A Wasp Among Eagles: A Woman Military Test Pilot in World War II
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Book Overview
Before World War II most Americans did not believe that the average woman could fly professionally, but during the war more than a thousand women pilots proved them wrong. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), who served as military flyers on the home front. In March 1944 one of them, Ann Baumgartner, was assigned to the Fighter Flight Test Branch at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. There she would make history as the only woman to test-fly experimental planes during the war and the first woman to fly a jet. A WASP among Eagles is the first-person story of how Baumgartner learned to fly, trained as a WASP, and became one of the earliest jet-age pioneers. Flying such planes as the Curtiss A-25 Helldiver, the Lockheed P-38, and the B-29 Superfortress, she was the first woman to participate in a host of experiments, including in-air refueling and flying the first fighter equipped with a pressurized cockpit. But in evaluating the long-awaited turbojet-powered Bell YP-59A, she set a "first" record that would remain unchallenged for ten years.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1560988703
ISBN13:9781560988700
Release Date:June 2010
Publisher:Smithsonian Books
Length:152 Pages
Weight:0.58 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 6.0" x 8.9"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
A WASP Among Eagles:A Woman Military Test Pilot in WWII
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 14 years ago
What a delight this is! I am a woman pilot and owned and flew a Piper Commanche in the 1960s. I knew some WASPs when they came home from their secret assignments after WWII. I admire Ann Carl for her wonderful narrative. Folks, you have no idea of what these women went through. I do. Even today women pilots are scarce. This book was a very interesting read and I learned more things that I thought I already knew. These WASPs are real American heroines. Even today women astronauts are scarce. The women who courageously flew these planes should be celebrated. All of you reviewers, would you climb into a cockpit and ferry a bomber across the Atlantic? I know the answer to that. But I wouldn't either because I don't know how to fly a twin. Ann Carl--you are my heroine! Sara Howard, Author of Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Moon and The Biggest Explosions in the Universe
There is no such thing as a bad aviation book this one is A+
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Ann Carl's book tells what most male pilots know.That is that the laws of physics apply equally to both genders.During WW II special women took the challenge during special times. Prior to WW II special women, such as Aline RhonieHofheimer of Warren, NJ. tested various Luscombe models afterinvesting in the company. But during WW II the rigorsof testing became extreme. I think that no child cansay that they had a good education without knowing about these women who gave not excuses only their all. When you look atall of the superficial celebrities in Hollywood.. all of themwould not add up to one of these women pilot of WW II.
A first-hand, insider's account
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Ann Carl was a female military test pilot in World War II. A Wasp Among Eagles is her story of her experiences and adventures. She first learned to fly in 1940 and in 1943 found herself assigned to Wright Field. She underscores how women, because of the wartime shortages and pressures, were vital in performing jobs that were once the exclusive domain of men. A Wasp Among Eagles is an impressive, informative, first-hand, insider's account and an invaluable contribution to military studies, and highly recommended reading for women's twentieth-century history studies as well.
INTRIGUING TRUE STORY OF WOMEN PILOTS in WW II!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
I am one of the many, many people who did not know that womenwere trained to fly military planes in WWII. I love readingautobiographies about ambitious, adventurous, independent-minded women so this first-person account of pilot Ann Carl's experiences as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) drew me in immediately. It's a good story, well-told, about a fascinating group of women and era. The book celebrates Carl's own story as a WASP as well as the general story of the 1000+ women who were trained as military pilots. They came from all walks of life--rich, poor, married, single--and from all over the U.S. One was an heiress, another an actress, another a golf champion and another taught flying to naval pilots. (My mother was a housewife during WWII and I had no idea women stepped outside what "was expected" and excelled in an area reserved for men.) Carl goes into the training the WASPs received and the battle fought to gain mititary status (not granted until 1970!) It's a very insightful peek into a overlooked chapter in the history of World War II.
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