There were 25,000 women who applied, but only 3,000 had their pilot’s license. Of these, 1,830 women were accepted after they met the criteria and passed a physical. In less than 2 years under Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Love’s supervision, 1,102 WASP flew over 60 million miles in every type aircraft in the Army Air Corps arsenal.
We went into Hanger Two first and there was a film about some of the WASP women who talked about their experience. As of now, there are only two WASP still alive, and they are both over 100 years old.
Basic Entrance Requirements: Trainees in the first class (43-W-1, also known as the Guinea Pigs) were required to meet the following criteria:
*Be between 21 and 35 years old
*U.S. Citizen
*5' or taller
*High school education or equivalent
*Hold a private pilot's license
*Show proof of a minimum of 250 hours of logged flying time
*Pass a physical examination by an Army physician
*Undergo a person interview with an authorized recruitment officer
Ground school included classes in Meteorology, Navigation, Morse Code, Parachute Packing, Mechanics, and 50 hours in a Link Trainer. Daily physical fitness was conducted to improve upper body strength.
Flight training was divided into three sections:
>Primary training of 70 hours flying PT-17s and PT-19s;
>Basic training of 70 hours flying BT-13s and BT-15s; and
>Advanced training of 50 hours flying AT-6s and AT-7s and 20 hours in flying UC-78s.
After each phase of flight training, the women had to pass a check ride with an army pilot. If they passed, they went on to the next phase. If they didn’t pass, they washed out and went home.
When trainees graduated, they were assigned to over 120 duty bases all over the United States. Over 300 of the women ferried airplanes from aircraft factories to areas of need. Some were assigned to Lubbock, TX, to the Glider Training Base. Many of the women became tow targets pilots for gunnery practice. The women would tow targets 1,000 feet behind their airplanes for men with live ammunition to shoot at them. Other graduates were sent for more training to learn to fly B-17s and B-24s.
Before the program ended, the WASP had flown 60 million miles in 78 different types of airplanes including the fastest pursuit planes and the heaviest bombers. Thirty-eight were killed in service. The military did not pay for services or transportation. Their fellow WASP would take up a collection among friends to send them home on the train with an escort.
Because the war was winding down and men were returning home, the WASP were deactivated in December 1944. At the last graduation ceremony on December 7, Gen. Hap Arnold told the newly trained WASP, “you and 900 of your sisters have shown that you can fly wingtip to wingtip with your brothers.”
 |
| Fairchild PT-19A |
 |
| Boeing PT-17 |
 |
| The Blue Box -- Link Trainer |
The Link Trainer was a flight simulator developed in the 1930s and used extensively during World War II to introduce pilots to instrument navigation. Raised in his family's piano and organ business, inventor Edward Link applied his knowledge of bellows, valves, and pumps to create a machine to allow pilots to move cockpit controls and receive immediate, accurate readings on the trainer's instrument panel.
Pilots the world over trained on the Link: Australia, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Israel, the USSR, Pakistan and New Zealand, among others. More than 500,000 US pilots were trained on the Link simulators during WWII. After the war ended, Britain's Air Marshall Robert Leckie observed, "The Luftwaffe met its Waterloo on all the training fields of the free world where there was a battery of Link Trainers."
 |
| Vultee BT-13 |
 |
| The "Vultee Vibrator" |
In the 1940s, thousands of military pilots honed their flying skills between Primary and Advanced training in the BT-13 Valiant. Humorously known as the Vultee Vibrator among trainees around the country, flying near its airspeed and angle of attack limits, something students do often, the canopy, the control stick, engine cowling and tail all shake.
 |
| North American T-6 Texan |
"Follow Me!" Runway Meet-and-Greeter ~~ One of the most welcome sights for a WASP pilot coming in for a landing after a long flight was a small boxy vehicle bearing a large sign: "Follow Me." Whether painted olive drab, checkerboard black and yellow or other eye-catching color, an airfield "Follow Me" Jeep's job was to meet an incoming plane on the runway and lead it to a designated parking spot or hangar. For tired pilots arriving at an unfamiliar airfield at night, in fog, or with a damaged airplane, the appearance of the fast-moving, nimble Jeep signaled a safe end to the journey.
The true origin of the name "jeep" is a mystery, but theories abound. As early as World War I, soldiers applied the word to any army utility truck or car. A common assumption that the name is an abbreviation for "General Purpose" vehicle. Other explanations claim that the word is a play on the original vehicle's 'cheap' price tag or perhaps an acronym for "just enough essential parts."
Every WASP was pinned with a pair of silver wings at her graduation. For many WASP, receiving her silver wings was the biggest thrill of her young life.
Training at a glance ~~ What did the trainees study? The standard curriculum at Avenger Field was divided into three overlapping phases:
Military Training ~~ Topics included military organization, protocols and customs, Articles of War, chemical warfare, drill and ceremony, as well as procedures for safeguarding military information and secrets.
Ground School ~~ Classes taught principles of flight, navigation, meteorology, math, Morse Code, instrument flying, physics, maps, physical and first aid training.
Flight Training ~~ In-air practice focused on learning to fly increasingly sophisticated aircraft in the Primary, Basic and Advanced categories. Training began with 'dual' sessions in which an instructor accompanied the trainee on the flight, instructing and correcting pilot errors from the cockpit. A trainee soloed when her instructor deemed her ready. She also underwent periodic 'check rides' -- in-flight testing -- by civilian instructors and Army pilots.
How much did it cost to train a WASP? The price of training a female pilot was approximately $12,000. In Jacqueline Cochran's (Director of Pilots) final report on the program, she said: "It can be stated with assurance that the cost of training a WASP graduate, taking into account all factors, was no greater and probably, for various reasons, somewhat less than the cost of similar training in the case of cadets."
Marching Orders ~~ WASP on Assignment: Graduation Day for WASP trainees held more than the joy of being presented with their hard-earned silver wings. The women also learned where and what their first official assignments would be. Weeks ahead of graduation, each WASP was asked for her preferences about base assignment, aircraft, and duties. Program staff took those preferences into consideration as they worked out who to send where and for what kind of flying.
Some women were lucky enough to land their first choice of assignment; many had to settle for going wherever they were assigned. More than 300 went directly into the Air Transport Command (ATC) as ferry pilots; the rest were divided among the U.S. Army's regional Training Commands in roles ranging from target towing to test pilots.
 |
| Jacqueline Cochran |
When the women's aviation training program launched in Houston in November 1942 under the direction of Jacqueline Cochran, it was known as the Women's Flying Training Detachment, or WFTD.
When a British Royal Air Force (RAF) male cadet program was being phased out at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, the Chief Establishment Officer Leoti "Dedi" Deaton, said, "Let's go, girls!" Jackie Cochran may have been director of the program, but Dedi managed the day-to-day operation.
The conditions at Sweetwater were a great improvement over those at Houston, but the training remained extremely difficult and exhausting. For the first two weeks, the base was co-ed, but after the male cadets left, Avenger Field was known as "Cochran's Convent." It was noted, however, that a statistically large number of aircraft needed to make emergency landings after the women arrived.
"In my opinion we had the cream of the crop of the women because there were over 25,000 who applied and there were only 1,830 that were accepted. They really screened them out. A lot of the women who came here at first had a lot of flying hours. A lot of them could outfly their instructors." ~~ Ridgon "Rig" Edwards, WASP Flight Instructor, quoted in Vera S. Williams' book
In 1942, as young women pilots applied to training, they did not realize the glass ceiling they were going to break. Until this point, women were told by society what was their acceptable role. World War II changed acceptable roles. They came from many different backgrounds such as housewives, teachers, students, and secretaries, and began working as mechanics, factory workers, and pilots.
As the war was ending, men were coming home and expecting to go back to their jobs. These jobs were being filled by women. The WASP program was deactivated on December 20, 1944, they were sent home without veteran's benefits and their records were sealed. They quickly learned not to talk about their wartime service, because people did not believe them. The WASP went back to their role in society.
In 1972 women were going to be admitted to the military academics. The government announced that these cadets would be the first women to fly military planes. The WASP stood up and said we did that in WWII and started to fight for veteran's benefits. It took five years, and with the help of Senator Barry Goldwater, they received veteran's status. President Jimmy Carter signed the bill into law in November 1977. Women were admitted to the military academics and given the chance to fly military aircraft. It did not take long for them to start flying faster, further, and longer than ever before. The next barrier to break was flying combat missions, which they did in 1993.
The WASP influenced many people who went on to have an incredible military career in aviation.
 |
| Donna Lynn Spruill (1950) USN |
Lt. Spruill was the first female Naval Aviator to quality on an aircraft carrier in a fixed wing aircraft.
 |
| Linda Horan DeMoulin, US Army |
First Army female to check out in armed Cobra helicopter.
 |
| Kathy La Sauce (1949) USAF |
In 1977, Kathy became the first woman to be a C-141 aircraft commander, instructor pilot and flight examiner.
 |
| Colleen Cain (1953-1982) USCG |
In 1981, Lt. Cain became the first female helicopter pilot for the Coast Guard, flying the HH-52. She was killed in the line of duty in 1982.
 |
| T-38 All Women Flight over Indianapolis Speedway, 1983 |
 |
| Learning Morse Code |
Morse Code is a system of representing letters, numbers, and punctuation marks by means of code signal sent intermittently. The system developed used a series of dots and dashes to communicate a message. It was developed by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail in 1835. The first morse code message to be sent was on May 24, 1844.
In aviation in the 1940s, airports and selected navigation waypoints would broadcast two morse code signals with finite ranges and patterns. Pilots tuned into the frequency of the broadcasts and flew in an orientation pattern until both signals were received. The signals received as a blended tone of the highest volume when aircraft were directly over the broadcast area.
Pilots in air could hear the dots and dashes from Morse code better than words from a radio.
The Caterpillar Club ~~ Every WASP's standard flight equipment included a parachute. Most WASP never faced an emergency that required jumping out of a plane and pulling the ripcord, but a few trainees earned the dubious distinction of falling out of their open-cockpit planes -- usually during a spin -- and floating safely to ground. The women could count on being ribbed by their classmates.
A Plosser-Prince Instructor watched the airport's transformation: "About a week after I arrived in Sweetwater, earth moving machines arrived and started to level out the prairie. In five weeks an airfield was completed with hangers, worships [sic], lecture rooms, barracks and mess hall and kitchens ... Everything was fine and approved of until we turned on the taps in the bathrooms. The water ran a rusty red and stank of oil. Plosser and Prince assured us that it would after a while, but it didn't. After an hour the water still ran bright red and an oily red tide mark was building up in every basin. What was finally found out was that the plumbing contractor had had a good buy in some discarded oil well piping. The entire two miles of pipe from Sweetwater to the field had to be dug up and replaced. The job was completed less than 24 hours before the first cadets arrived."
"There is an enormous recreation hall with three ping pong tables in one end radio, jukebox, couches, etc. in the other that adjoins the mess hall which -- I'm not exagerating [sic] -- has wonderful food -- ice cream and cake for every noon -- for instance." ~~ Caro Bayley Bosca, 43-W-7 Letter Home
World War II changed many acceptable roles for women to fill. Since the men were at war, many male dominated positions opened for women to occupy. Pictured above is the only female mechanic at Avenger Field.
WASP Mechanic Eleanor "Mickey" Brown 44-W-9 working as an aircraft mechanic at Duncan Field, San Antonio, Texas. Prior to joining WASP. The symbol of 44-W-9 mean: year 1944; W=Woman; 9=Class (There were 18 classes in two years).
 |
| Willie and Me and the Cattle Wagon |
"This is what we ride out to the Auxiliary Field in case we don't fly over." ~~ Eleanor Brown, WASP 44-W-9. The Cattle Wagon was modified to pick up and haul WASP instead of cattle.
 |
| Women with Attitude |
Three stages of flight training ~~
Primary: Fundamentals of flight. Elementary navigation. Link trainer. Total: 70 hours, including 42 hours of dual (two-person) training and 28 hours of solo.
Basic, or Intermediate: Instrument training and night flying in preparation for cross country trips. Total: 70 hours.
Advanced: Advanced instrument training and navigation skills for long-distance flights. Total: 70 hours.
After nine weeks of flight training, each student was assigned two solo flights of 1,000 miles or more. If both flights were successful, the WASP was awarded the coveted silver wings at her graduation ceremony.
 |
| A5 North American AT-6 Advanced Trainer |
 |
| Link Trainer - Flight Simulator |
 |
| Bonnie Jean Welz and Irma Story at the controls of a B-26. Welz died in the line of duty when her plane crashed in 1944 |
 |
 |
| WASP riding to their aircraft |
The work of the WASP -- Flying until the Mission is done.
"If women could do the routine of towing targets, or tracking, or searchlight missions, or ferrying, whether of a fighter or heavy bomber, it seemed wise to let them do so ..." ~~ Jacqueline Cochran, Final Report on Women Pilot Program
 |
| Fifinella |
Why is this Tinkerbell-like creature often seen hanging around the WASP? Brought to life by author Roald Dahl and drawn by Walt Disney, Fifinella became the official mascot of the WASP. She flew with the WASP on their jackets in the form of patches and has even flown in combat with today’s female Air Force Pilots.
No comments:
Post a Comment