Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout (January 7, 1906 – January 24, 2003) was an early American

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and endurance flying record holder. Trout began her aviation career at the age of 16; however, her first solo flight and solo certificate was not until April 30, 1928.Warren K. Dee

, ''Evelyn Trout Biography'', 1999. Accessed online 8 March 2010. In the spring of 1928, Trout’s mother bought her an International K-6

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

. Trout received her pilot's identification card from the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

on September 1, 1928. She was the second woman to break the non-refueling endurance record for women when she flew 12 hours straight from California in 1929. The record was previously held by

Viola Gentry Viola Gentry (1894 - 1988) was an American aviator, best known for setting the Elinor Smith#Endurance records, first non-refueling endurance record for women. Early life Gentry was born in Gentry, Rockingham County, North Carolina. She learned to ...

and was the first record where Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) rules of endurance were revised stating endurance records had to be broken by a full hour. Trout also participated in the

Women's Air Derby The Women's Air Derby was the first official women-only air race in the United States, taking place during the 1929 National Air Races. Humorist Will Rogers referred to it as the Powder Puff Derby, the name by which the race is most commonly know ...

of 1929, which was dubbed the Powder Puff Derby. In 2001, she was recognized as the only living participant in the first Women's Air Derby of 1929. Evelyn got her nickname “Bobbi” when she copied the hairstyle of 1928 actress

Irene Castle Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a st ...

which was a short “bob” haircut.Joe Godfre

“Profile, Bobbi Trout”, October 27, 1999. Accessed online 08 March 2010

Early life

Bobbi Trout was born on January 7, 1906 to Lola Trout and George Trout in

Greenup, Illinois Greenup is a village in Cumberland County, Illinois, United States, along the Embarras River. The population was 1,513 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Charleston– Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area. Greenup received its name fro ...

. One afternoon in 1918, Trout heard an

aeroplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectr ...

fly overhead. This incident piqued her interest in the field of aviation. Trout moved from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

with her family in 1920, when they purchased a service station. One day while tending the family business, Trout told her dreams to one of their patrons, W.E. Thomas, who coincidentally owned a

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...

. Thomas asked Trout if she wanted a ride on the aircraft, which she accepted on December 27, 1922, taking off from

Rogers Airport Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

located in

west Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped differently by di ...

. Trout saved up approximately $2,500 to enter Burdett Fuller’s flying school (the Burdett Airlines, Inc., School of Aviation) on January 1, 1928. In one of her flight lessons, she was instructed by a young pilot to three-quarter turn at low altitude, which resulted in the biplane spinning out of control. The resulting crash wrecked the plane completely. This accident did not deter Trout from flying, and she completed her first solo flight on April 30, 1928 and received her solo certificate.

Aviation career

After getting her license, Trout flew a

Golden Eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

at the Metropolitan Airport in Los Angeles as an official dedication on December 14, 1928. Trout followed this up on January 2, 1929, flying from the same airport for 12 hours 11 minutes, shattering the previous record, held by

, by more than 4 hours. This record was short lived, as aviator

Elinor Smith Elinor Smith (August 17, 1911 – March 19, 2010) was a pioneering American aviator,Phyllis R. MosesThe Amazing Aviatrix Elinor Smith ''Woman Pilot'', March 30, 2008. Accessed online December 15, 2008. once known as "The Flying Flapper of Free ...

broke the record once again on January 30, 1929.Phyllis R. Moses
The Amazing Aviatrix Elinor Smith
''Woman Pilot'', March 30, 2008. Accessed online 15 December 2008. Smith flew 13 and a half hours straight from

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

using an open cockpit Bruner Winkle

. Determined to take back the record, Trout flew from

Mines Field Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

on February 10, 1929, returning this time after more than 17 hours. This flight set the record for the first all-night flight by a woman as well as the new women's solo endurance record.Di Freeze In the same year on June 16, Trout flew a 90 horsepower Golden Eagle Chief to an altitude of breaking the light class aircraft altitude record. Modifying the same aircraft to use a 100 horsepower engine, Trout flew from

Clover Field Santa Monica Airport (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) is a general aviation airport largely in Santa Monica, California, United States. The airport is about from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Bay) and north of Los Angeles International Airp ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

to the first Women's Transcontinental Air Derby together with other women aviators including

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

. During the nine-day race, they experienced difficulty navigating using road maps. Trout, Earhart, Gentry and the other ladies managed to communicate under difficult circumstances. This led to the development of the Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots. In order to get more sponsorship, Trout asked starlet

Edna Mae Cooper Edna Mae Cooper (July 19, 1900 – June 27, 1986) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 79 films between 1911 and 1927. Early life On July 19, 1900, Cooper was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Career Cooper is known ...

if she wanted to go with her to attempt another endurance run. They first tried it on January 1, 1931 but due to technical problems they had to abort the flight. At their next attempt, they were successful in flying straight for 122 hours and 50 minutes, only to end the run on January 9, 1931 due to the spitting off fuel. This record was later recognized by

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of t ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, whose representative gave her a Royal Decree with aviation cross for pilots who made record flights, a distinction shared by two other pilots -

and

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

Later life

Trout celebrated her 80th birthday with an interview from within a helicopter over the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on January 7, 1986. In May of the same year she was honored during the

Gathering of Eagles Program The Gathering of Eagles Program is an annual aviation event that traces its origin back to 1980, when retired Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets was invited to visit the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base to share some of his experience ...

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. In 1999 she was recognized as the only living participant from the first Women's Air Derby of 1929. Trout retired to

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

and suffered a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on January 24, 2003. She never married and is survived by her sister-in-law Hazel Trout and her nephew Brook Trout.

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