Transcripts For CSPAN3 Discussion On Women Aviators During W

You will be hearing from myself and from fellow park ranger diane wolfe. Will talk to you a little bit in celebration of womens History Month about the women of Floyd Bennett field we will talk to you a little bit. Its one of the more significant sites in the history of aviation. It is a story that doesnt get told to much anymore, but in its day, the aviators who flew at Floyd Bennett field during the 1930s were as big of celebrities as anybody you might think of. You know, you start with the age of charles lindbergh, 1927 and really, right up until world war ii, these folks were advancing Aviation Technology at an incredible rate. When you think that the first airplane flight was in 1903 with the wright brothers, we are at the dawn of the jet age. We go from a time when it was perfectly common to have biplane wood and fabric airliners to allmental monoplane airliners capable of crossing the country at 200 miles an hour carrying 22 passengers allmental. Allmetal. Thats a leap in just 10 years. Its really quite a remarkable story. The women aviators of that time work were very much a part of the story. Without further a do, lets go with the presentation here. Without further ado. Just hit the down arrow button. All rights, too many people in the 1930s, this is what a womans career in aviation look like all right, to many people in the 1930s, this is what a womans career in aviation looked like. [laughter] would it be easier if i just did it and talked to you from back there . Can we do that . All right, we can do that. Ok, you got it . Ive got the timing down. So you can listen to my dulcet tones from the background. It will be just like going to a theater. The first air hostesses working on the airlines working for the airlines on airliners had to be registered nurses. Of course, the job evolved into other services, such as meal and Beverage Service remember those days . It was actually sort of easy to do that a lot easier than it is today because most airlines carried about 10 passengers. This is the interior of the ford try motor try motor, and its looking from the very back of the plane to the front. What happened was you had people who were highly trained as nurses, and it even evolved into they were basically waitstaff and symbols for advertising. But there were other careers for women in aviation. You could be a pilot, like Laura Ingalls. From the day that Floyd Bennett field opened as new yorks first me to support airport on may 23 1931 new yorks first Municipal Airport on may 20 3 19 31, floyd took part in all of the or a lot of the famous flights that took place on the field. In fact, Amelia Ehrhardt took part in the opening ceremonies flying and auto gyro. Do you know what that is . Its sort of an early form of helicopter. Youve got a normal airplane fuselage, but it has very short wings. What happens is as the airplane engine moves through the sky, it causes those rotors to turn, and that is what creates lift. It is sort of a neat precursor to the helicopter. Thats 1931, so shed be probably about 30. Throughout the 1930s, Floyd Bennett field there it is located right on jamaica bay. There is our queens connection. Throughout its life as a Municipal Airport it really was one of the centers of the aviation universe. Thats the terminal building, which is now our parks visitors center. If you look at this cartoon map that was done in the 1930s, you will see a lot of the names up there. You will see the name ruth nichols. You will see the name Amelia Ehrhardt. Listed right up there with the famous male aviators of the day such as wiley post and jimmy doolittle. In the air, the women were considered the equal to their male counterparts. I mentioned Laura Ingalls before. Laura ingalls was from brooklyn. Not to be confused with Laura Ingalls wilder of the itll house books little house books. She was a brooklyn girl and a famous aviator throughout the 1930s. Ruth nichols, who was considered sort of one of the glamour girls of aviation in the 1930s. Helen ritchie, who set and endurance record. Helen richey. She was over the field for 10 days. Her story we will get to in a little bit. Sort of has a tragic end. Beryl markham, who became the first woman to fly across the atlantic from east to west. Did not quite yet all the way to Floyd Bennett field. Crashed up in northern maine, but eventually did make it to the field. Jackie cochran, who is a very famous aviator. Let me ask you how many of you have heard that name before . How many of you have heard the name Amelia Ehrhardt before . Of course you have. Everybody has. My main goal this evening is to try to get you if i do nothing else today, its to get you to know who Jackie Cochran was. Shes a fascinating person. Women aviators flew all throughout the 1930s during whats called the golden age of aviation. Once the navy took over the field in 1941, men and women served in the navy at Naval Air Station new york, Floyd Bennett field throughout the war. [inaudible] lincoln actually there are three planes there. Navy fighters. Corsairs. That photo was taken right around the end of the war. Ruth nichols, when she flew and this is her arriving at Floyd Bennett field brought a change of clothes with her, so she could the image we saw at the beginning was ruth nichols in her lying suit. She would bring a change of loads with her so she could change out of her flying suit and into something a little more appropriate exactly, to greet the press. You will find that glamour and womens aviation in the 1930s are kind of intertwined. Here is Laura Ingalls again. She said many records flying into Floyd Bennett field. She was also quite an accomplished aviator throughout the 1930s. She was the first woman to fly around south america. She flew around the perimeter of the continent of south america, which was sort of a big deal back then. It was pretty wild, undiscovered country for the most part. She set down in some rather interesting places, had a pistol with her the entire time. Even before Floyd Bennett field was opened in 1931, america, of course had women aviators. Harriet quimby was americas first woman pilot. Here she is with here are the first two female american pilots. Matilda masson mathilde m oisant and harriet quimby. She was an accomplished pilot but she was treated more as a novelty. She actually died sort of tragically when she was booked out of her airplane. As you can see, thats her aircraft. There was not all that much thought given to safety. Anytime you got in a plane especially in the early years of aviation, it was a pretty dangerous undertaking. Any time you got in a plane. [inaudible] lincoln yeah, mmhmm. If you want to see an actual blue area blario, theres one of the cradle of aviation. You will be amazed that people actually flew these things. Harriet quimby was the first woman to fly across the English Channel, and she did it in that. [inaudible] lincoln no. The first pilot to fly across the English Channel was louis blair area who built the plane and he did it in the same thing louis bleriot. Bessie coleman was africanamerican, and she was unable to get a pilots license in the united dates, so she traveled to france to get her pilots license, and she earned quite a good living running her own air circuit, putting on air shows throughout the 1920s, but again, you know, this is an inherently dangerous activity. She was also killed in a crash. Helen richey, once Floyd Bennett field open, as i mentioned, is sort of became the center of the aviation universe. The reason was that Floyd Bennett field had something most airports of that era did not have, which was long, caved, concrete runways. In the 1930s, it was still very, very common to find dirt or grass runways. If you are doing longdistance endurance flight, it requires a lot of fuel, so that makes the plane very heavy. You need that concrete in order to be able to support the weight. Helen richey, in her aircraft, the outdoor girl outdoor girl was a brand of cosmetics and they sponsored the flight of helen richey and francis harold, and they were doing and endurance flight and Frances Harrell, and they were doing and endurance flight. One of the things they were doing that is now fairly common practice and military aviation was aerial refueling, which meant there is a plane flying above them that would drop a hose to their plane as they were flying. They stayed in the air for 10 days. Yes . Yeah . [inaudible] lincoln this is them on their return. This is Frances Harrell and helen richey with one of the models from outdoor girl cosmetics, of course, taking off for their flight from Floyd Bennett field. Looking a little worse for wear their. There. Helen richey went on to become the first woman to earn her commercial pilots license, and she got a job briefly with central airlines, but the Airline Pilots union complained that she was taking a job away from a male pilot, so she was let go. She went on to fly first with the british aircraft delivery units, and then when the united dates Army Air Force United States Army Air Force allowed women to apply to fly, she joined that organization, which was founded by Jackie Cochran. She did that all throughout the war, flying aircraft, delivering aircraft for the military. Unfortunately, after the war helen richey was unable to find any work as a pilot. Remember, the country had just trained tens of thousands of new pilots for the war. Many of them were looking for jobs in aviation. So because she could not find a job in aviation, she actually ended up committing suicide. On a happier note, this is louise vaden thanden the first woman to win the bendix trophy,. It was given an air race from california to Floyd Bennett yield, and she was the winner in 1936. Ruth nichols, again, our glamour girl she would fly around the country, and she would speak to different groups about aviation and winning in aviation. It would not be uncommon for her to speak to a group like this say. [inaudible] lincoln oh, im sorry. A hydro airplane licensed women hydro airplane pilot which means shes licensed to fly seaplanes or flying boats. She was also sponsored, the same way that nascar drivers are sponsored today. They would have advertising placed on their aircraft the way race car drivers have the advertising all over their cars. Earlier, we saw the auto gyro that Amelia Ehrhardt was flying, which was sponsored by beech nut gum. Theres really nichols and Jackie Cochran theres ruth nichols and Jackie Cochran. There were not that many female pilots in the 1930s, so they all knew each other and competed against each other, and many of them formed an organization which still exists of women pilots called the 99. It was called the 99 because 99 women showed up, 99 women pilots showed up to the first organizational meeting, which took place actually out on long island. Then there is Laura Ingalls. Real quick story about her she was actually imprisoned by the United States government during world war ii because her boyfriend was in the german luftwaffe. Heres laura with wiley post and Amelia Ehrhardt in the restaurant at Floyd Bennett field. If you come down to the field ill show you exactly where that picture was taken, though it is no longer a restaurant. Everybody know who wiley post was . Ok. No, no actually, wiley post was killed in a plane crash, but he was killed flying with his good friend will rogers. They were both oklahomans. This aircraft was called the whitney may of oklahoma, and he was the first pilot to fly solo around the world. He did that in 1933 and did that and back to Floyd Bennett field. There is Laura Ingalls aircraft, called the auto de fae, which is latin for act of faith. Which is weve seen, anytime you got into a plane in the early days, it was an act of faith. Called the auto de fe. She was getting ready to make a crosscountry east to west flight, attempting to set the record that had been set earlier by Amelia Ehrhardt, and she actually ended up breaking amelia record breaking amelias record by about five hours. It was a pretty good flight. Amelia ehrhardt did do a lot of flying at Floyd Bennett field. This was probably the plane she flew the most and set the most records in, which she called her litter red little red bus, a lockheed vega, same kind of plane that wiley post flew. There she is upon her return from being the first woman to fly a plane across the atlantic. She was also the first woman to fly across the atlantic, but she was not the pilot. She was a passenger. She was also the first woman to fly twice across the atlantic. Of course, i told that to a friend of mines sister, who was a flight attendant, and her response to that was, big deal. I do that in a week. [inaudible] lincoln yes, it was. It was very much so. Amelia was sponsored, too, by beech nut, as we saw earlier, and by lucky strike. Of course, the flight that we all know amelia and heart for is the flight where she ultimately ended up losing her life. That was also on a lockheed aircraft, a lockheed electra which is the plane here. This is her at Floyd Bennett field. A lot of the preparation work that was done for her round the world flight was done at Floyd Bennett field. The actual flight itself started off from miami, but she did a lot of the prep work because of the facilities at Floyd Bennett field. Now this is Jackie Cochran. Jacqueline cochran. She only set one record at Floyd Bennett field she won the 1938 bendix trophy in recordsetting time, but her exploits in aviation are kind of unparalleled. She actually learned to fly because she was selling cosmetics throughout the south mostly, and she was driving around the south in a car, and someone suggested she could cover a lot more ground if she learned to fly, so she did. But she actually never gave up the cosmetics business, either. At one point, she was the wealthiest woman in the country is that correct . Yeah. Yeah, when she finally did get married, so she did quite well for herself. She never lost the aviation buck. This is her arriving at Floyd Bennett field after the bendix trophy race. During the second world war, she had this brilliant idea that she actually was stealing from our british allies. The aircraft Delivery Service where women pilots would deliver planes from the factories to the airfield she said why couldnt we do that in the u. S. . She took this to general henry have arnold, and he said no. Jackie cochran is not one to be deterred. So she went to her good friend eleanor roosevelt, and said this is just a great idea. Lets have women live planes from the factory to join the Army Air Force fly planes from the factory to join the Army Air Force, and mrs. Roosevelt said absolutely. She mentioned it to her husband, the president , who mentioned it to general arnold, who im sure said, what a splendid idea, mr. President. Thats how the Womens Air Force Service Pilots were founded. Of course, Jackie Cochran was named the commander of the wasps. It created a lot of jobs on the home front for women there were women mechanics, women pilots. They were trained in a military style, but they were not an official part of the military. It was not until the 1990s that they were granted veterans benefits. Jackie surrounded by a lot of her lost pilots. After the war Jackie Cochran became a big proponent of an independent air force, which, of course, came about in 1947. She continued to fly. She want to be the first pilot first woman pilot to fly supersonic lee, so who better to teach her than the first pilot to fly supersonic lee, general chucky egg jagr . She became the first woman to fly twice the speed of sound, again with chuck yeager flying the chase plane. At the time of her death, Jackie Cochran helped more aviation records than any pilot man or woman in history Jackie Cochran held more aviation records than any pilot, man or woman, in history. You can make a pretty great kreis case Jackie Cochran may have been the greatest pilot of alltime. Jimmy doolittle fans may have something to say about that, but of course, during the war and diane is going to touch on this women found lots of jobs at Floyd Bennett field that had traditionally been held by men. The previous picture of a teller operator, this parachute rigor rigger. Of