American women and flight since 1940 / Deborah G. Douglas, with the assistance of Amy E. Foster, Alan D. Meyer, and Lucy B. Young.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Douglas, Deborah G.

Contributor:

Foster, Amy E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women air pilots--United States--Biography.

Women air pilots.

United States.

Air pilots--United States--Biography.

Air pilots.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xi, 359 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Ky. : University Press of Kentucky, [2004]

Summary:

The words "Women Fly" are stitched on one of the hottest ball caps at air shows around the country. Women also run wind tunnel experiments, direct air traffic, and fabricate airplanes. American women have been involved with flight from the beginning, but until 1940, most people believed women could not fly, that Amelia Earhart was an exception to the rule. World War II changed everything. "It is on the record that women can fly as well as men, " stated General Henry H. Arnold, commanding general of the Army Air Forces. The question became "Should women fly?" American Women and Flight since 1940 tells the story of this ongoing debate and its impact on American history. From Jackie Cochran, whose perseverance led to the formation of the Women's Army Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II to the recent achievements of Jeannie Flynn, the Air Force's first woman fighter pilot, and Eileen Collins, NASA's first woman shuttle commander, Deborah G. Douglas introduces a host of determined women who overcame prejudice and became military fliers, airline pilots, and air and space engineers. Not forgotten are stories of flight attendants, air traffic controllers, and mechanics. This new edition is intended for both the general reader and the aviation historian and contains extensive illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography.

Contents:

Part I Can Women Fly? American Women in Aviation during World War II

1. Students and Teachers, Clubs and Colleges: Women in Civilian Aviation Organizations 15

2. Coffee, Grease, Blueprints, and Rivets: Women at Work in the Aviation Industry 30

3. Daughters of Minerva: Military Women in Aviation 54

4. Nieces of Uncle Sam: The Women's Airforce Service Pilots 84

Part II Should Women Fly? American Women in Aviation during the Second Half of the Twentieth Century

5. Demobilization and the Postwar Transition: 1945-1949 107

6. "The Feminine Mystique" and Aviation: The 1950s 129

7. The Impact of the Women's Rights Movement: The 1960s 149

8. Women with the "Right Stuff": The 1970s 172

9. Captains of Industry, Airlines, and the Military: 1980-1992 197

10. New World Order? 1992-2000 232.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [311]-341) and index.

ISBN:

0813190738

OCLC:

52127438