Sarah Byrn Rickman has 2 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 2 narrators. The most-rated is Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II.
WASP of the Ferry Command: Women Pilots, Uncommon Deeds
Summary
WASP of the Ferry Command is the story of the women ferry pilots who flew more than nine million miles in 72 different aircraft - 115,000 pilot hours - for the Ferrying Division, Air Transport Command, during World War II. In the spring of 1942, Col. William H. Tunner lacked sufficient male pilots to move vital trainer aircraft from the factory to the training fields. Nancy Love found 28 experienced women pilots who could do the job. They, along with graduates of the army’s flight training school for women - established by Jacqueline Cochran - performed this duty until fall 1943, when manufacture of trainers ceased. In December 1943 the women ferry pilots went back to school to learn to fly high-performance WWII fighters, known as pursuits. By January 1944 they began delivering high -erformance P-51s, 47s, and 39s. Prior to D-day and beyond, P-51s were crucial to the air war over Germany. They had the range to escort B-17s and B-24s from England to Berlin and back on bombing raids that ultimately brought down the German Reich. Getting those pursuits to the docks in New Jersey for shipment abroad became these women’s primary job. Ultimately, more than 100 WASP pursuit pilots were engaged in this vital movement of aircraft. The book is published by University of North Texas Press. The audiobook will be published by University Press Audiobooks. “A compelling account of the unorthodox women who brilliantly helped sustain the vital flow of military aircraft around the country at the height of World War II.” (Dorothy Cochrane, curator of the National Air and Space Museum) “A thorough, well-researched record of the derring-do and grit of these women in trying wartime conditions.” (History.net)
©2016 Sarah Byrn Rickman (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks
Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II
Summary
This is the story of Nancy Harkness Love who, early in World War II, recruited and led the first group of 28 women to fly military aircraft for the US Army. Love was hooked on flight at an early age. At 16, after just four hours of instruction, she flew solo “a rather broken down Fleet biplane that my barnstorming instructor imported from parts unknown”. The year was 1930: Record-setting aviator Jacqueline Cochran (and Love’s future rival) had not yet learned to fly, and the most famous woman pilot of all time, Amelia Earhart, had yet to make her acclaimed solo Atlantic flight. When the United States entered World War II, the Army needed pilots to transport or “ferry” its combat-bound aircraft across the United States for overseas deployment and its trainer airplanes to flight training bases. Most male pilots were assigned to combat preparation, leaving few available for ferrying jobs. Into this vacuum stepped Nancy Love and her civilian Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). Nancy Love advised the Ferrying Division, which was part of the Air Transport Command, as to the best use of their WASP ferry pilots. She supervised their allocation and air-training program. She proved adept at organizing and inspiring those under her command, earning the love and admiration of her pilots. The book is published by University of North Texas Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks "This book is a must-read." (Peggy Chabrian, President/Founder, Women in Aviation, International) "A must-read for all who relish courage, tenacity, and a fearless desire to serve our nation in time of its greatest need." (Brig. Gen. Linda K. McTague, Air National Guard) "This is an 'edge of your seat' story even if you know the outcome.... Worthy of the best-seller list!" (Commander Trish Beckman, U.S. Navy (Ret.))
©2008 Sarah Byrn Rickman (P)2020 Redwood Audiobooks