
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...
, best known for setting the first non-refueling endurance record for women.
Early life
Gentry was born in Rockingham, North CarolinaRockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquis of Rockingham. The population was 9,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County...
. She learned to fly an airplane in 1924, which made her the first woman from North Carolina to fly an aircraft.
December 1928 attempt
On December 20, 1928, Gentry flew 8 hours, 6 six minutes and 37 seconds, which set the first non-refueling endurance record for women. This record was broken in 1929 when Bobbi TroutBobbi Trout
Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout was an early female aviator notable for her pioneering flying activities. Trout began her aviation career at the age of 16 however her first solo flight and solo certificate was only given on April 30, 1928. In the spring of 1928, Trout’s mother bought her an International K-6...
flew from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for 12 hours straight. After Smith's flight, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
rules were regulated stating that endurance records had to be broken by a full hour.
July 1929 attempt
In the attempt to reclaim the endurance record from Trout, Gentry tried another endurance flight which set out on July 27, 1929. Her aircraft, "The Answer", crashed in a field in Old Westbury, killing her co-pilot Jack Ashcraft. Gentry survived the crash with a fractured skull and crushed shoulders, and was rushed to a hospital in MineolaMineola, New York
Mineola is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a Native American word meaning a "pleasant place"....
, where she spent more than six months recovering.
Upon discharge from hospital in Mineola, Gentry took up residence with friends in Freeport
Freeport, New York
Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 42,860 at the 2010 census. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community...
. She was unsuccessful in obtaining further work as an endurance pilot although she did return to flying, albeit as a passenger.
December 1933 attempt
In 1931, Gentry quit professional flying and returned to her previous job as a cashier at a North Carolina restaurant. Despite the change of career, she continued in her attempts to set flying endurance records. On December 10, 1933, Gentry took off from Miami, Florida, in a new attempt to beat the record, supported by co-pilot Frances Marsalis and a refuelling ship manned by Jack Loesing and Fred Fetterman. Gentry intended to remain aloft for ten days and thereby beat the then-current record of eight days, four hours and six minutes, set by Marsalis and Thaden at Valley StreamValley Stream, New York
Valley Stream is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population in the village of Valley Stream was 37,511 at the 2010 census...
.
Later life
Gentry continued throughout her life to advocate aviation, promoting it among young women and men. In 1934, Gentry and her husband filed for bankruptcy listing their assets as zero. In 1954, Viola Gentry received the Lady Hay Drummond-Hay Air Trophy in recognition of her efforts on behalf of women in aviation. Gentry was a long time friend of the aviator Amelia EarhartAmelia 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...
, both of which tried to help common friend Irene Craigmile Bolam
Irene Craigmile Bolam
Irene Craigmile Bolam was a New York banker and resident of Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1970, a book which was soon widely discredited set forth an allegation that she was Amelia Earhart...
find happiness by the means of introducing her to aviation.