Elinor Smith, who was considered one of the youngest and most daring pilots in the 1920s when she set a number of flying records, died yesterday. She was 98.

Ms Smith's son, Patrick Sullivan of Santa Cruz, California, said she died at a nursing home in Palo Alto.

She became a licensed pilot just after her 16th birthday, Mr Sullivan said. At age 17, she became an instant celebrity when she flew under all four of New York's East River suspension bridges.

Mr Sullivan said his mother set the women's solo flying endurance record in 1929 during a 13-and-a -half hour flight. She set an even longer mark just three months later when she flew solo for 26-and-a-half hours.

Ms Smith also set a women's altitude record by flying at a height of 32,576 feet in 1931.