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Show Page 8A, Lakeside Review, January 22, 1981 World Wr Avialftrijt Flies Wfoeira DU ' LAYTON She not fly the missions, however, because the war in Europe ended, freeing men pilots for the work. Mrs. Rees talks proudly of getting her wings at graduation from Gen. Harry Hap Arnold. 6 transition training was next in Dodge City, Kansas. Then came the assignment to Flight Test and Engineering at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas. When I saw the assignment, all 119 pounds of me filled with terror, she said. Test pilots functioned in two areas. Some would test new aircraft, helping to work out bugs and test maneuverability. Others, like Mrs. Rees, just flew whatever came in that needed to be fixed. When a pilot reported a problem with a plane, someone had to fly it and write a report before the mechanic could fix it. It had to be flown again after the repair to be certain it was airworthy. have been might ' the first female test pilot in World War II, and she learned night flying ; by smudge pot. One day she lost - . three engines on three different I planes. But its all in a days ; work. ! Jimmie Rees spent her childhood and youth wanting to fly. It seemed Mike the natural thing to fly, she v said. I assumed everyone wanted to. She said she was surprised to i learn that some people were afraid. i She started flying when she was ; ; 20. She wanted to fly with the WASPs Womens Army Service Pilots but took flight instruction as a ? civilian. It was part of the screening for female pilots, she said. If you had - stirred enough to get a civil license T. they assumed you really wanted to B-2- -- : : fly. She applied in 1942 ; 33,000 women applied. Mrs. Rees was one of 2,000 ; approved for training. About washed out. D 1,000 was just a little girl, so I didn't ask just flew it. I I She trained with the 318th flying training squadron in Sweetwater, Texas. That states landscape was dotted with air bases set up during the war to keep up with the demand for trained pilots. The smudge pots that lighted runways at night were adequate, Mrs. Rees said. Todays night is like lighting, by comparison, shooting fish in a barrel. The trainees day started at 4 a.m. and included studies in physics, celestial navigation and military law and courtesy. They attended ground school for much of the day. The women were being trained for .backup roles because the Geneva Convention would not allow women in combat duty. They could take ; planes to the combat zone, but they ; could not flv combat missions, Some of the women, including I Mrs. Rees, were sent to jungle survival school, possibly in 1 preparation for flying new planes to ' the South Pacific. The women did - r . On one occasion two pilots, a cadet and an instructor, got a plane into a spin and could not get it out. The two men worked to right and the plane and succeeded at treetop level. There was a big red X on the planes records: dont fly' this aircraft, Mrs. Rees said. But it had to be flown before it could be fixed. She was next on the list, and the plane also was next. I knew if I asked permission I would be turned down because, you see, I was just a little girl. So I didnt ask permission. I just flew it. She climbed to 9,000 feet. I jerked it into a stall and started to spin. It kept spinning despite efforts to level off. Finally, the recovery procedure outlined for the plane worked. You have to have faith in the aircraft, she said. She landed and wrote a report. Then she found herself face to face with an angry commanding officer. It took me 30 years to forgive, or at least understand, him, she said. It 3fP;;; ':r was just a part of his training to protect little girls. The same day, she was walking on the flight line and was approached by a young cadet needing to show his manhood. He challenged her. What are you doing on the flight line? he asked. I work here. What do you do? I fly. So the young cadet ticked off a list of aircraft, and she said she flew them all. What do you do when you fly them? he wanted to know. It was the wrong time, she said, to challenge her, after the encounter with her protective boss. I test them to be sure they are safe enough for you to fly, she responded. ' The cadets jaw turned white as he clenched his teeth and walked away, and Ive not seen him to this day. Mrs. Rees .was a WASP for 16 When they saw Europe months. coming to a halt, female pilots were no longer needed," she explained. As a civilian aviatrix, Mrs. Rees was an instructor in Chicago. The war had just ended, and parts were in short supply. We used bailing wire and hope. One morning, a plane she was flying blew a spark plug and lost all its compression. She landed in a cornfield. I thought the farmer would be really happy to know that his cornfield, with all the houses around, had saved my life. He wasnt. He yelled at her for some time, saying he hoped she had good insurance to pay for all the damage. The mechanic came and repaired the engine. And he was kind enough to bring a pilot along. She told the mechanic she would fly it back. I figured I got it out there, I should get it back. Power lines were stretched across the take-of- f route, and they were too under high to get over, so she flew ' M them. Twice more that day, engines failed and forced emergency landings, one more in a field, but it was all in a days work. Mrs. Rees, who lives in Layton, is writing an autobiography. She is struggling, she said, because she wants to portray the feeling of flight, the excitement and freedom that keep her in the air even now when she can. But now, she mourned, I have to think about it when I fly. . THIS 1942 a'latrix who now lives PHOTO recalls flight training days with an in Layton, ' : ft 'Ice wing commander, explains recent visit to Hill Air Force Base, the flight characteristics of the 6 to Mrs. Rees on a COL. JOHN DICKEY, F-1- M;: STANDING READY for take-of- f, i. Jimmie poses with her plane. Jimmie Rees. 1 |