| Jacqueline Cochran was America's premier female aviator. This study concentrates on her rise as a pilot in the 1930s and her participation in World War II.;The paper begins by examining Cochran's early life and showing how her hardships molded her personality. The author explains how she transformed herself from a poor orphan to an internationally known celebrity.;Careful attention is given to Cochran's work with Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs), a civilian organization of women pilots headed by Cochran. During World War II, these women delivered military airplanes from factories to airbases inside the United States. As WASP director, Cochran challenged gender stereotypes by insisting that women could fly any type of aircraft. At the same time, she also perpetuated stereotypes by stressing the femininity of women pilots and the temporary nature of their work.;original research for this study was gathered from several respositories including the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and the Wright-Patterson Aviation Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Jacqueline Cochran's papers are housed at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas. This valuable collection provided most of the study's information.;As this study shows, Cochran was a pioneer in flight, aviation technology and aircraft. She did not, however, actively work for women in aviation. Cochran often praised women pilots, but failed to launch a crusade for equality with male pilots. She believed in traditional roles for women, despite her own untraditional lifestyle. |
