The Mystery of the "Mystery Ship" #2
Last Updated: Wednesday, 12 August 2015 04:28 Nick Spark Hits: 1080
Just about a year after she first saw the Mystery S in Cleveland, Pancho announced that she intended to break the women's speed record in her ship. In late September of 1930 she made a first attempt at Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys. A small team of personnel were assembled including the National Aeronautic Associastion's official timer, Joe Nikrent. After having a barograph installed to record the attempt, Pancho took off , roared into the air, and then flew four fast laps over a mile-long course at an altitude of less than 200'. Unfortunately she fell short of Amelia Earhart's record speed of 184.6 mph.
Undaunted, Pancho returned for another go the very next week. On August 1, she flew with the throttle wide open. This time Nikrent timed her at a maximum speed of 197.26 mph, and an average speed of 196.19 mph. She had shattered the old record by nearly 12 mph, and became the "fastest woman on earth."
(The record stood for about a year, when aviatrix Ruth Nichols flew 210 mph in a Lockheed Vega).
The record flight made all the newspapers and thrust Pancho firmly into the public eye. Union Oil, a sponsor of Pancho's, produced a full-page color ad to record her achievement. It read in part, "Fastest mile ever traveled by a Woman...!" and stated that the flight was "...a skillful combination of sheer nerve, skillful piloting, faultless motor and ship and perfect aviation fuel."