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. She studied at the University of Washington and served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II.
Greene was a devout Presbyterian, and helped found Mission Aviation Fellowship. 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. Later that year she became the first woman to fly over the Andes mountains.
Greene died on 10 April 1997. She was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2017.
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.