Sheila Scott

{{Infobox person

| name = Sheila Scott

| image = SheilaScott Mythre 1971.jpg

| landscape = yes

| caption = Before her 1971 record-breaking trip

| birth_name = Sheila Christine Hopkins

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|04|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Worcester, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1988|10|20|1922|04|27|df=yes}}

| death_place = London, England

| occupation = Aviator

}}

Sheila Christine Scott OBE (née Hopkins; 27 April 1922 – 20 October 1988) was an English aviator who broke over 100 aviation records through her long-distance flight endeavours, which included a {{convert|34000|mi|km|adj=on}} "world and a half" flight in 1971. On this flight, she became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a small aircraft. She was also the first European woman to fly solo around the world.{{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Edward |title=The Daily Telegraph Book of Airmen's Obituaries |date=2002 |location=London |isbn=978-1-902304-99-1 | page =193-6|url=https://archive.org/details/dailytelegraphbo0000bish/page/196/mode/2up?q=%22Beatrice+Shilling%22&view=theater |access-date=18 February 2023|publisher=Grub Street}}

Early years

Born Sheila Christine Hopkins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England,General Register Office index of births registered in April, May, June 1922. Name: Hopkins, Sheila C. Mother's Maiden name: Kenward. District: Worcester. Volume: 6C. Page: 239. she had a turbulent childhood and did not do well at the Alice Ottley School, nearly being expelled several times. During World War II, she joined the services as a nurse in a naval hospital.

Flying

In 1943, she started a career as an actress as Sheila Scott, a name she maintained long after she stopped acting. She had a short marriage from 1945 to 1950 to Rupert Bellamy.{{cite web|url=http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/scott_sheila.html|title=Sheila Scott (1927–1988), Pioneer Aviatrix|website=Aviation Pioneers : An Anthology|publisher=CTIE|accessdate=26 April 2015}}

In 1958 she learned to fly, going solo at Thruxton Aerodrome after nine months of training. Her first aircraft was a Thruxton Jackaroo (converted from a De Havilland Tiger Moth) G-APAM, which she owned from 1959 to 1964.{{cite web|url=http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-APAM-1.pdf|title=UK Register of Civil Aircraft – register entry – G-APAM-1|publisher=Civil Aviation Authority|access-date=21 May 2016|archive-date=27 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427110311/http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-APAM-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}

In May 1965 the Piper Aircraft company loaned their Piper Comanche 400 European demonstrator N8515P (named Myth Sunpip) to Sheila, enabling her to set a number of European speed records for its class, such as return trips from London (RAF Northolt) to The Hague, Brussels, Dublin, and Belfast.{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Sheila |title=List of FAI records |url=https://www.fai.org/records?f%5B0%5D=field_athlete%253Atitle_field%3ASheila%20Scott&order=field_date_single_custom&sort=asc |website=FAI.org |access-date=14 March 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Sheila |title=Speed over a recognised course, Class C-1b, London - Den Haag, round trip, 19 May 1965 |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13762 |website=FAI.org |date=10 October 2017 |access-date=14 March 2024}}

= Around the world flights =

In April 1966, she obtained another Piper Comanche, this time a 260B registered G-ATOY (named Myth Too) in which she set many of her records.{{Cite web|url=http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ATOY.pdf|title=UK Register of Civil Aircraft – register entry – G-ATOY|publisher=Civil Aviation Authority|access-date=21 May 2016|archive-date=27 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427110317/http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ATOY.pdf|url-status=dead}} It was in this aircraft that she made her first solo round the world flight, departing London Heathrow on 18 May 1966 and returning on 20 June 1966, having covered approximately {{convert|31,000|mi|km|abbr=off}} in 189 flying hours over 34 days.{{cite web|url=http://www.womeninaerospacehistory.com/tag/piper-pa-24-260b-comanche/|first=Bryan R.|last=Swopes|title=Piper PA-24-260B Comanche|website=Women in Aerospace History|date=18 May 2015|accessdate=2 January 2018|archive-date=12 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712222756/https://www.womeninaerospacehistory.com/tag/piper-pa-24-260b-comanche/|url-status=dead}} It was the first solo around the world flight by a British subject, the longest-distance solo flight, and the only third around the world flight by a woman.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-18 |title=18 May 1966–20 June 1966: Sheila Scott {{!}} This Day in Aviation |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/18-may-1966/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |language=en-US}}

thumb

In 1969–70, she took part in the London to Sydney Air Race (with G-ATOY), thereafter continuing solo around the world for a second time.{{Cite web|url=http://www.soloflights.org/list2_e.html|title=List of solo flights around the world|first=Claude|last=Meunier|accessdate=2 January 2018|archive-date=10 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210100852/http://www.soloflights.org/list2_e.html|url-status=dead}} She was the only solo female pilot participating in the race, and experienced problems on the course.{{Cite news |date=1969-12-29 |title=Sheila Scott Reaches Darwin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/12/29/archives/sheila-scott-reaches-darwin.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Scott was plagued by technical problems during the race, and was stranded for several days due to broken navigational equipment.{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Robert Trumbull Special to The New York |date=1970-01-05 |title=London-Sydney Air Race Ends As 59 Planes Land in Minutes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/05/archives/londonsydney-air-race-ends-as-59-planes-land-in-minutes.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} She sold the aircraft in 1971, and some years later it crashed following engine failure.{{cite web |title=Accident description; G-ATOY, 6 March 1979 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=19762 |website=Aviation-Safety.net |access-date=14 March 2024}} The remains are on display in the collection of the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, Scotland.{{cite web |title=List of aircraft at East Fortune Museum |url=https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-flight/things-to-see-and-do/explore-the-hangars/aircraft-location/ |website=National Museums Scotland.ac.uk |access-date= 14 March 2024}}

File:Piper PA24-260 Comanche ‘G-ATOY’ “MYTH TOO” (24915747887).jpg

In 1971, she used a twin-engine Piper Aztec 250 G-AYTO (named Mythre){{Cite web | url=http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AYTO.pdf | title=Piper PA-23 Series 250 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610004040/http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AYTO.pdf | archive-date=10 June 2016}}{{cite web |title= CAA Register Entry for G-AYTO|url=https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AYTO.pdf |website = CAA.co.uk |access-date=14 March 2024}} to complete her third solo round the world flight, featuring an unusual route starting at Nairobi, just south of the equator, flying north to London, before continuing on to cross over the North Pole (a first for a light aircraft). She then continued via Anchorage and San Francisco to Hawaii, before crossing the equator again on her way to Darwin, Australia. From here, she began the return to London, with the 'world-and-a-half' circumnavigation taking 55 days. During her flight, she carried NASA equipment as part of an experimental test of satellite communications technology.{{Cite web |title=Sheila Christine Hopkins Scott Journey Log Book {{!}} National Air and Space Museum |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-archive/sheila-christine-hopkins-scott-journey-log-book/sova-nasm-xxxx-0863 |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}

Despite winning many records in the flight, Scott later claimed the trip cost her $110,400 and left her heavily in debt.{{Cite news |last=Krebs |first=Albin |date=1971-08-06 |title=Notes on People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/06/archives/hispanicamerican-nixon-aide.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

Mythre was returned to the Piper factory in Lock Haven, PA where it was one of over a hundred planes damaged beyond repair in a flood in 1972.{{cite web|url=https://www.womeninaerospacehistory.com/11-june-4-august-1971-sheila-scott/|first=Bryan R.|last=Swopes|title=11 June–4 August 1971: Sheila Scott, OBE|website=Women in Aerospace History|date=11 June 2015|accessdate=2 January 2018|archive-date=3 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072624/https://www.womeninaerospacehistory.com/11-june-4-august-1971-sheila-scott/|url-status=dead}}

= World Record Flights =

Scott made over 100 world record flights. These include:

1965: London to Dublin #13754{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13754) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13754 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1965: London to Paris #13767{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13767) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13767 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1965: London to Den Haag and return #13762{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13762) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13762 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1965: Den Haag to London #13651{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13651) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13651 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1965: London to Dublin and return #13755{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13755) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13755 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1965: Belfast to London #13347{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (13347) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/13347 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1966: Scott's Around the World Flight set ten Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Records for Speed Over a Recognised Course:
London to Rome, 258.13 kilometers per hour (160.40 miles per hour) (FAI Record File Numbers 4679, 4680);
London to Auckland, 41.42 km/h (25.74 mph) #4660, 4661;
London to Darwin, 45.67 km/h (28.38 mph) #4666, 4670;
London to Fiji Islands, 34.60 km/h (21.50 mph) #4672; 4673;
Lisbon to London, 244.00 km/h (151.62 mph) #4956, 4657.
1967: London to Cape Town
1967: Malta to London #4685{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (4685) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/4685 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1967: Shannon, Ireland to Ottawa, Canada #4700{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (4700) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/4700 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1967: Madrid, Spain to London, UK #4683{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (4683) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/4683 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1967: North Atlantic Ocean
1969: South Atlantic Ocean
1971: Equator to Equator over the North Pole
1971: San Francisco, CA to Honolulu, HI #4626{{Cite web |date=2017-10-10 |title=Sheila Scott (GBR) (4626) {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://www.fai.org/record/4626 |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.fai.org |language=en}}
1971: 3rd Around the World Solo (100th world record){{Cite web |date=2024-04-23 |title=Sheila Scott {{!}} Biography, Records, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sheila-Scott |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

Affiliations

She was the founder and the first governor of the British branch of the Ninety-Nines, an association for licensed women pilots which had been created by Amelia Earhart. She was a member of the International Association of Licensed Women Pilots and of the Whirly-Girls, an association of women helicopter pilots.{{cite web|url=http://www.soloflights.org/scott_data_e.html|title=Sheila Scott 1. Data File|website=soloflights.org|accessdate=26 April 2015|archive-date=14 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214004032/http://soloflights.org/scott_data_e.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/29th-october-1988/24/the-high-deeds-of-sheila-scott|first=Judy|last=Lomax|title=The High Deeds of Sheila Scott|magazine=The Spectator|date=29 October 1988|page=24|accessdate=26 April 2015}}

Honours and awards

1968: Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).{{London Gazette|issue=44484|date=1 January 1968|page=14}}
1966 and 1970: Scott was awarded the Harmon International Aviation Trophy (Aviatrix category) for her round-the-world flights and other accomplishments, including setting a new light plane speed record of 28,633 miles solo in 33 days and 3 minutes.{{cite news |title=Harmon Winners for 1967 Are Named |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/09/10/archives/harmon-winners-for-1967-are-named.html |accessdate=30 May 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=10 September 1967 |language=en}}
1965, 1967, 1968: Brabazon of Tara Award.
1967: Jean Lennox Bird Trophy{{Cite web |date=2018-02-14 |title=BWPA Jean Lennox Bird Trophy winner is now RAeC Britannia Trophy Winner |url=https://bwpa.co.uk/sacha-dench-awarded-britannia-trophy-and-jean-lennox-bird-trophy/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=British Women Pilots' Association |language=en-GB}}
1968: Britannia Trophy of the Royal Aero Club of Britain
1971: [http://royalaeroclub.co.uk/medals-and-awards.php?title=&id=54 Royal Aero Club] Gold Medal{{Britannica|529621}}
Silver Medal of the Guild of Pilots
Isabella d’Este (Italy)
2020: AIRDAT, a British airport systems, data and training company, named their January 2020 software update SCOTT after Sheila Scott{{Cite web |date=2020-03-03 |title=Women in Aviation honoured by AIRDAT |url=https://www.airdat.org/women-in-aviation-honoured-by-airdat/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=AIRDAT – |language=en}}
2023: A blue plaque was placed at RGS Worcester to commemorate her time at the Alice Ottley School (which merged with RGS Worcester in 2007).{{Cite web |date=2023-10-19 |title=Blue plaque unveiled for Worcester pilot Sheila Scott |url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/23859408.blue-plaque-unveiled-worcester-pilot-sheila-scott/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Worcester News |language=en}}
The University of Worcester has named a teaching building after her, the Sheila Scott Building.{{Cite web |title=Simulation and Skills - University Of Worcester |url=https://www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academic-schools/school-of-nursing-and-midwifery/practice-support/simulation-and-skills.aspx |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=www.worcester.ac.uk}}{{cite web |title=University of Worcester Clinical Skills & Simulation Centre Sheila Scott Building |url=https://www.worcester.ac.uk/documents/Sheila_Scott_Brochure.pdf |accessdate=26 April 2018 |publisher=University of Worcester}}{{Dead link|date=February 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

Activities beyond flying and later years

On 20 November 1966, she appeared as a contestant on the American panel show What's My Line.{{cite web |title=What's My Line IMDb episode listing |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0747023/?ref_=ttep_ep41 |accessdate=16 February 2015 |website=IMDb}} The following year, she appeared as herself on the game show To Tell the Truth where she received three of four possible votes.{{cite web |title=To Tell the Truth |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-6hi4OZClA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/N-6hi4OZClA |archive-date=13 December 2021 |accessdate=27 April 2020 |website=CBS| date=22 September 2017 }}{{cbignore}}

In 1971, she passed her automobile driving test, after four failed tries in 12 years.{{Cite news |last= |date=1988-10-21 |title=Sheila Scott, 61, British Aviator |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/21/obituaries/sheila-scott-61-british-aviator.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In 1972, she turned her attention to the sea, and looked for sponsors for an around-the-world yacht race, to be held the next year.{{Cite news |date=1972-01-23 |title=Interest Fanned For World Race |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/23/archives/interest-fanned-for-world-race.html |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} It is unclear if this race ever took place.

Scott was a published author as well as an aviator. She wrote I Must Fly in 1968 and On Top of the World in 1973, the latter being published in the U.S. as Barefoot in the Sky in 1974.

During one of her races, her London flat was burgled, and she never recovered financially.{{Cite web |last=emaleebeddoes |date=2017-01-13 |title=Sheila Scott by Ernest Waldron West |url=https://researchworcestershire.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/sheila-scott-by-ernest-waldron-west/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Research Worcestershire |language=en}} Before her death, Scott lived in a bedsit in Pimlico in poverty. She was diagnosed with cancer and died at age 66 at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, in 1988.

External links

Video of [https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/124205/ Sheila Scott arriving in Sydney during her 1966 world record setting flight]
Video of Aviation expert [https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/192737/ Sheila Scott given awards at Royal Aero club]
Video of Sheila Scott before takeoff for her [https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/188405/ 1967 London to Cape town record attempt]
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03gvmnp Sheila Scott speaking] to BBC Women's Hour in 1984{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Sheila Scott |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03gvmnp |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}
Sheila Scott's [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-archive/sheila-christine-hopkins-scott-journey-log-book/sova-nasm-xxxx-0863 log book from her record setting Polar flight] in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
Sheila Scott's world records{{Cite web |title=Records {{!}} World Air Sports Federation |url=https://fai.org/records?f%5B0%5D=field_type_of_record:148&f%5B1%5D=field_country:GB&f%5B2%5D=field_zone%253Aname:World&f%5B3%5D=field_athlete%253Atitle_field:Sheila%20Scott&order=field_performance&sort=asc |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=fai.org}}

References

Sources

{{cite web|title=Sheila Scott|url=http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2004-00016.html|work=Great Images in NASA|first=Michael|last=Hahn|date=31 October 2002|accessdate=23 March 2006|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117083400/http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2004-00016.html|archivedate=17 January 2006}}

Category:1922 births

Category:1988 deaths

Category:Britannia Trophy winners

Category:Deaths from cancer in England

Category:English aviators

Category:Harmon Trophy winners

Category:People from Worcester, England

Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Category:People educated at The Alice Ottley School

Category:British women aviators

Category:British aviation record holders

Category:British women aviation record holders