One 77 minute long oral history with Art & Betty Pfister conducted by Anna L. Scott on September 16, 2006 as part of the Old Timers Oral History Project.

Betty Pfister was one of about 1,000 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) who flew U.S. military aircraft for the first time during World War II. She married Art Pfister, who she met on the ski slopes of Aspen. They had three daughters, but that did not keep her from flying her own airplane and accomplishing great things for her community.

In 1963, Betty received her commercial rotorcraft rating and in 1966 she planned and supervised the construction of the Aspen Valley Hospital Heliport. This was the first hospital heliport in Colorado, and has been instrumental in saving many lives. Betty has many other accomplishments to her credit.

In 1968, she founded the Pitkin County Air Rescue Group and remained its president until she retired in 1991. This volunteer organization of local pilots initiated searches for downed aircraft and lost skiers in the mountainous regions of Colorado and had saved 32 lives by 2001.

Art Pfister served as an Airforce pilot in WWII and moved to Aspen shortly after the war ended in 1946-47. He flew an airplane as a file supplier salesman

in a region of 10 states while also living in Aspen and managing a 700 Acre ranch at the base of Buttermilk called the Lazy Chair Ranch. He partnered with Freidl Pfiefer to open Buttermilk ski area and joined the board of direc­tors of the Aspen Skiing Corp., were he served until the early 2000s. Pfister eventually sold his share of Buttermilk to the Aspen Skiing Co., and in 1984 the remainder of his ranch was parceled off to fami­ly and sold to the Maroon Creek Club golf development.