Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes (July 22, 1901 – March 30, 1975) was a pioneer aviator and a founder of the first movie stunt pilots' union. In 1930, she broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record. [3] Barnes raced in the Women's Air Derby and was a member of the Ninety-Nines.

The online home of Aviatrix, Test Pilot, Entrepreneur & Legend, Pancho Barnes.

Pancho Barnes holds the distinction of being Lockheed’s first female test pilot, and she subsequently established several other aviation records while working for Lockheed. Because of her flying skills, Pancho became famous as a stunt pilot for films of the Silent and Sound eras, including Howard Hughes’ 1930 epic “Hell’s Angels.”

Mar 29, 2023 · Before becoming one of the first Hollywood stunt pilots, Barnes was a debutante who ran away to sea disguised as a man and traveled with revolutionaries in Mexico. After her father died in 1928,...

Feb 25, 2025 · Pancho Barnes (born July 14, 1901, Pasadena, Calif., U.S.—died March 1975, Boron, Calif.) was an aviator and movie stunt pilot, one of the first American women to establish a reputation and a business in the field of aviation.

Memorialized in “The Right Stuff,” the award-winning film about breaking the sound barrier and launching the space program, Florence “Pancho” Barnes’ life story is one of talent, strength of conviction and trailblazing against a tide of naysayers, much like her doting grandfather, Thaddeus Lowe.

Feb 27, 2017 · Florence Leontine Lowe, who would later be known as Pancho Barnes, was an uncontrollable tomboy. Her father spoiled her as the son he wished he had, while her mother cared for her brother William Emmert, a sickly boy who died when Florence was just a kid.

Pancho Barnes earned her pilot’s license in an age when few women were allowed, much less encouraged, to fly. She quickly earned a reputation at airports throughout Southern California as a woman that could fly, fix airplanes, tell flying stories, and drink with the best male pilots of the era.

This 1928 photograph of Pancho Barnes by George Hurrell was one of her favorites and hung on the wall at the Happy Bottom Riding Club. Pancho had a championship rodeo stadium at the ranch. Many of the finest cowboys of the day demonstrated …

Pancho Barnes (1901 – 1975) is considered by many to be one of the 20th century’s greatest American characters. During her lifetime, Pancho (born Florence Leontine Lowe) was reknowned for her individuality, outsized personality, creativity, entrepreneurship, humor, …