Nadine Bernice Ramsey (1911–1997) was an American aviator who became one of the first two women to fly mail for the US Postal Service. She was a Women Airforce Service Pilot and one of only twenty-six WASPs to pilot a Lockheed P-38 Lightning during World War II.
Ramsey was raised in Illinois and Kansas. [1] Her father worked as a "wildcatter" in oil fields and was often away from home. [2] Ramsey and her younger brother, Edwin, often witnessed their father hitting their mother. [2] When she was seventeen, [2] her father was arrested for spousal abuse [1] after Nadine and Edwin had to drag him away from their mother. [2] That night, he committed suicide in his cell. [1] After his death, Ramsey's mother raised the children alone. [1] To help support her family, Ramsey dropped out of school and became a secretary. [2] After work, she would go to the nearby Beechcraft plane factory for flying lessons. [2] At first, she kept her lessons a secret from most people, believing a woman pilot would be considered scandalous. [2] She gave flying lessons to Edwin, who described her as “an expert, instinctive flier.” [2]
Ramsey's mother, Nelle, [3] was a cosmetologist and dermatologist. [1] Her brother became an officer in the US Army and a guerrilla leader in the Philippines during World War II. [1]
Ramsey became an aviator in 1937, [4] making headlines when she flew a Kansas airmail route on May 19, 1938. [5] She and Charlotte Frye were the first women to carry mail for the Postal Service. [5] On May 22, she flew in an airshow in Hutchinson, Kansas. [6]
By 1940, [7] Ramsey was living in Manhattan Beach, California, where she advertised and sold Taylorcraft airplanes. [8] She also carried passengers for a fee. [8] On September 2, 1940, Ramsey was flying over the mountains near Lake Henshaw with a passenger named Gertrude Snow. [7] As she tried to land, the plane's landing gear hit a tree, causing it to nosedive. [7] Snow received "fractures of both arms and a badly mangled leg". [7] Ramsey was treated for "possible serious internal injuries". [7] Her back and several of her ribs were broken, and she was badly concussed. [2] One of her legs was nearly amputated, but a friend, claiming to speak for her family, had Ramsey transferred to an LA hospital where doctors saved the leg. [2] Edwin dropped out of law school to care for her while she recovered. [2] By December, Ramsey could walk, and by February, she was flying again. [2]
Ramsey joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots in 1943. [9] She graduated with the 43 W-5 Class [10] on September 12, 1943. [9] Ramsey went on to pursuit school, where she learned to fly fighter planes, graduating on May 1, 1944. [11] As a WASP, Ramsey piloted PT-19, BT-13, UC-78, AT-6, P-39, P-47 P-51, and P-63 planes. [10] She was also one of the twenty-six WASPs who flew a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. [12] Ramsey was initially stationed at Love Field, Texas, but asked to be transferred to the Long Beach Army Air Base in California, [4] where she ferried fighter aircraft and was an instructor in "preflight transition". [13] After the WASPs were disbanded, she stayed on the base as an attaché to the Sixth Army Ferrying Group. [13]
In 1945, Ramsey bought her own P-38, an Army surplus, in Kingman, Arizona. [2] The plane cost 1,250 dollars. [2] Ramsey flew her P-38 for two and a half years, selling the plane when she could no longer afford to maintain it. [2]
Nadine Bernice Ramsey (1911–1997) was an American aviator who became one of the first two women to fly mail for the US Postal Service. She was a Women Airforce Service Pilot and one of only twenty-six WASPs to pilot a Lockheed P-38 Lightning during World War II.
Ramsey was raised in Illinois and Kansas. [1] Her father worked as a "wildcatter" in oil fields and was often away from home. [2] Ramsey and her younger brother, Edwin, often witnessed their father hitting their mother. [2] When she was seventeen, [2] her father was arrested for spousal abuse [1] after Nadine and Edwin had to drag him away from their mother. [2] That night, he committed suicide in his cell. [1] After his death, Ramsey's mother raised the children alone. [1] To help support her family, Ramsey dropped out of school and became a secretary. [2] After work, she would go to the nearby Beechcraft plane factory for flying lessons. [2] At first, she kept her lessons a secret from most people, believing a woman pilot would be considered scandalous. [2] She gave flying lessons to Edwin, who described her as “an expert, instinctive flier.” [2]
Ramsey's mother, Nelle, [3] was a cosmetologist and dermatologist. [1] Her brother became an officer in the US Army and a guerrilla leader in the Philippines during World War II. [1]
Ramsey became an aviator in 1937, [4] making headlines when she flew a Kansas airmail route on May 19, 1938. [5] She and Charlotte Frye were the first women to carry mail for the Postal Service. [5] On May 22, she flew in an airshow in Hutchinson, Kansas. [6]
By 1940, [7] Ramsey was living in Manhattan Beach, California, where she advertised and sold Taylorcraft airplanes. [8] She also carried passengers for a fee. [8] On September 2, 1940, Ramsey was flying over the mountains near Lake Henshaw with a passenger named Gertrude Snow. [7] As she tried to land, the plane's landing gear hit a tree, causing it to nosedive. [7] Snow received "fractures of both arms and a badly mangled leg". [7] Ramsey was treated for "possible serious internal injuries". [7] Her back and several of her ribs were broken, and she was badly concussed. [2] One of her legs was nearly amputated, but a friend, claiming to speak for her family, had Ramsey transferred to an LA hospital where doctors saved the leg. [2] Edwin dropped out of law school to care for her while she recovered. [2] By December, Ramsey could walk, and by February, she was flying again. [2]
Ramsey joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots in 1943. [9] She graduated with the 43 W-5 Class [10] on September 12, 1943. [9] Ramsey went on to pursuit school, where she learned to fly fighter planes, graduating on May 1, 1944. [11] As a WASP, Ramsey piloted PT-19, BT-13, UC-78, AT-6, P-39, P-47 P-51, and P-63 planes. [10] She was also one of the twenty-six WASPs who flew a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. [12] Ramsey was initially stationed at Love Field, Texas, but asked to be transferred to the Long Beach Army Air Base in California, [4] where she ferried fighter aircraft and was an instructor in "preflight transition". [13] After the WASPs were disbanded, she stayed on the base as an attaché to the Sixth Army Ferrying Group. [13]
In 1945, Ramsey bought her own P-38, an Army surplus, in Kingman, Arizona. [2] The plane cost 1,250 dollars. [2] Ramsey flew her P-38 for two and a half years, selling the plane when she could no longer afford to maintain it. [2]