Page 12 - Women's History Month 2021 - Combined Special Edition of Aerotech News and Review Nellis AFB Creech AFB Desert Lightning News

Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II

by Cathy Hansen Cochran who made it possible for so During an interview, Ty said, “I she knew how to fly. Her brother was Story continued flying after the war
special to Aerotech News many women to live this dream,” she started working after school and her inspiration to learn to fly. He built as an instructor in Pennsylvania and
told a crowd at Plane Crazy Saturday weekends, gassing planes, sweeping balsa wood model airplanes and they in Lancaster, Calif., in programs set
Flora Belle Reece; Irma ‘Babe’ Sto- Two in California City, October 2010. hangers, pushing planes in and out would go to Lancaster Airport on 10th up for returning GIs for five years.
ry and Marguerite ‘Ty’ Killen — All Flora Belle celebrated her 90th of the hangers, checking gas levels, Street West and Avenue I together. She also flew charter flights and
three wonderful women have passed birthday in October 2014. She passed servicing planes, and cleaning rest She learned to fly in the Civilian Pilot gave flight lessons. She managed the
away, but left a legacy of inspiration, away at UCLA Medical Center on rooms. My pay was dual flight instruc- Training Program, that was sponsored Lancaster Airport for a crop dusting
perseverance and the importance of Dec. 1, 2014, after complications tion wherever the instructor could by Antelope Valley Junior College and company and became co-owner of
education. from a brain aneurysm. She was a sandwich me into his busy schedule. the Antelope Valley Flying Service Antelope Valley Pest Control Com-
Reece and Killen were both school wonderful role model, with a high At night, I attended ground school owned by Florence ‘Pancho’ Barnes. pany Inc.
teachers and ‘Babe’ Story was a flight spirit of adventure, love of aviation with the CPT trainees. My world was Story worked for Lockheed’s Vega All three WASP would often come
instructor and business owner in Lan- and outstanding resolve to accomplish at Fly-in Field after school until dark, Aircraft Factory in Burbank, Calif., to Mojave for aviation events. Story
caster, Calif., for many years. her goals. and weekends from sunup until dusk.” after graduating high school. She and Flora Belle rode in the B-17 ‘Sen-
Flora Belle Reece, Irma ‘Babe’ Ty went on to pass her flight exams worked there until 1943 and then timental Jouney’ in 2009.
Story and Marguerite ‘Ty’ Killen all and became one of the first women to joined the WASP. She was part of Story was the last survivor of the
expressed their love of the WASP get a commercial and flight instructor Class 43-W-6 at Sweetwater, Texas. three Antelope Valley women who
program and how they would do it all rating on her 18th birthday. After graduation, she was sent to were among 300 surviving WASP
again in a heartbeat! Dodge City, Kansas, to train in fly- honored in Washington, D.C., in 2010
Each woman had a desire to fly at a ing twin-engine Martin B-26 bombers with Congressional Gold Medals.
young age and jumped at the chance towing targets for gunners in B-24s. These wonderful inspirational
when they read or heard about Jac- Her next assignment was at Harlin- women helped pave the way for wom-
queline Cochran’s advertisement that gen Army Air Field in Texas to tow en pilots in the military today. They
women were needed to fly. Nearly targets. She served in Harlingen until deserve our deepest gratitude and
25,000 women applied and only 1,830 Dec. 20, 1944, when the WASP were thanks for their bravery and service
actually qualified. deactivated. to America.

Marguerite ‘Ty’ Killen

Marguerite ‘Ty’ (Hughes) Killen
— Class 44-W-8
Killen related her experience of
receiving her first airplane ride in a Irma ‘Babe’ Story
“Jenny” JN-4. “I was 9-years-old and
a pilot was giving rides for $5 per
person,” said Killen. “My Mother told Irma ‘Babe’ Story — Class 43-
the pilot that she couldn’t afford that W-6
and he looked at my brother and of- Irma ‘Babe’ Story was the last sur-
Flora Belle (Smith) Reece fered to take both of us for $5!” vivor in the Antelope Valley of WASP,
Killen laughed and said, “My broth- who during World War II flew fight-
er sang the Star Spangled Banner and ers, bombers, transports and training Photograph by Cathy Hansen
Flora Belle (Smith) Reece – aircraft in noncombat missions. She B-17 crew and World War II veterans, Noel Dees, Babe Story & Flora Belle
WASP Class 44-W-4 I screamed and yelled all through the passed away Aug. 28, 2017. Reece.
flight, it was awe-inspiring! That was
Flora Belle served on the home
front as a member of the Women it, we were both hooked on flying.” She moved to Lancaster, Calif., at
Airforce Service Pilots corps, ferry- While Ty was in high school, a the age of one, attended school with ‘Babe’ Story
ing airplanes around the country and CPT program (Civilian Pilot Training) Judy Garland, real name Frances inside the B-17
‘Sentimental
towing targets for gunners’ practice. began at Fly-in Field nearby. A family Gumm, as a little girl. Gumm’s father Journey’ in 2009.
Joining the WASPs gave Reece the friend was hired as a flight and ground owned the Lancaster Theater down-
opportunity to fulfill her dream of fly- school instructor and, once he told the town on Lancaster Blvd.
ing, something that was only rarely young girl that there were jobs avail- She felt that everything good that
available to women at that time. able, Ty immediately went to work. ever happened in her life was because
“Jackie put an ad in the paper re-
questing that young women interested
in flying sign up and help the war ef-
fort,” Reece said. “At this point I had
never flown, and I needed at least 35
hours to qualify for pilot training.”
Reece’s brother fronted her money
for flying lessons, and next thing
she knew, she was at Avenger Field
in Sweetwater, Texas, part of class
44—4.
“I don’t ever remember not wanting
to fly,” she said. Reece served in Class
44-W-4 flying the North American
AT-6, Stearman PT-17, Vultee BT-13,
and Martin B-26.
Her WASP pilot training and gradu-
ation was at Avenger Field, Sweetwa-
ter, Texas; she had duty assignments
at Foster Field, Victoria, Texas; B-26
school at Harlingen Air Force Base,
Harlingen, Texas; and Enid Army Air Photograph by Al Hansen
Base, Enid, Okla. Cathy Hansen, Flora Belle Reece and ‘Ty’ Killen — Veterans Day at Mojave
“The WASP program was deacti- Airport 2005. Photograph by Cathy Hansen
vated in December 1944. It was Jackie
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