"the best female pilot in the country"

Elinor Smith Sullivan, who was considered one of the youngest and most daring pilots in the 1920s when she set a number of flying records, died March 19 in Palo Alto, she was 98.

The pioneering aviator, who was known by her maiden name, was born Aug. 17, 1911, in Freeport, N.Y.

Smith made history and headlines at 17 when she flew beneath all four of New York City's East River suspension bridges. She also broke the women's solo endurance record and, at 19, her fellow fliers named her the best female pilot in the country. She beat out Amelia Earhart to win that honor.