topic Re: It's About Time.... in Community Chat

It's About Time....

Kachina624 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:06:42 GMT

The flight demonstration teams got some women drivers!

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SaveTheTurtles — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:08:10 GMT

AWESOME!!!!!!

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cjm61 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:08:39 GMT

What a beautiful lady. Those blue eyes, wow!

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spiderw — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:24:08 GMT

Way overdue. I hope women continue to show their abilities in this area.

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Nightowlz — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:25:16 GMT

DH said she probably makes for a better pilot.

I guess the World would probably be in a better place with women in charge.

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SandySparkles — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:15:37 GMT

👏👏👏👏👏 This post was SO heartwarming to see!!😍💖

What an INSPIRATIONAL message of hope this sends to young girls and women everywhere who DARE to dream!!!❤❤❤ Gone are the days of just wishing they could be a Blue Angel!👍 They are now taking to the skies and delighting us with their aviation prowess as men have done for generations!!! KUDOS to her for her HONORABLE history making achievement and once unattainable milestone!!👍👍❤❤😊

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

Re: It's About Time....

KLm — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:23:33 GMT

She is indeed beautiful. I'm glad she was given this chance, and happy she excelled.

During WW2 women flew with the Air Transport Auxiliary in Britain. This was a civilian ferrying service. They were exceptional women, flying sometimes in combat situations without armament since Britain had enemy aircraft in its skies. Some of these women were American. They flew every aircraft, including 3 women qualified to fly the heavy bombers (which women in the American Air force were not permitted to do.)

Much of this flying was seat of your pants, with only a small pocket sized book of info with a page of pertinent info for each aircraft. They received the same pay as their male counterparts, held the same rank.

Many, many women fliers came before this young woman, and the other women now flying military aircraft, and to say they would be proud to see this is an understatement. It's about time is right.

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Kachina624 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:00:59 GMT

@cjm61 wrote:
What a beautiful lady. Those blue eyes, wow!

@cjm61 you've got to coordinate your eyes with your uniform and jet.

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SandySparkles — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 22:05:21 GMT

@spiderw Exactly! Wayyyyy overdue!!!👍👍 I have a freind who pilots a Cessna, and she is ECSTATIC about this!!!❤

Last week it was Miss America Air Force Officer Madison Marsh with her pilot training story, and now this! Amazing!!!!!❤😊

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

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On It — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:24:08 GMT

This young lady broke a barrier. Congratulations to her and happy flying.

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spiderw — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:41:02 GMT

Sandy Sparkles!

Great story about your friend! We should always praise women who excel . There have been so many untold stories in the past which should be in history books. Amelia Earhart is the only women I ever heard about as an aviator when I am positive there were so many more. Good for your friend and to all women who quietly and without fanfare make strides in aviation!

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Sooner — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:46:18 GMT

Women in the US in WWII flew transport planes and ferried planes as well. I had a good friend who was one of the pilots! My mom was in the Army Air Corp. in WWII. A WAC in slacks!

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Kachina624 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 23:07:07 GMT

The woman who contributed the most to aviation, though not widely celebrated, was Jacqueline Cochran.

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SandySparkles — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:45:08 GMT

@Kachina624 WOW! Thanks for sharing this FASCINATING article of such an important trailblazer!👍👍 I have never heard of her, but this impressive article leaves an inedible impression❤! I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread, because I have learned some very valuable historical insight into some AMAZING women, and I am SO grateful for their esteemed legacy!!!😊

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

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beach-mom — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:45:53 GMT

@Kachina624 - I'll join the others in saying thank you so much! We have seen the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds many times. We were good friends with a former Thunderbird pilot - lived in the same neighborhood. His wife and I ran the church nursery back then.

He definitely fit the type. He was very good looking. He became a test pilot instructor and they moved to California where they were both from.

This pilot will be such an inspiration, especially for young girls. Now SHE will eventually deserve the Living Legends of Aviation Award! LOL!

I've always been interested in the WWII pilots too. There is a great novel based on them, Silver Wings, Santiago Blue by Janet Daily. I read it a long time ago.

I became more interested in WWII pilots after DH and I were married. He is named after his father's oldest brother, who was shot down near the Philippines right at the end of the war. We thought until recently he was one of two in the plane. There were six, and one survived. DH's uncle was the only one they never found. They have tried to find the plane as recently as a few years ago. There is a group that travels the world doing this. By coincidence we met a professor who is part of the group!

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KLm — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:55:19 GMT

@Sooner Yes, women ferried planes and risked their lives in the US also, especially pulling targets for the gunners to practice on. Death defying IMO. They were much more limited in what they were permitted to do than the women in the ATA.

@Kachina624 Yes Jacqueline Cochran contributed so much to women's aviation. She just couldn't get past the "no women in a combat zone" issue. (Like there were no nurses in the Philippines--sigh) She worked with the ATA before being recruited to oversee the develpment of the WAF flying units. I did not know that until I recently discovered the ATA and read about it.

Few women in those days could afford flying lessons. Many flew with air circuses to get time. The opportunity to fly with the ATA gave women a chance to get hours, although I don't know what they did with that after WW2 ended. The thing that astounded me about the ATA was how many more planes and challenging missions women were permitted to fly in Britain than in the US. There was one female crew scheduled to fly a heavy bomber (I think a B-17) to the ETO, but that mission got scrubbed and men flew it.

The young woman that this thread is about has done well. I know two young women who flew in the Air Force, one is now flying for American. Both their dads were pilots.

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Kachina624 — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 03:29:09 GMT

@KLm. @beach-mom. @Sooner. @spiderw. @SandySparkles

I had my own glorious career in the USAF, entering Officer Training School in Januar 1964. Women weren't allowed anywhere near airplanes at that time except as passengers. I don't think I would have wanted to be a pilot as I'm not that crazy about flying.

My class at OTS did break one barrier when we were the first group allowed to learn to fire pistols on the firing range. It was voluntary; 13 of our class of 18 women volunteered. After a few days of practice, I qualified as an "expert" marksman.

After attending Personnel Officer School, I was assigned to supervise a division of our base personnel office which was part of the Strategic Air Command.

I eventually got married and resigned my commission. Both, big mistakes.

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beach-mom — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:16:48 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@KLm. @beach-mom. @Sooner. @spiderw. @SandySparkles

I had my own glorious career in the USAF, entering Officer Training School in Januar 1964. Women weren't allowed anywhere near airplanes at that time except as passengers. I don't think I would have wanted to be a pilot as I'm not that crazy about flying.

My class at OTS did break one barrier when we were the first group allowed to learn to fire pistols on the firing range. It was voluntary; 13 of our class of 18 women volunteered. After a few days of practice, I qualified as an "expert" marksman.

After attending Personnel Officer School, I was assigned to supervise a division of our base personnel office which was part of the Strategic Air Command.

I eventually got married and resigned my commission. Both, big mistakes.

Wow @Kachina624 - what an experience you had! To work in SAC! Were you stationed in the southwest? It's too bad women weren't allowed to fly back then, or you probably would have been one of the first. But at least you know how to handle and aim a gun, which is more than I know!

The Air Force was interested in me after college. I made an appointment and talked to them. I told them I wanted to teach and/or work with languages somehow. They showed me pictures of young people having fun, apartment buildings with pools, and beautiful people biking. They told me I would be stationed in Monterey at their language school.

While I was thinking about it I ran into someone at one of my part time jobs who told me to back out before I signed up. She said not to trust them. She said they would promise anything but station me where they needed me. I was 21 and naive, so I took her advice!

I think all of us have made at least one decision we've thought about what would have happened if we had made another choice. "The road not taken. . ."

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Sassycoco — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:31:03 GMT

@Kachina624

That's very impressive!!!!

Especially being part of a movement to break barriers for other women to follow !!!
Being an "expert "markswoman ! You go girl ! 👏

I'm sure you inspired other women along the way

Thank you ,for your service and sharing your experiences and accomplishments in life ! ❤️ 🙏

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Kachina624 — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:35:34 GMT

Thank you, @Sassycoco . It was quite an experience and I loved every minute of it.