Lot 71
Airmail postcard for Frankie G. Renner, set altitude record at Akron, Ohio on April 28, 1931. Original Autograph of World's Altitude Record For Women. Frankie Renner, Akrons first woman licensed pilot, tried to set the womens world altitude record. She failed because of equipment problems, she argued. But flying was only one part of her life. She went into radio and produced one of the first programs for women on WADC, Akron. Renner was 30 years old when she earned her pilots license (#7410). She had paid for her lessons at the Hugh Robbins Flying Service at the Stow Air Field (now the Kent State University Airport) with the small inheritance from her father, a real estate dealer. Renner said she was absolutely fascinated by flying and nothing was going to keep her from it not even the antics of her flying instructor who did everything he could to frighten her. In 1927, she finally won her license. In 1930, she earned another license (#314), this one signed by aviation pioneer Orville Wright. That same year Renner was a member of the 99s, the International Organization of Women Pilots organized by aviatrix Amelia Earhart and attended its first convention in Chicago. Waco outfitted a special biplane for her. (Planes at the time had no cockpit; goggles were the only windshield.) Renner gave up her parachute to lighten the load. On March 13, 1931, Renner, dressed in electrically heated flying clothes, boarded her plane and took off. Her plane climbed for 3-1/2 hours. She soared about 6 miles above the earth. Her altimeter froze and stopped registering at 28,000 feet, she remembered. Then her plane shuddered and behaved queerly, when the temperature dropped to 30, 40 even 50 degrees below zero, she told the Plain Dealer. Her goggles were frosted over and she couldnt get them clear. Her lips started bleeding from the extreme cold and low pressure. I really was frightened, it was so cold, so deathlike, so unreal, she said. Renner started down, sure that she had broken the record. She landed breathless and blue. But the government said she was 3,700 feet short of the record. Renner always argued that she had broken the record but the government-certified equipment had frozen during the flight. Although she promised to try again, Renner never did. Instead in 1932 she earned her commercial license, becoming Akrons first female transport pilot, and started taking passengers and cargo across the Midwest. In 1933, her flying career ended when a fire at the Stow airfield destroyed a hangar and the uninsured planes inside. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
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Dimensions:
- 3.75" x 6.5" Condition:
- Excellent Condition
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