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.[1][2] She studied at the University of Washington and served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II.[3]

Greene was a devout Presbyterian, and helped found Mission Aviation Fellowship.[4] 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.[1][5][3][6] Later that year she became the first woman to fly over the Andes mountains.[7]

Greene died on 10 April 1997.[4][8] She was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2017.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Betty Greene". Mission Aviation Fellowship. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ^ Wickham, Laura. "The True Story of Betty Greene, the First Missionary Aviation Pilot". The Good Book Company. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ a b "Betty Greene, former Medina resident, honored for wartime service". Bellevue Reporter. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  5. ^ "MAF's Very First Flight". Mission Aviation Fellowship. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ ""A Gal, A Plane & A Dream"". Wheaton College. March 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ Howat, Irene (2007). Ten Girls Who Made History. Christian Focus Publications. p. 128.
  8. ^ Solomon, Chris (16 April 1997). "Betty Greene, 76; Pioneer Aviatrix, Missionary And A Lady To Her Core". Seattle Times. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  9. ^ "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

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  • 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.