Service Pilots Research Articles

Serum Prestin and Otolin-1 Levels in Pilots of Helicopter-Based Emergency Medical Services: Potential Markers for Ear Injury.

Occupational noise exposure is a major public health concern, impacting a large workforce worldwide. In this study, we sought to evaluate the serum concentrations of prestin, a cochlear protein that diminishes following noise exposure, and otolin-1, a protein secreted into the bloodstream subsequent to inner ear damage, among three diverse professional categories, each exposed to varying degrees of noise. Helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) pilots and construction workers were considered high-risk groups due to their elevated exposure to occupational noise, whereas office workers were regarded as a low-risk group, reflecting their comparatively minimal noise exposure. The study sample included 60 males, encompassing helicopter pilots, construction laborers, and office workers (n=20, each). Recruitment occurred during standard occupational health visits, with all participants presenting normal clinical audiograms. Serum levels of prestin and otolin-1 were measured in duplicate using commercially available immunoassays and compared across the three professional categories. HEMS pilots had the lowest mean serum prestin level at 211±27 pg/mL, followed by construction workers at 234±29 pg/mL, and office workers at 269±42 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance), with all inter-group differences statistically significant (p<0.05, Tukey'spost hoctests). For otolin-1, HEMS pilots showed the highest mean at 216±20 pg/mL, with construction workers at 196±22 pg/mL, and office workers at 181±20 pg/mL (p<0.001, one-way analysis of variance). Statistically significant differences were found between HEMS pilots and both other groups for otolin-1 levels (p<0.05, Tukey'spost hoctests), but not between construction workers and office workers. Serum concentrations of prestin and otolin-1 may differ among healthy individuals according to their occupational noise exposure and have the potential to act as indicators of subclinical inner ear injury. To substantiate these preliminary observations, incorporating exposure assessment, especially via direct measurements of noise and vibration exposure, would markedly improve the reliability of our findings.

Urban (UMaaS) and rural (RMaaS) mobility as a service (MaaS): practical insights from international practitioners and experts

The concept and potential of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has been the subject of significant debate in academia and industry for nearly a decade. There are several city-based Mobility as a Service (MaaS) pilots globally. There remains a significant lack of practitioner evidence of MaaS with the focus on city-based solutions rather than in rural and suburban areas. To that end, this paper asks four research questions to contribute to the gap in Rural MaaS (RMaaS) and Urban MaaS (UMaaS); firstly, is MaaS a mobility option for rural areas given the identified evidence in scientific literature? Secondly, how do practitioner experiences with MaaS (in all areas) differ considering factors like phraseology, geography, available modes, transportation, the origin and implementation stages? Thirdly, what practical learnings can be drawn from practitioners in the field? Fourthly, what is the future of MaaS for rural and urban areas. The research and findings are based upon grey literature and twenty semi-structured interviews with representatives from research or government organisations, public bodies, MaaS technology suppliers, transport operators and experts. Each participant discussed and contributed to the practicalities around real-world applications of MaaS in urban, regional, or rural areas. The analysis produced 2 applied tools which will be useful to practitioners interested in MaaS; a Thematic Map visualising the common matters emerging from the interviews revolving around ‘People, Policy, Practice and Pilots (4Ps); a Practical Framework for Implementing MaaS tool, which can be used by any practitioner at any stage of a MaaS project.

American Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Pilots Report to Work Despite High Rates of Sleepiness

ObjectivePrevious studies on helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) pilots found a positive correlation among fatigue, nodding off in flight, and accidents. We sought to quantify the amount of sleepiness in HEMS pilots using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). MethodsAn anonymous survey was sent via the National EMS Pilots Association emergency medical services listserv including demographics, the ESS, and subjective effects of fatigue on flying. Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test and analysis of variance. ResultsThirty-one surveys were returned. Twenty-one (65%) reported an ESS > 10, indicating excessive daytime sleepiness. Twelve (39%) reported nodding off in flight; 20 (65%) indicated that they should have refused to fly, but only 14 (45%) actually did. En route was the most likely phase of flight to be affected by fatigue (23 [74%]), whereas takeoff (2 [7%]) and landing (2 [7%]) were the least likely to be affected. ConclusionMany HEMS pilots in this small study reported excessive daytime sleepiness. Most respondents indicated that they should have turned down a flight because of fatigue. More research is necessary to quantify the burden of fatigue among HEMS pilots.

Sleep and Sleepiness Measured by Diaries and Actigraphy among Norwegian and Austrian Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Pilots.

The study examined sleep and sleepiness among shift working Helicopter Emergency Medical Service pilots from Norway (Norwegian Air Ambulance; NAA) and Austria (Christophorus Flugrettungverein; CFV). Both pilot groups (N = 47) worked seven consecutive 24 h shifts. Sleep was assessed by diaries and actigraphy while sleepiness was assessed by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, all administered throughout the workweek. The results indicated that all pilots had later bedtime (p < 0.05) and wake-up time (p < 0.01) as they approached the workweek end, but no change during the workweek was evident regarding wake after sleep onset, time in bed, total sleep time, or sleep efficiency. The NAA pilots had later bedtime (p < 0.001) and wake-up time (p < 0.001), spent more time awake after sleep onset (p < 0.001), more time in bed (p < 0.001), slept longer (p < 0.01), and had lower sleep efficiency (p < 0.001) compared with the CFV pilots. The sleepiness levels of all pilots were slightly elevated on the first workday but lower on the following workdays (day 2 p < 0.001, day 3 p < 0.05). For both pilot groups, no major change in sleep or sleepiness parameters throughout the workweek was detected. The NAA pilots reported somewhat more disturbed sleep but obtained more sleep compared with the CFV pilots.

ARMA Model-Based Prediction of the Number of Vessels Navigating the Istanbul Strait Unassisted by Maritime Pilots

The Istanbul Strait is one of the busiest and riskiest trade routes, with the annual traffic of 50,000 ships. Such high traffic density is managed by the enforcement of a passage regimen by the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and maritime pilots of the Directorate General of Coastal Safety of the Republic of Turkey. VTS operations and maritime pilot actions are assumed to complement each other. Accordingly, a vessel unaccompanied by a maritime pilot is expected to interact with the VTS to a greater extent than a vessel assisted by a maritime pilot. Thus, estimating the number of ships that pass through the Istanbul Strait, especially those that do not use maritime pilot assistance, will be an effective tool for the Istanbul Strait traffic scheme management, as it will allow the authorities to balance and integrate VTS and maritime pilot operations. The predictive model based on Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) described in this paper has been developed to estimate the number of ships that navigate through the Istanbul Strait without pilot assistance. The best ARMA model was identified through the use of historical data on 100-150 meter and 150-200-meter-long ships that passed through the Istanbul Strait unaccompanied by pilots in 2012-2019. The ARMA model obtained has also been validated through the comparison of real and estimated data.

Community pharmacy referral service to be rolled out to a third of GP networks in north west England by autumn 2021

Nearly a third of primary care networks (PCNs) in the north west of England will be referring patients to community pharmacies using the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) by autumn 2021. The CPCS, which replaced the NHS Urgent Medicine Supply Advanced Service (NUMSAS) and Digital Minor Illness Referral Service (DMIRS) pilots, was established to direct patients with […]

Impact assessment of rural PPP MaaS pilots

The purpose of this paper is to present the impact assessment results of Mobility as a Service pilots based on public-private collaboration. In the pilots, companies and local and regional stakeholders joined their expertise to experiment with different ways of organizing mobility services in rural areas. The pilots included demand-responsive transport and integrated transport of different user groups and combining trips that include customers paying themselves and those being publicly subsidized. In addition to the call centre service, a smartphone application was introduced. The impact assessment of these pilots spans individual/user, business/organizational and societal levels. The main findings include improved accessibility of transport services in rural areas and resource efficiency in terms of improved occupancy rates of vehicles, reduced driven kilometres and emissions, and cost savings for the public sector.

Incentives for smoking cessation in pregnancy

Abstract Issue/problem Most pregnant smokers reply ‘Yes' when asked ‘Do you want to stop smoking?'. This is usually an honest answer but often without intention. About 10% who intend to quit are likely to attend smoking cessation services. Even with good quality counselling and the offer of nicotine replacement therapy only about 3-5% quit. How can the other 90% be reached? There are two approaches: Redirect counselling away from specialist cessation practitioners and build capacity among all health care workers. This is attractive spreading counselling to health care workers who meet pregnant smokers during routine consultations requiring little resource after training for example General Practitioners, Midwives and Obstetricians. However limited time for training and subsequent counselling endangers the quality and quantity of counselling delivered.Increase the proportion of women who intend to quit smoking during pregnancy by providing a financial incentive payment for engaging with specialist cessation practitioners and quitting. This policy allows counselling to be delivered by specialists and potentially draws in a larger proportion of pregnant smokers, as many as 50%. Results Financial incentives have increased the proportion of smokers who quit by late pregnancy in two large randomised controlled trials. The proportion increased by more than 100%. Local service pilots of financial incentives have seen marked increases in smokers who attend and quit. Lessons There are a number of ways to increase smoking cessation among pregnant women. Research evidence should be translated into effective service models to decide which strategy is most cost-effective. Key messages Counselling is important; however, it has to be sufficient and of good quality. Drawing more pregnant smokers into cessation services will increase the proportion who intend and manage to quit. This may work better than expecting all health care workers to give effective counselling.

Mental Health Act transfers from prison to psychiatric hospital over a six-year period in a region of England

Purpose There are high levels of psychiatric morbidity amongst people in prisons. In England and Wales, prisoners who present with the most acute mental health needs can be transferred to hospital urgently under part III of the Mental Health Act 1983. This project reviewed all such transfers within one region of England, with an emphasis on differences across levels of security. Design/methodology/approach Over a six-year period (2010–2016) within one region of England, 930 psychiatric referrals were received from seven male prisons. From these referrals, 173 (18.5%) secure hospital transfers were required. Diagnostic and basic demographic information were analysed, along with hospital security categorisation (high secure, medium secure, low secure, psychiatric intensive care unit and other) and total time to transfer in days. Findings There were substantial delays to urgent hospital transfer across all levels of hospital security. Prisoners were transferred to the following units: medium security (n = 98, 56.9%); psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) (n = 34, 19.7%); low secure conditions (n = 20, 11.6%); high secure conditions (n = 12, 6.9%); other (n = 9, 5.2%). Mean transfer times were as follows: high secure = 159.6 days; other = 68.8 days; medium secure = 58.6 days; low secure = 54.8 days; and psychiatric intensive care = 16.1 days. Research limitations/implications In keeping with the wider literature in this area, transfers of prisoners to hospital were very delayed across all levels of secure psychiatric hospital care. Mean transfer times were in breach of the national 14-day timescale, although transfers to PICUs were quicker than to other units. National work, including research and service pilots, is required to understand whether and how these transfer times might be improved. Originality/value This paper extends the available literature on the topic of transferring prisoners with mental illness who require compulsory treatment. There is a small but developing literature in this area, and this paper largely confirms that delays to hospital transfer remain a serious problem in England and Wales. National work, including research and service pilots, is required to understand whether and how these transfer times might be improved. This could include different referral and transfer models as a component of service-based and pathways research or combining referral pathways across units to improve their efficacy.

Occupational Stress in Helicopter Emergency Service Pilots From 4 European Countries

ObjectiveWorking conditions are known to affect motivation, well-being, and ultimately work performance. Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) pilots’ work is highly demanding and safety critical, but virtually no published data on occupational stress and strain symptoms in HEMS pilots are available. We investigated work stressors and resources and their association with work engagement, subjective well-being, and energy levels in European HEMS pilots. MethodsCross-sectional questionnaire data were collected consecutively from 72 European HEMS pilots (24 Western European and 48 Eastern European, mean age = 51.9 years). We examined the stressor, resource, and strain symptom levels by age group and region of origin and the association of stressors and resources with work engagement, well-being, and energy. ResultsAlthough the responses differed notably between the Eastern and Western European pilots, their overall profile was quite favorable. At the same time, those stressor/resource variables, which on average had the most favorable ratings, were the most strongly associated with (reduced) well-being and energy. ConclusionOn the whole, the HEMS pilots’ perception of their work situation appears to be positive, and they are highly engaged in their work. The pilots’ strong identification with their work should be taken into account in pilot mental health support systems.

Crew resource management's contribution to flight safety and operational effectiveness at the UK National Police Air Service, as understood by flight-crew

National Police Air Service (NPAS) pilots and tactical flight officers (TFOs) were asked a series of questions about the teamwork standard known as crew resource management (CRM). It was agreed that CRM supported safe flight and mission effectiveness. Interviewees claimed CRM was useful in helping crewmembers navigate traumatic, high-stress incidents such as murders and riots. Interviewees claimed the CRM skillset supported objective analysis of personnel issues, such as overbearing pilots or under-performing TFOs. Some suggested the constituency for CRM training should be expanded to include dispatchers, managers and others connected with the NPAS. As the interviews and flight-deck observations progressed, it emerged that the relationship between the bases and headquarters had become strained, possibly affecting morale. The NPAS must create a trusting, open and inclusive culture in which critique is welcomed and good ideas implemented. The tenets of CRM could inform transformation.

Crew resource management's contribution to flight safety and operational effectiveness at the UK National Police Air Service, as understood by flight-crew

National Police Air Service (NPAS) pilots and tactical flight officers (TFOs) were asked a series of questions about the teamwork standard known as crew resource management (CRM). It was agreed that CRM supported safe flight and mission effectiveness. Interviewees claimed CRM was useful in helping crewmembers navigate traumatic, high-stress incidents such as murders and riots. Interviewees claimed the CRM skillset supported objective analysis of personnel issues, such as overbearing pilots or under-performing TFOs. Some suggested the constituency for CRM training should be expanded to include dispatchers, managers and others connected with the NPAS. As the interviews and flight-deck observations progressed, it emerged that the relationship between the bases and headquarters had become strained, possibly affecting morale. The NPAS must create a trusting, open and inclusive culture in which critique is welcomed and good ideas implemented. The tenets of CRM could inform transformation.

New books &amp; media

Science FairSection:ChooseTop of pageScience Fair <<The Calculating Stars; Th...The Ultimate Interplaneta... Science Fair, Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, Muck Media, 2018. Every year students from all over the world hope to earn a spot at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s most prestigious science competition for high school students. Science Fair profiles nine teenagers who competed at ISEF in the spring of 2017. Although the film offers only brief glimpses into the science behind the projects, the personal stories it tells are delightful and fascinating. In Iracema, Brazil, Myllena Braz da Silva and Gabriel de Moura Martins will be the first-ever ISEF competitors from their hometown. At Brookings High School in South Dakota, few students are aware that one of their own, Kashfia Rahman, took home third place as a freshman and will return to ISEF as a senior. In Jericho, New York, tough-minded mentor Serena McCalla puts in long hours preparing her students to present their work to the judges. Reminiscent of other competition documentaries, such as Spellbound, Science Fair is a slick, funny trip through the highly competitive world of ISEF. The film was released in the US on 14 September 2018 and is currently playing in theatres. —mb The Calculating Stars; The Fated SkySection:ChooseTop of pageScience FairThe Calculating Stars; Th... <<The Ultimate Interplaneta... The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal, Tor Books, 2018, $18.99 (paper) The Fated Sky, Mary Robinette Kowal, Tor Books, 2018, $15.99 (paper) Speculative fiction author Mary Robinette Kowal won a 2014 Hugo for her alternate-history novelette The Lady Astronaut of Mars, which first introduced the character of Elma York, a former Women Airforce Service Pilots member and a mathematical genius. Kowal now expands on Elma’s story in a two-book prequel series. The Calculating Stars opens in 1952 with an environmental catastrophe: A massive meteorite hits Earth, devastating the East Coast of the US. But humanity has bigger problems ahead. The debris and water vapor launched into the atmosphere will soon render Earth uninhabitable, and the world is forced to race against time to launch humanity into space. Because only men are allowed in the US-led astronaut program, Elma is soon on the front lines of the struggle to put a woman in space. In The Fated Sky, the focus shifts to a new colony on Mars—and to the civil rights movement back on Earth. Kowal’s alternate history of the space race is imaginative and engagingly written. The books will appeal to historical fiction enthusiasts and anyone who dreams of visiting the stars. —mb The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide: A Futuristic Journey Through the CosmosSection:ChooseTop of pageScience FairThe Calculating Stars; Th...The Ultimate Interplaneta... << The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide: A Futuristic Journey Through the Cosmos, Jim Bell, Sterling, 2018, $24.95 Beautifully illustrated with colorful graphics, images, and photos from space missions, The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide presents a wealth of facts, figures, and information about our solar system, cleverly framed as a travel brochure. Inspired by a series of NASA-commissioned space-travel posters, author and planetary scientist Jim Bell sets his guide 200 years into the future, when travel to the Sun, Moon, and planets is an option for would-be space tourists. In addition to describing all the “must-see” destinations, Bell throws in fun sections on what to pack and what amenities will be available. —cc © 2018 American Institute of Physics.

A Study of Percieved Stress Level among Engineers working in Government and Private Sector

Background: Stress is a natural concomitant of work life and is inevitable today. Stress has been examined among various groups of professionals such as accountants, managers, human service professionals, teachers, nurses and pilots, but little attention has been given to perceived stress level among engineers, and therefore present study was planned. Objective: ‘To assess the, ‘Perceived stress level among engineers working in government and private sector. Material and Methods: 60 engineers, 30 from private sector &amp; 3o from government sector were taken from Mumbai (India). Among 30 engineers 15 were female engineers and 15 were male engineers, who were given Perceived stress scale (Cohen et al., 1988) along with semi structured interview. Results: indicated a) Perceived stress level among engineers working in private sector was more than perceived stress level among engineers working in government sector., b) Perceived stress level among female engineers was more than the perceived stress level in male engineers, c) Perceived stress level in female engineers working in private sector was more than perceived stress level in females working in government sector, d) Perceived stress level in male engineers working in private sector was more than perceived stress level in male engineers working in government sector. Conclusion: In nutshell, perceived stress level has a significant impact among male and female engineers working in private sector, as compared to engineers working in government sector. Therefore it is important to intervene.

Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII by P. O’Connell Pearson

Reviewed by: Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII by P. O’Connell Pearson Elizabeth Bush Pearson, P. O’Connell Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII. Simon, 2018 [208p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-0410-6 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-5344-0412-0 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8 When American boots were needed on the ground in the Europe and Asia in World War II, someone had to keep the war machine running smoothly on the homefront. [End Page 302] That meant, of course, searching down the labor pecking order to recruit women and minorities. Anticipating the need for their services, pilots Nancy Love and Jackie Cochran convinced military brass that an untapped resource could easily be readied and trained to transport war planes from factories to bases as the war heated up, and despite backlashes of skepticism at every turn, they were right. Love and Cochran’s combined cadres of pilots formed the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Pearson covers their achievements—handling every type of aircraft used in the military, and steadily beating their male counterparts at timely delivery of aircraft—and describes also the organizational limbo in which these civilians (who fully expected to become militarized) were subject to military oversight, discipline, and danger, yet were not awarded military pay, rank, or privileges. Sidebars offer succinct commentary on the war and the U.S. military, and plenty of black and white photos underscore how the WASPs were presented in contemporary media as paragons of glamor and adventure rather than hard-working patriots like their brothers-in-arms. Readers with an interest in women aviators may want to follow this title with Stone’s Almost Astronauts (BCCB 4/09) to learn what happened when women tried to soar even higher. Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Aging and Cardiometabolic Risk in European HEMS Pilots: An Assessment of Occupational Old-Age Limits as a Regulatory Risk Management Strategy.

Old-age limits are imposed in some occupations in an effort to ensure public safety. In aviation, the "Age 60 Rule" limits permissible flight operations conducted by pilots aged 60 and over. Using a retrospective cohort design, we assessed this rule's validity by comparing age-related change rates of cardiometabolic incapacitation risk markers in European helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) pilots near age 60 with those in younger pilots. Specifically, individual clinical, laboratory, and electrocardiogram (ECG)-based risk markers and an overall cardiovascular event risk score were determined from aeromedical examination records of 66 German, Austrian, Polish, and Czech HEMS pilots (average follow-up 8.52 years). Risk marker change rates were assessed using linear mixed models and generalized additive models. Body mass index increases over time were slower in pilots near age 60 compared to younger pilots, and fasting glucose levels increased only in the latter. Whereas the lipid profile remained unchanged in the latter, it improved in the former. An ECG-based arrhythmia risk marker increased in younger pilots, which persisted in the older pilots. Six-month risk of a fatal cardiovascular event (in or out of cockpit) was estimated between 0% and 0.3%. Between 41% and 95% of risk marker variability was due to unexplained time-stable between-person differences. To conclude, the cardiometabolic risk marker profile of HEMS pilots appears to improve over time in pilots near age 60, compared to younger pilots. Given large stable interindividual differences, we recommend individualized risk assessment of HEMS pilots near age 60 instead of general grounding.

Captain Nels O. Monserud and Medical Consideration of the Women Air Force Service Pilots: An Enduring Legacy

Captain Nels O. Monserud and Medical Consideration of the Women Air Force Service Pilots: An Enduring Legacy

Ladies of Lockbourne: Women Airforce Service Pilots and the Mighty B-17 Flying Fortress

Ladies of LockbourneWomen Airforce Service Pilots and the Mighty B-17 Flying Fortress Jenny Sage (bio) introduction Two articles from the Columbus Dispatch exemplify the ongoing debate about women in the military: “Women not right for all combat roles, Marines say”1 and “Famous flyer says women have place in flying—but not in combat plane.”2 While the direct link between the two is women in combat, the underlying theme is the question of what role women should play in America’s armed forces. When you take into consideration that these articles were written seventy-four years apart, it becomes all the more clear that as a society, women in the military continue to be a topic of debate. The first article appeared on Sunday, September 20, 2015, and relates to the shift in policy allowing women greater access to battlefield positions, especially following the successful completion of two women from the army’s Ranger program in August of that year. The second article appeared on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Sunday paper printed prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor, and this article discussed in a more generalized nature the rise in female pilots and how they might be useful for ferrying planes to bases, but lacked the physical and emotional strength to fly combat missions or complete heavy transport operations. Just as Ranger graduates Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver proved naysayers wrong in 2015, the members of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots [End Page 5] (WASPs), a group of female pilots during World War II, proved that women were capable of flying all manner of planes, including heavy four-engine B-17 bombers. The formation of the WASPs in late 1942 represented the culmination of separate efforts by Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran with the support of Henry “Hap” Arnold, Nancy Harkness Love, and various members of the Air Transport Command. The goal of both Cochran and Love was to create a group of women pilots capable of ferrying and testing military planes to free up men for the war effort. Just like the women who found jobs in factories, as epitomized by Rosie the Riveter, the WASPs sought to lend a patriotic hand in a field dominated by men, all the while proving their ability against detractors from the American public to their military bosses. Building off the public successes of pilots like Amelia Earhart and Jackie Cochran, a pilot even more accomplished than Earhart, women took advantage of the growing interest in aviation. This study will argue that the WASPs not only played an integral role in the World War II home front by assisting the Army Air Forces in multiple ways—thus freeing men for combat purposes, all the while facing opposition from numerous sources while trying to do their part—but were also assigned to B-17 training at Lockbourne Army Airfield in central Ohio, contributing to the war effort by engaging in work that many thought women were unable to handle. Primary sources vary widely in the amount of information available. Media sources provide information about the program and the social response to women in the war effort, from articles in national media like the New York Times and TIME, to local outlets like the Columbus Dispatch. These stories are limited, however, because they are dependent on the release of information by the WASPs and their Army directors, which, as will be discussed later in this study, did not always take place.3 Reports from the military, which are now easily available from several archives across the country,4 provide an excellent account of the WASP program and the military perspective about the women involved. Each base completed an official history of the women stationed at their bases, and comprehensive histories about the entire program include interviews with base personnel. While the major histories are widely cited in the existing WASP scholarship, the local histories have largely been ignored, [End Page 6] especially the Lockbourne base history, which is referenced throughout this study. Additionally, many WASPs have provided oral histories, including two of the Lockbourne graduates. Beyond just a history about women, this research will show the role and...

Women airforce service pilots part II: Cancellation

To be a woman and a pilot was highly unusual in 1942 and represented a paradigm shift for American culture (Photo 1). World War II enabled America to try something new in 1942 : to train and utilize women pilots to support the war effort because of a shortage of male pilots. The desperate need did not mean all parties were supportive of the trial.

Women airforce service pilots: An army air corps experiment: Part I

Reports on the formation, work, and achievements of the Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) training program launched durint WWII. From the moment Adolf Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, American military leaders began to consider the nation's readiness to fight a potential world war. American battle readiness was found to be exceedingly wanting. General Dwight D. Eisenhower described the military establishment of the time as “started from a position as close to zero as a great nation could conceivably have allowed herself to sink.”1 Two decades of peace and the Great Depression had turned the American focus away from military strength. Hitler's advance in Europe produced a burst of action here at home to correct this weakness.