A.J. May Starr 43-W-4 | From the Women Flyers of America to the WASP by Julia Lauria-Blum
Alice Jean May Starr, more familiarly known as A.J. Starr, first became interested in aviation as a young child when Charles Lindbergh soloed across the Atlantic in 1927, as did […]
Song of the Ninety-Nines by Julia Lauria-Blum
Elise Raymonde Deroche was born in 1882 in Paris, France. As a child, her interest in sports began, and later, she developed a fondness for motorcycles, automobiles, and ballooning. As […]
Trainers & Heavy Bombers | The WASP & the T-6 ‘Texan’, B-17 Flying Fortress, and B-29 Superfortress by Julia Lauria-Blum
On December 7, 1944, the Commanding General of the USAAF, Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold, addressed Class 44-W-10, the very last graduating class of WASP. During the course of his address General […]
An Extraordinary Day in March | A WASP Congressional Gold Medal by Julia Lauria-Blum
On an extraordinary day in March of 2010, I stood before the steps of the U.S. Capitol, admiring the majestic beauty of its immediately familiar white dome rising over 285 […]
A Day in the Life | From Houston to Avenger Field by Julia Lauria-Blum
In November 1942 the very first class of the WFTD (Women’s Flying Training Detachment) Class 43-W-1, arrived in Houston where they trained at Houston Municipal Airport (briefly called Howard Hughes […]
On the Home Front and Overseas | The Impact of ‘Woman-power’ During WWII by Julia Lauria-Blum
To simply say that American women played a critical role as ‘weapons’ in the war effort during World War II, would be a drastic understatement. To put that in context, […]
‘Sasha’ – Aviation Visionary & Air Power Advocate by Julia Lauria-Blum
When recalling the names of pioneering innovators who made their mark within the aviation industry and advocated for airpower during World War II, Russian-born émigré Alexander de Seversky may not […]
Towing Targets… and Other Dangerous Liaisons by Julia Lauria-Blum
As the WASP performed a great variety of duties outside of ferrying missions, many of the women in the WFTD Training Command were selected for classified, high-risk flight operations. One […]
Jackie Cochran and the Need for Speed by Julia Lauria-Blum
Jackie Cochran climbed to 45,000 feet in a Canadair F-86 Sabre jet, leaving a contrail of ice crystals behind her path. Achieving the highest altitude necessary, she did a split […]
The First Instrument Flight & the ‘Link’ to IFR – 1929 by Julia Lauria-Blum
On September 24, 1929, one of the greatest milestones in aviation took place at the Full Flight Laboratory at Mitchel Field on Long Island when Army Lt. James Doolittle made […]