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'Let Us Serve Our Country,' Plead Air-Minded Women
By Dorothea J. Lewis
Written for The Christian Science Monitor

For every pilot in the air, in the United States, there are 10 aviation jobs on the ground in handling equipment and maintenance and carrying on operations to safeguard flights and fliers. And these jobs are rapidly increasing in number as Uncle Sam's national defense program steams ahead. Women are asking; "Why can't we be given wider opportunities in this work so vital today?" They have proven admirably their ability to fill what posts have been offered to them, but these have been very few. They are convinced they could serve their country well in this work on the ground.
Those with experience in meteorology and radio, necessary to some extent to all pilots, could fit into the pattern as Traffic Control Operators or Assistants in Weather Bureau offices. The Traffic Control Operator is, in a sense, master of the airport. On duty day and night, in shifts, at the most important airports, these officers keep continuous track of every plane flying the airways between given points, record their air speed, and know when they should arrive over the airport. No plane may land or take off without a signal from this operator to do so. he keeps them at least 1,000 feet apart in order to prevent collisions, particularly in heavy weather or during specially crowded field conditions. The CAA is now studying the need for more airports in this country and so there may be a place for more of these operators in the near future. As for the Weather Bureau jobs, women will have to fight a bit to get them. The CAA has just announced a training program for 100 meteorologists for such chores; but it bars the ladies!

Prosaic Jobs Available Now
In airplane factories and shops there are, of course, innumerable posts which might be filled by air-minded women. A national Aeronautics Association member estimates the number of additional air mechanics needed for the country's national defense program at 250,000. The National Youth Administration has trained 75,000 young people in a year in shop work applicable directly or indirectly to aviation--operations in radio, fuselage, automotive, metal and mechanical lines. The great majority trained have been young men; but girls have shared to a certain extent--particularly in radio assembly, instrument making, and related fields requiring fine work.
Even women who have never been near an airplane but who can sew a fine seam could be hired to sew canvas neatly onto ailerons and tail structures, their stitches probably holding better than men's!
Cecile Hamilton of NAA and the 99 Club suggests a somewhat surprising job for women fliers--that of recruiting men for the air corps. Surprising but rather logical when she points out that men, interested in flying, would probably listen to women who fly. She also would like to see air factories take on more women in apprentice capacities as a preparedness move. 
In a case of actual war, women could, as they did in 1917-18, carry messages, transport supplies, and operate ambulances--this time in the air. In connections with the latter service, the Aerial Nurses' Crops, with headquarters in Burbank, Calif., is increasing its training and membership. It now consists of about 200 women interested in both flying and nursing, and trained in both. A few members are pilots, some are graduate nurses, others are students. Still others are only first aid experts. But all have flight experience and know how to handle the paraphernalia peculiar to air nursing. The NAA is co-operating by having its pilots take up members of the Nurses' organization for practice flights whenever possible. Of course, the greatest reserve force of air nurses is the more than 500 stewardesses of the passenger airlines, girls thoroughly and finely trained for this work.

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disaster, an imaginary refugee ship supposedly exploding five miles off shore, from Gloucester, Massachusetts. But Relief Wings found there was no record in existence of land planes, sea planes, pilots, doctors, nurses, etc., in the area; and it took two executives and three clerks two full weeks of hard work to get the information. After this had been gathered, the whole project was mobilized in two hours!
Save for a few outstanding exceptions, women have been aviators, but not "in aviation." They have had doors shut in their faces and have heard loud, derisive laughter whenever they applied for airline or transport jobs. very few have held posts of any importance or interest in the factories or on the boards of airlines.

Not Newcomers
It is rather strange that men so resent women in aviation. Women are not recent interlopers, coming to challenge a long-time masculine stronghold. They have flown in the United States since the beginnings of flying. Harriet Quimby of San Francisco was the first American woman to gain a pliot's license, and only 36 men beat her to it at that. In 1910, when she was 26 years old, she witnessed her first flight, that of a little monoplane at Hempstead, Long Island. Immediately, as she reported later, she thought, "Really, it looks quite easy; I believe I could do it myself, and"--(after a minute)--"I will." She gained her license from the old Aero Club of America on August 3, 1911. In 1912 she was the first woman to fly the English Channel.
Ruth Law was another of the well known early women pilots, holding license number 188. But the outstanding ladies for our topic--national defense--are Katherine and Marjorie Stinson. Women aren't allowed to ride in Army or Navy planes; but in 1914, "Katie" and "Marje," teen-age youngsters, taught young male Canadians how to fly well enough to be accepted by the Royal Air Force! When their own country entered the war they trained American boys for the United States Army Air Corps. They interested their brother, Eddie, in flying; and helped him to become one of the greatest fliers of all time.

Could Help Their Country
And today, Marjorie, thinking of the horror overseas, says, "I think that in total war, women pilots would and could help their country; and the War Generals need not feel ungallant in ordering women pilots to leave the 'Good Earth' and go forth into battle skies."
The Army and Navy are a bit smug in not wanting and female "battalions of death," or any women piots even in small doses who might be empowered to give orders to men. But they might think back to the Stinson girls, and think forward, too, to the future and all the non-combat jobs women fliers could fill for them.
Women have always had to make their own way in aviation, as we've been pointing out; and they'll do it again. When he needs them badly enough, Uncle Sam will be glad they did. It isn't only the sons of the Eagle who have wings!