Praised By Col. Paul Tibbets As 'One Of The Best Multi-Engine Pilots' With Whom He'd Flown

Dora Dougherty Strother McKeown, PhD., Lt. Col, Res, Retired passed away November 19.

She had made a career of aviation, being accepted into the WASP program during WWII. During the war, she conducted ferry flights and towed targets until she was asked by Col. Paul Tibbets to learn to fly the B-29 bomber along with fellow WASP Didi Moorman. The goal was to prove that the airplane with a reputation for being cranky was actually "so easy to fly that even a woman could do it."

Col. Tibbets said that she was "one of the best multi-engine pilots" with whom he had flown.

After her time with the WASPs, she worked her way through school, eventually obtaining a PhD from New York University.

According to an obituary appearing in the Orange, CT online news site Orange Live, she later worked for Bell Helicopter from 1962 until 1986, setting two world flight records for rotorcraft in altitude and distance. She was the 27th woman in the world to earn a helicopter rating, and the 6th U.S. woman to earn an Airline Transport Certificate.

After 20 years in the Air Force Reserve, she retired with the rank of Lt. Col from 9823rd Air Reserve Squadron, Ft. Worth, TX.

A celebration of her life was held in Tampa, FL December 7. Final internment is tentatively planned at Arlington National Cemetery, in the spring of 2014.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots