special ed
2nd Lieutenant
- 5,724
- May 13, 2018
In the 1950s the female Civil Air Patrol cadets were taught to prop the L-16 if they wanted. A few actually learned to prop engines with ignition on, but not in a skirt.
Girls and Aircraft - Volume II
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In my CFI days the gliderport over in the next valley hosted an all female flying club that owned the sweetest little L16 with the Bendix fuel injection Continental 85 engine. These gals were pretty adventurous, and frequently set off on multi day cross countries to distant locations. On returning, they would sometimes find their field weathered in, so they'd come tie down at ours, and ask me to deliver their plane to them when the weather cleared. These were all well to do middle aged married professional women, and a trip over the hills in their delightful little bird was always rewarded with a bottle of wine or a 6 pack, and a ride home in an exotic sports car or other classy ride.
That C85 always started on the first swing, and couldn't be induced to sputter, no matter how many zero or even negative G pushovers you did.
Cheers,
Wes
special ed
2nd Lieutenant
- 5,724
- May 13, 2018
The CAP squadron was made up of mostly adult veterans or those couldn't be because of physical reasons. Cadets could join at 15 and we stayed generally through high school. Back then there were no home computers, so interests led to outside interests. The cadet partof the Squadron averaged about 100 with a third female. After the Sunday afternoon meeting, some of us would hang around hoping for a ride. The seniors could use the L-16 or L-5 for "orientation" flights if they took up a cadet. My first stick time was in the L-16 but I had difficulty coordinating turns. The first ride in the L-5 I had no trouble with turns keeping the ball centered and could feel "as if it were on rails". After landing, I asked why the difference in that I couldn't do it in the 16. He said "The L-5 is a heavier plane and easier to feel the turn". Learned much those years.
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
Part of the reason also is that the L5 has friese type ailerons and more deflection differential between the up and down ailerons in a bank, producing more drag on the inside of the turn and countering adverse yaw.
We had one at mech school that wasn't legally airworthy, which we repeatedly took apart and put together as an exercise in fabric covering and assembly / rigging. Ours had no starter and that 6 banger O-435 was a bear to swing the prop on. The instructors used to taxi it around to give us practice at taxi directing and aircraft repositioning. The real fun was a Beech C45 with crosswind landing gear and with the outer wing panels removed and replaced with dummy wings that added 10 feet on each side. This was used to put a little finesse in our taxi directing, since any sudden sharp command would "cock" that crosswind gear and cause the bird to go waddling off in some unintended direction. They used a bunch of 6 1/2 foot tall "traffic cones" to lay out a course for us to direct the plane through. A fun time had by all.
Cheers,
Wes
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
Glider
Captain
Wrens from Yeovilton taken I think in the mid 70's. What I cannot find is a photo of the Wrens servicing Gazelle helicopters in the 70's.
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
She shows her age well.....and the plane looks nice, too! 
! I knew the FAA held onto the Fairey Swordfish for longer than its intended replacement, but this is ridiculous!
One picture, so many possible replies!
They look like they're decked out in flight gear, complete with knee boards. Did they actually have female flight crew back then? We had one WAVE SH3 crew chief who (surreptitiously) flew as flight engineer, hoist operator, and occasionally as unofficial rescue swimmer....until the CO found out and put an end to that.
She never looked as trim as those WRENs, as she was an AMH (Airframe Mechanic, Hydraulic), and well, you know the rest. She always put in a full day's equivalent on the shop floor in addition to whatever flying her ship did, and was seldom to be seen at the EM club.
She had a B S degree from Purdue before enlisting, and when the Navy started scraping for officers after the draft ended, applied for the Aviation Officer Candidate program after acing the tests. (They were just starting to train female aviators). The CO disapproved her application and gave her a blistering lecture on women's place in the world, thereby depriving the Navy of what could have been a stellar career officer. (And they taught us brontosaurs were extinct!)
Cheers,
Wes
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Glider
Captain
No, we didn't have female flight crew but one of the Gazelle squadrons were maintained by Wrens which in 74 was more than a little unusual.
So what's that thing they're wearing that looks like a survival vest, and also what looks like a parachute harness? Admittedly not familiar with British kit.
We had the occasional WAVE working in aircraft maintenance, but certainly not an entire squadron's worth. They were just starting to invade the "exclusive men's clubs" throughout the airedale Navy.
Cheers,
Wes
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Glider
Captain
Probably a jolly flight or air experience flight. We were always fully kitted up for a flight, unless it was a passenger aircraft of course.
Our WAVE SH3 crew chief started her flying "career" that way. She was on board for an "orientation" flight when she discovered a problem with the chopper's transmission and convinced the base Ops Officer (who was flying) to RTB. He decided to humor her and as they taxied up to the Ops hangar, the transmission ground itself up and seized.
After that he decided she should be allowed to fly, and her bird became the most reliable of the old tired, beat to crap SH3s on base. She was actually coaching CDRs and LCDRs (with a sense of humor) on how to treat "her baby" gently. She became the hot ticket item in helicopter maintenance, much to the chagrin of the old hands who were senior to her.
She also was not afraid of the water, and would free fall from a 50 foot hover to help refugees who'd been at sea for days without food or water strap onto the rescue penetrator for the ride up to the chopper.
Cheers,
Wes
at6
1st Sergeant
And all of them "X" rated.
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