The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes Paperback – May 23, 2000

Saying that Pancho Barnes was a character would be like saying Al Pacino is an actor. Almost everyone is familiar with Amelia Earhart but most are not aware of the numerous other accomplished women pilots of that same era, including Pancho Barnes. Pancho had also set many records and broke some that had been set by her better-known compatriots. Pancho was not averse to getting dirty working on the planes she flew as well as other machinery and that combined with the way she typically dressed resulted in her often being mistaken for a man. She also worked as a stunt pilot for movies and organized a stunt pilots union to improve the pay and dangerous conditions that they dealt with.She had been born to wealth and had been greatly influenced by her grandfather who was an inventor, businessman, risk taker, etc, and Pancho inherited many of these traits. My first real exposure to Pancho's story was through a 1988 movie that starred Valerie Bertinelli as Pancho Barnes, which vastly improved on the real Pancho's looks. Pancho wasn't pretty, she swore as a normal part of her vocabulary, constantly told off-color stories, and developed a liking for younger men-including one of my uncles who was married to her, for a while. But she was always up for a good time and would freely share whatever she had. Her parties went on for days and were legendary, attended by fellow pilots and Hollywood friends.She had many great business ideas but as soon as thing started coming together she lost interest and was on to the next thing. This combined with a total lack of financial common sense resulted in her going through money like there was no end to it resulting in many business failures. Along the way, because of her connections with other pilots, including Jimmy Doolittle, Chuck Yeager, and others, she developed a pilot training center on her property during WWII and many of her acquaintances along the way continued to hang out at her facilities including the book's namesake Happy Bottom Riding Club. She experienced many successes but also many failures. This book was well written and researched and put some realism to the life of a very colorful individual that had been softened quite a bit for the 1988 movie.Anyone with an interest in the early days of aviation, women in aviation, WWII pilot training, development of new aircraft and the test pilots who proved them, and how not to run a business as well as many other topics will enjoy this book. To sum up Pancho Barnes' general philosophy in life I will just list one of her quotes here: Ah, hell. We had more fun in a week than those weenies had in a lifetime. - Pancho Barnes

I'm not a big aviation buff, but I am a big fan of extraordinary people, women in particular. Strong, smart, unconventional, profane, fiesty-just a few words that are used to describe this dynamo of a woman. A great read.

An excellent book, which deserves to be read just as much for the writing style as its fascinating subject matter. Pancho Barnes features in passing in various books biographies about the Muroc/Edwards AFB era, so the broad parameters of her story are reasonably well known. Lauren Kessler's research, however, is very detailed and paints a full picture of a very interesting character. Even though the "riches-to-rags" story is fairly obvious, the manner in which it is presented is captivating. I could not put this book down.One very (very) minor flaw with the book: a map of the Antelope Valley area showing the location of the Happy Bottom Riding Club between the Edwards and Rosamond dry lakes would have assisted readers with conceptualising those parts of the book. That however is a very minor point and doesn't stop me giving it 5 stars.Well worth the read.

Florence "Pancho" Leontine Lowe Barnes may have been to the manor born and bred, but she chafed at her parent's prim and proper society and decided to be true to the one person she could count on -- herself.Until I read this book, I only knew of Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club from the movie THE RIGHT STUFF. She was the proprietor of the saloon/motel/dude ranch where all the test pilots from nearby Edwards Air Force Base hung out. Her character didn't get much footage in the movie, but she was compelling enough to warrant further investigation.Author Lauren Kessler offers an insider's view into the life of this enigmatic woman, from her privileged childhood to her poverty-stricken death. This is no mere biography...it's a tour de force of the woman behind all the legends.Pancho Barnes was raised by wealthy parents. Her grandfather had made his fortune with patents and in real estate in the early part of the 20th century. Her grandfather died broke, but he lived large. Her grandfather and father doted on her and indulged her every wish. She was puzzled by her mother's world of socials, needlework and fancy dresses. She was dazzled by horses, the outdoors and demanding physical activity.Early on, it was clear that Florence was not going to be a beauty, nor was she the shy and retiring kind. She rode horses, played outside and generally behaved as a young boy. School bored her. Afternoon teas and theidea of running a house set her teeth on edge. Even though she obeyed her family's wishes and married an Episcopalian minister and had one child, she was never a conventional wife or mother, in any form, shape or fashion.As a diversion from her unhappy marriage, she found work as a horse wrangler in the fledgling movie industry. She worked as a stunt person in some of the films she provided horses for. She discovered flying and it became her life-long passion. She found love in the arms of many men, including her four subsequent husbands. She cussed like a sailor, drank whiskey with the best of them, and rubbed elbows with Hollywood elite. She could hold an audience captive with her storytelling acumen. She ran a dairy farm, a pig breeding business, a boisterous resort and maintained a stable full of fabulous horses. She spent three fortunes and died broke, but she lived life to the fullest and made the most of every moment.I read this book in one sitting and dare anyone who starts it to try and put it down.Pancho Barnes was one of a kind. What a dame! I wish I had known her.Enjoy!

What an incredible story. I was introduced to Pancho Barnes through the Sunday Morning show with Charles Osgood. I immediately started searching for any information about her life, and that search lead me to this book. Well written and a great read, the book has certainly been well researched by the author. One of the most interesting characters I've ever read about, Pancho had it all and lost it all, but in the end certainly lived life to it's fullest. I have two friends in line to read my copy. Highly recommend.

É um relato do dia a dia da vida dos pioneiros da indústria aeronáutica-

This is a hugely entertaining book. Pancho Barnes ran a bar near Edwards Air Force base. She only served pilots. Chuck Yeager was famously riding home from there when he was knocked off his horse. The following day he became the first pilot to exceed Mach 1.

Good book. Well researched and written with a tremendous amount of detail. If you like aviation history you will like this book.

A thoroughly enjoyable and well written book about a remarkable and eccentric character from the golden age of aviation!

The book seems to be well researched about this amazing aviatrix. Let there be no misunderstanding about this. However, the narrative is very boring to me and does not credit Pancho Barnes. It seemed to me like a lot of gossip about her without herself knowing this. I lost my interest after about one hundred pages and put it away. This is the first book I bought in recent years that I did not finish. Sorry.