calsfoundation@cals.org
September 3, 2007
Bentonville (Benton County) native Louise Thaden is shown here approximately one year after she earned her pilot’s license in 1928. During her approximate ten-year competitive aviation career, she set altitude, endurance, and speed records. In 1936, she became the first woman to win the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race. In 1951, the Bentonville municipal airport was named in her honor.