Mercury 13 Page #2

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had you had when you...

Five hours and five minutes.

But youve also done very well

in the cosmetics business.

I did very well.

Course it helped to be married

to a millionaire, you admit that?

I was doing pretty well

before I got married.

Jacqueline Cochran was

an extraordinary gal.

She, uh...

She was raised in poverty in the South.

She had formed her own company.

She met Floyd Odlum, who was,

prior to the war, he was

the highest-paid CEO in the United States.

Jackie was very much of an individualist.

First woman to do this,

first woman to do that.

And Jackie wanted to be a trailblazer.

Women with wings.

At Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas,

famous flyer Jacqueline Cochran

gives her ferry pilot students

a last-minute inspection.

Then its off by plane

for graduation ceremonies.

Good-bye, Daughter.

Im working for the army now.

Jackie Cochran headed up

the WASP program during World War II,

the Womens Airforce Service Pilots,

who flew all the airplanes.

That was the first time that happened.

They flew all the military airplanes,

but they didnt go to war.

What they did is that

they provided ferrying capability.

They would pick up the aircraft

from the factories

and fly them to a point

where they would be turned over.

And these women flew these planes

with the same training, or less,

that the men had,

and they had the same safety record.

So they proved

they could fly those aircraft.

Nobody should ever tell a WASP

that flyings not a womans job.

They wouldnt believe it

any more than if it were said

a girl cant be a good flyer and a woman,

a woman at the same time.

After the war,

they didnt want to give that up.

They wouldnt give up their independence.

A lot of em stayed in aviation.

And a lot of em didnt want

to go back to the kitchen.

They wanted their freedom again.

And these WASPs really were great mentors.

They organized these air races

called the Powder Puff Derby.

The first one I flew in was 52.

You know, when youre 18,

you dont have fear,

and you dont think of it as being brave.

You think of adventures and having fun.

Because 18-year-olds think

nothing will ever happen to em.

You know, Powder Puff Derby

has a great ring to it.

And it was always great to say,

Yeah, I flew the Powder Puff Derby.

When youre at the takeoff line

and the flag drops,

you put the power to it, and you take off,

and I stayed very close to the runway

to get my speed up.

The women that you meet who are

flying in those air races are wonderful,

and theyre very inspiring.

And you make lifelong friends.

What a thrill it is to have won this 13th

Annual All-Women International Air Race.

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