Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-16

which would mt them for AAF non.
combat duty.
The mail of congressional com.
mittees, the Civil Aeronautics Ad.
ministration and even the White
House Is heavy with complaints from
men in the above categories.
One group of 122 flyers recently
wired the White House, the Wal
Department and q number of mem
bers of Congress:
ut is our claim that it is not only
unfair to the men who have assisted
in building the present air forces
but it will be very detrimental tc
the war effort to discard the talents
of the finest American airman and
at the same time train inexperienced
women to serve as commissioned
pilots for the air forces"
Another group of instructor pilots
in Georgia wrote:
Cite Experience.
"We instructors at this school
average total Of 1900 hours of
flight experience each. Is this ex-
perience going to be wasted while
thousands are still being trained
from the beginning to do jobs that
we are qualified to do with little or
no further training? Can't some
thing be done to prevent this waste
of trained manpower and expert
ence?"
A former WASP has written to a
Government agency:
Ever since We arrived at our fer
ry bases after graduation, and were
promptly disillusioned as to their
need OF our services, the situation
has been source Of discussion
among the members of our class. We
all more or less came to the same
conclusions, which were:
Il. There seemed to be no need
to train women for ferry pilots as
the bases were apparently over
stocked with capable men who
sometimes begged for a. chance to
ny Just four hours in the month to
keep on fight pay.
=. As we saw 1t, the only possible
reason why they might need us
would be that q sudden, terrific (but
unlikely reversal in the war pro-
gram would drain the country of
men pilots.
See Pesonal Aggrandizement.
%. Many felt that the training
program was purely for one per-
sons ego.
4. Since it, did exist, however
that we were darn glad to have had
the opportunity to receive the train.
ing and hoped we would be able tc
fly"
The WASPS were set up last sum-
mer to combine two earlier organi-
cations, the Women's Auxiliary
Ferrying. Squadron (WAFS) and
the Women's Flying Training De.
tachment. Each was started BY
an aggressive, technically capable
woman flyer who believed that
members Of her sex should have
an important role in the war.
Miss Cochran, the holder of q
national or international flight rec
ords, first approached the An
Forces in the fall of 194l with q
plan for using women flyers The
Army then was preoccupied with
training combat flyers, so Miss
Cochran, with Is women she had
recruited, went to England and
joined the British Air Transport
Auxiliary.
Mrs. Love Enters Picture.
The next year Mrs. Nancy Hark-
ness Love, wife of Col. Robert Love
then deputy commander of the All
Transport Commands ferry divi-
sion, was commissioned to form 9
woman's ferrying squadron. Aspir-
ants were required to have at least
500 hours flying time. Only 2:
women were found who could meet
these qualifications.
Miss Cochran then returned from
England, called at the War De.
partment, and came away with 9
commission to start women.
training program. Mrs. Love wa.
to have charge Of ferrying. Mis-.
Cochran Of training.
Last August, however, Gen. H. II
Arnold, chief of the Air Forces
united the two services, giving Mis-!
Cochran the title of Director O
Women Pilots. AAF, and specia
assistant to the assistant chief o.
ali staff, operations, commitment