# Velta Benn > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Velta_Benn > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Velta_Benn.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velta_Benn > Source revision: 1353512496 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Velta Benn** (June 12, 1917 – December 1, 2010) was a lifelong pilot who first flew in the [Women's Airforce Service Pilots](/source/Women's_Airforce_Service_Pilots) program. Across her career, she logged 55,000 hours of flight time over 63 years. She was the first woman to land a military jet on a Navy [aircraft carrier](/source/Aircraft_carrier). ## Biography Benn was born on June 12, 1917, in [Vienna, Virginia](/source/Vienna,_Virginia).[1] In response for a call for pilots during [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Benn joined the [Women Airforce Service Pilots](/source/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots) (WASP) program in 1944.[2] She trained for seven months at [Avenger Field](/source/Avenger_Field) in [Sweetwater, Texas](/source/Sweetwater,_Texas), graduating on September 8, 1944.[1] She was stationed at [Merced Army Air Field](/source/Merced_Army_Air_Field) where she [flew pilots and planes](/source/Ferry_flying) around the country.[3] Benn flew training missions in both [At-6s](/source/North_American_T-6_Texan) and [BT-13s](/source/BT-13).[1] After the WASP program was [disbanded](/source/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots#End_of_the_WASP_program), Benn taught as a [military flight instructor](/source/Flight_instructor)[3] and also worked for a company producing aviation training films.[4] Benn was the first woman to land a military jet on a Navy [aircraft carrier](/source/Aircraft_carrier).[5] She taught safety classes for the [Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association](/source/Aircraft_Owners_and_Pilots_Association), becoming the first woman to do so in 1968.[3] She was once asked by [Pat Nixon](/source/Pat_Nixon) for flying lessons before the request was turned down by White House security.[4] Across her career, she logged 55,000 hours of flight time over 63 years.[6] In 1977, Benn flew a [Stearman](/source/Boeing-Stearman_Model_75) from Washington, D.C., to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey in support of legislation to grant military veterans benefits to WASP members like herself.[7] She cited the fact that despite taking a military oath at the time, women pilots were still paid less than their male counterparts.[8] Benn died on December 1, 2010, in [Alexandria, Virginia](/source/Alexandria,_Virginia).[1] ## Honors and legacy Benn was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983[6] and the [National Aviation Hall of Fame](/source/National_Aviation_Hall_of_Fame) in 2023.[2] She was awarded the Amelia Earhart Scholarship by the [Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots](/source/Ninety-Nines:_International_Organization_of_Women_Pilots).[5] She was also named Flight Instructor of the Year by the [Federal Aviation Administration](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration).[5] ## References 1. Kay, LaVone (February 21, 2021). ["Velta Snyder Haney Benn"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250224183157/https://cafriseabove.org/velta-snyder-haney-benn/). *cafriseabove.org*. Archived from [the original](https://cafriseabove.org/velta-snyder-haney-benn/) on February 24, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2024. 1. Deener, Sarah (September 27, 2023). ["Trailblazers honored in hall of fame"](https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2023/september/27/trailblazers-honored-in-hall-of-fame). *[Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association](/source/Aircraft_Owners_and_Pilots_Association)*. Retrieved September 21, 2025. 1. ["Velta Benn"](https://nationalaviation.org/enshrinee/velta-benn/). *[National Aviation Hall of Fame](/source/National_Aviation_Hall_of_Fame)*. Retrieved September 21, 2025. 1. [*FAA Aviation News: A DOT/FAA Flight Standards Safety Publication*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/FAA_Aviation_News/3vxB_ajZekUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22velta+benn%22&pg=RA1-PA24&printsec=frontcover). [Federal Aviation Administration](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration). January 1993. p. 24. Retrieved September 21, 2025. 1. [*National Transportation Safety Board Decisions: Enforcement Decisions in Aviation and Marine Cases*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/National_Transportation_Safety_Board_Dec/uAMjby1vXogC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22velta+benn%22&pg=PA940&printsec=frontcover). [U.S. Government Printing Office](/source/U.S._Government_Printing_Office). August 31, 2016. p. 940. Retrieved September 20, 2025. 1. Godlewski, Meg (December 8, 2022). ["Astronaut, Aviation Pioneers Inducted into NAHF Class of 2023"](https://www.flyingmag.com/astronaut-aviation-pioneers-inducted-into-nhaf-class-of-2023/). *[Flying](/source/Flying_(magazine))*. Retrieved September 21, 2025. 1. Kukla, Barbara (April 12, 1977). ["Woman vet 'takes off' for benefits"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/1112162643/?match=1&terms=%22velta%20benn%22). *[The Star-Ledger](/source/The_Star-Ledger)*. Retrieved September 21, 2025. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) 1. ["People"](https://www.newspapers.com/image/493979106/?match=1&terms=%22velta%20benn%22). *[The Record](/source/The_Record_(North_Jersey))*. April 12, 1977. Retrieved September 21, 2025. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) ## External links - [National Aviation Hall of Fame: Velta Benn](https://www.youtube.com/auCTHWH2cf8) on YouTube --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Velta Benn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velta_Benn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velta_Benn?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.