In February of 1930, just about 76 years ago (!) Florence "Pancho" Barnes flew from Los Angeles to Mexico City. While other aviatrixes had flown into Mexico — Matilde Moisant made exhibition flights there in the 1910s — Pancho was apparently the first to fly long distance into the interior. The reason for the flight was to pioneer an air route for Pickwick Airways. Pickwick, incidentally, had been formed just a year priot in 1929 and aviatrixes Bobbi Trout and Ruth Elder were on hand for opening ceremonies at Grand Central Airport!

Pancho flew her trust Travel Air Speedwing biplane on the long-distance flight. She was accompanied by a student flyer, Mariano Samaniego who acted as her interpreter and probably took the stick on occasion. The flight was leisurely, and according to biographer Lauren Kessler, Pancho flew for only three or four hours a day over the course of five days with stops in Tucson, Arizona, Nogales, Mazatlan, and Guadalajara.

Considering the fact that Mexico at the time had few airports, and given the fact that navigational aides in those days were primitive at best, Pancho's flight was an impressive achivement. Even more impressive was the reception Pancho apparently received in Mexico City, where she was feted by members of the Mexican Air Force and government. A great website which includes more information about Pancho's flight into Mexico can be found:

here.

One of Tate's most well-read books is "The Lady Who Tamed Pegasus", a biography of Pancho Barnes that he claimed he'd co-authored with Pancho. The book, which is out-of-print but still widely available, is something of an enigma. Just how much of what appears in the book is true, and based on Pancho's actual recollections, and how much Tate added for the sake of drama, is highly unclear. It came out years after Pancho died, and was independently published, so it was never reviewed. Tate never seems to have discussed how he came to write the book.

We do know this much: Ted Tate was a good friend of Pancho's late in her life, possibly her best friend. In the 1970s while stationed up at Edwards Air Force Base, Tate sought out Pancho, who he'd heard about from a friend. When he found her she was in poor health, living in squalor in Boron, California. Tate not only arranged for Pancho to receive medical care, but he re-introduced her to the staff at Edwards. Before long Pancho, who had been estranged from the Air Force after the lawsuits surrounding the "Happy Bottom Riding Club" affair, was voted "1st Citizen of Edwards" by her re-discovered friends. Thanks to Tate, a special banquet was held in Pancho's honor just prior to her death in 1975. It must have been one of Pancho's proudest moments.

It might surprise you to learn that Ted Tate's book "The Lady Who Tamed Pegasus" is a polarizing force. Filled with raunchy escapades and chock-full of racy language and expletives, it's appearance in print in 1985 outraged some of Pancho's friends, who felt it diminished Pancho's legacy. Some of them, including Chuck Yeager, denounced it.

What's interesting to us, however, is that many of the stories that appear in the book appear authentic, and some of them are not documented elsewhere. Is the narrator that's speaking in the book really Pancho Barnes? Are these her owrds? The question of what portions of it are true, and what's false, is difficult to speculate about. One of the problems is that Ted Tate passed away a number of years ago, and so it is impossible to ask him about how he made the book.

Our hope has always been that we'd find some additional documentation to help resolve the mystery. Perhaps if we did some digging, we could find some of Ted Tate's original notes, or better yet tape recordings that he made while interviewing Pancho for the book. Through Dr. Lou D'Elia, who has preserved Pancho Barnes' personal archives, I was able to meet with Ted Tate's daughter Tedi last week. (She showed me the terrific photo I've posted here, of Pancho in a tigerskin jacket! That's Tedi on the right.) I learned from Tedi that she does have several large boxes of her father's personal papers in storage, and would be happy to look for any materials related to "Pegasus". Whether any of it contains the materials we're seeking, and can help clear up the mystery surrounding this controversial book, remains to be seen. Stay tuned!

I sometimes think that the "Pancho Barnes" documentary is a little bit like one of those airplanes of yesterday — a Jenny powered by an OX-5 engine. The metaphor may sound a bit weak, but if you think about it, those old planes were awfully hard to start. But once you got the propeller cranking, an OX-5 would take you where you needed to go, and with a roar!

Getting the "Pancho" film off the ground has been difficult, but thankfully director Amanda Pope and I made a great deal of progress in 2006. Not only did we meet our initial fundraising goal, but we made some important discoveries for the film. We spent a several months this year going thru Pancho’s personal papers and documents, and found some wonderful, never-before-seen material. We visited archives and libraries, obtained Pancho's FBI files (!) and met some of Pancho's friends, a couple of her biographers, and a host of admirers — all of whom encouraged us in our efforts.

Thanks to the generosity of a great many people, both individuals and foundations, we’re moving forward in a big way in 2007. In January, we will begin shooting our final interviews with friends and acquaintances of Pancho. I'm not about to name names, but we've got some wonderful people lined up who will be a part of the film. They'll supplement interviews we’ve already conducted with a host of aviation luminaries that included Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Buzz Aldrin, Babe Story and Robert Cardenas.

A lot of work remains, and a great deal of fundraising as well. You can help make it all possible by donating to our project through KOCE-TV (see the donations page on this website). Every gift is tax-deductible, and corporate sponsorship welcome.

Check in with us to find out about our progress, and tell your friends what we're up to. Tell them, the Pancho Barnes documentary is coming...and with a roar!

Happy holidays and happy New Year!

Nick Spark Producer

I've been doing a lot of reading for the Pancho project! It's a lot of fun to immerse yourself in books, and periodically in the production journal I'll write a little review. To come in the next couple months will be mention of books about Bob Hoover, Chuck Yeager, Roscoe Turner, Bobbi Trout, and other friends of Pancho. Today let me mention the book "Jackie Cochran" by Maryann Bucknum Brinley and Jackie herself. Some may think it is sacrilege to mention Jackie C. and Pancho in the same context — the two notoriously didn't like one another! But it is hard not to compare the two. Jackie learned to fly a few years after Pancho did, in 1932, but her career lasted far longer and had a far greater impact than Pancho's. She was the first woman to fly at Mach 1, winner of the Bendix Trophy, fifteen Harmon trophies, president of the 99's, and the organizer and commander of WWII's Women's Air Service Pilots, the W.A.S.Ps. She was arguably the most illustrious female flier of the 20th Century.

Jackie's story is similar in some ways to Pancho's. Both women were absolutely fearless in the air, and both craved speed. While Pancho worked as a motion picture stunt pilot and set speed records in her Travelair Mystery Ship, Cochrane competed in air races around the country, flew in the grueling MacRobertson London-to-Australia endurance race, and tested aircraft for the likes of Sasha Seversky, founder of Republic. They shared many friends in common, including Chuck Yeager, Jimmy Doolittle and Hap Arnold. According to friends we interviewed, Pancho and Jackie competed for Yeager's attention in particular. Cochran believed Pancho was "the most uncouth woman alive" according to Gen. Fred Ascani, who got to witness the rare event of the two being in the same room, on the occasion of a party celebrating Cochran's breaking the sound barrier. For Pancho's part, the attractive, accomplished Cochran must have brought out her competitive spirit. What's interesting, and you'll get this if you read the Brinley book, is the subtext that underscored the relationship between the two. Pancho came from an extremely wealthy family and flew for the thrill of it. Her wild, outsized behaviour shocked many of her blueblood friends and her family, and made her an outsider. She ended her life fairly impoverished, her wealth gone, forced out of high society in part because of her love of flying and antics. For Jackie's part, she came from nothing. Adopted as a child, she grew up dirt poor, and strived her whole life to succeed, and to do so with finesse and polish. From a start as a beautician, she became enormously successful as a business person and pilot, a friend of presidents and generals who came to be accepted into high society. The arc of her life, in short, was the opposite of Pancho's. From that standpoint alone, no wonder these two did not get along.

A large part of Pancho Barnes' guest ranch, the Happy Bottom Riding Club, burned to the ground in 1953. A short time later the property was seized by the U.S. Air Force, and it was absorbed into the limits of Edwards Air Force Base. What few people realize is that parts of the HBRC are still standing. The long hotel buildings, which survived the fire, were sold and moved to a location north of Edwards. Pancho's hangar was moved to El Mirage airport. The more permanent buildings at the HBRC were either bulldozed, or left to decay. Pictured here are some of the remnants of the ranch, as photographed during a recent visit by our documentary film crew.

Pancho's famous circular swimming pool, and the fountain she had built in the shape of the USAF insignia are also still standing.