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Honor Flight For The Women Of WASP

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Hi all. My name is Alex, and I've been a pilot for about 15 years. Recently, I have had the honor of receiving the authorization to fly my flying club's warbird, a Vultee BT-13A Valiant, a military trainer that was used to train US pilots during WW2. They say when you fly warbirds, you feel like you've become a guardian of history, and I can verify that is an absolute fact. As a side effect, I have delighted in the inevitable practice of sharing the plane's heritage with the public, often at local fly-in's and air shows.

This plane's heritage is strongly intertwined with that of a legendary group that I have learned so much about: the Women's Airforce Service Pilots, an organization also known as WASP.

Overview
Having evolved form the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Service (WAFS) and the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD), WASP freed male pilots for combat duties by undertaking many non-combat roles in the US. Out of 25,000 applicants, fewer than 1,900 would be accepted for training, with 1,074 ultimately earning their wings.


These women served with distinction by transporting cargo, providing instrument instruction at some bases, and assisting in the training anti-aircraft crews by towing aerial targets. But it was in the ferrying of military aircraft that they truly made their mark - WASP would fly 60 million miles ferrying every type of American military aircraft to bases around the country. 


So what is that tie in of the BT-13A Valiant to WASP? Between earning their wings, ferrying any one of the over 9,000 trainers built, and providing instruction, every woman of WASP flew the Vultee-made basic trainer.

The Goal
This fundraiser is attempting to reunite the women of WASP with an old friend. I can tell you from personal experience that there are few things as heartening as seeing a veteran pilot visiting with an aircraft that he flew during WW2. I think it's time that the gals that put some hours in the BT-13 get their chance as well.

At the WASP National Museum at Avenger Field in Sweetwater TX, surviving WASP have had the pleasure of the company of the facility's PT-17 and PT-19 during their annual reunions. Both are airworthy survivors of their types, and more than a few attending veterans have enoyed a ride in them. However, they are but a third of the six planes that WASPs at Avenger Field were required to fly. The BT-13 was one of them.

Currently, the WASP National Museum is in the process of obtaining a restored Valiant, but until that day comes, their reunions lack a BT-13. "Operation Valiant" is an attempt to remedy this shortcoming by bringing one of these long-absent planes to them.

Vultee BT-13A
The aircraft flying out to Sweetwater TX is formerly USAAF 41-21218. Built in March of 1942, it is believed to have been assigned to Merced Army Airfield in California, one of many bases that WASP pilots were assigned to. Informally, I have named this aircraft "Annie", after it was learned that a woman's name was found scrawled deep inside the airframe; it remains the consensus of several in the club that it was a "Rosie The Riveter" leaving her mark on the plane.


Like most aircraft built for training purposes, the Valiant is an easy to fly aircraft.  It's designation of BT bellies its mission of basic trainer, a plane that helped pilots to transition to the relatively simple primary trainers to the more advanced ones. In it, pilot cadets learned how to handle a heavier aircraft, manage a  more complex engine, and fly by instruments, all the while working a radio.

41-21218 now flies under FAA registration N59842. Besides touring California for various fly-ins and air shows, it holds the remakable distinction of being one of the very few WW2 aircraft that qualified pilots are allowed to rent for personal use.

"Operation Valiant" Details
The money raised in this campaign will go solely to the operating cost of  for the 26-hour round trip flight between Palo Alto CA and Sweetwater TX.  That estimate is pretty accurate; as with all primary and basic trainers, speed was a secondary consideration for a plane that was easy to learn to fly in. 

The repositioning of N59842 to Midland TX will occur over the course of three days. Four days prior to the reunion (currently May 2016, exact date is pending), the Valiant will depart for the approximate 1,200 mi flight to Avenger Field. At each stop, updates will be posted on social media sites to keep interested parties appraised of the flight's progress, with emphasis on hours flown.


Day One will consist of  560 mi of flying to Prescott AZ with an intermediate rest stop at Ontario CA. On the morning of Day Two the aircraft will be continue on to Alburquerque NM. Day Three will be spent finishing out the reposition to Midland TX.

On the day of the reunion, N59842 will fly out to Sweetwater TX to honor the attending WASP veterans.  On arrival, the aircraft will be opened for display, and any WASP who desires will be taken up for a flight in it will be accomodated at no-cost. This will give them a chance to relive the sights and sounds of their proudest moments. 

The day after the event, N59842 will then return to its homebase at Palo Alto CA.

Donation Information
The costs of Operation Valiant is based on an expected 13 hr flight each way, calculating the plane's operating cost of $249/hr (including fuel), and includes  the GoFundMe fees. Non-flying expenses (ie - those incurred on rest stops, such as lodging, food, etc) will be covered directly by myself. The exception is any "gift" of lodging or food, either of which I would be extremely grateful.

The estimated hours to be flown is a conservative figure and is not expected to exceed the actual hours flown. In fact, it is expected that the estimate will be too little, in which case I will be covering any excess time that is flown. However, in the unlikely event that the flown-hours comes in under the estimate, each donator will be given the option to have the appropriate balance refunded, or donated directly to the WASP National Museum.

Rewards for donations are available, ranging from a digital image of N59842 all the way up to a aerial "Bay Tour" over the city of San Francisco.

Additional Details
The flight to/from the WASP National Museum has been carefully chosen for weather, terrain considerations, and the availability of airfields/facilities along the route of flight. Becasue of the aircraft's limitations and expected summer temperatures in the southern part of the country, most of the flying will be conducted during morning and late afternoon hours; night flying and flight into inclement weather will be avoided entirely. The southernly routing is to keep the aircraft from overflying the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as military airspace. Lastly, no single flight segment is expected to last more than three hours, and the total number of flight hours on any one day will be limited to no more than six.

One Final Note
On behalf of the veterans that Operation Valiant is designed to honor, I'd like to thank you for your consideration of supporting such a worthy cause.

Donations 

  • Mark Giubbini
    • $50 
    • 8 yrs
  • Michelle Day
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • Leeanne Hayes
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • Al Harman
    • $500 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs

Organizer

Alex Esguerra
Organizer
San Mateo, CA

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