Research Catalog

Nancy Love and the WASP ferry pilots of World War II

Title: Nancy Love and the WASP ferry pilots of World War II / by Sarah Byrn Rickman.
Author: Rickman, Sarah Byrn.
Publication: Denton, Tex. : University of North Texas Press, [2008], ©2008.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Not available - Please for assistance.	Text	Use in library	D790.5.L68 R53 2008	Off-site

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Details

Description

xx, 332 pages : illustrations; 24 cm.

Summary

"She flew the swift P-51 and the capricious P-38, but the heavy, four-engine B-17 bomber and C-54 transport were her forte. This is the story of Nancy Harkness Love who, early in World War II, recruited and led the first group of twenty-eight women to fly military aircraft for the U.S. Army." "When the United States entered World War II, the Army needed pilots to transport or "ferry" its combat-bound aircraft across the United States for overseas deployment and its trainer airplanes to flight training bases. Most male pilots were assigned to combat preparation, leaving few available for ferrying jobs. Into this vacuum stepped Nancy Love and her civilian Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)." "Love had advocated using women as ferry pilots as early as 1940. Jackie Cochran envisioned a more ambitious plan, to train women to perform a variety of the military's flight-related jobs stateside. The Army implemented both programs in the fall of 1942, but Jackie's idea piqued General Hap Arnold's interest and, by summer 1943, her concept had won. The women's programs became one under the name Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), with Cochran as the Director of Women Pilots and Love as the Executive for WASP." "Nancy Love believed that the women attached to the military needed to be on equal footing with the men and given the same opportunities to prove their abilities and mettle. Young women serving today as combat pilots owe much to Love for creating the opportunity for women to serve. Her foresight and tenacity nearly seventy years ago helped ensure their future. Now author Sarah Byrn Rickman, aviation historian, presents the first full-length biography of Nancy Love and her role in the WAFS and WASP programs, Her book will appeal to all with a love of flight."--BOOK JACKET.

Series Statement

North Texas military biography and memoir series ; no. 4

Uniform Title

North Texas military biography and memoir series ; no. 4.

Subjects

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-319) and index.

Contents

Foreword / Deborah G. Douglas -- Ch. 1. Learning to Fly -- Ch. 2. Learning to Live -- Ch. 3. Stretching Her Wings -- Ch. 4. Tricycle Gear Test Pilot -- Ch. 5. War in Europe! -- Ch. 6. Wanted: Ferry Pilots -- Ch. 7. Two Women Pilot Groups -- Ch. 8. The Originals Gather -- Ch. 9. Growing Pains -- Ch. 10. Killed in Service of Her Country -- Ch. 11. Transport and Transition -- Ch. 12. A B-17 Bound for England -- Ch. 13. Change in the Air -- Ch. 14. Pursuit School -- Ch. 15. The Quest for Militarization -- Ch. 16. In Pursuit, Coast to Coast -- Ch. 17. Militarization Denied -- Ch. 18. Denouement of the WASP -- Ch. 19. Flying the Hump -- Ch. 20. Peace, Prosperity, and Parenthood -- Ch. 21. Life on the Vineyard -- Ch. 22. Empty Nest -- Ch. 23. Fighting Spirit -- App. Biographical Overview of Nancy Harkness Love.

ISBN

9781574412413 (cloth : alk. paper)
1574412418 (cloth : alk. paper)

LCCN

2007039381
40015209488

OCLC

ocn173502734
173502734
SCSB-5395439

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries