Much of the history behind this story can be found by talking to WWII bomber pilots about the British Ferry Command. For extra color, ask Chuck Yeager about why I say the sound barrier went quiet, in memory, on the 10th of August, 1980. From the story on AF.mil, let me just drop some amazing firsts:

• Flew and tested the first turbo-supercharger ever installed on an aircraft engine in 1934
• Set three major flying records in 1937 and won the prestigious Bendix Race in 1938
• First person to fly and test the forerunner to the Pratt & Whitney 1340 and 1535 engines
• Flew and tested the first wet wing ever installed on an aircraft
• Helped design the first oxygen mask, and then became the first person to fly above 20,000 feet wearing one
• First flight on the Republic P-43, recommended a longer tail wheel installation (later installed on all P-47s)
• Flew many experimental flights for Sperry Corporation, testing gyro instruments (oooh, first INS, say Yeah!)
• Set three speed records, won the Clifford Burke Harmon trophy three times, and set a world altitude record of 33,000 feet – all before 1940

Now, if I said the name, you might say, “Wow! I know who that is!” But, I figure a little more dust-N-cobwebs need to be shaken from the old belfries. So, I must go on. Before I do, I think that a reality check is in order. Were you thinking all this time that all this was achieved by a man? You’re wrong. Read on:

• In 1941 she captured an aviation first by being the first woman pilot to pilot a military bomber across the Atlantic Ocean
• She was soon recruiting women pilots to ferry planes for the British Ferry Command, and became the first female trans-Atlantic bomber pilot
• Another renowned female pilot, Nancy Harkness Love, suggested the establishment of a small ferrying squadron of trained female pilots which was approved
• General H.H. Arnold asked her to command, staff, and train women to fly, which ultimately became the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots
• In 1948 she became a member of the independent Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve. She had various assignments which included working on sensitive projects important to defense
• She was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for services to her country during World War II
• She was the first woman to break the sound barrier in an F-86 Sabre Jet in 1953
• She set a world speed record of 1,429 mph in 1964
• She retired from the Reserve in 1970 as a Colonel
• At the age of 70 she took up soaring
• In 1971, she was named Honorary Fellow, Society of Experimental Test Pilots and inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame

This great woman is none other than Jacqueline Cochran!

In fact, to put a finer point on it, this paragraph says it all:

“She recruited more than 1,000 Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and supervised their training and service until they were disbanded in 1944. More than 25,000 applied for training, 1,830 were accepted and 1,074 made it through a very tough program to graduation. These women flew approximately 60 million miles for the Army Air Force with only 38 fatalities, or about 1 for every 16,000 hours flown. Cochran was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for services to her country during World War II.”

She was also the Grandmother of the United States Air Force, in my opinion.

“Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran was a leading aviatrix who promoted an independent Air Force and was the director of women’s flying training for the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots program during World War II. She held more speed, altitude and distance records than any other male or female pilot in aviation history at the time of her death.”

We all, those of you Air Force types out there reading, can thank Jacqueline Cochran for pushing to have an independent Air Force. She, and other very dedicated individuals, made a branch of the service from an already strong tree, the United States Army.

TAGS: Fix4RSO, Milblog, Military, USAF, Women, Aviator, Pilot, History

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