Bobbi Trout

Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout
Portrait of "Bobbi" Trout
Full name	Evelyn Trout
Born	(1906-01-07)January 7, 1906 Greenup, Illinois
Died	January 24, 2003(2003-01-24) (aged 97) San Diego, California
Nationality	American
Aviation career
Known for	First woman to set the first non-refueling endurance record for women
First flight	December 27, 1922 Curtiss JN-4
Famous flights	Non-refueling endurance record for women (1929), Powder Puff Derby
Flight license	September 1, 1928

Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout (January 7, 1906–January 24, 2003) was an early American aviator, notable for her pioneering flying activities. Trout began her aviation career at the age of 16; however, her first solo flight and solo certificate was only given on April 30, 1928. In the spring of 1928, Trout’s mother bought her an International K-6 biplane. Trout received her pilot's identification card from the United States Department of Commerce on September 1, 1928. She was the second woman to break the non-refueling endurance record for women when she flew 12 hours straight from California in 1929. The record was previously held by Viola Gentry and was the first record where Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) rules of the endurance record were revised stating that endurance records had to be broken by a full hour. Trout also participated in the Women's Air Derby of 1929, which was dubbed the Powder Puff Derby. In 2001, she was recognized as the only living participant in the first Women's Air Derby of 1929. Evelyn got her nickname “Bobbi” when she copied the hairstyle of 1928 actress Irene Castle which was a short “Bob” haircut.

Bobbi Trout was born on January 7, 1906 to Lola Trout and George Trout in Greenup, Illinois. One afternoon in 1918, Trout heard an aeroplane fly overhead. This incident started her interest in the field of aviation. Trout moved from Illinois to California with her family in 1920, when they purchased a service station. One day while tending the family business, Trout told her dreams to one of their patrons, W.E. Thomas, who coincidentally owned a Curtiss JN-4. Thomas asked Trout if she wanted a ride on the aircraft, which she did on December 27, 1922, taking off from Rogers Airport located in west Los Angeles. Trout saved approximately $2,500 which she used to enter Burdett Fuller’s flying school (the Burdett Airlines, Inc., School of Aviation) on January 1, 1928. In one of her flight lessons, she was instructed by a young pilot to three-quarter turn at a low elevation, which resulted in the biplane spinning out of control. The resulting crash wrecked the plane completely. This accident did not deter Trout from flying, and she completed her first solo flight on April 30, 1928 and received her solo certificate.