The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were a brave and dedicated group of aviators who helped the United States win the WWII battles in the air. They did not participate in combat. But they did take the place of men who could and did fight the Axis powers in the air.
The nation’s manpower shortage became acute in 1942. One innovation was the use of women pilots for ferrying aircraft between factories and operational airfields along with other domestic flying duties.
Famous pilot Jackie Cochran and another prominent aviatrix, Nancy Harkness Love, founded two separate programs, one called the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and the other the Women’s Flight Training Detachment (WFTD). They were merged in 1943 into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).
The women ferried all types of aircraft from the factories to operational USAAF fields. The WASP also towed gunnery targets and served as flight instructors. They flew 77 different types of aircraft, including the fastest fighters, like the P-51 Mustang, and the heaviest bombers, such as the B-29 Superfortress. After April 1944 fighter plane ferrying became the main WASP activity. A few exceptionally qualified women were allowed to test early jet aircraft. The women encountered the same flying conditions and problems as were faced by male pilots.
Museum docent and podcast co-host Rob Gale presents the WASP story, focusing on their experiences with the many combat aircraft types they flew.