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Show o 0 TT tlir etum O June 27, 2002 BE Aerospace Hall of Fame adds first female honoree a test pilot Damaged planes would be repaired at Luke and then the girls would test fly them to make sure they were OK for the fellows to fly. She has said many times that when she was in the WASPs, she couldn't believe that they were paying her for having so much fun" friend said Betty Lou Manwaring, long-tim- e a and fellow member of the Ninety-Ninewomen's aviation organization. by Beth Young Hilltop Times staff The Utah Aerospace Foundation Hall of Fame has received a feminine touch with the recent unveiling of its first woman pilot, Alberta Hunt Nicholson. While due to advanced age Nicholson did not say very much, her smile spoke volumes as she pulled the cord to unveil The son was accompanied at the unveiling by her husband of 45 years, Walter Nicholson. Nicholson, from Salt Lake City was chosen for the Hall of Fame May of last year. (She it m . The Hall of Fame, M the end of Nicholson's flying. She owned her own plane, a Cessna 182 and has her instruc- plaque shows her as a test tor and commercial Aero- hon- IMIIM f j 1i A detail from Nicholson's pilot In Arizona. Nicholson's contribution to aviation came in the form of being a test pilot for Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) from 1943 to 1944. However her love of flying began long before when she took her first ride in a Ford at age 13 and in 1939 began flying lessons in Salt Lake City. There was limited participation by women in early aviation, again this is what marks her as such a distinguished women, her early participation when it was not easy," said Tom Cox, executive director of Utah Aviation Hall of Fame". Nicholson was one of the top 10 students in her class, which qualified her for a federal scholarship. This was in a time when women being pilots wasn't an accepted idea and her Tri-mot- or application was returned, marked 'No Females.' However, Nicholson didn't let social standards stop her from flying. When the call went out for women to join the WASPs, Nicholson was one of the 1,074 women who made it through the training course at Avenger Field at Sweetwater, Texas. "From Sweetwater, Nicholson was sent to Luke Field in Phoenix, Ariz., where she was h II Wli IM Mill f n m x i i i I'iY'' Administration. The end of the WASPs did not mean this article was pre- seven-mont- . get her bachelor degree in education and music from the University of Utah in 1937 and work as a recreational therapist for the Veterans age of 88, shortly after to Utah who have made a significant contri bution to aviation. am short-live- d from World War II. Nicholson went on to died Tuesday, at the space Museum, ors people either from or with a connection ft I WASPs were put out of action in December 1944 to make jobs for servicemen returning chronicled her success as a pilot Nichol- located in the Hill Vl Wf - s, her plaque, which pared.) NVT- 13 V .' !kviV Pi; m 03 L" fr license. Giving lessons and participating in Transcontinental Air Races, also known as the Powder Puff Derbies, kept her soaring through the clouds from 1955 1976. It wasn't until 1990, when she was 76 that she quit flying. "She continued to fly until she had a problem with her driver's license eye test. She thought that she would not pass the medical exam for flight. She wouldn't allow them to ground her, so she quit flying on her own," said Manwaring. Although she doesn't fly anymore, Nicholson is a lifetime member of the Ninety-NineShe has been a member of the licensed women pilots group since 1951. The international eight en -- s. organization was founded in 1929 by 99 licensed women pilots for the mutual support and advancement of aviation,, ' "Just being selected toT the WASPs wafc a major achievement. And she continued oh when so many of them went back to being mothers and homemakers and never continued in aviation. She was dedicated to aviation," said Cox on why Nicholson was chosen out of many of possible inductees for the Hall of Fame. "It was something she loved Photos by Beth Young Alberta Nicholson and her husband, Walter, look through the Aviation Hall of Fame at the Hill Aerospace Museum after her plaque was unveiled. Nicholson, shown at right In the 1940s, was a test pilot for the Women Airforce Service Pilots. to do. She was an aviator prior to going into the WASPs and she came out and went into commercial aviation as an instructor. Her total life has been involved in aviation. d She is one of those focused, lot. a find Her dedication people you don't to aviation marks her as a unique individual." , .."She was very excited apout getting in tcr the Hall of Fame. It was quite an honor for her. She was pleased to think that she could make it into something like that," said Manwaring of Nicholson's feels upon being inducted into the Hall of Fame. "She is just a wonderful person. I am just as proud as I could be of her," said Walter Nicholson of his wife's achievements. single-minde- k crews train Weber firefighters Hill ft f A: ) . by Gary Boyle Hilltop Times staff V Fire department personnel from Weber County came to train 1 i with Hill's Fire Department June 19 so they could work cohesively together and prepare for a possible emergency chiefly an aircraft going down outside the base. "These guys deal with structure fires, where we deal with aircraft mishaps, so there is a lot of information we can share and learn from each other," said Hill Fire Dept training officer Frank Forte. "Last year we had Davis County folks out here, this year we have Weber. What we'd like to do is make this an annual event and have both our neighboring counties out here together. We already attend all the county fire official meetings and what we're trying to do is increase the communication between our departments in order to better serve the community." Though the camaraderie between the firemen kept the daylong training lighthear ted the participants took the information exchange seriously knowing what they learned on this day could save lives in the future. "I found the experience to be very informative. We learned what to do if an aircraft goes down in our neighborhood, what we should do, and what we shouldn't touch, who to expect to come out and how well be treated. We even were told how to disengage the ejection seat in case the aircraft goes down and we need to get the pilot out" said Roy Fire Dept Chief and Weber County Fire Officers president Jon Ritchie. "We learned what is expected from our end and what to expect from the base." The day was not all spent in a classroom listening to lectures though. Firemen visited hangers on base and got up close to some of the aircraft that operate from Hill, providing firsthand knowledge of where dangers occur in a downed aircraft Before the day was through the firemen were taken out to Hill's made of sheet fire ground training pit where a simulated metal, was the centerpiece of a fire using propane. Community crash vehicles firemen took turns operating the base's hold 3,300 galblaze. vehicles can The controlled the out putting lons of water and foam and can put out 300 gallons a minute of fire suppression, according to Forte. "I was the first who got to operate the truck and we each got a turn. We have different trucks in our department, so it was really veteran interesting to see how it worked," said Ritchie, a of his fire department "This is something we all want to do annually. It's a real learning experience coming here and finding out what these guys can do and they learn better what our capabilities are. A lot of us in the community have full and part time firefighters. I have two guys who work up here on base, so I have information flow that way. We'd all like to see some cross training between the departments in case, God forbid, an aircraft does go down. Hill's fire chief has been real supportive of that idea." if f 4 .. !T: r i. Photos by Gary Boyle Community firefighters took turns operating Mill Fire Department's 3 crash vehicles by putting out controlled flames on the training ground. The aircraft Is a facade made of sheet metal and the fire Is fueled by propane gas, whose flow Is controlled from a nearby tower. Base and community fire personnel want to Increase cross training between their departments to Improve their abilities In case of an aircraft emergency. 0, P-2- 3 "1 .. . .W 20-ye- t- - "mm"""m 1 1 - - f "- -""' ""' ' "'. i ii"I - r " "'1 1 . . .. -- i i .!..!..!.! ,. ., ,mm, mmmmw.ulLAL |