1924 - 2018
Frances Bera Obituary
December
7, 1924 - February 10, 2018 Fran Bera, Aviation Legend Born Frances
Sebastian on December 7, 1924 in Mulliken, Michigan, she was the
youngest of 8 children born to Hungarian immigrant farmers. Learning to
fly at age 15 at the airport in Ionia, Michigan, Fran soloed an aircraft
at age 16 and obtained her private pilot certificate that same year,
1940. She graduated from Lake Odessa High School, Lake Odessa, Michigan.
Fran went on to earn her commercial, flight instructor, helicopter, hot
air balloon, single/multi-engine aircraft, and seaplane ratings. In
addition, she became a free-fall parachutist and ferried surplus
military aircraft after World War II. At age 24, Fran became the
youngest person, and the only female at the time, to become an FAA
Designated Examiner, eventually administering over 3,000 check rides to
those applying to become pilots and those pilots who wanted to obtain
advanced ratings (commercial, instrument, and multi-engine). Fran moved
to Long Beach, California, in the 1950s, and continued working in the
aviation business as a flight instructor and a FAA Designated Examiner.
In the 1960s, she was an experimental test pilot of Lift Systems, Inc.,
the developer of a new design in rotor craft - a helicopter with no tail
rotor. She was the first woman in history to fly a helicopter with no
tail rotor. From 1960 to 1985, she was one of few women in the world to
sell new aircraft for Beechcraft and Piper manufacturers. She applied to
the First Lady Astronaut Trainees program, one of only 25 women to
undergo the rigorous testing for the space program that was
unfortunately scrapped in 1962. In June 1966, Fran broke the world
altitude record at 40,154 feet, in a normally aspirated twin engine
Piper Aztec, and this record still holds today. A recognized expert in
aviation, she was appointed to serve on the Women's Advisory Committee
on Aviation (WACOA) organized by the F.A.A. and served on "The Aviation
Task Force for California" under former California Governor Ronald
Reagan (1969). Her greatest avocation, however, was flying in air races.
Fran set an unequaled record as a seven-time 1st place winner, and
five-time 2nd place winner of the All Woman Transcontinental Air Race,
also known as the "Powder Puff Derby." She placed in the International
Women's Air Race, the Reno National Air Races, and many other races
including the Great Race from London, England to Victoria, B.C., Canada.
From the 1990s to 2008, Fran set another record by achieving seven 1st
place wins, four 2nd place finishes, and one 3rd place finish in the
Palms to Pines All Women's Air Races. Active in aviation throughout her
life, she continued to push limits by earning her Airline Transport
Pilot certificate and a type rating in a Cessna Citation Jet (CE-500) at
age 70, continued to train pilots into her 80s, and flew aircraft into
her 90s. She accumulated well over 25,000 hours of flying in her
lifetime. The recipient of multiple aviation honors, Fran was awarded
the "Who's Who in Aviation" (1973), a Wall of Honor listing at the
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum (2004), the Livingston Award
by the Whirly Girls for contributions to the helicopter industry
(2005), the "Elder Statesman of Aviation" by the National Aeronautic
Association (presented by former Senator Bob Dole in 2006), and the FAA
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award (2007). She was inducted into the
Women in Aviation Pioneers Hall of Fame in recognition of contributions
to the advancement of aviation (2006), and the International Aerospace
Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air and Space Museum (2007). Fran died in
San Diego, California, on February 10, 2018, where she lived the past 40
years. She is survived by her sister, Edna Baldwin of Carlsbad,
California. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made
to the "San Diego Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc.," 8690 Aero Drive,
Suite 115-26, San Diego, CA 92123, or online at youcaring.com/franberascholarship.
A "Celebration of Life" will be held for Fran Bera on Saturday, March
24, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. at Gillespie Field, Allen Airways, 2020 N.
Marshall Avenue, El Cajon, CA 92020. R.S.V.P. at https://franbera.rsvpify.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by Los Angeles Times from Mar. 17 to Mar. 18, 2018.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento