October 21, 1928 Seventeen year old Elinor Smith flew her father’s Waco 10 biplane under the four East River bridges. Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge she flew between a tanker and a destroyer, flipping her plane into a vertical bank to thread through the narrow space. Overnight Elinor became world famous, earning her own radio show, endorsements from goggle and motor oil companies, and a job as test pilot for the Bellanca Corporation. My picture book biography Soar, Elinor! chronicles Elinor’s journey from six year old with her head in the clouds to teen super-pilot. I’ll be signing books on Saturday morning at the Clarendon, Virginia Barnes & Noble.