Elizabeth Everts Greene (24 June 1920 – 10 April 1997), known as Betty Greene , was an American missionary pilot.
Greene was born in Seattle on 24 June 1920, and started taking flying lessons in 1936.[ 1] [ 2] She studied at the University of Washington and served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II.[ 3]
Greene was a devout Presbyterian , and helped found Mission Aviation Fellowship .[ 4] She made its first flight in 1946 when she transported two missionaries of Wycliffe Bible Translators in a Waco UPF-7 biplane to a remote jungle location in Mexico.[ 1] [ 5] [ 3] [ 6] Later that year she became the first woman to fly over the Andes mountains.[ 7]
Greene died on 10 April 1997.[ 4] [ 8] She was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2017.[ 9]
References
^ a b "Betty Greene" . Mission Aviation Fellowship . Retrieved 25 February 2024 .
^ Wickham, Laura. "The True Story of Betty Greene, the First Missionary Aviation Pilot" . The Good Book Company . Retrieved 25 February 2024 .
^ a b Tucker, Ruth A. (2011). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. p. 387. ISBN 978-0-310-83062-7 .
^ a b "Betty Greene, former Medina resident, honored for wartime service" . Bellevue Reporter . Retrieved 26 February 2024 .
^ "MAF's Very First Flight" . Mission Aviation Fellowship . Retrieved 26 February 2024 .
^ " "A Gal, A Plane & A Dream" " . Wheaton College . March 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2024 .
^ Howat, Irene (2007). Ten Girls Who Made History . Christian Focus Publications . p. 128.
^ Solomon, Chris (16 April 1997). "Betty Greene, 76; Pioneer Aviatrix, Missionary And A Lady To Her Core" . Seattle Times . Retrieved 26 February 2024 .
^ "WAI 2017 Pioneer Hall of Fame Inductees" . Women in Aviation International . Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-03 .
Further reading
Betty Greene with Dietrich Buss, Flying High: The amazing story of Betty Greene and the early years of Mission Aviation Fellowship , Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 2002.