YOL.

IU'

NO.2

Order of Fifjnella Publisher

CONTENTS ARTICLE 1947 National Officers 2600 Miles on Floats Crash Analysis-Margaret Helburn New Grummann I Used to be an Instructor N. Baker Public Relations Putting Our Best Foot Forward Gloria Heath It's a Plane Fact- Whodunnit Wasps in the News Women's Aviation Convention-Texas Women in Aviation as a Career WOQen's Air Speed Mark Set Ninety-Niner I s Air Sho,,! National Air Races-Marge Hurlburt 1943. 1944 Classes Cupid's Log Book-Mr.Stork's also

PAGE
2 4 6 8 10

Betty J. Williams President Irene r. Crum Secretary-Treasurer

"Dodie" I. Aspell Vice-President Hally Stires Executive-Secretary

These officers co~pose the Executive Committee. and are also members of the Advisory Board.

Ruth Petry Clara Jo Stember Acting Editors

12 12 12 1) 1) 14 14 15 16 17

The WASP NEWSLETTER is. pub-

lished bi-monthly bY' the Order ot Fifinella. 1his organization was formed prior to the inactivation of the Women's Airforce Service Pilot Pr~ramt Decembe r 20 t 1944. It is legally incorporated under the eorporate seal of California. This publication is devoted primarily with the activities of the WASPs and other pertinent information regarding "women in aviation". Editorial Office 417 E. 9th Street Apt. 14

Faith F. Buchner Illinois Mickie Carmichael Texas Betty Haas New York Juanita D. ffilrlbutt San Francisco Mary E. McFadden Washington. D. C. Elizabeth Watson) Los Angeles Dorothy Avery )

"

"

National Ji~~dquart~
I 3633 Lavell Drive Los Angeles 41. Calif.

New York 3. N. Y.

2.

Betty

Jane Williams.

President

B,:,tty started in aviation in 1940 wHh the non-college Civilian P~lot Training Program and earned her private pilot's license in June 1941. competing with some fifty fellows. In 1942 she ~ent with Colonial Airlines as a stewardess. flying between Ne~ York and Montreal. logging some 1000 hours as such in De3s. Then Colonial sent her to Northeast Airlines Pilot Training School at the University of Vermont. under contract with the Air Transport Command to become a Link Trainer Instructor. Upon completion of this course. she taught AAF officers and l'lTSstndents for one year at the Colonial's Instnlment Training School at Albany. New Yo~k. She has some 3000 hrnlrs as Link Trainer Instructor. She entered the WASPs in January 1944. Upon graduation she was stationed at Randolph Field with the Engineering Department. Since April. 1946 she has been a flight and Link Instructor at Westchester County Airport. White Plains, New York on a G. I. program. She has been affiliated with the Order of Fifinella since its very beginning; helping to set up the By-laws and Articles of Incorporation, setting up the Memorial Fund. designing letterheads. rings and assisting in the entire setting up of the Memorial Fund Articles. Betty was appointed Editor of the Newsletter in 1945 and the October issue of that year was her first edition. She bas compiled and edited all of the following issues. .

Irene

I. Crum.

Secretary-Treasurer

Irene started flying on the first day of June. 1935 at Huntington. West Virginia. In August or 1936 she established a World's Altitude Record for light planes. or planes in the Fourth Category. flying a C-2 Aeronca Scout. She instructed on the first Civilian Pilot Training Program in Des Moines. Iowa then returned to Huntington. West Va. to continue as a flight instructor and assistant to the airport manager. In the spring of 1941. received a Secondary Instnlctor Refresher Course at the Curtiss-Wright Airport. Baltimore, Maryland. Having completed this Crnlrse. she went to the Stewart Airport, Parkersburg. West Virginia. as chief pilot and assistant to the airport manager. While there she received a scholarship to the Link Factory. in Binghamton. New York. Was one of the first three girls to he given the Link Trainer Instructor's Course here in the United States. Returned to Parkersburg, West Virginia to set up a Type "A" Training Center where they had every phase of training including an Inter-American Program in which they trained a n~lMber of boys from all parts of South America. At the close of the Civilian Pilot Training Program she went to Sweetwater. Texas to become a WASP. Having completed her training there she ~s sent to Pecos Army Air Base, Pecos. Texas. as a twinengine test pilot. returning to Sweetwater. for the Advanced Instrument Course; then back to Pecos. to serve as test pilot and do administrative flying until deactivation.

After fourteen short weeks at Coral Gables. Florida, where Irene learn- i ed to speak the Portuguese Language. she headed South of the Border to ' serve the Brazilian Government for a year as Aviation Technician. ' Arrived back in God's Country last year just in time for the First ~ASpi Reunion!!! When she learned of her election to the office of National; Secretary-Treasurer of the Order of Fifinella she came to California ' to assist in plans for 1947.

3.

"Dodilt"._~~u.... Vice:.President "Dodie" started her flying career in 1937. in Minneapolis. Minnesota. She gave up flying ~emporarily in 1939. when she married a Navy Pilot. After he was sent overseas in January 1943. she went to Blythe. Calif. to obtain her Private License. She joined the 43-1'1-8 class of the ~asps in July 1943. After graduation she was stationed at Childress AAF. Childress. Texas. flying bombing missions for Bombardier Cadets. Dodie attended the Course at Orlando in July '44 and the Advanced Instrument Course at Sweetwater in October. Upon returning to Childress. she became Ass't. Instrument Officer and test Pilot. After the Wasps "ere disbanded Dodie joined her husband in Washington D. C. In February '45 she started ferrying DPC ships into Alexandris Virginia. In July she was transferred to Dover. Dela~are as Chief Pilot. until the DPC contract was cancelled. In March '46 she became Manager of the Flight Service Section. for ATe at Washington National Airport. "Dodie" was on the 1st Advisory Board of the Order of Fifinella. In January 1946, she was instrumental in forming the ','(ashington.D. C. Chapter and was e13cted President and re-elected to that office in 1947. "Dodie" resigned this position when she was elected National Vice-President. Since moving to California in Febnlory 1947 she has been affiliated with the Los Angeles Chapter.

I.IESSAGE FROM NATIONAL

OFFICERS

l'1ewould like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for electing us to serve you this year as your National Officers. We are privileged to have this Honor. and it is with utmost sincerity that we shall try to fulfill each of our duties and to uphold the aims and purposes for which we are bound together. NEIT EDITOR IS APPOINTED It is indeed fortunate that we were able to get together at National Headquarters and plan for the coming year. With a newly elected Advisory Board we hope to be able to accomplish many of our objectives. Below are a few of the intended plans. 1000 MEMBERSHIP We hope to have a membership of 1000 before the end of this year. Those of you. who are members take it upon yourself as a "co~ittee of one" to get another eligible person to join. so that our goal will be, reached before long. "Any individual may be an active member of this organization who was a member of the Women's Airforce Service Pilot program as a graduate pilot. an eliminee or in an administrative capacity." Through strength in membership we can be better established groups and desirable associates. recognized by

Miss Anne Berry has been appointed the new Edi~or of the WASP, NEWSLETTER. Anne is well qualified for this position. having had much experience in journalistic fields and radio script writing. So send all news for the following issues to 417 East 9th Street. New York 3. N. Y.

APPOIlnr.;~

OF HISTORIAN

Miss Ava Hamm. the first President of the Texas Chapter. has been appointed Historian of the Order of Fifinella. It will be her responsibility to compile for publication annually a resume of the progress and development of the organization.

Every member will belong to a chapter. We are in the process of setting up some thirty new chapters thro'lghout the United States. If you do not live close enough to a chapter headquarters. then you will be an Associate Member of the most convenient chapter and have a definite voice in all functions.

If you've never tried flyin~ with those metal dish pans strung underneath Floats) (sold under the trade name of Edo for. It alyou

you're the one this is styled flying

It's the greatest most supersedes

sport invented.

the L-5 for the variety

of trouble from a

can get in and out of alive while operating cockpit. We landed at resorts, yacht basins, airports

sandy bars, near the watin the lakes! This thought

Navy bases (we don't recommendl), er, fishing wharves, middle

small to~ns, big cities,

of large Bays and on small hyacinth people

filled

Always we met the friendliest

in the world.

was ouite a dig into our narrow only people in aviation

views -- we always

Were top bracket. pump and camera

We took an anchor plus line, bilge but not a fishing take we made. I spoke of trouble minutes after sundown tackle.

That last was the only mis-

got into one evening

a few out or

(the tail wind had petered erroneous had a black

somet'ling causing me to be a'mite ETA) the inland waterway beneath

on the ole surface inand is

stead of the usual surface that looks like water

5.

water.

After

landing

a yachtsman

told us he had dodged on and he couldn't We flashed a

driftwood believe "trusty Can't

all along the spot we landed we didn't EverreadT' hit any upon landing. onto the water

and saw a few logs!

figure that one out. Our compass went haywire in the vicinity of the

Cape Fear River, going. Can't

below Wilmington,

N.C. both coming and But frankly

figure this one out, either. a pirate

we suspect enough

there's

ship sunk off the coast with the best of compasses. the rains came--right

copper

in it to distract

We had a forced over Myrtle Beach,

landing--i.e.

S.C.

I flew off to the left o~the in this Vicinity. Vlhen I But

ocean to look for the Inland found it, my Cruiser's wings

hung over each side.

the rain grew heavier

and it seemed

safest to go doWn if necessary. The It

and land and bend the wings a little landing was made with considerable illusion.

room to spare.

had only been an optical

From New York City to Miami where

seaplane

facilities

are

you make them so get on the step first chan~e you your money's worth!
0 I

get. It's double Who is "we"?

Why Mike; me mascot,

course.

.\

6.

Every remembers

fatal accident it, forgets reaction.

hurts

popular

flying;

the public

safety. statistics,

and fear of injury fortyin an air-

is a natural three percent

In a recent questionnaire ridden

of the people who had never they were afraidl

plane said it was because

In flying the first approach the attempt to prevent accidents, Improved

to safety

always

has been are being

and great efforts stability,

made in this direction. speeds, failure simpler controls,

lower stalling

prevention.of greater

fire and structural safety in flight. ' As far as injury constitutes failure. is concerned, non-use of safety belts

in the air, have brought

But any ship that flies can be flown into trouble less or reckless pilot. DEPENDS UfQN THE fQFVLARITY

by a care-

Do you wear your belt?

Do you keep

GROW'DI OF AVIATION ING, AND THAT POPULARITY FEAR OF PERSONAL GANT PILOTS MUST PREVENTION INJURY

OF FLY-

it snug?

Two inches of give may change

the jolt loadings. the anchorage

WILL NOT INCREASE IS PRESENT.

AS LONG AS THE

If you own a plane, have you ever checked fittings or webbing for strain, fray,

EVEN TIlE MOST EXTRAVATHEMSELVES. OF SAFETY. im-

or deterioration? or suggesting

BE PROTEX:TED FROM HURTING IS THE FUNDAMENTAL

Have you ever thought to an operator Shoulder

of replacing

a belt,

OF INJURY

CONCEPT

that he replace harness

a belt? in the Army ships you of its action part

In all but the most hopelessly provements in cabin structures

extreme

accidents,

was provided

and installations

can moder-

flew, and quite in restraining of the body. made available about whether

a number

of you are aware

ate known causes pected result

of injury,

and survival

can become the exin a far greater

your head, which Some pressure

is the most vulnerable brought

instead

of the exception Let's

is being

to have harness

proportion

of accidents. planes.

take a look at what is sup-

in light planes, it would be used.

but there Army-Navy

is some doubt accident reports

plied in personal

The only specific

installation

for protection

usually

would

convince

you rapidly.

Where

it's worn, injuries

arms or legs are susare

is the safety belt, designed in most new ships. and there is pressure to 3000 pounds. deterioration Safety

to take a load of 2000 pounds belts fail altogether too often,

may be broken tained. crushed

or cut, but no dangerous

Without against

it the body slams forward, the instrument

heads

to get the CAA to raise the minimum belts are desirable since

panel or other similarly,

forward

Even stronger

structure, often

chests may be crushed Chances

and arms are are cut about if you have the doubt.

or installation (45 degrees)

at other than the optimum may halve the belt's value.

badly smashed. percent.

of survival

angle at the hips Since sustain

ninety-five it.

When in doubt use harness got it, agitate to eliminate

less than one half of one percent any form of injury the point

of crash victims belt, we are not

If you haven't There's

from the safety of danger

an old saying that it doesn't

make any differ-

yet approaching And "nailing

from the belt itself. When belts from

ence how fast you go, it's how fast you stop that counts. This is especially the torso true of flying and crashing. When for-

down" the pilot are exposed

is very effective. to excessive dangers

fail, occupants forward

is not held back in a crash the head - control wheel,

plunges

structure.

ward till it hits something

instrument

7.

Strong

cabin

structure

and strong

engine While

mounts

can pro-

vide a good environment holds crash, a crash together unless around injured

for the pilot. the pilot, by specific

the structure almost any of

he can survive objects.

For the forces the human

are not sufficient

to damage

seriously

frame

or physiology. These ure aircraft ing degree relating panel, or what have you. Whether it stops dead against panel determines fracture, with crita are some of the things which design. are "in work" for fu,tan amazBut in

When they are "in construction" for occupants will be seen.

of protection

personal

flying to airline the individual

flying,

it is interesting strength

to note that actually around lower

has much more

rigid tube or dents a light sheet metal whether you'll get a severely or merely localized

him in the little speed, and therefore

ship, is probably

going to crash at to injury.

has much less exposure

ical concussion, headache gerous amount

lacerations Switches Padding

,of the face with a and knobs offer dancan provide a certain

The experience of ue to protect Number

of stunt pilots

can be used by the rest in a crash. Keep

for an hour or two. localization of protection distance of force.

ourselves

as far as possible is "maintaining your direction

one in importance

control."

as

by greater

distribution

of force and

up flying

speed and, control

and attitude

increased

of deceleration. within blows.

But the real answer range of the head capseat

long as possible. if you can, without speed up. done it. Check

IVhen the crash losing control,

is immediate, - otherwise

lose speed keep the already

lies in keeping able of yielding backs, smooth

all structure under heavy

Look for pivoted without hidden mounted answer

your switches

off, if you haven't

panels

of light metal heavy

braces to the side.

Go between

trees or posts,

or into brush to or come in deenergy Best

or sharp-edged Rearward sive hazards crashes.

cowling, seating caused

instruments

break your speed by breaking liberately

up structure,

is a common-sense by collapse

to the excesin severe

with one wing down in order to diseipate Just before impact against protect your head.

of forward

sections

cartwheeling.

Trainers

soloed

from the rear seat have a threeseat soloes which may mean protection in a crash. in most planes

way is to hold it firmly resting on structure

the arms and have the arms

foot margin

of safety increase

over front of pilot

- panel or seat back - so that there action. on crashes After may seem grim to

a 300 percent Visibility to discard Where ness effect structure. chest, column, provide. pilot,

can be no slamming Perhaps you.

from the rear seat is good enough this as a significant there are control in keeping Broad area, consideration.

all this dwelling

Let me add two things. I'm still

a year of analyzing I get a chance - and: of

wheels

they can provide

a har-

crashes,

flying - whenever occurred occuring

the pilot's shaping

torso away from forward to the

No injury whatsoever the 4,562 accidents than fractures) REMEMBER, FOR 3,343 BY C.A.B.

in seventy-seven in 1945. Minor

Percent injury

the rim to conform

(less

and large

depressed

hubs over the enti of the control to the safety this structure can

absorbed JUDGMENT,

another

10 per centl ACCOUNTED RECORDED

are all concessions Frail wheels in heavy crashes.

TEX:HNIC, CARELESSNESS

may break and the columns

spear the

OR SIXTY ONE PER CENT OF THE ACCIDENTS IN 1945. SAFETY IS MOSTLY

UP TO US AS FLYERS.

8.

9.

10.

I distinctly remember that lazy day in September on which I reached my decision and announced it. Actually, I think I had reached it some time before that but it was a little hard for even me to believe; this day I was sure. I was sitting on a concrete block (one of the hundred we had bought several months before with which to make a terrace when we had time; of course he had had plenty of spare minutes, eVen hours to work on it since then, but we never "got around to it" - you know how it is at an airport). After lightly reviewing in my mind the things that brought about my decision and recalling my flying career from beginning to date I just 'up and said, "Hey boss -I'll be leaving in a couple of weeks." It was as easy as that; I was surprised - no inner pangs of a last farewell, no nothing, except a feeling that a couple of hundred weights had been removed. This I immediately took as a sign that my decision had been a correct one. I don't mean to infer that I had come to feel like an old instructor burdened with a tremendous responsibility. It was more like the feeling one has after graduation from school, or even Sweetwater (remember?) - as though one phase of life is behind or has been completed. The eighteen months that I spent as an instructor are certainly not regrettable. I don't suppose that many of you who are, or were, instructing will forget the thrill of soloing your first student. I remember that I got out of the ship in the middle of the field when "I let him go" with a big broad smile on my face that couldn't match that of the student as he taxiied out to take off. With each of his three nice landings my grin became a little broader until I honestly thought my face would split; and I was just as proud as he was when we walked back into the flight office among all the other pilots who had been standing on the fence watching, as they always watch a first solo. This solo had a little extra attraction, though, as it was the instructor's first solo student (and a woman instructor at that, something novel at our field at the time). All of the first solos didn't go off quite as smoothly as that, naturally, with windshifts, a transient airplane in the pattern and such occasionally happening at that undesirable mgment, but all of them are amusing to look back on, even though at the time they may have been instrumental in forming a few harsh thoughts, and sometimes words, directed at the student as well as the forces of nature.

If I had any illusions, when I decided to become an instructor, that instructing would provide me with the same type of pleasure that ferrying a brand new PT-19 or a shiny P-47 did, these illusions were thoroughly shattered when I took an instructor's refresher course. The lazy hours I had spent with my feet on top of the rudder bars of a PT-19 or sitting on my hands to keep them warm while manipulating the stick between my knees made it painfully hard for me to get back in the swing of pylon eights and other precision maneuvers. The first ones I tried were so horrible that I was even,ashamed to ride with a check pilot (maybe some of you know what I mean). I did, however, receive a real satisfaction out of instructing, although it was entirely different from the sheer enjoyment of "steering" a plane over, under, and occasionally through puffy white clouds on a beautiful day. I don't think I will ever cease to get a real pleasure out of soloing a student, it is a pleasure that springs mostly from pride as I see the results of my efforts (which I may have thought from time to time a little hopeless) and also from knowing that some day he will be able to sit up there and enjoy the pure beautv and freedom of flying that I have enjoyed (without the fr~uent "harpings" from the front seat which my students tell me are audible long after I get out of the plane). Operations began at our field at 8:)0 a.m. and in the summer after a busy day of flying we managed to squeeze all of the ships into hangar (and that was quite a task) by 10 p.m. I had a room near the airport, as it was too far for me to commute, so my after-hours companions were the same local pilots and an occasional visitor with whom I had worked all day. We would all take off for Joe's Bar and Grill, the only place where we could get a meal at that late hour, and really a lot more respectable than it sounds. Our conversation naturally would center around flying machines and we would eagerly engage in those famous hand signals simulating what we did with our airplanes in such and such an instance. Occasionally we would mark up the tablecloth describing just where we were and where the other ship was in some particular instance just as all healthy pilots do. If no students were with us we might even give them a good hashing over. (Yes, those were enjoyable sessions, already the subject of some fond reminiscing.) On winter days when things were slowed up a bit with

11.

snow or wind I'd find myself "shooting the bull" and hangar flying with "the boys." Students and other local pilots would drop in, most of them not expecting to fly, just wanting to see what was going on and to put in their two-centsworth on the latest airplane accident, two-control airplane, or some new aviation theory they read about. We would all huddle around the stove to keep warm, someone would go out and bring some coffee back to the rest of us and the hangar flying would go on. In the winter with the days so short we might leave early and even be able to see a movie of all things. Then there would probably follow a bite to ~at and perhaps a beer or so over some more hangar flying. Occasionally I would leave the "airport gang" and spend a peaceful evening reading, or have dinner and take in a show with one of my students, but on the whole I had come to passively accept and enjoy this airport life. We had a swell "airport gang" and if I spent too many of those peaceful evenings away from them I got to feeling that I was missing something, though I should have known after a while I was only missing a reasonable facsimile of every evening for the past few months. After mont~s of seven-day a week flying I decided that I should take a day off a week - I don't know that prompted me to do this because I really enjoyed it all, both those fast and furious days of trying to make the flying hours equal the ~aylight hours (to hell with lunch) and the days of borderllne weather when hangar flying and other nonsensical conversation was interrupted every three minutes by someone going outside to squint at the weather (which was just the same as it had been three minutes before) and returning muttering something like "lifting a little in the south." The fact is that on most of these days off I was a little lost and glad to get back to the field the next a.m. I had used what influence I had in putting everyone at the field on a six-day week, but most of them showed up on their day off - they wouldn't work, but they showed up somehow. If I hadn't come home on my days off I would probably have done the same thing. After not too many of these days off it became apparent to me how much flying was dominating my life. In the presence of normal people (those not pilots by profession) I was almost at a loss to carry on an intelligible conversation, unless it revolved around things like ~igh broken stratus I prop~tch and such, in which case I could go on at g~eat length' but ~hen the conversation could hardly be considered intelliglble to the other party. My bridge became unmentionable I hardly knew there was a shortage of nylons and it was far better that I keep my mouth closed than attempt to converse on the latest in theater or literature. My efforts to keep up to date on my reading were sincere but quite in vain. ~e realiz~tion ~it me quite suddenly that I was becoming an alrport "hlCk" or "bum," if there's such a thing (and I'm quite sure. there were a few months before I stopped). Why I had not~lng on the remotest family on the remotest hill of Kentucky or Tennessee --they could undoubtedly converse well on one subject and so could I. I was becoming removed

from and ignorant of aimost everything that was going on unless it had something to do with planes (or income tax - I still had that in common with the rest of the people). Why I might easily become "peculiar" or at least be considered so when in any social circle except that of pilots, if I kept up this life much longer. On my days off I was beginning to meet some very nice people who didn't know a thing about aviation and then I tried real hard I could remember quite a few nice non pilots I had known a long time age before I started to fly). I was even growing to enjoy a day in New York City seeing a show or shopping and noticing that most women were wearing dresses, not slacks. I became a little envious of them - I had been practically living in slacks for the past year and a half. Then I began to miss my days away from the airport after I got back into the week's flying routine. "Perhaps" I thought, "it is time for a change" and from this stage in my thinking it took me very little time to decide that it was. My interests had always and still do encompass far more than the field of aviation, and yet I had almost allowed this one interest to monopolize all of my time. Being dramatic with myself I decided that the flame that had obscured all of my other interests was out, conceding, however, that a very definite spark was left. It had all been loads of fun, some wonderful people and fine times, but in the unadulterated form (six or seven days a week~ that I had been flying, I had just plain had enough. ~make the ending a little more dramatic it was just two days after "being back on the job" from the VlASP conention that I made that famous lO-word speech. That brief exposure to ferrying my first real love in flying (as it is every lazy pilot's love, I guess) and three days of lolling in the sun on Miami Beach (for which I had to spend two days recuperating) just added the finishing touch to my growing conviction that .it was time for a change. I knew as soon as I'd been back a few hours that I just couldn't adjust myself to it again. I began to shudder at the thought of spending the day saying, "Get that stick back," "take your feet off the rudder," and so on. Also, the very sad thought came to me that if I did not stop. soon one of my still favorite past times - flying - might leave a bad taste in my mouth from overdosage. I stayed away from the field for about a month after I finally left and then one Sunday I went over to pay a visit and fly one of my students for some final dual and a recommendation ride. I really got a thrill when no one recogniz~d me in a dress and a fur-trimmed coat. I laughed to myself and said tha~ I should've left long before I did if the only identity I d had around there was a blond girl in slacks. The few hours of flying I did that day reassured me that.I had not given up flying, I'd just given up living at an airport and living airplanes.

12.

PUBLIC

RELATIONS

IT'S A PLANE

FACT

The need for a public relations department has been evident for some time. Wa~ letters have been received requesting information about the girls, their activities and ventures. Because you are such an aggressive group in the commercial field of aviation, the general public is definitely interested. We have appointed Gloria Heath as Chairman of this department and .e know you .ill cooperate .ith her. Being an active member of the Order of Fifinella, and showing interest as a WASP will contribute to the success of this department. Keep your PUBLIC RELATIONS department well informed. Write Gloria Heath, 405 Park Ave., New York, N. I.

You can't make a better investment of your dollar and dollars. A brand new Piper Cub J) that may be yours, _ ~, we say, in the very near future. Want it? Your chapter president has tickets come on, get yours now, don't delay. Let's hope the winner can nave the ship this spring and summer to fly around the country in just thini<, it might be 1QJl.! I ! I

WIDDUNIIIT? Ylbodunnit? Got thelllSelves on the radio, that is, and as a pilot for the fellow a whoooole lot of WASPs would mast prefer to get weathered-in with? Joseph Cotten, hisself! Some gal did there were several thousand radio listeners who can vouch for it. They said so right on the air, right in the script they definitely stated several times that the woman pilot referred to in the story was a former WASP. That iIlUchwe know. NOW, what .e want to know is, WID WAS IT? (If somebody doesn't write in and tell us or give us a good lead, we of the editorial staff feel it will be necessary to take some of the WASP funds that we keep sewed up in an old mattress and send the one who Wins the fight to interview J. Ootten in person. We'll need new clothes for tha trip, too.) Here's the story: Joseph Cotten acted as narrator of "The Eagle's Brood", a radio drama about juvenile delinquency which the CBS Documentary Unit presented at 10 P .11.EST the night or March 9th. In the story, the narrator hose narration was written ~ one Robert Shayon, of the CBS studios, and who was the fellow who actually made the flight with our WASP takes a trip to a reformatory somewhere in a mountainous state. He is flown there by a girl, a former WASP, as we've mentioned proudly at every opportunity, and in the story she is given quite a sympathetic role, a fact which makes Mr. Sbayon one of our favorite radio writers. Our Cloak and Dagger crew here in New Iork,Cafter hearing the broadcast, immediately got to work with their best G-2 efforts, but to no avail. CBS says politely that the name of the girl can't be released because all materials for the story are classed as confidential and they don't want the identity of the reform school released. So, if the gal has been s.orn to secrecy or feels she can't conscientiously reveal herself and so bask .to the fullest in our admiration and envy, we'll understand. If she CAN tell us, please do so. Our curiosity is allconsuming. But if she can't, .e're still mighty pleased and we're glad to announce, to those who didn't hear the broadcast, that "one of OUR girls has done it again."

PUTTING

OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

In order to handle advantageously all requests for information on WASP activities as well as develop promotional material, OOF President Betty Williams has requested that a Public Relations department be formed and has appointed me Chairman. With the combined efforts of WASPs already working in aviation publicity and related fields, I feel that a first class Public Relations program could be initiated which in one year's time would accomplish the following a 1. Establish contacts .ith the aviation publications we would like to have feature WASP activities. Act as a ne.s bureau for both individual and group activities to provide accurate material publication - releases to be sent .out regular- , ly to all individuals, organizations and publications on the Public Relations mailing list. services .hich could in time be performed Public Relations program lIlightin-

2.

Additional cludea 1. 2. Creation

by a forward-iookilli

of an effective

job placement

bureau;

Development of two-way cooperation with national aviation organizations and official represeDtation on aeronautical committees, etc. It would be definitely understood that work alolli these lines .ould proceed slowly and carefully where policy is concerned and only with the complete agreement of ooF membership Stimulating flying activities by providing means for inexpensive participation through special projects; (for example: use of planes sponsored by aircraft manufacturers, etc. for transportation in connect~on .ith N.A.A. safety campaign airport inspections.)

WASPS IN THE NEWS The Aviation Hews Beacon, published in Los Angeles devotes a section under the heading of ~!lill ~ to the activities of women flyers. These articles frequently mention some of our gals, so for your interest we've lifted a few items here and there. Nov. 21 issue - Picture and article on Barbara Erickson London and her husband and their BT. They are now operating the Acme Saw Works along with Bud and Bet1 Gillies. Jan. 9 issue - Bernice F'alk. 44-7, is the founder and chief executive of the Garden State Airways in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The company was organized to ferry aircraft for distriPution from factories over the States. It is an all-veteran project .ith five Army and Navy flyers working for Bernice. Jan. 16 issue - Elizabeth A. Watson, 44-5, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Order of Fifinella, bas proposed the formation of a Women's Aviation Council. The council will be formed when officers and committee heads of all LA women's groups groups meet. and approve the project. Organizations expected to participate include Women's National Aeronautics Association, Women's International Association of Aeronautics, Ninety-Nines and the WASPs.

).

This program could probably be carried out most SIlCcessfully by a National Committee with Public Relations representatives in each Chapter. The complete success of the program would, of course, be dependent on the cooperation of EVERI member of the organization. If we form a news bureau, we would be counting on you to keep us informed on your activities and we would like all news for publication concerning WASP activities to be cleared through your local Chapter member of the Public Relations Committee. In this .ay, we can be sure that all printed releases .ill be advantageous to the OOF and in accordance with the policy agreed upon by ALL of us. Since your resent IOU, the us know, DO YQU ANI SUGGESTIONS Public Relations department is out to repfirst thing we would like you to do is let AGREE WITH US SO FAR? ALSO? DO IOU HAVE TO OFFER? Gloria Heath, Chairman Public Relations Committee

13.
ceived more from their lessons with women instructors. I never did have a girl scratch a ship, either as a student or as a flight instructor in charge of a student and ship. We who love aviation and have given most of our lives to it want to see it grow on a safe footing. I feel that aviation is as safe as the pilots make it. The CAA has done a good job of setting up rules and we can all do a lot of good by preaching the following of these rules. We should especially stress to our young pilots who like to zoom and show off that safe flying comes first. Every airport ha~ one. He will circle his home or girl friend's house, th1nking only of how much he is impressing the people on the ground and not what his poor little nose-high plane is about to do. CAA records show that 85% of our accidents are due to pilot error, 2% to mechanical and 14% to weather. Aviation has come a long way, thanks to government research and experimental work, as well as its control of all aviation, but accidents are still largely caused by poor pilot judgement ,and flying in adverse weather. Here are a few records from the Technical Research Department of the Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. In January 1945 there were 4829 women holding private licenses and 618 women with commercials. In January 1946 there were 5164 private licenses and 1069 commercials held by women. This shows a large increase in the number of women flying commercially. Aviation used to be considered a man's game for the superman, but Ruth Law, Kathryn Stinson, and many other old timers proved it took brains and not brawn to fly a plane. I maintain that women pilots can fly as well as men if they will obtain the training, hours, and experience, as well as the ratings equal to men. I have flown over 9400 hours in 21 years. I have personally soloed and taught to fly 231 students, besides hundreds I have taught through different licenses or ratings, who had been soloed elsewhere. I hope I am still flying when I am 100 years old and until then I will not feel that I have been a success as a woman pilot Aviation offers women such as:-pilots good positions in many

THE WOMEN'S AVIATION CONVENTION illSAN ANTONIO

The WOMEN'S AVIATION CONVENTION held at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio February 8 and 9, was an annual statewide convention of all women pilots, sponsored by the Texas 99's. It was also a meeting of the South Central Section of 99's as well as a statewide meeting of WASPs. An organization meeting was held Saturday morning, February 8. Mary Ann Hobbs, chairman of the Texas chapter, welcomed everyone - introduced national, sectional and chapter officers present. Those presented were: Jeannette Lempke Sovereign, National Pres. of 99's; Micky Carmichael, Pres. of the state organization of e~VASPs; Mildred Miller, Gov. of the South Central Section of 99's; Velma Woodward, Chairwoman of nominating committee of the SC Section; and Broneta Davis, chairwoman of the Oklahoma City Chapter. Everyone enjoyed a humdinger luncheon on the North Terrace of the Gunter. Edna Gardner Whyte of Fort Worth made a superb talk on "Women in Aviation as a Career." (Summary below). Prior to the business meeting Jeannette Sovereign presided and introduced guests. She called on members of other flying groups to give a brief word about their organizations .Micky Carmichael told us about the Order of Fifinella which is the organization of the exWASPs; Edna Hammerman spoke about the "Texas Private Flyers Ass'n."; Frankie Welborn spoke on the Texas Wing of Women flyers; Hazel Brown spoke on Women's National Aeronautics Association; and Verna Burns spoke on "Air Tours." The WASPs and 99's held separate meetings at this time.

Next on the program was a cocktail party, then dinner, a dance and floor show. Bill Matthews of San Antonio was master of ceremonies and did a bang-up job. Dot Lemon of Oklahoma City, who has been flying for more than twenty years, has more than 10,000 hours to her credit, and is one of the foremost instrument instructors in the country, made a grand speech Which gave the men and the non-flyers an insight into what flying really means to women. She was followed by Blanche Noyes, who gave us a talk on airmarking and recounted some of her very interesting experiences. The third soeaker was Hazel Raines, formerly of Georgia, but now of Oklahoma City. With her Georgia drawl she held he audience spellbound while she related her experiences flying with the RAF in England at the beginning of the war. Below follows a condensed version of Edna Gardner Whyte's speech . sorry space doesn't allow the full speech. WOMEN IN AVIATION AS A CAREER Whyte

lines 1.

New and used plane sales - this is my choice. I find it very interesting demonstrating and selling airplanes. I have just been appointed factory representative for the new Bullet airplane being built at North Amerlcan at Dallas, Texas. It looks like a small P-51, has flush rivets, is all metal, low wing, retractable gear, cruises 185 miles per hour, complete with two-way radio and blind flight group. The two-place sells for $3500 and the four-place for $4750.

BY Edna Gardner

Shortly before the Amelia Earhart Trophy at Mines Field Los Angeles, California, in 1936, the reporters, in interviewing the contestants, asked each one if "Women would fly for fun or for paycheck." In contrast to more famous and well known women pilots, I said that women will and can fly for paycheck and career. Inasmuch as I had been a barnstorm pilot, a flight instructor and charter pilot for several large companies, for more than six years, I felt very strongly that women could fly professionally. I returned to New Orleans after this race and decided to start an aviation training school. After starting with a C-3 Aeronca and a J-2 Cub, I was able, by means of long hours and hard work, to incorporate my school in 1939 with $75,000 worth of assets. In 1942 I sold my school to the Navy and went to Forth Worth and taught CPT, WTS and Instruments, which I must confess I consider the most interesting phase of aviation. In my school I had several times three or more of my o~n girl graduates working as flight instructors. I found that women flight instructors have more patience and are more thorough in their instructing detail. They take more interest in a slow student, and in many cases the students would come to the office and ask for them, claiming they re-

Flight instructor - all phases: ground, instrument, contact. 3. Manager of an airport. 4. Manager of aviation schools or different departments. 5. Aircraft factory representatives. 6. Produption test pilots. 7. Airmarking. 8. 'Charter pilots. 9. Flying for private companies - I recommend this very highly, have always enjoyed these positions. In ferrying planes all over the U.S. this last year I was surprised to see so many girls with good positions flying for private companies. 10. Aviation supplies and parts - this can be a good business, is very ,interesting and pays well. 11. Aviation insurance - aviation finance. 12. Aviation research. 13. Sky writing - have done this. It's lots of fun and pays well. 14. Banner towing - this takes a more advanced pilot. It pays well but is very ticklish flying. 15. Making of National and International records. 16. Cross countrv and closed course races. 17. Competitive ~ir meet flying - this is lots of fun. 18. Ferry pilot - I enjoy this for a while. 19. Advertising. 20. Writing - books, newspapers, magazine articles, radio scripts, etc. - this offers a very large field that definitely requires at least a private pilot's license. Aviation reporters should have a better knowledge of aviation in order to present aviation stories, crashes, etc. in a better way to the non flying public."

2.

14.

WOllEN'S AIR SPEED

MARK SET

In a stri~ped clipped-wing tlavy Corsair, (see photo), llIar~eHurlburt set a women's international speed record of 337.b35 miles an hour. over a staOOard three kilometer course at the Tampa All-Woman Air Show, llarch 16, 1947. Her time, officially checked, was 45 mph better than the pravious record of 292.271. which Jacqueline Cochran estaolished in Detroit in 1937. !large was in Class and 43-61 43-W-6. Congratulations Jliarge

Practically all the Wasps available were either lugging thirty-pound batteries aroulXl in the muck, helping pump gas into the "Lucky Gallon" or scouring the countryside for battery clips. Everything was finally assembled aDd we sat back to wait out the weather. Sunday morning before the crowd was out of bed Marge made her first try for toe record. Twelve beautiful passes she made in her clipped-wi~ Corsair over the closed course only to find that the time wasonot official due to a short in the twenty-two miles of telepbone wire. T'was enough to make anybody but !large give up aDd eit down for a good cry. But that afternoon saw her at it again and this time she made it. Yippee - a Wasp beld the woman's speed record of the world. Time was 337.b35 miles per hour; The show in the afternoon was a honey. It clicked s~oothly and you gals can be proua of the part the Wasps For tiley tooit almost everything.

took.

Wasps! Waspsl Wasps I - more than have baen seen in one place since Aven6er Field or the ~ASP Reunion. They descended upon Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa, Florida with a "Zoom, down upon you". The occasion was the first AllWoman AIr Show, Warch fifteenth and sixteeneth, sponsored by the Florida chapter of the ~inety-Nines. The story of the Air Show is the storJ of a group of women pilots in the "iami area. In May of '4b at the Orlando air meet they decided that next year they would have their own statewide meet - just a small get-together for the purpose of runni~ off a few races. The idea grew, got a good grip on their imaginations, aOO autnority was parcelled out. Gladys Penni~ton, a Florida 99'er, was made general chairman and "Penny" really went to work. The ~asps on the Air Show Committee included Caro Bayley, 43-7 Secretary; Caryl Jones, 43-5 - Finance; Ruth Clifford Hubert, 44-8 - Airport; Dorothy Ebers bach, 43-5 - Entertainment; Peggy Lennox, ATA - Starter. Katherine Landry, 43-7, Mildred Caldwell, 43-6, and Nonnie Horton, 43-7, also threw tileir eneri)' into the work. Ninety-Nines Verna Burke, IlIarion Bertram, Ruth Walker, llary Ellen Vtard, and Evelyn ~cRae also did a tremendous amount of work. A quote from a letter Caro Bayley wrote will show better than 1 can tell it just how the show got started and its purpose. "This woole air show business started when llarion Bertram said one night over a glass of beer, 'Wouldn't it be fun if we could all get together on a field aOO have our own little race,' That was at least seven months ago. And here we are. Gals are writing from allover the country saying it's a good idea and they hope they can come aOO if they can't come this year, have another one next ~ear. l'Iell, there is a hell of a lot of work to be done - programs printed, acts lined up, rules made, publicity, the IlIanof distinction stuff, invites put out, etc. etc. etc. 1 never realized how much there was to do, how many phone calls, letters written, worries, worries, worries. What we are trying to do is have an airshow in which the girls will feel free to race and participate. You know yourself that a lot of girls will race if it's not against men or right after a man's race. Nobody realizes (1 didn't myself) what fun racing can be. When 1 saw the way Jane Page aDd !large Hurlburt (Ed. Note - 43-7 and 43-6, secoDd place aOO winner in Halle Trophy Race at Cleveland) looked after that race and how much fun they said it was, 1 wanted to race myself. We're trying to sell IIIOreherican women on the sport aDd practicability of flying aDd also to give the girls who do fly something to use their skill for. We can't make a livi~ at it, we might as well have fun with it. Frankly, we think it will do a lot for private flying, aOO would like to mail:eit an annual affair. AOO - we do expect to have fun out of it. . , February 18, 1947" The first day of the meet dawned gray aDd misty. Rain dripped and poured - people kept coming - the rain still came down. Saturday was spent sweating out the weather and goi~ off into corners aDd offering up silent prayers. !IJ!i helping Marge Hurlburt set up the red tape for her try at the speed record.

Carolyn Cullen, 44-6, won the 65 hp. haDdicap race by outrunning Anne Shields, 43-5. Carolyn flew her own Cub in which sbe bad been touring southern Florida ever since the Air Maneuvers in J:4iamiin January. How she managed to stuff the trophy in witn all her other baggage was a source of wonder to us all. When last seen Carolyn was heading home to Pittsfield, Mass. - suntan, trophy, and all. SaDdwiched in between the races were novelty acts aOO the first one was Ilildred Caldwell, 43-6. Poor "Duke", they finallY made har solo. She was hard to catch aOO insisted on clilllbing out one side as she was shoved in the other, but the united efforts of some of the Waspies finally got her strapped in. When they spun the prop what happened but the darn plane fell apart - broke right smack in two! Did they let her go? Oh no, - they put the thing back together again aOO made her fly it. She remiOOed us all of our own solo - up and down, slip and skid, bounce, bounce, bounce. AOO the ship fell in two again as soon as she got on the ground. The BT race, limited to Wasps and ATA, featured three Wasps, - Aaddy Landry, 43-7; Jane Page, 43-6; and Ruth Clifford Hubert, 44-8. Jane had flown three Stephens College girls down in a Cessna and hadn't intended to enter the race, but Kaddy found har a ship aOO said, "Come on, girl, get in this thing." Jane did get in and clipped those pylons like an old-timer to win the race, a trop~, and toe purse tnat went along with it. IIlissOrphelia Butts, formerly of Oshgosh, now of Daytona Beach, Fla., in the person of Dot Swain, 44-5, appeared on the scene about this time, all dressed up in a shapeless garment saying, "lio mao has ever ta\lllhtme anything, so no man is going to teach me how to fly." Witb her illustrated book on how to fly clutched to her bosom, Orphelia took off, lost the book, aOO proceeded to do thi1's witn that Cub that shouldn't be done to any plane. Verna Burke, the announcer, kept up a running comment the whole tilllewith her, "OOOOORphelia, Pleeeeeeease, Orphelia, the rudder and the ailerons go together, not opposite. 1i00OOO~ OOOOh, Orphelia, get your nose up -----not THAT HIGH, Orphelia," as the little Cub stood strai5ht up in the air. The free-for-all race between planes having an advertised cruising speed of 125 miles per hour'was won by Betty Skelton of Tampa. Ruth Clifford Hubert, 44-8, placed third. Caro Bayley, 43-7, then too" a sailplane up alXl put on a yummy exhibition that made us all want to do without the power-plant. As Caro went into a slow roll 1 thought of what she had written concerning her first one, - "am going out every day now till 1 get the nerve to do a slow roll. Started one the other day, the safety belt wasn't tight enoU&h. so 1 hit the canopy whicb flew open and sort of aid a fast recovery." She Imd evidently gotten up the nerve, for she dia a perfect one aDd eDded up laming right on the spot. "Suds" Jones acted as Bayley's haDdy man in the tow plane. Jean Broadhead, who has moved into the Wasp Nest in ~iami, even though not a Wasp, then put on her exhibition in the 1910

15.

pusher. It was a skeleton, wings and tail covered, aDd that's all, sister. Smokepoured out of the pusher and it was easy to see why the folks in 1910 didn't think that "iron bird" was here to stay. The Fly-By gave us all a look at the new planes. Featured was a Seabee piloted by Peggy Lennox, ATA;a Cessna 140 flown by Dorotny Ebersbach, 43-5; and an Ercoupe flown by Ann Ross, 43-7. The gals did a smooth job of demonstrating their ships. (Does a~one know where I can find a few thousand shekels to buy one?) Kaddy Landry, 43-7, gave a magnificent delllOnstration to walk aW83with first place and an enormous trophy in the aerobatic competition. Those three snaps in a row were a far cry from our aerobatics at Avenger Field. Incidentally, Kaddy is touring the country with Jesse Bristow's air show giving the SSJlle aerobatic exhibition. Ruth Hubert and Betty Skelton also demonstrated the fine art of flying inverted and tearing a plane inside out. The bad weather prevented the four ships in the Transcontinental from completing the race, but two weather pilots, Carolyn West, of La Canada, Calif., and Beatrice Wedes, 43-3, won the commercial section of the race limited_to planes up to 250 hp. They came through all that "eather in an Ercoupe. A disappointment to us all was the cancellation of the parachute jump. lep, another WASP. This time it was IUtchell Long, 43-7, "ho has SOllie sixty-odd jumps to her credit. llitchell came down from Birmingham to make the jump and then had to cancel it because of the wind. That about finishes the Air Showwhich was a huge SUCCess with NOT ONE ACCIDENT.Not even a taxi -accident. The kids "ere on toeir toes. It all ended up with a fine cocktail party where we saw Wasps we hadn't seen in years and gathered all sorts of information. Betty Haas, 43-5, was there, baving flown in Saturday in "Galloping Gertie", her P-39. WhenC. Jones and I flew back to liiami Ilonday in a Cub and a C-3, Betty acted as our fighter escort. Gene Smith Walteley, 43-7, and her husband left the three children (three, mind you) at hollleand flew over to see the show. Gene, if you remember, was married at Mather Field, Sacramento, just after graduating from Avenger. Katie Stamps, 43-8, rolled in from Alabama to tell us she was starting a restaurant. It would be a good idea for all XC Wasps to find the location in case they get weathered in witoout a dime. Ruth Shafer, 44-4, flew down from Philadelphia in a BT. that Catherine Jones, 43-6, couldn't resist the show and flew-in by airline Saturday night to check on the progress. All in all, it was something tnat eV8r1 one of you should llave attended. "hat do you think of the idea of havirl& the National Reunion along with the Air Showanother year? Route 1, North Ridge Painesville, Ohio January 25, 1947 Dear Fifinellas, This is to those amongyou who are interested in racing plane racing, that is. Last year at the Cleveland National Air Races the waaen's race was almost omitted for lack of entries and lack of cooperation by women. THIS Mtm!l'T HAPPEN AGAr.l I pledged my word - knowing so many of you - that there are plenty of GOOD womenPILOTSin the country who would like to get in the races if they only knew how. Here'e the story. At the 1947 Nationals there will be two races for womenIF THERE AREENOUGH ENTRIES. The first is the Halle race, with a first prize of i2.5oo, for AT-6's. Start snooping around now and find one. It isn't necessary to buy one - use finesse. blake some arrangement llith the owner whereby you divide the prize money - then find a compa~ interested in advertising to P83 the expenses for gas and oil, both for practice and cross-country to Cleveland, the race, and return home. It may require a little effort on your part, but the companies are there. The second race is a little tougher since the planes are only now in construction. The race is sponsored by Goodyear of Akron to the tune of $25,000 total prize money each year for the next three years. I have no idea what will be put up for the women's race - we do not compete with the men for the big 1II006Y, that's for sure. Wehave no racing pilots ready for that kind of racing yet. There are sixteen of these ships in constructioll on tile West Coast, one in Gainesville, Florida, probe.bly more in parts of tne country about which I Knownothing, and one in lIich1gan. 1Iy man in lI.1chigan should have his ship ready for testiI16 by the end of February. If it tests out he is ioi~ to build ae mallYas the market calls for, so we ms;yhave a source for this type of racer. If you are in contact with designers, builders, etc., whom you can interest in this ship, write to me and I'll nd you full details and specifications for the racer. That's what I did here in this section of the country, and you may be able to do the sBlle. TRYl Weneed at least eight entries and should be able to get ma~ more tbantbat. I've had estimates in price for a racer from $30,000 to $2,000. The latter figure, naturally, is the one I'm working on no". The materials-alone are estimated from $1,000 to $1,400. Let me hear from you, gals, and let's get in the races!

Incidentally, another big kick about womenin races is they are such poor sports - tears, tantrums, etc. Wecan stay - but that's got to go. Marge Hurlburt

16. 1943 CLASSES ~addy Landry, Miami. 43-7, is instructing at Brown's Airport in 1944 CLASSES Ruth Clifford Hubert, 44-8, whose husband is president of Florida Aviation Corpora~ion, is in charge of their flying service in Tampa. They have a G.l. program on the field and have just signed a contract with toe University of Tampa to fly all of their students. Ruth is now working on her twinengine rating, flying UC-78. JilIIlIIie ~'oster, 44-5, graduated school the lIIiddleof January. from Pan American stewardess

DuKe Caldwell, 43-6, is worki~ structing on the side.

in toe shop at Brown's

and in-

Nonie Horton, 43-7, is working for Cessna Distributors at MilUlliAviation Center selling and demonstrating. Nonie demonstrated a Cessna 140 in the Miami Maneuvers - the only girl in the show. Caro Bayley, 43-7, is doing general mechanic when not flying. ferQ,ing and worUng as a

Joan Hutton, 44-5, is instructing vice in St. Petersburg. Gwen Clinkscales, Lynchburg, Va. 44-5, drove

for Tropical

Flying

Ser-

to the Miami

Air Races from

Gwen Cowart, 43-4, has been.iI~tructing for Southeastern in Atlanta, noll is ferrying IlTs and Skyrangers. She flew a Skyranger to lUami. Ann R. Johnson, 43-1, is in the Stinson sales office in Atlanta, and has occasional flying trips. She flew a Stinson 150 to Miami. Evelyn Greenblatt, in Atlanta. 43-1, is instructing at the Municipal Field

Dottie Swain, 44-5, is instructing at Daytona, ceived her flight e~iner's rating. Gloria DeVore, 44-3, is secretary statio~ KGNC in Amarillo, Texas. work for women's pro~rams.

and just reJ

to tne manager of radio She's also doing some air

Katy Stamps, 43-8, flew a seaplane Miami Air Races. Marjorie Gray flew a Voyager to Cuba for a visit.

frolQ JacKsonville

to the

to the Air Races,

then went down

Kay ~enges, 43-3, started from Paterson, N. J. in a Fairchild 24, but had a little engine trouble an hour out, so left the plane and continued to lIiami via airline. itargaret E. Kerr, 43-2, has been appointed Special Sales Representative for Northeast Airlines Sales Depar~ent. She will be available for speaking engagements involving the promotion of air travel among women's groups tnroughout the system. Byrd Granger, 43-1, writes, "Am busy ranching in Tucson for the winter. Expect to be in New York in late April or early
1iABy. "

We near frolllBetty M. "Red" Roth, 44-7, that ~he has been in the hospital since October 26, 1947. Says Red, "No, 1 didn't have a plane wreck though the accident happened at the field as 1 was walking baCk to the hangar after Wl air soow. Just goes to snOIl you it isn't safe on the ground! 1 was struck by a motorcycle some kid was riaing and I've been here flat on my back since then. Was pretty well briken up. At present 1'111 in a cast from ~ waist to my toes. Hope to get out of here in another couple of months anyway." Red had sixty students wnich prevented her attending the Reunion, but prolllises to be wito us at the next one. ~ay Hilbrandt, 44-10, is instructing at ~ellor-Howard Seaplane Base in Ridgefield ParK, N. J., teaching ex-G.I.s. Betty Pettitt, 44-7, is working in New YorK City as a secretary-pilot (the latter portion to come true woen the boss gets his plane). Edith S~ith Beal is living in Lisbon husband Don and aaughter Kathryn. Falls, Maine, with

Pat Chadwick, 43-2, is in Operations at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. Ie still Wing Scouting on the side. Her new address is 31 4th St., Bangor, Me. Janet Hatch, 43-8, is running an airport at La Crosse, Wisc. wito two men. She is instructing in BOnanzas, PTs, and also doing ground instructing. Rumor hath it that Sammy Chapin, 43-7, is now flying a P-;l for toe company she works for in Detroit. Helen Trigg Luts, 43-8, Long Island. is a dispatcher at Mitchell Field on

Mary Yoklavitch, 44-2, was through Chicago recently on her way OVerseas tD the Red Cross for another year, in Japan i this tiIQe. Hopes to be oaCK in time for next year's reunion. M&ry Retick, 44-6, writes that a group had a small get to; gether in Oakland - dinner Wld a big gab session. The group consisted of Juanita Dreier Hurlbutt, 44-10; Mary Retick, 44-6; Gene Shaffer, 44-1; Pqyllis Lee, 44-9; Nan Hazeltine, 44-6; Marion Hagen Bootil, 44-6, and husband; i.ay Kleinecke, 44-9; and Jean Ward, 44-8. llarge Neyman, 44-7, is with Standard ment in San Francisco. Oil Aviation Depart-

Solange D'Hooghe, 43-5, is now living in Las Vegas. dress is P. O. Box ;29, Las Vegas, Nev. 1I0ya Mitchell, 43-6, has bought a Navion!

Her adNan Hazeltine, 44-6, is taKing a course in modelling. Sea Treats Co.,

Gloria Nelson, 44-9, is running Tokeland eelling gift boxes of sea foods. Jennie Gower, 44-5, is instructing

Ginger Sweet, 43-4, hops passengers planes at Round LaKe, N. Y. between fro," .oi.iddletown,Ohio.

in Aeronca and Waco eeaferrying trips to Albany

at Stephens

College.

Marianne Beard Nutt, 43-5, is now living at 11 Moore St., lIew Hyde Park, L.I., h. Y. with her husband and baby son. They have an Aeronca K which they keep at Fitzmaurice Airport.

Sunny .llillerReich, 44-7, and her hUlloand recently flew down to Mexico City via American Airlines for two weeks. On the way they stopped in Dallas ana saw Rose Pa~er, 44-6. They planned to return by way of Chica"o. ~arge Needham, in St. Louis. 44-2, has b"en instructing at LB.illbert field

NOTICE

TO EAGLE

PASS WASPS

Joanne Blair, 44-8, is now attending C'na majoring in physical education. married this summer. Ann Berry, 44-2, is now living for American Airlines.

the Universi~ of ArizShe is planning to be

Col. John Bundy is now at Headquarters, 112th Fighter Group, Office of Air instructor, Pittsburgh 19, Pa. He invitee all Eagle Pass WASPs to reunion there this fall during t.he Air Races. All interested should contact Peg Helburn, at 516 E. 89th St., new York, N. Y.

in lIew YorK aDi is working

Ruth Petry, 44-2,snd her brother are doing aerial graphy work in. the New York area.

photo-

17. CUPID'S LOGBOOK

Lela Loudder, 43-7, was married on Dec. 27, 1946 to Jack Harding. They are at home at 2803 Hedgerow, Dallas, Texas. Lois Hollingsworth, 43-3, ing in El Paso, Texas. is now Wrs. Doyle Ziler, and is liv\ I

lIary Lou Stuart, 44-8, married a civil engineer last July she is now >irs. E. H. ficCann and her address is c/o Humble Oil 8< Refining Co., Encino, Texas. We have the following news from Doris Anderson, 44-8: "BecaJlle IIrs. Dan B. nine on Sept. 18, 1946, and am being just a housewife these days and finding it a great life." Her address is , General Delivery, Anchorage, Alaska. liary Ceyanes Wagner, 44-10, writes as follows: "I married last August the boy I've been waiting for all this long time he .as overseas. He's a rancher and farmer, raises cattle and spinach and flies for fun. We have an Aeronca now which we keep out here on the ranch where we have dragged down a little runwayroad. In fact ha's out there grading it down this afternoon after some FREAK (1 enn just hear Emily Chapin saying 'yeah, the usual ~ freak weather? snow and sleet. Would like to mention my home for a WASP Nest for any XC's in this vicinity. We have only a barn for a house to offer but we could bunk them up at Warren's parents' big house and then during the days 1 could offer them horsebaCK riaing, swimming, flying, or put them to wor~ farming We hear that Katherine last Jan. 200. Kupferberg became lirs. Ira Kornblum

Helen Fremd, 43-5, married Willl~ DeGray in Sao Paulo, Brazil sometime before Chrlstmas. They were both with Escola Tecnica de Aviaco, instructing in the same pr06ram. Peg Helburn, 43-6, will have a garden wedding Carlisle, Mass. When she marries Eric Kocher, ed from overseas. Jeanne Wagner, in Park Ridge, 44-3, Ill. is now IIrs. Jack Simpson in April at recently return-

aoo is living

1lR. STORK'S

LOGBOOK

Beulah Smith Tnurston, 44-8, writes that she has a baby girl born Feb. 4th. Beulah's adaress is P. O. Box 155, Warner Robins, Ga. Aleta prize Grill Johnson's (43-7) little girl, Signe, won first in the cutest baby contest in Jackson, Wich. Royce

Marjorie Sanford Thompson, 43-5, has a son, Sanford Thompson, born Oct. 21, 1946. Kay Herman, 44-2, announces on January 3, 1947 June Braun Bent, 44-3, Nov. 24, 1946. the arrival of Dlorsh

Lee Her~,

has a baby girl, Janet 14ichael, born

Beverly Olson Southwick, 44-5, sent an aeronautical announcement of .Stork Heir Lines" complete with Flight Report on Sherry Ann Southwick. Arrival Time 21:0916 Jan. 1947.

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"A brand new baby? Say, that's only half of it! So read Cappy Whitaker Johnson's announcement of the arrival of David Lyall and Dennis Lee Johnson on December 4, 1946. And that's not all - Jane Straughan, 43-1, also is the proud mother of twins and says she is plenty bUsy. We have just heard from Jo Wallace Orr, 44-2, son, Robert D. Orr, Jr., born Feb. 5, 1947. that she has a

arDara Leonard, 44-6, is now IIrs. Posey and has a son, Ilichael, born i1ar. 1, 1947. She is living at 2Q3l.Shunk Ave., Alliance, Ohio.

Also, just in time for this issus, a note from Dorothy Dodd Eppstein, 44-1. She announces the arrival of Elizabeth Ellen, born i1ar. 5, 1947.