Cornelia Fort

[Cave Canem]

I see that there is project afoot to restore the aircraft that Cornelia Fort was instructing in when she and her student were among the first people in the air to encounter the Japanese zeros that attacked Pearl Harbour. Later, sadly she was working as a ferry pilot when she became the first female pilot in American history to die on active duty.

http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=35b9240eea62c41cd5b5d9184&id=c2517655d2&e=48f3ae1139

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/peopleevents/pandeAMEX07.html

[rgbrock1]

I casually glanced at the title of this thread and thought it read as "Camilia's Fart" Perhaps I need more coffee.

[Alisoncc]

Don't know anything about Cornelia, but often revisit the documentary relating to the girls of the ATA - "Spitfire Women", which is from the same era. They were phenominal in their flying abilities and what they did.

Alison

[om15]

I remember reading an interview with one of the ATS ladies who modestly reeled off the types in her log book, including the heavies such as the Lancaster and Stirling, which they flew with a flight engineer to assist.
At the end of the war, the ARB ( I think) would not credit these hours towards a private pilots licence.