WARBIRDS
During WWII, several handpicked beauties that are among the top female pilots in the country (and the first female pilots in the military, called WASPs: Women Air Force Service Pilots) risk their lives, create lifelong friendships and form passionate romances as they perform heroic ferrying missions across America out of Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. Their sometimes life-threatening journeys across the country to deliver much-needed medical, food and emergency supplies while our male pilots fought overseas did not come without a price. Several of these brave WASPs lost their lives flying through dangerous weather conditions, and although these top-notch female pilots proved their aviation skills tenfold, they were met with prejudice and judged by many. Although these women epitomized glamour and beauty, they were not afraid to get dirty, sleep in dusty barracks, hide their romances or take risks. These women were young, sexy, and loved to flaunt their beauty in high heels as most of them were from America ’s elite, but their greatest passion was flying for our country regardless of the sacrifice.
If you would like to read WARBIRDS please contact Brad Rosenfeld of Preferred Artists Agency at 818.990.0305 or contact Suzanne Sumner Ferry at suzanne.ferry@verizon.net
Registered with the Writers Guild of America, West
Hi Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI am one of two Kid of a WASP (KOW), who maintains a web site about the WASP. I have over 50 books on the WASP and ATA. I just made a presentation on The Biggs Five - First WASP of 6th Tow Target this last week end.
One of the points of my presentation was that there are 1,102 different WASP (WFTD + WAFS) stories.
One statement in your blog posting says, " ... they perform heroic ferrying missions across America out of Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas"
They were trained initially in Houston, Texas, and then in the late spring of 1943, training was moved to Sweetwater. There was no ferrying of aircraft from Sweetwater. Most ferrying started at various aircraft manufacturing facilities in other parts of the country.
Also, ferrying represented 16 percent of the 60,000,000 hours these women flew.
Ferrying did not involve delivering "much-needed medical, food and emergency supplies." Ferrying was moving new aircraft from the factory to the coasts for eventual delivery overseas by other.
Some were met with prejudice. But after they proved their skills, their male counter parts learned to respect them, http://wwii-women-pilots.org/ecware43-3/Bill-Hughes_tribute.html.
"Glamour and beauty" we not the key to these women joining the WASP. They wanted to fly and this was one way they could do that.
"These women ... loved to flaunt their beauty in high heels as most of them were from America’s elite." I think many of these women would not find this statement fitting to them. You might want to do a little more research at Texas Woman's University, http://www.twu.edu/library/wasp.asp.
Those that started with the WAFS in 1942 and the first three WFTD classes that started in Houston in early 1943, had accumulated hundreds of flying hours before joining this select group of women. Eventually, however, the entry requirements were dropped to 35 hours.
Andy Hailey, Kid of WASPS Lois B. Hailey and Lois H. Ziler.
http://wwii-women-pilots.org/