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JOURNAL American Aviation Historical Society, Winter 1974 96

The year 1942 saw an unprecedented need for large numbers of American aircrews and aircraft. Two fighting fronts, Asia and Europe, were sapping the total supply. Industry had "tooled up" to supply the aircraft and plans were continually changing to permit supply of sufficient aircrew. Pilot training goals changed from 30,000 pilots per year to 50,000, then in January 1942, it was raised to 70,000 and by October to 102,000.1 History had never seen such figures. Truly, America was in an air age and military air power was obviously critical.

The supply of aviation cadet trainees was not sufficient to meet the demand. In order to open training to more young men, the pre-war standards requiring two years of college and a single marital status were dropped.2 Various options in military status were made available to attract large numbers of cadets. In November 1942, Congress lowered the draft age to include 18 and 19-year old men. This cut into a population that had been an excellent source for Army Air Force aviation cadet recruiting. In December, the President, by executive order, terminated all voluntary enlistment, thus forcing an applicant for flying training to be in the Army before he could apply for cadets. All cadets had to be drawn from the monthly quota of men allocated to the A. A. F. Under this system, it soon became obvious that the pilot trainee goals could not be met.3

Among the proposals submitted to strengthen the pilot ranks was a plan to utilize women as non-combatant pilots. Such a revolutionary idea met with resistance. As the need for pilots increased, the Ferry Command was permitted to recruit women who were already trained and were accomplished pilots, and to sign them to contracts as civilian pilots. Twenty-three women responded to a request to serve the Ferry Command as ferry pilots. These women all had 500 hours of flying time, or more, and a 200-horsepower rating. With these qualifications, they could be put to work immediately with only such training as was required to check them out in new aircraft. They were called WAFS (Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron). Mrs. Nancy Harkness Love was instrumental in forming the group and remained their Commander from inception of the program, as announced in a press release dated 10 September 1942,until deactivation 20 December 1944.4

These twenty-three women pilots could only constitute token help for the AAF with respect to the total numbers of pilots needed for stateside flying alone. They were, however, to prove the capability of women pilots and let America know that among her women she could find the help she needed to relieve the pilot shortage.

The woman pilot who joined the WAFS represented a unique combination of affluence, determination, and patriotism. Very few women under thirty-five years of age could be found who had the motivation and the financial means to accumulate 500 hours of flying time. In the pre-war years, flying time in a 200-horsepower aircraft was selling for approximately $40 per hour and up.

An examination of the total population of female pilots in 1942 should have revealed many women with the required 500 hours but who were over the age limit of thirty-five years. Likewise, it would have listed many more with less time but who could meet the age requirement. The older group was rejected as possibilities for additional pilot personnel, and a decision was made to accept women with pilot's licenses but with less than 500 hours experience. These women would require some additional training to permit them to be assigned full flight duties with the group of WAFS in the Ferry Command.5 No attempt was made to give these women initial flight training.6 Miss Jacqueline Cockran, who was instrumental in the formulation of the concept to train women pilots, was appointed Director of the newly formed Women's Flying Training. She was to supervise and coordinate the training of women pilots for assignment to the Ferry, or Air Transport Command.7 Women from this training group eventually went into many types of flying in addition to ferrying.8 

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THE W.A.S.P.
TRAINING PROGRAM
By Lt. Col. Dora Dougherty Strother USAFR.

Lest we forget, America's fairest flew for Uncle Sam in World War II.

The training program was to be expanded from the initial concept of a "brush-up" and checkout in Army aircraft with 115 flight hours to a comprehensive flight program of 210 flying hours.

The program which was begun at Houston's Municipal Airport was to move to its own base at Sweetwater, Texas. It had three designation: 319 Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment (AAFFTD), during its location at Houston; the 318th AAFFTD during its Sweetwater location; and the 2563D AAF Base Unit, Avenger Field during the short time of 1 November to deactivation of the program on 20 December 1944.

THE 319th AAFFTD - FLIGHT TRAINING BEGINS

The training program was initiated on 16 November 1942 when twenty-eight women arrived in Houston, Texas, for the first class. (The program was designated as the Women's Flying Training Detachment and later as the 319th Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment.10 From the initials WFTD, the women pilots referred to themselves as "Woofteddies."11 This first class, the "guinea pig" class, did not have an easy time. They reported to Houston Municipal, Howard Hughes Airport, Texas. There was

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