Women Test Pilots
By: Kaitlin Espey
WASPs
If you enjoy learning about World War Two, you will be blown away by the incredible story of the WASPs. Women Airforce Service Pilots, also known as WASPs remains greatly unknown. However, we do know that they were a little known group of female pilots who performed many duties short of combat during World War Two.We also, know that this program was created in 1942. When the military finally became aware that if they created this program it would allow male pilots to go to war. Also, they only flew in the U.S. because congress prohibited them from going into combat and, identifying them as official military members. Some of the largest bomber planes were flown by the WASPs and, around 25,000 women signed up for the job but only 1,800 were chosen .Out of those 1,800 who received the job only 1,074 female pilots got their wings.
AVENGER FIELD
CLASSES AT AVENGER FIELD
MORE INFO. ON THE WASPs
MORE INFO. ON AVENGER FIELD
JACQUELINE COCHRAN
Jacqueline Cochran was, a natural-born pilot who held more speed, distance and altitude records than any other aviator, male or female. Cochran was a part of "Wings for Britain" before the U.S. entry into World War Two began. Because, she delivered American aircraft to Britain, she became the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean. She first began working for the British. Then, after the U.S. she became a combatant. It was Cochran who came up with the idea, of having a unit of female transport pilots in the U.S.
Henery Arnold
Henry Arnold created a flight training program for women during World War Two. Pressured for pilots during the mid-summer of 1942, General Arnold asked that Cochran returned from England and put her WASPs plan into action. Houston’s Howard Hughes Field had been a WASP training facility, however heavy fogs and civilian air traffic caused the move to
Sweetwater, TX.
PICTURES
Sources:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/12/wasps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenger_Field
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/sfeature/bookexcerpt.html
http://www.radiodiaries.org/the-wasps-women-pilots-of-wwii/
http://texasescapes.com/WorldWarII/Avenger-Field-Sweetwater-Army-Airfield-Texas.htm