WASP Squadron

🎉 Celebrate Nell Bright’s 105th Birthday! 🎉

The last living WASP, Nell "Mickey" Bright, will be turning 105 on June 20th.

This is a wonderful chance to express your wishes and gratitude to an extraordinary woman.

📬 Please send birthday cards to:

1212 E. Wilmington Ave #607
Salt Lake City, UT 84105

While serving as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) in the early 1940s, Nell was one of the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft, including the PT-19, BT-13, AT-6, AT-11, C-78, B-25, B-26, SBD (A-24), SBC (A-25) and P-47. Her assignments included towing targets, strafing, and night searchlight missions.

Nell was an integral force in obtaining veteran status for the WASP, who served their country stateside during WWII -- a recognition not granted until the 1970s. She also became one of the first female stockbrokers in Phoenix, AZ. ✈🇺🇸

✈ WASP SPOTLIGHT: Irma Cleveland Weigel, WASP Class 43-W-5

An excerpt from Warren County Historical Society:

Irma Cleveland a math loving farm girl who preferred pants to skirts, lived in Belmont Township in 1925 with her parents C.M. and Julia Amelia (Heller) Cleveland. Her parents died in Milo, 1932 and 1956, respectively. She married Edwin M. Weigel and divorced in late 1950s. They had one daughter, Barbara Haire.

Irma entered WASP training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, TX March 26, 1943 after one year of pilot’s training in Chicago. The first class (85 members) to graduate from Avenger Field was September 11, 1943.

She flew PT-19 and AT-6 planes and was stationed with Ferry Command at Romulus Air Field, MI; Jackson Army Air Field, MI; Patterson Field Colorado Springs, CO as an administration pilot. She compiled 800 flying hours and piloted dozens of types of aircraft, such as bombers, pursuit planes, and transport planes.

After the war, Irma purchased 350 acres in the Mojave Desert and built her own airport and named it Sun Hill Airport.

It's rumored that Irma smuggled cheese and perfume back to camp to share with other WASP.

Read more:https://warrencountyhistory.org/publications/newsletters/wchs2017-08.pdf

Photos courtesy of Texas Woman’s University WASP Archive. Photo 1: Irma Cleveland WASP Classbook photo. Photo 2: WASPs being briefed in ready-room, Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas, May 1943. Front row, l to r: Group Commander Charles M. Sproul, Irma Cleveland, Faith Buchner, Martha Lundy, Mary Jane Stevens, Anabelle Kekic. Back row, l to r: Ruby Mullins, Hazel Ying Lee, Virginia Harris Mullins.

Connecticut, we're headed your way! ✈

Nella the AT-6 will be at the Connecticut Air & Space Center June 5–7 for a weekend of warbirds, aviation history, and unforgettable flight experiences.

Ready to fly? Get event details and reserve your ride at: https://www.ctairandspace.org/events/warbirdweekend

See you this weekend!

Violet Cowden was a trailblazing member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. Cowden was a member of Class 43-W-4.

Born in Missouri in 1920, she earned her private pilot's license in 1942 and joined the WASP program in 1943. As a WASP, Cowden flew a variety of aircraft in support of the war effort, performing non-combat duties that included ferrying aircraft, testing airplanes, and other stateside flying assignments that helped free male pilots for combat service overseas.

After the WASP program was disbanded in 1944, Cowden never lost her passion for aviation. She continued flying privately and was among those who helped advocate for recognition of the WASP and their contributions to the war effort. In 1977, more than three decades after the program ended, the WASP were finally granted veteran status.

Violet Cowden passed away in 2013, but her story continues to inspire future generations of women in aviation and serves as a reminder of the important role WASP played during World War II.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Nella the AT-6 is on the East Coast! ✈️

Experience the sights, sounds and history of this iconic WWII aircraft. Don’t miss your opportunity to:

• Get up close
• Tour the cockpit
• Talk with the crews
• Learn about the pioneering Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) that flew Nella
• Inspire the next generation
• See the planes fly
• Book a ride!

Tour dates and info here: https://www.airpowersquadron.org/tour-schedule

See you there!

📸 Pring Photography

Memorial Day is almost here. 🇺🇸 Each year, we are touched by the photos we receive from people across the country from those who take time out of their holiday weekend to honor the gravesites of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).

There may be a WASP gravesite near you waiting to be honored. A database, including Google Maps locations, can be found here: https://www.wai-crc.com/honor-the-wasp

Thanks to Women in Aviation International and WASP Squadron member Valerie Scott for developing this program honoring WASP who have passed away.

If you’d like, share your photos with us. Send them here on Facebook, or email WASPSquadron[at]att.net

Another meaningful way to honor those who served is by learning about their lives and stories. The Air Power History Tour is in Elm City, NC through Monday — come see us: airpowersquadron.org/tour-schedule

WASP SPOTLIGHT: Virginia Dulaney Campbell, 44-W-2 ✈️

Born in Ohio in 1922, Virginia Dulaney Campbell learned to fly in a WWI Waco before joining the WASP in 1943. After graduating from Avenger Field in 1944, she was assigned to several Army airfields, where she tested recently repaired aircraft and later flew B-26s and B-17s while towing aerial gunnery targets.

Known for her sharp wit and determination, Virginia once landed after a training flight only to have a student gunner ask what the “white flag” was trailing behind her airplane. It turned out he had been shooting at her B-26 instead of the target sleeve.

After the war, Virginia continued flying and became an accomplished glider pilot in Europe, setting multiple world records in distance and altitude.

Read her full oral history transcript here: https://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p214coll2/id/4811/rec/

Information and photos courtesy of the Texas Woman’s University WASP Official Archive.

A pair you don't see together every day. Don't miss your chance to see the iconic WASP AT-6 Texan "Nella" and B-29 Superfortress "FIFI" side by side - in person.

These beauties are on tour now. Get the details: https://www.airpowersquadron.org/tour-schedule

Commemorative Air Force B29 B24 Squadron

Wear the gear and help keep the story of the WASP alive ✈️ 🇺🇸

From ballcaps to coffee mugs, every piece honors the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots and Nella the AT-6 Texan.

Grab yours at cafwaspsquadron.org/merchandise-2