As an adolescent she worked in a shoe factory, money was scarce and an early marriage that failed left her with a child, who died young, and limited means.

[4] In September 1939, she and three other pilots, Maryse Hilsz, Claire Roman and Paulette Bray-Bouquet were requisitioned to ferry planes to the front for the Air Force.

[5] On 1931, Bastié was awarded a Knight in France's Legion of Honour for her flight on 28 June 1931, a 2976 km journey from Le Bourget to Yurino (Russia) undertaken in 30 hours 30 minutes at an average speed of 97 km/h.

On 1936, this was upgraded to the rank of officer for Bastié's flight aboard her Caudron 635 Simoun F-Anxo (30 December 1936), which broke the record for crossing the South Atlantic in 12 hours 5 minutes.

The Real Estate Services division of aircraft maker Bombardier Inc. named a street in her honor in Saint-Laurent, Quebec as did the French cities of Anglet, Bron, Haguenau, Châteaulin and Lyon.