I'd intended to share a piece of info a day, but stuff intervened, as it has a habit of doing...
Anyway... what's been on my Women in Aviation Events calendar, which I acquired from www.powderpuffpilot.com? (No, I'm not affiliated with them in any way, shape or form, but I want women-owned and women-centric aviation businesses to do well...)
January 9, 1978
Gail Gorski, a former Kentucky Derby Queen, was the first woman hired by United Airlines as an airline pilot.
Women Aviators Wiki entry on Gorski: http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Gail_Gorski
(What is a Kentucky Derby Queen? http://www.kdf.org/royal-court/royal-court-fillies.asp. Founded in 1959 by Frances Askew Davis, the 17-member Fillies Club began their history of volunteer service to the Kentucky Derby Festival. From crowning the first Derby Queen at the Official Derby Ball , the group has grown to an active membership of 250 and were incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1971. Today, the Fillies, Inc publishes the Festival's Official Program, coordinates the Derby Festival Princess Program, creates the Queen's float for the Pegasus Parade and still produces the Fillies Derby Ball.
January 10, and 11, 1935
(Okay, so there's a flaw in this desktop calendar. Saturdays and Sundays are combined on one page, with only one snippet of information to cover both days!)
On this page, "Amelia Earhart became the first person (man or woman) to fly solo from Honolulu to Oakland. The 2,408-mile flight was also the first where a civilian aircraft carried a two-way radio.
Women Aviators Wiki entry on Amelia Earhart: http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Amelia_Earhart
January 12, 1970
Stunt flyer Blanche Scott died, at the age of 84. She was billed as the "Tomboy of the Air" she had a six-year career as a stunt-flyer, before retiring.
Women Aviators Wiki entry on Scott: http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Blanche_Stuart_Scott
January 13, 1928
South Dakota native Nellie Zabel Willhite soloed. She was the state's first licensed aviatrix. In airshows, she would compete in bombing (dropping bags of flour on targets on the ground) and balloon racing (flying around floating balloons - presumably vary large and easily seen ones!)
Women Aviators Wiki entry on Willhite: http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Nellie_Zabel_Willhite
January 14, 1943
US Astronaut Shannon Lucid was born on this day, in Shanghai, China, to Baptist missionary parents.
After getting a biochemical degree from the University of Oklahoma, she volunteered for the astronaut training program and was selected in 1978. She flew on five space shuttle missions and for a while held the record for the most hours in orbit by a non-RUssian, and most by a woman (188). (On June 16, 2007, her record for longest duration spaceflight by a woman was exceeded by Sunita Williams aboard the International Space Station)
Women Aviators Wiki entry on Lucid: http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Shannon_Lucid
She is married to Michael F. Lucid of Indianapolis, Indiana and they have two daughters and one son, and five granddaughters.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Final Flights...
WASP Jeannette Kapus passed away on January 8, 2009.
A very moving tribute appears to her at the Wasp Final Flight blog kept by Nancy Parrish, the daughter of WASP Sue Parrish, who was great friends with Jeannette "Jan" Kapus.
http://waspfinalflight.blogspot.com/2009/01/wasp-jeannette-jan-kapus-44-4.html
Nancy Bird Walton has died in Australia, at age 93. She was one of the pioneer aviatrixes, the first woman in Australia to obtain a pilot's license. Her obituary appears in several Australian newspapers, including this one:
http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/36824.html
I'll be writing an entry on her for the Women Aviators wiki, and you can check that out at http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Nancy_Bird
A very moving tribute appears to her at the Wasp Final Flight blog kept by Nancy Parrish, the daughter of WASP Sue Parrish, who was great friends with Jeannette "Jan" Kapus.
http://waspfinalflight.blogspot.com/2009/01/wasp-jeannette-jan-kapus-44-4.html
Nancy Bird Walton has died in Australia, at age 93. She was one of the pioneer aviatrixes, the first woman in Australia to obtain a pilot's license. Her obituary appears in several Australian newspapers, including this one:
http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/36824.html
I'll be writing an entry on her for the Women Aviators wiki, and you can check that out at http://www.womenaviators.org/wiki/index.php?title=Nancy_Bird
Monday, January 5, 2009
There is no Kara Wade! There is only Donna Kohout!
-- Donna KohoutI continue to get most of my hits from people looking for Lt. Kara Wade!
Kara Wade is a fictional character, from the movie Stealth. She's billed as the first woman to fly the Stealth attack plane, the Nighthawk (and was played by Jessica Biel) This is because a mass email seems to be sent out on a periodic basis, purporting to be photos of the naval maneuvers of Valiant Sheild. And one of the photos features "Kara Wade" in the cockpit - and doesn't point out that she's a fictional character.
What I want to know is - why wasn't Donna Kohout - the real first woman to fly the Nighthawk, included instead? (Since she did so, at least two other women have also piloted this plane).
Read my interview with Donna Kohout, at:
Donna Kohout: 1st woman to fly the F-117A - Nighthawk.
This is the photo of the fictional Kara Wade:
Lt. Kara Wade (Jessica Biehl!) in the cockpit of the prototype F/A-37. (Fictional movie, Stealth!)
A photo of the exercises held during Valiant Shield, 2006
Kohout is one of the service people discussed in this book.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Turtle Lady was also a plane lady
On January 4, 2000, Ila Fox Loetscher, 95 years old, passed away.
Ila became the first licensed native Iowa female pilot at age 25, in . At the invitation of her friend Amelia Earhart, Loetscher was one of the 99 charter members of The Ninety-Nines. Also a noted advocate for the care and preservation of sea turtles, this aviation pioneer was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991.
You can get a biography about her at the Sea Turtle Inc giftshop:
http://www.seaturtleinc.com/store/books.html
and visit the website there as well!
According to her article at Wikipedia (a copyright free site, I point out!):
Ila Loetscher was born in 1904 in Callender, Iowa as one of a pair of twin girls. She received her early education in Pella, Iowa, before ultimately graduating from the University of Iowa.
From her early life, Loetscher had developed in interested in engines and aviation, and she became, at the age of 25, the first licensed native Iowa female pilot.[1] At the invitation of her friend Amelia Earhart, Loetscher was one of the 99 charter members of the Ninety-Nines, an organization founded in 1929 to promote fellowship and support for female pilots.
By the 1950s, her focus had changed from flying to family. However, when David Loetscher, her husband of 32 years, died in 1955, the family opted for a new beginning and moved to South Padre Island, Texas.
Her work with sea turtles
Shortly after moving to South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher developed an affection for and interest in sea turtles, which would come to define the latter half of her life. From 1963-1967, she accompanied fellow island residents on trips to Mexico to get eggs for the endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle that they would plant and protect on the island, and she received a state license to care for sick and injured sea turtles.
In 1977, Loetscher founded “Sea Turtle, Inc”, a non-profit corporation focused on protecting and preserving sea turtles, particularly the Kemp’s ridley. Her activities on behalf of the turtles gained her the nickname, "The Turtle Lady."
Awards and appearances
Ila Loetscher was inducted into the "Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame" in 1991.[1]
In 2005, she was the first nominee to the “The Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame”[3]
Loetscher appeared in National Geographic documentaries and on numerous television shows, including the Johnny Carson Show, the David Letterman Show, the Today Show, and Real People
Ila became the first licensed native Iowa female pilot at age 25, in . At the invitation of her friend Amelia Earhart, Loetscher was one of the 99 charter members of The Ninety-Nines. Also a noted advocate for the care and preservation of sea turtles, this aviation pioneer was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991.
You can get a biography about her at the Sea Turtle Inc giftshop:
http://www.seaturtleinc.com/store/books.html
and visit the website there as well!
According to her article at Wikipedia (a copyright free site, I point out!):
Ila Loetscher was born in 1904 in Callender, Iowa as one of a pair of twin girls. She received her early education in Pella, Iowa, before ultimately graduating from the University of Iowa.
From her early life, Loetscher had developed in interested in engines and aviation, and she became, at the age of 25, the first licensed native Iowa female pilot.[1] At the invitation of her friend Amelia Earhart, Loetscher was one of the 99 charter members of the Ninety-Nines, an organization founded in 1929 to promote fellowship and support for female pilots.
By the 1950s, her focus had changed from flying to family. However, when David Loetscher, her husband of 32 years, died in 1955, the family opted for a new beginning and moved to South Padre Island, Texas.
Her work with sea turtles
Shortly after moving to South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher developed an affection for and interest in sea turtles, which would come to define the latter half of her life. From 1963-1967, she accompanied fellow island residents on trips to Mexico to get eggs for the endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle that they would plant and protect on the island, and she received a state license to care for sick and injured sea turtles.
In 1977, Loetscher founded “Sea Turtle, Inc”, a non-profit corporation focused on protecting and preserving sea turtles, particularly the Kemp’s ridley. Her activities on behalf of the turtles gained her the nickname, "The Turtle Lady."
Awards and appearances
Ila Loetscher was inducted into the "Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame" in 1991.[1]
In 2005, she was the first nominee to the “The Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame”[3]
Loetscher appeared in National Geographic documentaries and on numerous television shows, including the Johnny Carson Show, the David Letterman Show, the Today Show, and Real People
Friday, January 2, 2009
Bobbie Trout set woman's solo endurance record on this day
January 2, 1929. Bobbi Trout took off from Van Nuys Airport at 6:25 a.m., and set out on an endurance flight that lasted 12 hours and 11 minutes. Viola Gentry had previously set the record at 8-hours. However, the record would last for only a month -- in February Elinor Smith set the bar at over 13 hours.
Of course, in the early days of aviation, records were being set and broken on a regular basis, as planes became more sophisticated and pilots more skilled. Lots of women pilots - 6% then, as now (which is an interesting statistic) were involved in aviation at this time, withstanding the prejudice from both the male pilots and conservative society alike.
Male pilots didn't like women because of the general perception of women as the "weaker vessel." If women could fly aerobatics and air races, then obviously it was no big deal!
And the conservative public thought that women should stay at home and take care of husband, child and church, and not go out and about and be independent, or worse, show an ankle!
There's a very nice website for Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout at: http://www.bobbitrout.com/
And at http://www.dmairfield.com/people/trout_bo/index.htm
Bobbi lived to be 95, passing away on January 24, 2003. Her legacy continues to live on.
Reference:
http://www.powderpuffpilot.com/todayinhistory.php (A commercial site, which sells women in aviation desk calendars, among other items aimed a the woman pilot.)
Of course, in the early days of aviation, records were being set and broken on a regular basis, as planes became more sophisticated and pilots more skilled. Lots of women pilots - 6% then, as now (which is an interesting statistic) were involved in aviation at this time, withstanding the prejudice from both the male pilots and conservative society alike.
Male pilots didn't like women because of the general perception of women as the "weaker vessel." If women could fly aerobatics and air races, then obviously it was no big deal!
And the conservative public thought that women should stay at home and take care of husband, child and church, and not go out and about and be independent, or worse, show an ankle!
There's a very nice website for Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout at: http://www.bobbitrout.com/
And at http://www.dmairfield.com/people/trout_bo/index.htm
Bobbi lived to be 95, passing away on January 24, 2003. Her legacy continues to live on.
Reference:
http://www.powderpuffpilot.com/todayinhistory.php (A commercial site, which sells women in aviation desk calendars, among other items aimed a the woman pilot.)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Little Stinker - the oldest Pitt Special still in existence
Jan 1, 1948. Betty Skelton won her first International Feminine Aerobatic Championship at the 16th annual Miami All-American Air Maneuvers. (She'd also win it in 1950.)
The plane she flew both times was the Little Stinker , the second Pitt Special to be built.
Betty sold the plane in 1951, when she decided to try her hand at car racing. She and her husband, Donald Frankman, reacquired the plane after a few years and in 1985 donated it to the Smithsonian Museum.
Little Stinker is still in existence (the oldest Pitt Special to still be intact) now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Sources:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal104/aerochamps/index.cfm
http://www.powderpuffpilot.com/todayinhistory.php
The plane she flew both times was the Little Stinker , the second Pitt Special to be built.
Betty sold the plane in 1951, when she decided to try her hand at car racing. She and her husband, Donald Frankman, reacquired the plane after a few years and in 1985 donated it to the Smithsonian Museum.
Little Stinker is still in existence (the oldest Pitt Special to still be intact) now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Sources:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal104/aerochamps/index.cfm
http://www.powderpuffpilot.com/todayinhistory.php
Woman holds the only Bahrainian private pilot's license
Every day, I do a google news search on "woman pilot" and its variations, to see if there are any new articles.
Today, found one on Yvonne Trueman, a profile of her in the Gulf Weekly, "the community weekly in the heart of Bahrain."
"On the wings of a dream":
PILOT, runner and tireless charity worker, Yvonne Trueman celebrated 40 years in the air this week with a party for friends, family and fellow runners and fliers.
Yvonne first came to the island more than 30 years ago and is the holder of the first, and only, Bahraini Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) ever issued.
She is also Governor of the Middle Eastern area of the 99s, the International Organisation of Women Pilots.
See the complete profile at the link above.
Today, found one on Yvonne Trueman, a profile of her in the Gulf Weekly, "the community weekly in the heart of Bahrain."
"On the wings of a dream":
PILOT, runner and tireless charity worker, Yvonne Trueman celebrated 40 years in the air this week with a party for friends, family and fellow runners and fliers.
Yvonne first came to the island more than 30 years ago and is the holder of the first, and only, Bahraini Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) ever issued.
She is also Governor of the Middle Eastern area of the 99s, the International Organisation of Women Pilots.
See the complete profile at the link above.
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