Westside : HIGH FLYING

A 90-year-old pioneering woman aviator will be the first female to receive the Aero Club of Southern California’s Howard Hughes Memorial Award, it was announced Tuesday.

Evelyn “Bobbi” Trout, a record-setting flying ace from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, is the 17th recipient of the award given by the Howard Hughes Corp. for accomplishments that have contributed to the advancement of aviation.

The award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday night in Pacific Palisades.

Trout, who began to fly almost seven decades ago, was the fifth woman in the nation to receive a pilot’s license. That license was signed by Orville Wright, then head of the National Aeronautic Assn.

In 1929, Trout set a solo endurance record of 17 hours and five minutes, a previous woman’s altitude record of 15,200 feet and an in-flight refueling record of 42 hours, five minutes.