AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - 43
PEOPLE /
80 years of inspiration
Celebrating Women Airforce Service Pilots in Sweetwater
BY JILL W. TALLMAN
E IGHTY YEARS AFTER they first soared
from runways in Houston and then at
Avenger Airport in Sweetwater, Texas,
the Women Airforce Service Pilots
(WASP) continue to inspire military and
civilian pilots around the world.
Hundreds traveled to Sweetwater in
April to celebrate the legacy of the WASP
at their eightieth homecoming. And,
although just one WASP was able to come
to the event, WASP family members, aviation
history buffs, and visitors celebrated
the all-woman squadron who served their
country during World War II. The sole
WASP in attendance was Shirley Chase
Kruse, who was a flight test pilot.
" I loved [the training], " she said in a
2015 interview for the National World
War II Museum. " We'd all flown before,
and it was just a question of learning
to fly that particular plane. " But not all
found it so enjoyable. The women lived
six to a bay, and " you never knew when
you were getting ready to go to mess hall
who would [still] be in your room that
night. " For every two applicants, one
would wash out. " The dropout rate was
pretty intense, " she said. " You always left
the very night you washed out, you went
back to your bay, and you packed what
you had, and you left. They took you to
the railroad station. It was over and done
with. No time for tears. " She " absolutely "
had a fear she might wash out, although
she did not.
The WASP, headed by Jacqueline
Cochran and Nancy Love, trained at
Avenger Field in Sweetwater beginning
WASP stats
1,074 women graduated
from the program.
38 died in training or on
active duty.
Flew more than
60 million miles.
Ferried 77 different types
of aircraft.
AOPA PILOT / July 2022
43
in 1943 to fly single and multiengine piston
aircraft " the military way. " The goal
was to use the women in the war effort to
free up male pilots for combat duty overseas.
Once graduated from the program,
the WASP ferried aircraft, piloted tow
aircraft for aerial targets, and performed
other flying duties including tracking and
searchlight missions and simulated strafing.
They were assigned to established
bases around the United States as civilians
attached to the Army Air Forces.
The WASP were disbanded at the
conclusion of the war. They did not
receive military benefits until 1977, when
President Carter signed a law that designated
them as military veterans. In 2009,
President Obama awarded the WASP the
Congressional Gold Medal for service to
their country.
" I don't think people understood
what it took for [the WASP] to become
a pilot in those days, " said Molly Kelly
of Fredericksburg, Texas, who drove to
Sweetwater for the homecoming. " They
were the trailblazers. "
The WASP Museum at Avenger Field
has flying examples of four of the five types
of aircraft that the women trained in: a
Boeing PT-17 Stearman, Fairchild PT-19a,
and Vultee BT-13, which were flown for
primary and basic training; and an ME
UC-78 or Cessna Bobcat, for multiengine
training. The museum is raising money to
acquire a T-6 used for cross-country, formation,
and instrument training, to round
out its collection, according to volunteer
David Townsend. jill.tallman@aopa.org
Activities at the WASP reunion in Sweetwater,
Texas, included a reception for Shirley Chase
Kruse (above center).
DAVID TULIS
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Contents
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2022 - Cover4
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