Velta Snyder Haney Benn
June 12, 1917 ~ December 1, 2010
Velta Snyder Haney Benn of Alexandria, VA died on Wednesday, December 1 at her residence.
Devoted mother of Delmar "Del" Haney, Lynne, Ratz, Laura Benn, Bonnie Martinez, Terri Gentry and Dawn Bauer; two sisters, Narcissa Newcome and Mary Tucker.
She is cherished by her six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Devoted mother of Delmar "Del" Haney, Lynne, Ratz, Laura Benn, Bonnie Martinez, Terri Gentry and Dawn Bauer; two sisters, Narcissa Newcome and Mary Tucker.
She is cherished by her six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
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Velta was a great and lovely friend, mentor and supporter in my early flying days. We will miss her and her support/advice greatly. I know that when I am flying and testing a student that it is really she that is keeping watch over us.
Will Miss You
It was my great privilege to have crossed paths in life with Velta. Flying with her brought a special kind of joy. She was a gifted teacher, special friend, and lovely lady. My life was greatly enriched for having known her.
It was a privilege to have known Velta. She was a good mentor for me when I was a new Pilot Examiner.
Velta was always there for me, flying or not, never wavering in her support. We spent many a lunch together at Professional Flight Service over her wonderful homegrown tomatoes and equally good conversations. Learning to be a lady in the aviation world and in other aspects of my life came from her and I will be forever grateful. I will miss you Velta, but I do know you will continue to watch over us!
You will be missed, but always remembered fondly, Velta.
A tough examiner and a great mentor and human being. I have great memories of my Private Pilot and Multi-Engine checkrides with Velta. Velta, you will be missed!
I am sorry for your loss. Velta sounds like a wonderful person who had a full life.
Please have a safe journey on your passage. You have changed my life and my families with the flying I was able to experience with you!!!! You’re such a remarkable pilot to accomplish what you have in your career. My prayers and thoughts are to you and your family. See you someday on the other side so we can go flying again!!!!!! Captian Eric Tellmann
My condolences to the family of Velta Benn. I flew with Velta for my pilot license in 1996. I will never forget the support she gave me to become a pilot.
Velta was the FAA Examiner for my instrument and commercial check rides. I’m grateful for the experience to fly with this pioneer woman pilot. warm regards, John Landers
Even though Velta crossed my path only once I will never forget the instrument check ride with this extraordinary lady. My warm felt condolences to her family.
I had the privilege of flying with Mrs. Benn on both my private and instrument checkrides. She was a great lady, and it is an honor to have her signature in my logbook. My deepest sympathy to her family.
I had the great honor of flying with Velta for my commercial, instrument, and multi-engine checkrides. She always struck me as an extraorinarily capable woman, even in her later years, and I considered it a tremendous priviledge to fly with such a wonderful person. I will always treasure the endorsements in my logbook from such an accomplished pilot as her. God speed Velta — you’ll be missed.
Velta was my Flight Examiner for my Private Pilot’s certification. I’ll never forget how nervous I was that day! When she started chatting with me, she made me feel at ease and more confident. I was in awe of her experiences as pilot. I could have talked to her for hours and hours about her flying. It is pioneering women like her who opened the door to aviation careers for women! “The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.” Rest in peace, Velta.
Velta was one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever encountered, and someone who seemed to fit their profession perfectly. I’ll never forget our date on 4/1/2003, how relaxed she made me feel during my checkride, and how happy she seemed to be in acknowledging my accomplishment with a sign off. I will miss our occasional crossing of paths at the FBO. May she rest in peace.
Velta was my Flight Examiner for my Private Pilot’s certification. I’ll never forget how nervous I was that day! After she introduced herself and started chatting with me, she made me feel at ease. I was in awe of her experiences as pilot. Rest in peace, Velta.
Velta was one of my FAA flight Examiners and Safety counselor when I was the Operation Supervisor for the Washington FSDO It was a privilege to have Known and worked with such a fine lady who truly enjoyed her Flying
It was a pleasure and an honor getting to know Velta. She will be missed.
The notice in the Washington Post caught my eye — the mother of my friend “Terri Elizabeth”, whom I haven’t seen since kindergarten in 1961. I remember being at your home; playing, laughing, eating lunch — having a wonderful, happy time. Mrs. Benn was warm and lovely, and made me feel comfortable and so welcome in her home. Her passing is a sad loss, and my condolences are with all the Benn family. Thank you for my special memories, Mrs. Benn. May you rest in peace.
I will miss you Velta. You were one of a kind. God Speed.
We both had the pleasure of flying with Velta. We were both inspired and amazed by her life and piloting experiences. Our prayers are with her family during this sad time.
RIP Velta. Even though its been years since I’ve passed you in the halls and even longer since I’ve had the pleasure to fly with you I was deeply saddened to get this news. The best thing about your checkrides were that they felt more like a big ending lesson rather than a test. Without the stuff I learned from you I would not be where I am today.
David Walker
I will miss your telling me about your aviation experiences and will miss your personality Velta. I was honored to have you as my flight examiner. You were the Best. God Bless Your Soul.
My prayers are with you during this time of loss. As many others here I had my private pilot checkride with Velta. It is without a doubt one of the best flights I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget her climbing into the plane, pulling her seat forward and realizing her feet couldn’t quite hit the rudder pedals. There was an awkward moment of silence followed by “Well I can squinch down if I need to.” …and off we went. She was truly a joy to be around and will be missed.
Velta was a class act. Our paths crossed but rarely, but when they did I always looked forward to hearing her stories. Blue Skies and Tailwinds, and thank you for your WASP service Velta. Many people merely exist, Velta *lived*….
Even though I never flew with Velta, I could tell by our conversations she was a great lady. Always polite with encouraging words. She will be missed.
My condolences to all family and friends of Velta, she was my instrument and private pilot license examiner. She was a great pilot and teacher and I never forget the time we spend together during each of my check rides, I learned so much from her. She has been an inspiration to me and I think of her every time I fly. God bless
It was an honor and pleasure to know her and learn from her. Her life’s accomplishments are what many dream of and few ever achieve.
It is the greatest of honors to have learned from Velta Benn during the six checkrides I had the true privilege of taking with her. It was also an honor to work with her when I was a flight instructor when my students had their checkrides with her. Velta will be deeply missed.
Velta, I had the honor to share an airplane cockpit with you on seven FAA checkrides and on each one of them it truly was a pleasure to fly with and learn from you. That’s right – one of the most important things I learned from you was how to remain calm, cool and collected in a cockpit under adversity. I sometimes would ask myself during a flight, “What would Velta do in this situation?” You taught more with fewer words than anyone I have ever known and that is an admirable trait. You were a class act and set an unwavering example for all who were fortunate enough to come across your path in life. Simply put, your sphere of influence was quite large. And although I know that YOU would never say it – you were one of the greatest of the ‘Greatest Generation’. First Lieutenant, we all are truly going to miss you!
I was sorry to have missed the celebration for Velta.She was a great lady and a outstanding pilot and instrutor.I logged many hours with her flying out of P.G.AIRPARK When a very young Lynne was the clerk/scheduler/air contoler and everyones girl friday .Velta will be greatly missed by the many people she touch.
I will miss seeing Velta in the neighborhood. It was a joy to have known her. She was an amazing lady, loved by many, especially her family. My sympathies to her extended family.
Velta was a very kind Lady. She gave me encouragement during my check ride for my private pilots license.
We are very sorry we did not hear of Aunt Velta’s passing until now. I’ve always respected and revered her for her service to her country as a pilot, and I often share her story in my U.S. History classes.
Velta was always one of the favorite people in my life! So many great memories of going to her house many years ago for good food…particularly those cherry pies..and lots of fun. She was a remarkable lady and I enjoyed several get togethers in more recent years.
We have all lost a National Treasure. I loved her!
Some of the people we meet in life are unforgettable, Velta Benn is unforgettable. Velta was a pilot’s pilot, her confidence and aviation prowess were compelling and inspiring, she made the world a better place and a lot of pilots better pilots. Velta was my initial instrument rating DE, nearly 20 years ago. What a treat, she made that check ride fun! May God have blessed you.