It was for women to train for the air transport auxiliary. A story of the air transport auxiliary lettice curtis on amazon. The ataa was initially formed after ww2 as an association to promote the friendship of those who had served in ata. Air transport auxiliary photographs history and heritage. The air transport auxiliary ata was a civilian service that was tasked with the delivery of aircraft from factories to the squadrons of the raf and royal navy. Air transport auxiliary ata ferried warplanes between factories. Air transport auxiliary wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Research the air transport auxiliary archive from home using using the. Gifts, cards and calendars are available for purchase at the centre.
She ferried war plans for the british air transport auxiliary from 1942 until 1945, totaling 875 missions. The individual cards summarizing the handling of different aircraft and were intended as a memory aid for ferry pilots. The men of the royal air force and the fleet air arm were not the only pilots who flew during world war ii. The pilot was a civilian, 40 years of age, employed by the air transport auxiliary. She maintains an avid interest in the air transport auxiliary, the social history and reportage of both world wars, vintage aviation, film studies, literature and dutch art. The scheme won almost immediate approval and the name of air transport auxiliary ata was adopted. Our archive of photographs, documents, pilots logbooks and interviews with veterans is one of the largest anywhere, and has been digitised for ease of access by visitors. The beauty chorus is the fictional story of three very different women in the air transport auxiliary who ferry aircraft to british bases during the second world war. Over the course of the war she flew over 1,000 planes of 76 different types, including harvards, hurricanes, spitfires and wellington bombers. Melody is a contributor to britain at war magazine and is editor of the kent battle of britain museum magazine. Spitfire heroines i interviewed five air transport auxiliary ata female pilots the women who flew spitfires and many other types of planes from factories to raf squadrons during world war ii.
To do so they had ferry pilot notes, a tworing book of small cards with the critical statistics. The air transport auxiliary pilots ferried planes around britain during wwii. Narracott i couldnt care less anthony phelps air transport auxiliary reminder book 1945. Reprint of official ferry pilots notes produced during world war ii for members of the british air transport auxiliary. White waltham is still the spiritual home of ata and maidenhead heritage centre holds the worlds leading collection of ata memorabilia, including 140 logbooks and thousands of photographs. However, the necessity of training more pilots in secondary roles to release front line pilots for active service led to the formation of the air transport auxiliary ata. Her british uncle, a high official in the royal engineers, has made it possible for rose to join the british air transport auxiliary as a pilot. The air transport auxiliary ata was a civilian service that was tasked with the delivery of aircraft from factories to the squadrons of the raf and royal navy and the delivery of supplies. Forgotten pilots january 1994 edition open library. In june 1941 she piloted a bomber to england and there, as a flight captain in the british air transport auxiliary, trained a group of female pilots for war.
Story of the air transport auxiliary, 193945 first edition by lettice curtis isbn. In this one she leaves the waaf and joins the air transport auxiliary. Air transport auxiliary aircraft and crew member at sunset 17. Air transport auxiliary aircraft and crew in front of their aircraft 14. Story of the canadian women who ferried warplanes to the. Armed with a private pilots license, she joined the air transport auxiliary and was soon ferrying planes and pilots for the raf, and her. The first book, blue skies and tiger moths came out earlier this year.
It enabled male pilots to undergo missions in occupied europe and defend the skies from enemy attacks. Maidenhead heritage centre home air transport auxiliary. Air transport auxiliary s headquarters was at white waltham airfield near maidenhead from february 1940 until 30th november 1945. The log books were in the aeroplane and were lost in the accident. Lucas jean batten ian macersey woman pilot jackie moggridge women aloft valerie moolman unsung heros of the air a. The forgotten pilots by lettice curtis, january 1994, phalanx pub co ltd edition, hardcover in english. Featuring pilots exempt from wartime service due to health, age and gender they gained a reputation for being able to take anything to anywhere. In 1943 joy lofthouse, a 20yearold bank cashier, replied to an advertisement she had seen in the aeroplane magazine. Qualifications the following shall apply to candidates by way of qualifications. Candida has shared with us the amazing story of her mother, jackie, who flew as a pilot during the second world war with the air transport auxiliary ata, and later with the raf voluntary reserves.
This tale of deception, betrayal and romance links a feisty. The air transport auxiliary was formed at the outbreak of war. The female top guns of world war ii who flew spitfires and. A history of the air transport auxiliary ata which was founded by british airways limited in may 1938. About the book its 1944, and eighteenyearold rose justice, a pennsylvania poet and pilot, has graduated from high school early to join the war effort. Supply chain security and the business benefits panelist remarks, arnold j. Some of her flights were to relocate planes from royal air. A story of the air transport auxiliary by lettice curtis.
During wwii 168 female pilots fought against all the odds for the right to aid the war effort. The women of the air transport auxiliary joined 19421944. Jackies passion for flying began at a young age, when she saw a plane flying overhead in her hometown pretoria, south africa. They flew aircraft from factories to assembly plants and air bases. The ata museum and archive at maidenhead heritage centre is the worlds leading collection of artefacts and documents from the air transport auxiliary. In 1935 cochran became the first woman to enter the bendix transcontinental air race. Spitfire heroines of the air transport auxiliary 1 by jacky hyams isbn. It was conceived by the director of british airways, gerard derlanger, who saw that commercial flights would cease, civil aircraft would be impounded by the government and there would be pilots with no planes to fly. Jaye was a pilot in the air transport auxiliary, the ata. Support the heritage centre by purchasing your local history books and air transport auxiliary related aviation books from our online shop. He envisaged such tasks as carrying mail, news and dispatches, the transport of medical and other vital but lightweight equipment as well as vips and ambulance services. Log books at maidenhead heritage centre show the variety of types which an ata pilot.
These trailblazers were part of the air transport auxiliary a thousand strong organisation that delivered aircraft to the frontline raf. The air transport auxiliary women at war kenley revival. Air transport auxiliary aircraft and crew preparing flight plans 16. Air transport auxiliary womens section it has been decided to form a small pool of women pilots based initially at hatfield to ferry new training machines of the tiger moth type from factory to variouse aerodromes. We hold over 140 logbooks relating to around 15% of the 1250 pilots and flight engineers. The second book follows ellie simpson from june 1940 until december 1941 at least thats when i think it will finish. Story of the air transport auxiliary, 193945 first edition by curtis, lettice isbn. Thanks to the air transport auxiliary ata, a group of civilian flyers otherwise considered unsuitable for service because of age, ability, or gender made an incredibly important contribution to the war. There are other collections notably at the raf museum hendon but a lot of material is in private hands. The spitfire sisters of the air transport auxiliary by phil december 10, 2018 jackie moggridge sits at the controls of a spitfire fighter plane in september 1944. The spitfire sisters of the air transport auxiliary. A teenager on a maryland farm when world war ii began, betty lussier went to england to help the british fight off an impending invasion. Spitfire heroines of the air transport auxiliary by. At the moment im writing the second book in my three book series, ellens war an ata girl.
The air transport auxiliary ata was a civilian organisation set up during world war ii to ferry new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, maintenance depots and so on to active service squadrons and airfields, as well as transporting service personnel on urgent duty and performing some air ambulance work. She transported military aircraft for the air transport auxiliary during the war. Air transport auxiliary association posts facebook. Air transport auxiliary aircraft and crew preparing for departure 12. T 1996 introduction to material management 2nd edition prentice hall, englewood cliffs, nj. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The air transport auxiliary originally existed because aeroplanes were being made like mad in factories all over the country, and they had to be delivered to various squadrons, which themselves were at airfields all over the country. His idea was based on the principle that there were many civilian pilots capable of flying.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Grandma flew spitfires is the only exhibition in the world dedicated solely to the air transport auxiliary ata, one of the forgotten stories of world war ii. Inside the raf squadron who rubbed shoulders with the men and flew their spitfires. As a result of her flying experiences she has been among women pilots featured in various book and magazine articles and in a pbs television documentary. Air transport auxiliary archive air transport auxiliary. Following the war, she was employed as a secretary for u. An exbrit, she came to vancouver in 1948 and celebrated her 100th birthday in october. The air transport auxiliary and the british women who flew. Form 700 and the remnants of papers salvaged showed that the airframe was canadian built, had flown 1hr. Handbook white waltham, england reminder book, 1945. The air transport auxiliary ata about ba british airways. Ata girls were responsible for transporting over 300,000 planes during the war. During the years of the second world war a short lived, but remarkable, organisation existed.
A story of the air transport auxiliary, 193945 curtis, lettice on. The novel follows them through training and the early years of the war. This site is dedicated to the memory of the american women flyers who volunteered to ferry aircraft for the royal air force and royal navy in wartime great britain, from 194245. The air transport auxiliary ata was a british civilian organisation set up during the second world war and headquartered at white waltham airfield that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, maintenance units mus, scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields, but not to naval aircraft carriers. She was an aviatrix who parachuted in an air circus and flew gliders before world war ii. In october 1941, she joined the air transport auxiliary, and was posted to a pool of women flyers based in hamble in hampshire. This is a book i put together of all the planes that i flew during the second world war. The fascinating accounts of the female pilots who transported the air. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The air transport auxiliary ata, founded at the outbreak of world war ii, was a civilian organisation which made an enormous contribution to the war effort by taking over from service pilots the task of ferrying raf and royal naval warplanes between factories, maintenance units and frontline squadrons. There was three ata pilots with only one arm and one with only one eye, this is where the name of the air transport auxiliary was some times changed to ancient and tattered airmen against great opposition, eight women were accepted into the ata, they already had many hours of private flying, and women with lesser flying experience were also.
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