Elizabeth (Betty) Pfister

Year Inducted: 
2001

Elizabeth (Betty) Pfister learned to fly in 1941 and ferried U.S. Army aircraft for nearly two years during World War II as a WASP. Since the war, Betty had a varied career including: service as a flight instructor, a pilot for several nonscheduled airlines, a stewardess for Pan Am. Airways, and an FAA Accident Prevention Specialist. Betty served on President Nixon’s Women’s Advisory Committee on Aviation from 1969 to 1972. She was also a member of the U.S. Helicopter Team, competing in the World Championships in 1973 and 1978. Betty has been instrumental in many Aspen, Colorado, aviation efforts including: convincing the FAA to provide a control tower, founding and organizing first hospital heliport; and founding and serving as the first chairman of the Aspen Chapter of the Ninety- Nines. A graduate of Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, Betty lived in Aspen Colorado and passed away in 2011.

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