Five New Members To Be Inducted In March

Women in Aviation, International will welcome five new inductees into its Pioneer Hall of Fame during the closing banquet at the 19th annual Women in Aviation, International Conference in San Diego, CA. The Conference will be held from March 13-15, 2008.

The Pioneer Hall of Fame Inductees for 2008 are: 

• Nancy Harkness Love is one of three women pilots chosen to work for the Airmarking Program in 1935. In 1942, she was named Director of the Army's civilian Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). She led a total of 404 women ferry pilots during World War II.
• Nicole Malachowski is the first woman to be selected and serve as a pilot with the Air Force Thunderbirds and the first woman to fly on any United States military flight demonstration team. She is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and was Flight Lead responsible for providing air cover over Baghdad during the historic Iraqi elections in 2005. She has 188 hours of combat flight hours.
• Geraldine ("Jerrie") Mock was the first woman to fly around the world. She took off on March 19, 1964, and landed safely in Columbus on April 19, 1964.
  She was the first woman to fly from the United States to Africa via the North Atlantic, the first to fly the Pacific in a single-engine aircraft, and the first to fly both major oceans solo.  Jerrie continued to compete, achieving 21 records for speed and distance.
• Margaret Ringenberg served with the United States Army during World War II in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. She flew the PT-19, BT-13, AT-6, and UC-78, got her instrument rating in a DC-3, and co-piloted the B-24 and C-54.  After the war, she became a flight instructor and avid air racer.  Tom Brokaw devoted an entire chapter in his book, "The Greatest Generation," to her.
• The Women's Section of the Air Transport Auxiliary was established on January 1, 1940, to help ferry aircraft throughout Britain during World War II.  Despite the initial negative reaction, the first eight women were so successful that more women joined the section.  Later, the women began to ferry twin-engine aircraft, then fighter aircraft such as Spitfires and Hurricanes, twin-engine bombers and finally four-engine bombers such as the Halifax and Stirling.  Twenty six American women signed up for the ATA, along with women from other countries.

The Women in Aviation, International Pioneer Hall of Fame was established in 1992 to honor women who have made significant contributions as record setters, pioneers, or innovators. Special consideration is given to individuals or groups who have helped other women be successful in aviation or opened doors of opportunity for other women. Each year, the organization solicits nominations from throughout the aviation industry for the WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame.

The 19th Annual International Women in Aviation Conference will be held from Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, March 15, 2008, in San Diego, CA. This year's Conference will take place at Town & Country Resort. More than 3,000 women and men from all segments of the aviation industry are expected to attend.

FMI: www.wai.org