Juanita Burns belonged to a group of aviatrices determined to set flying records. Endowed with delightful charm, she made a valiant effort. She acquired backers but her plans seem lofty at best. Born Juanita Rogers, Juanita married Conway Burns in early 1929. Subsequently, she joined him in the air as a pilot, receiving pilot license No. 9396.
A Bootlegger
Juanita Burns and her sister Louise became involved in rum-running while living in El Paso, Texas. They purportedly worked as customs service operatives in 1927. Federal agents arrested and deported two liquor barons thanks to the two girls. When the agents located the barons’ Waco, “they riddled it with bullets to prevent it from taking off.” The sisters also led the agents to Roswell’s Bootlegger Queen.
Once Juanita became a pilot, she began smuggling liquor across the Mexican border. Earning a living as a rum runner proved more profitable than barnstorming. According to David Courtwright in his book, Sky as Frontier, “at a time when joy riding prices were declining it was liquor runs that kept pilots in the air.” Living in El Paso provided Juanita easy access to liquor to transport across the border.
Clearly, all went well for Juanita until caught importing 244 pints of whisky from Juarez. Arrested on April 12, 1929, she proclaimed her innocents. A judge eventually dropped the charges when no witnesses appeared at the trial.
Juanita Burns Record Attempts
Juanita planned to set a women’s solo endurance record in 1930. Apparently, she charmed Wm. Gibbs McAddoo into backing the flight in her 1929 Travel Air 2000. Despite newspaper articles to that effect, no further mention of such a flight was published.
In January 1930, Juanita opened a flight school at Garvey Airport in San Gabriel, California. She instructed, gave passenger hops, and carried parachutists in her Travel Air. According to newspaper articles, the school owned three Wacos and two Fleets. In July, the airport’s sole hangar burned to the ground. All aircraft were destroyed except Juanita’s Travel Air. Fortunately, she tied it down adjacent to the hangar.
Newspapers heralded Juanita as “the finder of lost objects.” She assisted in finding a Western Air Express trimotor lost in March 1930. Flying with Richfield pilot Dudley Steele, she spotted the wreckage about 16 miles from Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. In April, she spotted an empty boat five miles off the Santa Monica coast. It belonged to R. M. Cordill, missing Los Angeles attorney.
Juania signed up for the Pacific Derby on August 3. Coinciding with the Cleveland National Air Races, it stood to be an exciting event for women. Juanita joined the ranks of many well-known pilots. These included Pancho Barnes, Ruth Elder, Gladys O’Donnell and Bobbi Trout. Although Juanita possessed little experience, she believed she could finish in the money. Her name did not appear on the final departure list, however. Whether she didn’t qualify or lacked a sponsor is not known.
A Failed Attempt
In December, the California Aircraft Corporation sponsored Juanita in her attempt to set a new women’s altitude record. They provided their 90 hp Cub. In addition, owners of Lincoln Air Lines and Shell Oil contributed to the flight. Ruth Alexander held the previous record of 26,600 feet made on July 11, 1930. She flew a Nicolas-Beasly NB-3.
Following the flight, official timer Joe Nikrent sent the Cub’s sealed barograph to Washington. The June 1931 Aero Digest reported the results of the barograph chart. Juanita had not set a new altitude record. The barograph recorded 19,098 feet. Newspapers, however, continued the myth that Juanita set a new record.
Juanita Burns Interview
Interviewed after her flight, Juanita stated, “I was aloft for 2 hours and 43 minutes. When I reached 24,000 feet my altimeter failed to register. At 18,000 feet I had to use oxygen tanks to aid in breathing which had become awfully hard. I kept on climbing to the 28,000-foot level. The pressure from inside my body was terrible. I felt that surely I would burst. My face and hands began to swell. Then suddenly I couldn’t feel the controls. All power of sensation was gone. Yet I could think clearly. I wondered if I was dying or if I was getting scared.
“My ship felt as if it was in a nosedive. I thought surely that this was the end. Then, just as suddenly as sensation left me, it came back, and once more I felt the controls. I side-slipped down – down. I knew I had conquered space I had won. It was a glorious feeling. Was it worth it? And how!”
More Lofty Plans
Then we find Juanita on her way to New York City in April. She planned to make a one-stop flight to Los Angeles and break the previous record. Despite her intentions, the flight did not materialize. Instead, she announced another endeavor. Juanita planned to depart Burbank’s United Airport and land at 35 Southern California airports in one afternoon. The newspapers picture her with a Buhl Pub to fly for the event. Once again, no record exists of this attempt.
On July 18, Juanita made the headlines as one of several Lady Birds. Clearly, they all intended to make record-setting ocean flights. Aspiring to conquer the Atlantic were Elinore Smith, Ruth Nichols, and Laura Ingalls. Juanita hoped to conquer the Pacific. By the end of 1931, Juanita’s plans for the risky Pacific flight advanced. Her agent, Joseph Martin contracted to fund the flight. They selected a Timm Collegiate K-100 christened the City of Los Angeles for the flight. The two-place biplane seemed robust and rugged. According to wingnet.org, Juanita participated in endurance flights piloting the Collegiate prior to selecting it for her flight.
World Flight Preparations
Juanita prepared for the flight by enrolling in a Manual Arts High School radio class. She intended to learn the skill of ‘keying off’ a message. Juanita also took a systematic course in exercise. She achieved this by driving her Chevrolet coupe from El Paso to Los Angeles without sleep or rest. To acclimate to constant engine noise, Juanita sat in front of a running airplane engine for hours at a time. Captain T. Cameron Wilkenson taught her celestial navigation. She consulted Wiley Post and Harold Gatty about her proposed course across the Pacific.
To secure additional funding, Juanita sold air labels picturing Miss Los Angeles. Agent Joseph Martin made arrangements with Pacific steamships to ignite and drop barrels of oil overboard. They were to be launched on the night of Juantia’s departure from Tokyo. As a result, the fire provided Juanita a path to follow east to Seattle. The projected date of departure was the spring of 1932. Newspapers now wrote that it was a round-the-world flight.
Contract Problems
In May 1932, Juanita filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Agent Joseph Martin for $55,000. Evidently, Martin failed to carry out their contract. Her lawyer asserted that Martin became lax in fulfilling his agreed part of the contract. He submitted little about the flight to the news media. As a result, all public interest in the ocean flight vanished. Consequently, Juanita lost potential earnings for screen and stage appearances. Two months later, the court found for Juanita, awarding her $29, 579. The sum takes into account that the contract entitled Martin to 50% of her earnings.
Juanita Burns made an attempt to set an east-west record in 1936. She received front page news, but the notoriety did not provide her with a sponsor or airplane. Her next quest would be patriotic.
Grounded
Juanita joined the newly organized volunteer Women’s Ambulance and Transportation Corps. On September 17, 1940, she acquired the title of Major Juanita Burns Brown. Julia Dowell founded the organization in May of that year. Professional military personnel trained the women in a variety of skills. That included first aid procedures, ambulance driving, mechanics, and gas mask use. As a member of the San Diego squadron, Juanita assisted in recruiting the county’s youth for the National Guard. Another duty she undertook was flying for the Red Cross Motor Corps. Purportedly, she landed on foreign soil many times. As a result of her disaster work, the Red Cross awarded her a citation for outstanding service.
Following WWII, Juanita married her fourth husband. Captain Robert A. Elliott Jr., an Army Air Corps pilot. They made their home in East Lake Shore, Montana. Juanita became active in community affairs. She supported American Service men incarcerated in Mexican jails. In addition, she became a charter member of Silver Hills, an aerial fraternity. When the fraternity celebrated the 40th anniversary of air mail on September 8, 1960, they assigned Juanita to participate. As a member of the welcoming committee, Juanita greeted the flyers upon their arrival in Salt Lake.
Closing Remarks about Juanita Burns
Juanita’s many attempts to set a flight record were not unique. There were other pilots, both men and women, whose lofty ambitions never reached fruition. Varied circumstances stood in their way. This includes financing, weather, aircraft malfunctions, inadequate planning, or piloting skills. For Juanita, it rests on her lack of genuine dedication to the advancement of flight. Despite her charm, finding sponsors proved difficult. Undoubtedly, her quest for adventure, bravado, and notoriety took precedence over sincere relationships. Juanita passed away on December 14, 1962 at the age of 49.