Fran Bera Explained

Fran Bera
Birth Date:December 7, 1924
Birth Place:Mulliken, Michigan
Death Date:February 10, 2018
Death Place:San Diego, California
Nationality:American
Occupation:Aviator
Years Active:1945-1985
Known For:World altitude record for class C-l-d, established in June 1966 in Long Beach, California
Awards:The Elder Statesmen Award for Aviation, Winner of the Palm to Pines All Women's Air Race in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005

Fran Bera (December 7, 1924 in Mulliken, Michigan – February 10, 2018),[1] was an American female aviator and record setting pilot.[2] She is the first woman to fly a helicopter without a tail rotor.[3]

Early life

Frances Sebastian was born, in 1924, to Hungarian immigrant farmers in Mulliken, Michigan, the youngest of eight children.[4] She graduated from high school in Lake Odessa, Michigan, but was then rejected from the Women Airforce Service Pilots due to her height (4'9'').[4]

She earned her pilot's license at age 16 and became a designated examiner to certify new pilots at age 24.[5] She was the youngest, and one of the first women pilot examiners.[6]

Career

Bera was a test pilot and became the first saleswoman for Piper and Beech aircraft.[7] Fran was a CFII for over 50 years and administered over 3,000 check ride exams for new pilots and advanced rated pilots. She primarily flew fixed wing and helicopters through much of her life. She stopped logging her flight hours after 25,000. A member of the Ninety Nines, she estimated she had spent the equivalent of three years in the pilot's seat. In 1993, she flew her Piper 235 Cherokee from California to Siberia "just for the fun of it". Bera flew her 1966 pink and white Piper Comanche, PA 24 – 260, with “Kick Ass” printed under the tail section, until she was 91 years old.[8]

Records and recognition

Bera held a number of aviation records and began winning air races shortly after she began competing in the 1950s. During her race career, she recorded seven wins in the All-Women's Transcontinental Air Races (commonly known as the Powder Puff Derby) in the 1950s[9] as well as seven wins in the Palm to Pines All Women's Air Race.

On July 16, 1966, she set the record for the highest altitude in a normally aspirated aircraft (40,154+ feet in a Piper Aztec) in Long Beach, California. This record remains current as of May 2024.[10]

Additional awards and honors

External links

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SD99s History. San Diego Ninety-Nines. 3 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180303072421/http://www.sd99s.org/sd99s-history.html. 3 March 2018. en.
  2. Web site: Records World Air Sports Federation . 2024-05-22 . fai.org.
  3. Rowley. Betty. 99 Fran Bera has done it all and she just keeps on going and going and going. 7 October 2016. February 1999. 99 NEWS MAGAZINE.
  4. News: Slotnik. Daniel E.. Fran Bera, Competitive, Record-Breaking Aviator, Is Dead at 93. 16 April 2018. The New York Times. 12 April 2018. A28.
  5. News: Slotnik . Daniel E. . 2018-04-11 . Fran Bera, Competitive, Record-Breaking Aviator, Is Dead at 93 . 2024-05-22 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  6. Web site: 2013-05-08 . Pilots: Fran Bera . 2024-05-22 . www.aopa.org . en.
  7. Web site: Pearlman . Karen . 2018-03-22 . Flyovers to honor Fran Bera, 93, jet-setting aviation pioneer . 2024-05-22 . San Diego Union-Tribune . en-US.
  8. Web site: Pearlman . Karen . 2018-03-22 . Fran Bera honored by hundreds in El Cajon . 2024-05-22 . San Diego Union-Tribune . en-US.
  9. Web site: AWTAR 1951 race.
  10. Web site: Records World Air Sports Federation . 2024-05-22 . fai.org.
  11. Web site: Achievement Awards – Whirly-Girls International . 2024-05-22 . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2007-06-26 . NAA: National Aeronautic Association . 2024-05-22 . web.archive.org . 2007-06-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070626092704/http://www.naa.aero/html/awards/index.cfm?cmsid=63 . dead .
  13. Web site: Pearlman . Karen . 2018-03-22 . Flyovers to honor Fran Bera, 93, jet-setting aviation pioneer . 2024-05-22 . San Diego Union-Tribune . en-US.
  14. Web site: Pilots - The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Awards - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov . 2024-05-22 . www.faasafety.gov.
  15. Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. .
  16. Web site: San Diego Air & Space Museum - Historical Balboa Park, San Diego . 2024-05-22 . sandiegoairandspace.org.
  17. Web site: Jetpack . Katharine Wright Trophy . 2024-05-22 . en.
  18. Web site: Jensen . Cheantay . 2022-05-24 . Long Beach women aviators are the focus of new documentary airing on PBS . 2024-05-22 . the Hi-lo . en-US.

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