Trivia

Attempted to become the first woman to fly a single-engine plane solo from New York to Moscow, but was deterred in Denmark when the Soviet government denied her permission to enter their air space.

Experienced an event that belied her later aviation accomplishments. She was a passenger aboard the Clipper Washington, a Boeing 707 on a transatlantic flight from Paris to New York City when it dropped from 35,000 feet to 6000 feet. It happened on 2/3/59, the same day Buddy Holly died in an airplane crash. These events gave her a paralyzing fear of flying and it took extensive hypnosis to overcome it. In July 1964 she was reintroduced to personal flying during an evening flight over Los Angeles in a Cessna 172. The experience motivated her to return the next day to the Santa Monica Airport to begin training for a Private Pilot certificate the next year.

Was named Pilot of the Year in 1970.

In celebration of Star Trek (1966)'s 30th anniversary, an action figure was released of Susan as her character, Vina, on The Cage (1966).

Her memoir "Odyssey" detailed her journeys as a pilot. She once survived the crash of her own Piper Cub plane in 1966.

A scene of her with green skin and dark hair is often seen in the ending credits of Star Trek (1966), and she became an iconic image within the Star Trek universe as the original Orion slave girl.

A week after her popular character Ann Howard on Peyton Place (1964) was killed off on the series in 1966, Susan survived the crash of a Piper Cub near Santa Paula, CA, that a friend was piloting.

Was a licensed pilot.

Gorgeous blonde of 1960s movies with equally gorgeous cheekbones who tended to play neurotic, troubled types. She attracted major television attention on Peyton Place (1964) when her character, Ann Howard, was killed off, and also has a minor cult following as Vina from the original series pilot The Cage (1966).

Was a Buddhist and an expert on baseball.

Her mother was renowned Hollywood astrologer Ruth Oliver. She passed away on October 3, 1988, two years before Susan. Her father, George Gercke, was a newspaperman.

Was one of the original 19 women admitted to the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women (AFI DWW).

Won the Powder Puff Derby in 1970.

Resided with Jim Hutton throughout 1963. They separated when she began focusing on her career as a pilot.

Trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

Twice played a character who shares a prison on another planet with someone who is from Earth, and both with similar names: Teenya on People Are Alike All Over (1960) and Vina on The Cage (1966).

Despite being a recognizable actress with over 100 screen credits, Oliver died in 1990 at the charitable Motion Picture Country Home at the age of 58.