View Full Version : Eleanor Wadsworth ATA is 101 years old today.
OUAQUKGF Ops
15th Oct 2018, 13:24
Happy Birthday Eleanor!
An interview with 100-year-old ATA Girl Eleanor Wadsworth | Latest aviation news and events | Pilot Magazine (http://www.pilotweb.aero/news/eleanor-wadsworth-profile-and-interview-1-5641715)
Chris Scott
15th Oct 2018, 23:02
Hear, hear!
Throughout a 35-year career in civil aviation, during which I flew with a number of professional female pilots, I remained ignorant of the contribution of these modest ladies, despite being vaguely aware of the circumstances of Amy Johnson's death. Well into retirement, I happened upon Spitfire Women in a cruise-ship library, and was astonished and humbled in equal measure.
The longevity of some of these tough cookies is as remarkable as it is welcome.
Checklist Charlie
16th Oct 2018, 00:26
Have a very Happy Birthday Ms Wadsworth.:ok:
CC
And these ladies certainly were not "children of the magenta line".
Chris Scott
16th Oct 2018, 15:40
And these ladies certainly were not "children of the magenta line".
No, and I gather that none of them was given any formal, basic training to fly on instruments. (That probably applied equally to their fellow male pilots in the ATA.)
Seems odd, considering most of the aeroplanes they ferried would have been equipped with the basic instrument "T", and Link Trainers were presumably available. They must have found themselves often in cloud, or in closer proximity to it than intended - pretty much inevitable when you consider the urgency of getting aircraft delivered, regardless of the vagaries of weather in the UK.
Yes - the modern children are wrapped up in electronic cotton wool.
Bill Macgillivray
16th Oct 2018, 20:11
Happy birthday, ma'am. Hope you had a good one!
Bill