Women Pilots of WWII

American Experience: Fly Girls is one of the most thrilling documentaries I have watched this past year. It is just an hour-long American Experience show for PBS, but it is rich little nugget for any of us not alive during the World War II.

There are photos and documentary footage of these amazing women pilots , including comments with several who are still alive to tell about it. Any female pilot in Iraq or commercial airline pilot owes these pioneer women a great debt.

I was filled with wonder and admiration watching this DVD today. Of course I knew there have been pioneer women pilots and many more women flying through the skies of yesterday than Amelia Earhart.

But I never knew the story of women who were already pilots before World War II and who were recruited to help ferry planes, first in England, then in the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
These women were the best of the best. I believe the figures were something like 85,000 women applied for the 850 spots in the training program.

These women, all of whom were already experienced pilots, were given the same training as male pilots, and they washed out of the program at the same rate as men.

Although I have been a champion of women’s rights and an independent professional woman all my life, I am astonished at my own ignorance of so many women who paved the way for us.

This is a DVD to enjoy on a weekend night and to be filled with respect and admiration for the women who endured all the obstacles and hoops to fly in the sky when society thought they should do no such thing. Rent or buy it and enjoy!!!

This is an Amazon.com link to the DVD for more information:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Experience-Tibbets-McDonnell-Soucie/dp/B000EMG98G/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b