Aerial refueling craft was eventually modified by Airspeed to Cobham's specification, for a non-stop flight from London to India, using in-flight refueling to extend the plane's flight duration. Meanwhile, in 1929, a group of U.S. Army Air Corps fliers, led by then Major Carl Spaatz, set an endurance record of over 150 hours with the "Question Mark" over Los Angeles. Between June 11 and July 4, 1930, the brothers John, Kenneth, Albert, and Walter Hunter set a new record of 553 hours 40 minutes over Chicago using two Stinson SM-1 Detroiters as refueler and receiver. Aerial refueling remained a very dangerous process
Viola Gentry Viola Gentry Viola Gentry (1894 - 1988) was an American aviator, best known for setting the first non-refueling endurance record for women. Gentry was born in Rockingham, North Carolina. She learned to fly an airplane in 1924, which made her the first woman from North Carolina to fly an aircraft. On December 20, 1928, Gentry flew 8 hours, 6 six minutes and 37 seconds, which set the first non-refueling endurance record for women. This record was broken in 1929 when Bobbi Trout flew from California for 12 hours straight. After Smith's flight, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) rules were regulated stating