Rudnick Helicopters Bell 47 | Alan Dixon Photo, Courtesy of Dave Paull and the NZ Civil Aircraft Website (nzcivair.blogspot.com)


ELYNOR RUDNICK HAI’s first female president.


Elynor H. “Johnnie” Rudnick was born on Apr. 2, 1923, the fifth of 11 children raised by immigrant parents on a cattle ranch in Bakersfield, California. As Elynor grew up, she knew she wanted to pursue higher education, but her father refused to support her dream. To follow her ambition, Rudnick got a job on an assembly line at Douglas Aircraft in Los Angeles to pay for her tuition at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Trough the job, building military aircraft, and taking courses in aviation maintenance at UCLA, Rudnick discovered her passion for aviation. During her studies, Rudnick decided she wanted to apply for


the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), a civilian corps of pilots that delivered aircraft and cargo during World War II. Because of her age, she couldn’t join the WASPs without her parents’ approval. While her father was once again resistant, her mother ultimately signed the application, and she was able to attend flight school, earning her pilot’s license. By the time Rudnick completed flight school, however, World War II was ending, and the WASPs were disbanded before she could join. Soon after, Rudnick and two of her brothers combined their


resources to purchase an air strip: the Bakersfield Airpark. Te week of the airport’s opening in 1945, the Bakersfield Californian wrote that Rudnick “represents feminine initiative in aviation development and has the courage to match her dreams.” Rudnick went on to become one of the world’s


first female helicopter pilots. She continued to build an impressive resume, serving as president of one of the first helicopter companies in the world, Kern Copters in Bakersfield, as well as


Rudnick Helicopters in New Zealand. In addition, she founded a flight school at Bakersfield Airpark in 1948. Tat same year, she trained a group of fighter pilots who would become the first Israeli Air Force. Her dedication to the vertical aviation industry led Rudnick to


join with 15 other helicopter professionals in 1948 to establish the Helicopter Council, which in 1951 became the Helicopter Association of America (HAA), HAI’s predecessor. In 1955, Rudnick became HAA’s first female president. She was also a member of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots. She died on May 25, 1996, at age 73.


SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE ROTOR 141


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