Eleanor Wadsworth ATA is 101 years old today.
Thread Starter
Eleanor Wadsworth ATA is 101 years old today.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Happy birthday, ma'am. Hope you had a good one!
Bill
Bill
