Helen Shropshire obtained her private pilot's license from Artie Clay in Monterey, California in 1956. Jack Jella was her instructor for her multi-engine instrument, commercial, and instrument ratings in l957, 1958 and 1959. Helen was inspired to get her pilot license from one of her customers. During the time Helen and her husband Frank owned the Camera Exchange in Pacific Grove, one of their customers was a very enthusiastic pilot by the name of Dell Hinn. Dell would always talk her exciting adventures in flying and was the catalyst that propelled both Helen and Frank into obtaining their private pilot licenses.

In 1965, Helen and Zoe Dell Nutter organized the formation of the Monterey Bay Chapter of The 99s, sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley and Sacramento Valley Chapter. The installation of the Monterey Bay Chapter was held at Asilomar Conference Center with the Governor of the Southwest Section presiding over the event. Helen was the first chairman of the Monterey Bay Chapter of the 99s.

Helen enjoyed the competition of air racing and entered several of the Powder Puff Derby/All Women Transcontinental Air Races. She and her partner placed 2nd in 1972. Helen also received much recognition for chairing a Monterey County Air Tour for government officials. Helen was 1967 pilot of the year for the Monterey Chapter.

One of her most memorable flights occurred while producing a movie for the Guatemalan Tourist Bureau. While in their country, she had the opportunity to photograph the inside of a volcano from a bomber with the bomb bay doors open and not strapped in. The bomber had been purchased from the United States by Guatemala and was copiloted by her husband, Frank. Helen filmed the inside of the volcano while lying on her stomach. Her fascination for the inside of volcanoes brought her into the Crater of the Sun (Haleakala) in Hawaii for aerial photographs.

Link to the collection's Descriptive Finding Guide.