Editor: The articles by Monique Tamminga and Alyssa O’Dell (The Times, March 11) on the Girls Fly Too event at the Langley Airport brought the same smiles back that I had out at the airport.
I’ve been a licensed commercial pilot since the 1970s, when women pilots were very rare and treated poorly in the industry. But wait! What about the Women’s Air Force Service pilots of the Second World War, whot flew every thing from P-38 Lightnings to the B-29.
I heard of one instance where a young lady had to study the manuals overnight, since she had to deliver an unfamiliar aircraft in the morning. Women toured U.S. bases in a B-29 to show male pilots that the bomber could be flown safely. The same went for British ladies delivering Spitfires and Halifax bombers
OK, I feel better now. Of course, it was the WestJet passenger’s note that set me off.
Neal De Geus,
Langley