Evening star., 1944-09-10
Servicewomen Flock to Flying Class at Airport

While, many Of the students are get
ting their flying hours at other nearby
airports, picture Of the Blue Ridge
field is typical Of what it takes to
qualify for private pilots license
The two planes are almost never out
Of the air, with students taking lessons
all day, every day, depending on when
they are able to get of from work.
A typical Sunday at the field fnds
s or 10 WAVES, SPARS and Marines
and an occasional civilian sitting on y
the grass outside the hangar, waiting
patiently for their half hour In the air.
Although Sunday comics and picnic
lunches give the scene holiday air.
the slack-clad girls spend the major
portion of their waiting time studying
the lessons in which they must take an
examination before they can qualify for
a license.
"How's your right rudder today?"
Fine, how's your left wing?" may sound
like teen-age double talk, but Is q usual
greeting between students at the field.
Some Of the girls have confessed to
fear the first time they went up, but
only one has dropped out of the course
once she had started to fly, and they
are all convinced that the fear will be
conquered after the first few lessons.
The -mindedness of these girls is
demonstrated by the fact that they
spend their only day Of leisure travelling
by bus for two hours each way, some
times starting at in the morning,
waiting as much as three or four hours
and lunching on sandwiches and cokes
in order to get brief half hour, or at
most an hour, of flying instruction.
In addition to the time spent getting
to the field, the cost Is no small item,
with bus fares and the cost OF nstruc-
ton taking a large share of their weekly
spending money. In fact, one girl has
given UP smoking to help pay for her
lessons, while others admitted that even
movies were "out" because of the need
to save money.
Time spent in the weekly classes must
also come out Of the girls leisure time,
and concentration on technical terni-
nology, formulae and maps Is no easy
matter In the late afternoon after
long days work.
Ground Course Is Free
In spite of the necessary expense OF
actual flying and the time involved IN
learning the ground work, the Pea
students are getting a real break IN
being offered without cost a ground
course for which the average charge
at recognized school is $3.50.
Mr.. Walcroft gives his students six
to eight hours each in navigation, flight
theory, meteorology, aerodynamics and
civil air regulations and conducts writ
ten examinations in each subject to
prepare them for the tests required by
the Civil Aeronautics Administration
for a private pilots license.
In addition to the written examina-
ton, physical test is required by CAA
and the students must then have a
minimum OF eight hours dual flying
certified in their log books by a qualified
instructor, plus IS hours of solo flying
before the CAA will give the test for
a license.
Contrast this with the small amount
of expenditure of time and money re-
ouired to obtain an automobile driving
license, and it is apparent that these
girls must have an unshakable faith
in the future of civilian flying in order
to give most of their spare time anc
cash in learning to fly.
The air lines believe in it, too-anc
are especially interested in women'
part in air travel in a postwar world
Their faith Is borne out by recen
poll made by woman's magazine II
which 100 women were questioned OF
their attitude toward aviation.
The questions included: Would 70,
travel to Europe by airplane If tn
round trip cost SCOOP: Would you b
willing for some member of your fam
lily to own plane?" and do you wan
to fly yourself?"
Although the interest In, flying de
creased proportionately as the age groul
increased, 81 per cent of all the womel
questioned looked forward to trip 7
Europe by air, 88 per cent were willin
for member of the family to own
plane and 80 per cent expressed
desire to pilot themselves.
Broken down into four age group:
the poll showed that SO per cent in tn
group under 25 want to travel by al
to Europe and IS per cent of the sam
group want to learn to fly themselve!
OF the women over As years of age, 8
per cent voted yes for the Europea
trip and 16 per cent want to becom
pilots.
Designers Of planes for postwar civil
ian flying might consider these figure
and plan to install mirrors in the
machines as well as giving heed to tn
," interior decoration and color scheme {
their products.