Florence Klingensmith Flies Rings Around The Rest

April 19, 1930 Trained electrician and motorcycle delivery girl Florence “Tree Tops” Klingensmith set off an aerobatic duel, flying 143 loops. Later that summer Laura Ingalls raised the record to 344, then to 980. Finally, on June 22, 1931, Klingensmith took off from Wold Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis. Before 50,000 spectators, she looped for 4 1/2 hours, racking up a groggy 1078 loops.