E A A ’ S attic
‘Little Ellen Smith’
Air racer Ellen Smith once carried these aviation
credentials, which EAA recently acquired for the EAA
AirVenture Museum’s Women in Aviation exhibit. No
other information was included with the dated artifacts,
though we found this blurb about Ellen (not to be confused
with famous aviatrix Elinor Smith) in the October 1934
issue of Popular Aviation:
“Little Ellen Smith of Meadville, Pa., developed a grin that
wouldn’t come off when she won the precision or spot landing
contest by stopping her ship 3. 7 feet from the flag. She said
that her husband and instructor both made dire threats if she
failed to bring home a prize, but now she was safe!”
The contest was part of the first Women’s National
Airmeet, held on August 4-5, 1934, in Dayton, Ohio,
and sponsored by the Women’s National Aeronautical
Association and the Ninety-Nines.
112 MARCH 2009
