From Barnstormers to Military Pilots: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II

Abstract

Women have been flying since 1910, and since that time, they have faced discrimination. During World War II, women pilots were utilized for the first time by the government for the war effort. This paper will argue that early women "aviatrixes", a female pilot/aviator, were able to set the stage for the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II. It also will argue that in order for women to become military pilots, they had to overcome adversity in many forms, including denial of light instruction, lack of access to jobs, low pay, onerous and often dangerous assignments. They had the misfortune of facing disparaging public opinion in mid-1944, which led to their military deactivation. Women aviators were able to overcome the gender stereotypes in early aviation, and because of their success, women were able to fly every type of plane the Army Air Force (AAF) had in their arsenal the second world war. This paper utilizes numerous secondary sources as well as various news articles, oral histories, autobiographies and government documents to explore the adversities and discrimination faced by America?s first female aviators.