September 14, 2011
THE VILLAGES, Florida (AFP) - Betty Skelton Erde, the first women to set the world land speed record, has died at her Florida home. She was 85.
Erde was once considered the fastest woman on Earth when she reached speeds of 508 kph (315 mph) on the Bonneville Utah flats in 1965.
She was also the first woman to set the world land speed record of 233 kph in 1956 in Daytona Beach, Florida. She was also inducted into the American's Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Erde began as a female stunt pilot as a teenager in the 1940s and she flew planes into her 70s.
She continued to drive around her Florida neighborhood until age 82.
