As the nation prepared for WWII, 1,830 women pilots – ages 18 to 35, with a private or commercial pilot’s license and at least 500 hours cockpit time – answered the call of their country and joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to train at Avenger Field, Texas. These were the first women to fly America’s military aircraft –an elite corps from the standpoint of skills, ability and experience. The future of women in military aviation hung on how the women performed professionally and conducted themselves morally and socially. Although they were Civil Service, they maintained military standards and observed military regulations. The objectives of the program were to relieve male pilots for combat, determine if women could serve as military pilots and decrease the air force’s total demand on manpower pools.
CNY Veterans Parade and Expo
Women Air Service Pilots
A Photographic Exhibit from the
National WASP WWII Museum
Nov. 4, 2017
NYS Fairgrounds
Copyright CNY Veterans Parade. All rights reserved.