You Fly, Girl

Visit the Spruce Goose

2009-12-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

or Howard Hughes' folly...

Can't afford to fly the real thing? Take up flying models

2009-12-29T10:25:00.001-08:00

Here's a video from the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

These days, they fly electric models, so they are quite and clean.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/

Stars of the Sky, Legends All, by Ann Cooper

2009-12-28T17:14:00.001-08:00

The Cover!
Many years ago, when I was thirteen or so, I wandered through libraries looking for books to read. I would look at the titles first of course, and if one interested me, I would pluck it from the shelf and look at the cover. And if I liked the look of the cover, then I'd read the back of it for the plot (for I was mainly looking for fiction) or description of what was within.

That's how I discovered The Hobbit. If I'd just seen the title on the spine I don't know that I'd have picked it up, as it would have conveyed nothing to me, so the book must have been face outward, and on the cover was that of a dragon. And since I liked dragons, I checked out the book, and read it, and loved it...

And that's how I found most of the books I liked to read, prior to becoming familiar with the names of the authors, so then I'd search out authors names, confident that I'd like what they'd written.

Which is a long story to make my point that I really don't like the cover of the over-sized non-fiction work called Stars of the Sky, Legends All, which gives biographies of 50 American women pilots.

The cover features the head and torso of a woman pilot, and yeah, she's wearing the classic cap and goggles of the romantic aviator look of the 20s, but all she's doing is gazing up at the stars!

Now, if I were a thirteen year old looking for a book to read, this cover would not catch my attention at all. But put this girl in the cockpit of a biplane, or standing next to a plane looking devil-may-care (as for example, the illustration used as the flyleaf!!!!), and my interest may have been piqued!

And that title! I don't know that I could think of a better one, admittedly, but it's so generic.

Well, of course it's easy to criticize after the fact. And those are just cosmetic criticisms.

The book
And I'm afraid the interior of the book annoyed me as well. Am I the only one who tinks chronology is important? And if you're not going to go chronological, go by alphabetical order! The women profiled in this book are divided into five chapters...arbitrarily, as far as I can make out. There are explorers, air racers, acrobatic pilots, record setters, all jumbled together.

I hate that!

In addition, all we are given are brief overviews, which are also not chronological. Each entry should have started with when and where the pilot was born...instead we are taken in media res to some incident in their lives, and because we dont' know the year or the place, it's hard to get it fixed in our minds... at least, one would think it would be for the age group at whom this book is aimed...

The illustrations are great, as are the photographs, and the narrative, for what it covers, is good, but it just doesn't give enough of what I would think would be essential info. Still, several of the women here aren't covered anywhere else, so it's worth it to learn a bit about their lives.

Here's the pilots they cover:

Katherine Wright (Wright sister - never flew but was instrumental in their early success)
Jerrie Mock
Phoebe Omlie
Hanna Reitsch
Peggy Chabrian
Kitty Banner Seemann
Colonel Eileen Collins
Willa Brown
Mabel Bell
Patty Wagstaff
Beth Settlemyer
Janet Bragg
Anne Lindbergh
Susan Maule
Suzanne Asbury Oliver
Barbara Gilbertson
Patty Wagner
Dodie Jewett
Mary Feik
Martha King
Ellen Paneok
Anne Bridge Baddour
Commander Trish Beckman
Mae Jemison
Florence Klingensmith
Melba Beard
Lori Cline
Amy Laboda
Dorothy Hester
Fay Gillis Wells
Dot Lewis
Caro Bayley Bosca
Betty Skelton
Mary Haizlip
Laura Ingalls
Bonny Warner Simi
Ruth Maestre
Denise Waters
Connie Bowlin
Reddy Kenyon
Jean Batten
Aide de Acosta
Nicole Malachowski
Mimi Tompkins
E. Lillian Todd
Connie Tobias
Joann Osterud
Mildred Carter
Louise Thaden & Blanche Noyes
Kathy La Sauce

THe book is published by Women in Aviation, so any purchases benefit that organization, as well as you and your kid's (if any) knowledge of women pilots, so check it out.

Women Pilot Firsts, Immortalized at YouTube

2009-12-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

Periodically, I visit YouTube and do a search on "women pilots" to see if any new videos have been uploaded.

Here's a selection of videos that I found today. (Some of which I may have shared before, actually, but they're still worth watching!)

The description of this video doesn't even mention who the woman pilot is, but it's Svetlana Kapanina.

I've shared this video before. The first four Pakistani women military pilots:
Saba Khan, Nadia Gul, Mariam Khalil and Saira Batool

A story of ANA (All Nippon Airways)'s historically first woman pilot Kaoru Takashima

Nicole Malachowski First Woman USAF Thunderbird Pilot

Woman pilot ends male domination of Britain's Red Arrows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bleYjLiDYf4 (embedding not allowed, unfortunately.) Interesting that it's from an Arabic newscast.

BBC Middle East Business Report: UAE's First Female Pilot

Interview with the first woman pilot of Iran "Akram Monfared Arya" at radio Pejvak. It's in Iranian, but illustrated with a variety of photos.

Red Bull Air Race Pylon Race - Shredding a Pylon

2009-12-22T13:53:00.001-08:00

Pretty cool video...

Thank goodness pylons are made of paper or plastic or something shreddable!

The pilot is Steve Jones. This race took place in Monument Valley.

Fly a pylon race with Mary Haizlip

2009-12-22T10:43:00.001-08:00

Just found this at Youtube. It's a recreation of a 1932 pylon air race, with Mary "Mae" Haizlip winning in her Wedell-Williams #92.

Here's the explanatory text from YouTube: "Air Racers," set in 1932, is shown simultaneously on three screens at the Wedell Williams Aviation Museum in Patterson. The audience views the action from the cockpit in a womens air race and feels the effects of the wind on the plane.

Some new articles for Hub Pages

2009-12-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

I've been experimenting by writing and publishing a few women-in-aviation articles at HubPages... with little success. I'm hoping that the dearth of views is because two days before Christmas is just a bad time to expect people to be surfing the web.

So I shall continue on with this experiment until at least mid-January, and then if hits don't start happening, abandon the experiment.

Here's what I've done so far:

Book review:
Flying for her Country: a critical account of the discrimination both WASP and Russian women aviators faced during and after WWII.

Article:
The Powder Puff Derby: 1947 - 1977

and just for a general role model, a hub sharing a few videos of Pat Summitt, the winnigest coach in college basketball, men or women, and with 8 national championships, just 2 behind the great John Wooden.

Pat Summitt: Her Definite Dozen

index for Oshkosh Memories by Jill Rutan Hoffman

2009-12-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

I publish the index here, just for the sake of the search engines. But a PDF, properly formatted, can be downloaded from here: http://volcanoseven.com/YouFlyGirl/IndexPDFs/OshkoshMemories.pdf

Oshkosh Memories: Reflections on the World’s Greatest Fly-in
Jill Rutan Hoffman, editor
Writers Club Press
2000

Index includes aircraft mentioned, cities with airports named, and individuals mentioned.

120/140 Club 73
125 Hp Swift 91
332nd Fighter Group, WWII 55
452d Test Squadron 58
51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, Korea 55
88 in 88 event at Oshkosh 73
99s (organization of women pilots) 67
99th Pursuit Squadron (WWII) 55
Acey Deucy bar, Oregon Street, Oshkosh 64, 83
Aeronca C-3 85, 91
Aeronca Champ 91
Aeronca Chief 91
Aeroshell stand at Oshkosh 122
Air Camper (Allen Rudolph) 85
Alesi, Don 9-12
Alesi, Maureen 9, 11, 12
Amelia Earhart Trophy Race (Cleveland Air races, 1935) 67
Anderson, Bob (father of Jim) 95
Anderson, Bud 37
Anderson, Jim 95-96
Anderson, Joe (pilot, Harrier jet) 63
Anderson, John 58
AT 11 91
AV8 Harrier jump jet 23, 64
Avery, Larry 58
Avid Flyer 132
B-25 91
Baby Ace 85
Ballou, Herb 121-122
Bartlett, Al 85-88
Beard, Arlene 67-70
Beard, Melba 67
Beardsley, Bill “Burner” 37
Beatty, Ed 29-32, 89-90
Bee Dee (Maule’s plane) 86
Beech Aircraft 5, 65
Beech Baron 71
Benjamin, Delmar 71
Bickford, Harold 211-222
Blue Skies pilot shop 9
Bolin, Connie 38
Bolin, Ed 38
Bonanza (Beechcraft) 65
Borsch, Rick 59
Bourgeois, J. Rion 123-136
Brady, John 32
British Airways Concorde 36
Broken Bow, Nebraska 11
Brown, Curt (astronaut) 50
Brunner-Winkle Bird 67
Bryan, Laland D. “Dewey” 85
Bucker Jungman 101
Budweiser BD-5 Jet 37
Burbick, Bob 86
Burch, Ken and Jane 185
Bush, George (President) 23
Butters, Bill (husband of Lynn) 111
Butters, Lynn 111-112
C-121 (Navy and Air Force Lockheed Constellations) 30
C150 101
CAFE 86
Candiota, Claudio 15-18
Candiota, Clovis 15
Cantrell, Ken 115-120
Carvalho, Jose Alberto 17
Cassutt (homebuilt) 47, 49
Cessna 140 9, 12, 73
Cessna 170 123
Cessna 170 B 91
Cessna 172 95
Cessna Mixmaster 132
Challenger (space shuttle) 48
Charles City, Iowa 11
Cherry, Earl and Paul 205
Christen Eagle 132
Citabria 115
Civilian Flight Test Center, Mojave, CA 3
Clark, Julie 63-64
Clarke, Glen 138, 143, 161
Clarke, Kay (wife of Glen) 138, 144
Cleveland Air races, 1935 67
Closed Course Distance Record, Oshkosh to Menominee 105
Clover Field, Friendswood 49
Cole, Duane 206
Cole, Marion 83
Combat Jets Flying Museum (Jim Robinson) 49, 50, 55
Compass Hill (at Oshkosh) 95
Cook, Leroy 35
Corben Baby Ace “D” (N68KC) 116
Corda, Stephen 58
Curtiss-Wright (Timmerman) Field, Milwaukee 85
Daniel (husband of Montaine Mallet) 83
Davis, Ben (Air Force General, Tuskegee airman) 55
DC-3 15
Deberdt, Andre 23, 25
Defiant (Rutan, twin engine home built) 77, 78
DeHavilland Comet (replica, Bill Turner) 67
Delano, Dan 135
Delano, Dan (pilot, RV-6B) 123
Dietz Airpark 123
Dodge, Marge 41-44
Dorn, Michael 206
Dryden Flight Research Center 57
Dzik, Stan 87
EAA Aviation Museum, Hales Corners 117
Eagle Hangar (EAA) 127
Edwards Air Force Base 58
Endeavor (space shuttle) 50
Ercoupe 85
Estes Park, Denver 10
Evans VP1 101
Evans, Bruce 4, 5, 7
Extra 300S 71
F-100 fighter 81
F-18 chase plane 57
F-86 49
Falco (homebuilt) 101
Family Sculpture on Compass Hill 96
Filho, Joaquim Pedro Salgado 15
Fly Baby (award winner) 137
Flying magazine 13
Flying Magazine 71, 72
Fond du Lac airport 122
Francey, Dave (SSgt) 58, 59, 60, 61
French Connection (Montaine Mallet and Daniel ) 205
Fresno-Chandler airport 67
Gallatin, Harold 87
Garvey, Jane (FAA Administrator) 77
Gee Bee 68
General Aviation News and Flyer 29
Gibson, Robert “Hoot” 47-56
Glasair III 17
Glass Overcast 95 19
Goldin, Dan (NASA Administrator) 47
Gomoll, Stan 29
Green, Kevin (SrA) 58
Greenawait, Sam 33
Greene, Harry (crew chief, Patty Wagstaff) 71
Gunderson, Dave 73-74
Halifax bomber 101
Hamence, Benjamin 103
Hamence, Geoff 103-104
Hamence, Jane 103
Hamilton, Ann (sister of Kay Clarke) 147
Hamilton, Gordon (husnamd of Ann) 148
Hangar Café 128, 130
Hardie, Geo 87
Harpoon fire tanker 124
Harvard aircraft 101
Heintz, Chris 87
Helms, Lynn (Adiminstrator of the FAA) 82
Hillard, Charlie 84
Hoffman, Jill Rutan 27-28
Hoover, Bob (1955, flying at castle AFB) 81
Hopkinson, Keith 86
Howard, Benny 90
Howell, Norm 19
Institute of Brazilian Aeronautical History 15
Iowa Beef Producers Association 73
Iowa Pork Producers 73
Italian Fiat fighter 147
J-3 Piper Cub 5
Jaeger, Michael John 97-100
Jefferson County Airport, Denver, CO 9
Jenista, John E. 65-66, 109-110
Jenssen, Volmer 34
Jodel 139
Judd, Howard (USAF Major) 58, 59, 62
Jungman 101
Kalamazoo Air Zoo FG1 D Corsair 71
KC-135 tanker 57
Kennedy, John F., Jr. 27
Kermit Weeks hangar 67
Kids From Wisconsin (musicians) 31
King, John 12
King, Martha 12
Kinner engine 68
Kitfox 13, 14
Kohn, Leo (photographer) 85
KR-2 132
Kucinskas, Vic 138
Lemay, George 176
Lemay, Jean (daughter of George) 176
Lesher, Professor 106, 107
Little Foot (plane of Geo Meyes) 85
Livingston, Jimmy (pilot) 89
Lockheed Constellation 30
Lockheed Skunk Works 58
Long EZ N112TG 23
Long, Rick (Captain, USAF) 58
Long-EZ 19, 41, 42, 77, 103
Long-EZ PP-ZAD 23
Luscombe 91
Luscombe Silvaire 185
Lycoming 0-235 (108 HP) engines 3
Lyjack, Bob 205
Mallet, Montaine 83-84
Mankins, Jim 176
Marshall, Ken (SMSgt) 58
Martin, Dave 15
Maule Aircraft 65
Maule, B. D. 86
Mazzei, Fred 68
McCarty, Bill 58
McClellan, J. Mac 13
McKeig, Mike 209-210
Meigs airport (Chicago) 14
Melville, Mike 78
Meyer, Robert 57, 59, 60
Meyersohn, Norman (Popular Mechanics) 63
Midget Mustang (homebuilt) 103
MiG-15 49, 50
Mig-21 “Fishbed” 49, 50, 51-55
Milestones of Flight Gallery, NASM 8
Miller, Chris 57-62
Milwaukee General Mitchell Airport 61
Miner, Doug 123
Miss Los Angeles (replica, Bill Turner) 67
Mister Mulligan (piloted by Benny Howard) 90
Moes, Tim 58
Monnet (aircraft builders) 105
Moosomin Flying Club 150
Morris, Red 87
Morrow, Dave (flight instructor) 9
Morton, Roscoe (air show announcer) 81
Moser, Jim 71
Motorglider 17
Mr. Mulligan (replica, race plane) 68
Muelller, Eric (Swiss aerobatic pilot) 205
Munson, Ross (aviation photographer) 71, 72
N269VA (Voyager) aircraft 3
NASA 831 (SR-71B 61-7956) 58
NASA T-38 47, 50, 51
National Air and Space Museum 8
Navion 86
Neuman, Harold (pilot) 89, 90
Nolinske, Lois 86
Oliveira, Jose Selomar 17
Ollie’s Barn 130
Operation Thirst 32
Orr, David 19-20
Overmyer, Bob (astronaut) 47, 48
Owen, Ben 34
OX-5 Hall of Fame 67
P-51 Mustang 37
Park Plaza Hotel, downtown Oshkosh 16
Parrish, Chris (Ssgt) 58
Pennsylvania Air National Guard 30
Pete (replica, Bill Turner) 67
Phelps, Jim 58
Pietenpol 195
Pioneer Airport 96
Piper Aerostar 10
Piper J3 91
Piper J5 91
Piper Pawnee 189
Piper, W. T. 85
Pitts S1-C 115
Pitts S-2S 206
Pitts Special 49
Pitts, Curtiss 206
Plane & Pilot (magazine) 71
Poberezny, Audrey 86
Poberezny, Paul (founder, Oshkosh Fly-in) xv, 55, 85, 96
Poberezny, Tom (son of Paul) 117
Porto Alegre, Brazil 17
Pratt & Whitney J-58 engines 59
Private Pilot (magazine) 71
Protect PT-1 32
PT-PME (N Number) 17
R-3 (pilot, Dick VanGrunsven) 66
Rabung, Virginia 9, 12
Raspet, August “Gus” (Dr.) 86
Rea, Roger Don (pilot) 89, 90
Redina Flying Club 147
Replogle, Myrle 86
Robin (aircraft of Eric Mueller) 205
Robinson, Jim 48
Rogers Dry Lake 57
Ross, Jim (NASA photographer) 58, 60
Rucks, Don and Julie 171
Rutan, Burt 3, 7, 27, 77-78, 82, 105
Rutan, Dick xv, 3-8, 77, 82, 171
Rutan, George 81-82
Rutan, Irene “Mom” 105-108
Rutan, Tonya (wife of Burt) 78
RV-4 118
RV-4 (VH-ZGH) 103
RV-6 119
RV-6 empannage kit 103
Ryan PT22 prototype 101
Salina, Kansas airport 5
Salvay-Stark Skyhopper (film of) 85
Samson (biplane) 23
Savale, George 33-44
Save a Connie Foundation (SAC) 30
Schneider, Ed 50
Schwartzenegger, Arnold 130
Schwitzer 1026 115
Schwitzer 2-22 (sailplane) 115
Scott Air Force Base 47
Selig, Nick 9
Skystar dinner 14
Skyward, When Flyers Fly (Ross Munson, author) 71
Sluyter, Bob 89
Smith, Roger 57, 59, 60, 61
Smolka, Jim 58, 59, 61
Snodgrass, Dale 71
Sonoma County Airport 116
South Scott Hall, UWO 16
Sport Aviation 117
Sport Aviation ag 132
Sport Aviation magazine 41
SR-71 B 57
Stanley Hiller Museum 78
Starduster biplane 47
Stefan Memorial Airport 133
Stinson A 211
Stits (aircraft) 86
Stits, Ray 87
Sun ‘ Fun 34
T-33 49
T-34 63
T-38 37, 49
T-6 Texan 72
T-6—SNJ—Harvard 132
Talbot, Buzz 23-26
Taylorcraft BC12D (1946) 115
Theater in the Woods, Oshkosh, WI 12, 31, 128
Theodor, Theo (USAF Captain) 58
Thompson Trophy Race, Cleveland, 1935 90
Trahan, Jim 35, 38
Trahan, Mike 35-40
Trahan, Sheila 35, 36, 38
Travelair J-5 85
Trent, Earnest L. 91-92
Tresner, Dean 15-18
TriPace 122
True Lies (movie) 130-131
Tucker, Sean 79-80
Turner, Bill 67
Tuskegee Airmen 55
VanGrunsven, Dick 66
VariEze 105, 106, 107
VariEze (piloted by Bruce Evans) 4
Varig (Brazilian Airlines) 15
VariViggen 78, 106
Volmer amphibian project 33
Waco EQC-6 29
Wagner, Bob & Pat 205
Wagstaff, Patty 71-72, 205-208
Webb AFB 37
Weddell Williams Racer (replica) 68
Weeks, Kermit 64
Welter, Mark 213-214
Wentz, Don 123, 129
Whittred, Eric 137-202
Whittred, Eric 137
Wigglesworth, Keith 101-102
Winemakers, The (restaurant) 130
Winterringer, Jim 186
Wittman Field at Oshkosh 24, 47, 89, 137
Wittman, Steve 64
Wood, Charles A. 86
Woods, Jim (pilot, RV-4) 1118
Wright brothers 96
Wright, Orville (signature on license) 89
Yeager, Chuck 37
Yeager, Jeana (no relation to Chuck) 6, 7, 8, 27, 28
York, George 176

Video: Misty Blues All Women's Skydiving Team

2009-12-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here's their official website: http://www.mistyblues.com/

2004 Sussex Airshow
Sussex Airport
Sussex, New Jersey
Friday August 27, 2004

IN THIS VIDEO, watch as members of the Misty Blues All-Women Parachute Team exit from their jump aircraft and descend upon Sussex Airport.

Video: An Evening With First Woman Thunderbird Pilot Maj. Nicole Malachowski

2009-12-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the text from the video shared at YouTube, by Smithsonian Videos:
An Evening with America's First Female Thunderbird Pilot
Maj. Nicole Malachowski

What's it like to be first? In March 2006, Maj. Nicole Malachowski debuted as the first woman pilot selected to fly in any American military demonstration team, in this case, the Air Force Demo Squadron better known as the Thunderbirds, flying F-16Cs. Major Malachowski's two seasons as Thunderbird #3 Right Wing broke another glass ceiling for women, but more importantly gave her a chance to do what she loves: fly with (and as) the best.

Major Malachowski saw her first air show at five years of age, started flying with the Civil Air Patrol at 12, and soloed at 16. She set her sights on becoming an Air Force pilot and never looked back. After excelling at the Air Force Academy she flew F-15Es all over the world including a tour in Iraq. Major Malachowski's no-nonsense character and superb flying ability have brought her high accolades throughout her Air Force career but most especially during the Thunderbird tour of duty where she flew as one of the team but endured the spotlight as the "first female." Come hear Major Malachowski speak about her stunning career as a role model, Air Force pilot, and down-to-earth woman as she continues to inspire young women and men to follow her example and achieve their dreams.

The 13 Black Cats

2009-12-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

Independent Press-Telegram - October 23, 1966, Long Beach, California

This newspaper did an article on the 13 Black Cats. Pretty interesting. I share it here under fair use laws for educational purposes only.

Click on each photo to view it in its actual size.

Members of the Black Cats:
Bon MacDougall (founder,) Reginald Denny, "Spider" Matlock, "Fronty" Nichols and Hollywood stunt pilot Art Gobel. Sam Greenwald, Al Johnson, Paul Richter, Herb McCelland. Gladys Ingle --wing walker - was the 13th Black Cat.

And here's some interesting info on this group that lasted for 5 years: http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/denny_black_cat.html

Mike Da Mustang: online animated aviation-themed show for kids

2009-12-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

Just came across this show, which is online at Airshowbuzz.com Supposed to get kids interested in aviation and teach 'em life lessons as well.

A Runway 25 Miles Long: Aviation on the Daytona Beach Beach

2009-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I just uploaded part 1 of my article on aviation in Daytona Beach from 1906 to 1929.

Daytona Beach was the place to race motorcycles and cars in the early nineteen hundreds, and try to set speed records.

Aviation was also a big part of the scene, from about 1920 to 1929.

This first part of the article covers the early years, from 1906 to 1916.

Ruth Law flew passengers for the Clarendon Hotel from 1913 to 1916. She also flew exhibitions. And there's a well-known story in baseball series that, to inaugerate spring training in Daytona Beach in 1915, she threw a grapefruit from her plane that the catcher/manager Wilbert Robinson was supposed to catch, but it knocked him flat on the ground. Supposedly Casey Stengel put Ruth Law up to the joke.

http://thethunderchild.com/YouFlyGirl/Articles/DaytonaBeachAviation.html

Harriet Quimby: May 16, 1911

2009-12-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

The Daily News, Frederick, Maryland. May 16, 1911

Harriet Quimby, well-known to the reading public through her writings in Leslie's Weekly Paper (which were syndicated and thus appeared in other, daily, newspapers around the country), wants to become a "skyscraper."

Click on the photo for a larger photo:

Here's what the text says:

Miss Harriet Quimby of San Francisco hopes to attain the distinction of being the first American woman to obtain an aviator's license. She is making daily flights at the aviation school at Garden City. N. Y., in a monoplane. Miss Quimby has had considerable experience in motoring and thinks skyscraping hardly more dangerous than riding in a high power automobile. A far greater number of American women drive cars than do English or French women, and yet there are already several French women aviatois. Miss Quitnby doesn't see why we shouldn't have some good American women air pilots.

Index for Powder Puff Derby of 1929, by Gene Nora Jessen

2009-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Powder Puff Derby of 1929: The True Story of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race, by Gene Nora Jessen. Sourcebooks. 2002.

http://volcanoseven.com/YouFlyGirl/IndexPDFs/PowederPuff1929.pdf

The 19 women who participated in the first Women's Air Derby:

Florelce L. "Pancho" Barnes (1901-1975)
Marvel Crosson (1900-1929)
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)
Ruth Elder (1903-1977)
Claire Fahy (? - 1930)
Edith Folz (1905-1956)
Mary Haizlip (1910-1997)
Opal Kunz (1896-1967)
Jessie Keith-Miller (1901-1972)
Ruth Nichols (1901-1960)
Blanche Noyes (1900-1981)
Gladys O'Donnell (1904-1973)
Phoebe Omlie (1903-1975)
Neva Paris (?-1930)
Margaret Perry (?-1951)
Thea Rasche (1899-1971)
Louise Thaden (1905-1979)
Bobbie Trout (1906-2003)
Mary Von Mach (1896-1980)
Vera Walker (1897-1978)

A few other pilots had intended to race, but were forced to drop out before the race began, for a variety of reasons.

Ruth Elder and women's fashions 1928

2009-12-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ruth Elder was an extremely famous, and wealthy, aviatrix in the late 1920s early 1930s. Below is a video of 1929 fashions. It is silent, except for piano music, but take a look at 5 minutes 8 seconds in. It showcases Ruth Elder, climbing out of her plane to show off her "chapeau." This was before the 1929 Powder Puff Derby.

Women pilots have been in the newspapers since the beginning - their exploits have always been covered...and yet there are people today who still don't think women can fly...or think that the only woman pilot ever is Amelia Earhart!

That's because (in my opinion) the achievement of women pilots, and other adventurous women - scuba divers, explorers, etc., has always been swallowed up in the "chatter" of mass media's advertisements which do their level best to reduce women to sex object and sex object only.

Take a look at the "reality TV" garbage that girls - and boys - are inculcated with these days. "Little Miss Perfect," about 5 and 6 year old girls all dolled up and prancing precociously on stage. "Wife Swap." "Bad Girls Club."

Are there any sit coms or Reality shows that show strong women going about living their lives, investing in their careers, with men as an adjunct? A necessary adjunct, of course, but still just an adjunct ---- just as wives are typically little more than adjuncts to men and their careers.

Can't Afford Flying Lessons? Try Glider Lessons!

2009-12-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

If this poor economy has put a crimp in your plans as far as learning how to fly a plane, why not try glider lessons instead. (Or sailplane lessons, whatever you want to call it!)

Lessons are much more inexpensive, and you still get that wonderful feeling of freedom and being in charge of your own destiny.

And below is a video from 1930, which extolled gliding.... at 5 minutes 12 seconds, hear a famous aviatrix of the time, Ruth Elder, and her enthusiasm for the glider.

PR: Calendar Celebrates the History of Women in Aviation

2009-12-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Christmas is the 2010 Calendar, This Day in Women’s Aviation. You too can accomplish great things in the forthcoming year, while drawing inspiration from 365 role models.

This page-a-day desk calendar, published by Powder Puff Pilot, marks the accomplishments made by women in the world of aviation. Each page highlights an event, milestone, or triumph won in the field.

Entries span three centuries —- from balloonists of the early 1800s to the astronauts and military heroines of today. A wide range of aviation endeavors are recognized—glider pilots, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, airplane designers, flight attendants, parachutists, educators, and the “Mercury 13,” the female-astronaut testing program of the 1960s.

The oldest woman referenced is 99-year-old Hildegarde Ferrara, who, in 1996, tandem-jumped with an instructor to become the oldest person to parachute from a plane. The youngest is 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff, who died in a crash that same year attempting to become the youngest person to fly across the U.S.

Though the entries are America-centric, there are many that applaud the accomplishments of women around the world, such as Russian Marina Solovyeva who, in 1966, set a new women’s airspeed record of 1,270 mph; and Australian Linda Corbould, who planned and commanded a night mission into Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The cover of This Day in Women’s Aviation features a photo of Betty Scott, the American adventurer often credited as the first woman in the U.S. to fly solo. Famed airplane designer Glenn Curtiss, founder of the first U.S. airplane manufacturing company in 1907, reluctantly took on Betty as his protégé. As was his usual practice, he inserted a block of wood behind the throttle pedal of his 35-horsepower Curtiss pusher to prevent students from inadvertently taking off while taxiing down the field.

According to some reports, Betty conspired with a mechanic to remove the throttle block and on September 6, 1910, took flight in Hammondsport, New York up to 40 feet high. Those who insist that Betty’s flight was unintentional instead credit Bessica Raiche as America’s first flyer. She was a dentist who, within weeks of Betty’s flight, flew solo with full intention. Regardless of who flew first, women would not be denied their place in the air.

This Day in Women’s Aviation reminds us of the setbacks and discrimination these aviation pioneers endured, and honors those who attained their dreams in spite of the obstacles placed in their way by the societal mores of the time.

The 2010 calendar, which offers all new entries from the inaugural 2009 version, is available for $14.95 at www.PowderPuffPilot.com/products/calendar.

Web retailer and publisher Powder Puff Pilot was founded in November 2008 by Sue Hughes of Aurora, Colorado. Hughes also authors aviation books for children: The Pilot Alphabet, Claire Bear’s First Solo, and, due out in Spring 2010, What Pilots Fly. For more information or to order Powder Puff Pilot products, visit www.PowderPuffPilot.com or call toll free at 888-801-6628.

PR: Flying Musicians' Fly-In Musicfest a Success!

2009-12-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

Click on thumbnails for full size photos

The first Fly-In Musicfest held by the The Flying Musicians Association on November 7, 2009 at the Fort Worth (TX) Spinks Airport was a huge success, according to its organizers and attendees.

Lead organization FMA enlisted the cooperation of the cities of Fort Worth and Burleson, the Burleson Chamber of Commerce, Harrison Aviation, Texas Jet and the Fort Worth Spinks Airport (KFWS).

In spite of the low clouds early in the morning, there were several aircraft on display, including the B-25 named Pacific Prowler, a C-47 Skytrain, a huge Russian Antonov AN 2 biplane, an Extra 300LP acrobatic plane, and many more, including a Duo Discus sailplane and its launch vehicle, a Piper Pawnee – courtesy the Texas Soaring Association.

Flying is part – music is the other part – of the Flying Musicians Association, and there were 130 musicians performing on two stages throughout the day. Among the flying musicians performing was Ravi the Raviator, fresh from a speaking engagement at the AOPA Summit in Tampa. Also pleasing the crowds were Bradley Leighton, jazz flutist, who flew a four-seat Cessna 172 from San Diego; Jay Carpenter (aka Slim Zimmerman) and his wife who flew in from Austin; and from Oklahoma, Ramblin' Ray Ricketts and his wife arrived. He told stories and also played familiar hymns and tunes on the saw. Local talent, Paul Karmy and his Advent Brass, also blew the audience away.

In addition to the "flying” musicians, several area groups showcased their talent: the Dorothy Shaw Bell Choir; Flutasia; James Michael Taylor; Blaming Grace; Daggett Montessori Middle School Orchestra; Zizzlebolt; Cheiron; Over the Hill Band; Cowtown Music Club; and Barefoot in Texas. A Native American Flute and Drum Circle brought another flavor to the festival, even as the Fort Worth Songwriters Association maintained two jamming tents. The event culminated with a performance by Grammy Award winner Brave Combo.

There were vendors, bounce houses, clowns, the Ballet Folklorico, an old-fashioned ice cream vendor on a bike. In case the food and fun got people wondering about getting into flying (and for the pilots already in the group), an aviation medical examiner and Colony Home Health provided blood pressure screening and bone density scans for everybody.

Jerry Johnson (a board member of the Mooney Pilots Association) presented an FAA Wings Seminar on Communicating with ATC. Author Denis Murphy arrived from Florida and presented his book: Pan, Pan, Pan. (That’s the pilots’ version of “SOS.”) The FAA Runway Safety Program and the Vintage Flying Museum also had displays.

Said FMA co-founder Aileen Hummel: "We have a assembled a great committee that worked hard, relentlessly, for many months. These great folks are the pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and musicians who have embraced the mission of the Flying Musicians Association. Without their help and support, this event could not have been a success."

(John Zapp and Aileen Hummell)

Fellow co-founder John Zapp said, “What a wonderful blending of the two passions, aviation and music!” Ignoring the obvious pun, he added, “With so much positive feedback this event is sure to take off.”

Many of the attendees have expressed enjoyment of the event and that they are looking forward to the 2nd Annual Fly-In Musicfest tentatively set for November 13 and 14, 2010.
The Flying Musicians Association, Inc. was formed in 2009 by blending two passions, flying and music. Founded by two pilot/musicians, John Zapp and Aileen Hummel who have made it their quest to encourage, promote, educate and support these two passions, and especially to encourage adventure, awe, and experience through flying and music, generating and fostering the yearning for both amongst young people.

The FMA is now composing its first quarterly newsletter, and is actively orchestrating a presentation to give to school music programs. Already over 100 members strong, the FMA is bestowing the title “Founding Member” on anyone who joins during 2009.

Twas the Night Before Christmas - Aviation Style

2009-12-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

Found this at Aviation web, written anonymously, by someone who said it "had been floating around the web for a while," so since it is ubiquitous, thought I'd share it here. (I wish I had the talent of this poet!)

'Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care,
In hopes that -- come morning -- they all would be there.

The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
With gusts from two-forty at 39 knots.
I slumped at the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably, resting my butt.

When the radio lit up with noise and with chatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Called for clearance to land at the airport below.

He barked his transmission so lively and quick,
I'd have sworn that the call sign he used was "St. Nick."
I ran to the panel to turn up the lights,
The better to welcome this magical flight.

He called his position, no room for denial,
"St. Nicholas One, turnin' left onto final."
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Rutan-built sleigh, with eight Rotax Reindeer!

With vectors to final, down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid!" What pills was he takin'?

While controllers were sittin', and scratchin' their heads,
They phoned to my office, and I heard it with dread,
The message they left was both urgent and dour:
"When Santa pulls in, have him please call the tower."

He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparking,
Then I heard, "Left at Charlie," and "Taxi to parking."
He slowed to a taxi, turned off of three-oh,
And stopped on the ramp with a "Ho, ho-ho-ho..."

He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I ran out to meet him with my best set of chocks.
His red helmet and goggles were covered with frost,
And his beard was all blackened from Reindeer exhaust.

His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale,
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were all rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.

He was chubby and plump, in his suit of bright red,
And he asked me to "fill it, with hundred low-lead."
He came dashing in from the snow-covered pump,
I knew he was anxious for drainin' the sump.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom, and sighed in relief,
Then he picked up a phone for a Flight Service brief.

And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
These reindeer could land in an eighth-mile fog.
He completed his pre-flight, from the front to the rear,
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell, "Clear!"

And laying a finger on his push-to-talk,
He called up the tower for clearance and squawk.
"Take taxiway Charlie, the southbound direction,
Turn right three-two-zero at pilot's discretion"

He sped down the runway, the best of the best,
"Your traffic's a Grumman, inbound from the west."
Then I heard him proclaim, as he climbed thru the night,
"Merry Christmas to all! I have traffic in sight."

Women Aviators in Documentaries: Sourcebook

2009-12-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Finding the website for the documentary on the Powder Puff Derby inspired me to set up a sourcebook for documentaries on women in aviation.

http://thethunderchild.com/YouFlyGirl/Articles/DocumentariesSourcebook.html

So far the docs listed are:

--The Legend of Pancho Barnes (brand new, showing at film festivals and available at Amazon.com)
--Lady Icarus: The Life of Irish Aviatior Mary Heath (a documentary holding fire due to lack of funds)
--The Rag Wind Derby (in production)
--Wings of Their Own (documentary featuring interviews with several WASP and other pilots, available from their official website)
--Fly Girls (PBS documentary on the WASP)
--Women of Courage (documentary on the WASP, no longer available)

There have been so many documentaries on Amelia Earhart that I won't cover them in this sourcebook, but rather in one specific to Earhart herself.

Anyone putting together (or have you put together, or want to put together) a documentary on women aviators - or ground crew, or indeed, involved in aviation in any capacity) please contact me and I'll put your documentary in the sourcebook.

The Rag Wing Derby vs the Powder Puff Derby

2009-12-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

Was doing some research on the pilots of the first all-women's air race, the Powder Puff Derby, and came across the website of Archtypal Images, who intend to make a documentary of it.

They're going to call the documentary, The Ragwing Derby

After years of research, Archetypal Images is now ready to make Rag Wing Derby a reality.

And my question is... why? Everyone knows what the Powder Puff Derby was, or if they don't know what it was they would presumably know it was something regarding women, but the "Ragwing Derby"? They might check it out just because they were curious... what's a "ragwing derby"? they'd think, but I still think the doc would lose some of its intended audience by not being more clear. Titles are so important.

Ragwing, by the way, refers to fabric-covered aircraft. Again, who but knowledgeable aviation people would know what that meant?

Well, I don't mean to rag on the ragwing people. (heh heh, heh heh.. ahem).

Moving swiftly on, it's a long-needed documentary, but of course funding is needed.

Check out their website at http://www.ragwingderby.com/noframes.asp?f=homepage.html

Donations are tax deductible:

Individuals may now receive a tax deduction for donating to Rag Wing Derby
Rag Wing Derby is able to work with Foundations who require a 501(c)(3) non-profit status
Rag Wing Derby can now receive grants from entities requiring a 501(c)(3) non-profit status

The producer of the doc is Heather Taylor, owner of Archetypal Images.

OT: Mrs Tiger Woods, Divorce Your Husband Now!

2009-12-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Everyone has heard by now that Tiger Woods had a car accident, and suspicion is rife that it was actually his wife, going after him with a golf club, that caused said accident.

And why would his wife go after him with a golf club? Because she found out he was having an affair.

Well...one affair is not sooo bad, everybody is saying. Lots of guys have an affair, but still love their wives....

So, I suppose Tiger Woods and Mrs. Woods could just go to marriage counseling and restore the trust in the marriage, and there's no need for Mrs. Woods to divorce her husband over one mistake.

But now it turns out that Tiger had at least 7 mistresses. (Now, that's disugsting in itself, actually. If you're a mistress of a man, you don't oome out and brag about it, surely. The only reason why these women are popping out of the woodwork is because they want to sell their stories for 7 figures to book and magazine authors. They're as bad as Tiger is.)

Well...I've just looked up to see how long Tiger and his wife were married and its been 7 years... so I suppose one mistress a year would have been okay... but I get the impression that he actually had 7 mistresses in the last year....

In any event, if Mrs. Woods sticks with her husband after these revalations, then she's an idiot. Or a gold-digger. (Like many politician's wives, she has probably been prevailed upon by "his people" to stay with the guy for a year or so before she gets a divorce, just to lessen the impact on the public.)

And of course there's the other end of the stick. After all, it was Mrs. Tiger Woods who (allegedly) attacked her husband with a golf club. Who knows what other violent acts she might get up to, as the list of Woods' mistresses mount? Safer for them both to just get a divorce!

Free Aviation book indexes to download

2009-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Non-fiction books require indexes, but many books don't have them. (Usually people's memoirs - just the type of books that do need indexes!) When it comes to aviation books, I take care of this by doing indexes myself, and uploading them so others can get the benefit from them.

Book Indexes to Download

At the moment there aren't a lot on offer:

No Limits: A woman pilot's search for the real Amelia Earhart, by Linda Finch with Donald Smith
Zero 3 Bravo, by Mariana Gosnell
The Book of Airshows, by Philip Handleman
------ Photo Index by Alphabetical Aircraft
------ Photo Index by Page Number
Sun 'n Fun: Florida's Aviation Extravaganza, by Geoff Jones
------ Photo Index by Alphabetical Aircraft
------ Photo Index by Page Number

and
The Powder Puff Derby (1947-1977)

All Participants
Pilots in A Single Race
Pilots in Multiple Races
Pilots, Sorted By Name
Pilots, By Race Year
1977 Passengers

However, in the pipeline are:

Captain Gramma: Single Mon to Sky High by Nancy Welz Aldrich
Patterns, by Bette Bach Fineman
I Live To Fly, by Jacqueline Auriol
Takeoff, by Bonnie Tiburzi
Just for the Love of Flying, by Betty Rowell Beatty

OT: New Moon movie so popular it's scary

2009-12-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

I find it very scary and very depressing that Twilight: New Moon is apparently so popular.

I've never seen it, never will, but I take the liberty of sharing the plot that explains exactly why ever independent woman should just sit down any girl who wants to see this crap and explain to her that if she's "nothing" without a man, then she's nothing, regardless.

Eddie and Bella are still together at the start of New Moon. Still broody, still hot for each other, still unable to do anything about it. Bella is obsessing over her age and her looks. She turns 18 at the start of the movie and is having nightmares about slowly aging while Eddie remains eternally young and beautiful. She continues to ask Edward to turn her into a vampire and he continues to refuse. Edward, you see, is worried about Bella's soul. He considers himself damned and doesn't want the same fate for her.

He has other worries. After an incident where Bella gets a paper cut and the blood drives one of the other Cullen boys into a violent frenzy and he tries to eat her (not making that up, really), Ed decides that perhaps being a human living amongst bloodthirsty monsters may not be the best lifestyle choice for young Bella.
So he leaves. Of course, Bella has no choice in this. Big Ed tells her he's leaving with his family:

"I don't want you to come"

They don't intend for that line to have a double meaning, but it does…
Bella is devastated, of course. She mopes for months and starts having nightmares that she can't explain. She weeps, she grumps and generally acts like a teenage girl who's been dumped for the first time. She also blows off her family and friends, becomes distant and uninterested in anything. She is nothing without Edward but an emo wreck in plaid.

Just the kind of pathetic role model that today's girls do NOT need.

This is kind of funny:

Audience for New Moon is 80% women. Sad. Very sad.