A Little Something I Wrote in School...

Betty and another pilot named George were on their way to El Real for a missions trip. THUNK! Betty quickly swung her head around to see what had happened. Her friend George accidentally smashed their only red waco biplane into a shed that sat next the airstrip in El Real! How could this have happened? He was a really good pilot! It spun 180 degrees before she could do anything. “ Get out now!” she yelled, “It’s going to blow up!” They ran for cover, but no fire broke out. The red waco biplane was a mess! It was broken. It was chipped. It was banged up. Pilot Betty displayed her bravery in this disaster by protecting them both and not just standing there gaping. She was a brave pilot who used wings to serve God.

Betty Greene wanted to use her interest in planes to serve God from when she was considerably little. When she was 8 years old she went to the University of Washington to watch charles Lindberg touch down his plane when he flew across the Atlantic. A couple of months later her house burned down in 1929. She always wanted flying lessons so when she was 16 she got 100$ from a rich uncle and gratefully used it for her dream. That money didn’t last long so when she was 17 she had to go to the University of Washington to get her bachelors degree with a major in nursing. Betty hated nursing so in 1943 she began flying lessons instead. Ms. Greene flew several kinds of planes and did daring high altitude experiments.

In her later years Betty started using her dream to serve God. She joined CAMF (Christian Airmen's Missionary Fellowship) and opened it’s first office in 1944. Her first flight was to El Real, Mexico where she visited a boot camp for missionaries in training for remote situations. CAMF got another plane called Amauta and she operated it December 1946. In 1957 she started speaking at different locations. Betty worked for several years with CAMF now called MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) until she realized her beloved parents were getting old and frail. She lovingly tended to them until they died in 1976 and 1981. She caught a bad cold in 1997 and then died shortly after from a coma. Betty served MAF 16 years in 12 countries touching down in some 20 more!

Betty Greene had a great character inside and out that we can all learn from. She totally loved the idea of combining her love for planes and most of all, God. She had a heart for missions and used her love of flying to serve God. Betty was courageous, extremely smart and a quick problem solver. In scary times she remained calm, perseverant and trusted God she was adventurous and loved traveling. Ms. greene had a build of a professional runner and was 5’ 10”. She had wavy long amber hair and eyes.

Many people affected Betty Greene in her life. Her loving big brother Joe was one. He shared her love of planes and got a pilot license when he was 16. She also had a twin brother named Bill, who she grew up and played together with. Her parents, Gertude and Albert Greene took care of her through the great depression and a house fire. They “were strong and active Christians” (www.maf.org). She unquestionably adored Amelia Earhart from when she was quite small. Betty “was fascinated by the adventures of Charles Lindbergh  (www.maf.org). Richard Berd and Bern Dalchen were the first 2 people to fly to the south pole and she was amazed by them. Jim Truxton and her friend Gladys started CAMF with her.

Betty Greene  served her country, America in many ways. She opened MAF’s first office and was there first pilot! Ms. Greene repaired MAF’s trusty red waco biplane so she could fly to Mexico. She also totally hiked 3 days in remarkably dense jungle to test an airstrip in New Guinea. Betty was also the first MAF pilot to fly to peru! She was the first lady to fly across the profoundly towering Andes mountains. She encouraged many women to fly during the war even though it was a daring feat. We can learn from this God fearing Pilot who used wings to serve God!