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Arts & Culture

The Legend Of Pancho Barnes And The Happy Bottom Riding Club

Pancho Barnes poses with her Travelair Mystery Ship circa 1930. Only five of these radical racing planes were built. Pancho flew hers to glory, breaking Amelia Earhart's woman's air speed record in the skies over Van Nuys airport. Photo property of the Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archive.
©2009-2010 Nick Spark Productions, LLC
Pancho Barnes poses with her Travelair Mystery Ship circa 1930. Only five of these radical racing planes were built. Pancho flew hers to glory, breaking Amelia Earhart's woman's air speed record in the skies over Van Nuys airport. Photo property of the Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archive.

Airs Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

"The Legend Of Pancho Barnes And The Happy Bottom Riding Club" chronicles the thrilling life and extraordinary times of aviation pioneer Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes, one of the most colorful and accomplished women pilots of the early 20th century.

Narrated by Tom Skerritt, with Kathy Bates as the voice of Barnes, "The Legend Of Pancho Barnes" employs newly discovered personal files, never-before-seen photos and rare movie footage to tell her story.

The film also includes interviews with Pancho's biographers, and many of her friends, including General Charles 'Chuck' Yeager, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and famed test pilots R.A. 'Bob' Hoover and Bob Cardenas.

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"The Legend Of Pancho Barnes And The Happy Bottom Riding Club" chronicles the thrilling life and extraordinary times of aviation pioneer Florence Lowe (Pancho) Barnes one of the most colorful and accomplished women pilots of the early 20th century. The documentary is narrated by Tom Skerritt, with Kathy Bates as the voice of Barnes, and includes interviews with Chuck Yeager and Buzz Aldrin. ©2009-2010 Nick Spark Productions, LLC.