Women T6 Pilots?

[EDowning]

My wife, Tina, started flying our AT-6 this year. I'm very proud of her accomplishment. Tonight, at dinner, we were discussing her flying the T6 to a few airshows in '08 and the subject of other women T6 pilots came up. I know there are probably many women T6 pilots, but I could only think of Mary Dilda and a couple others. Who else can you think of that is currently flying the T6? Airshows?

[JDK]

I had a chat with Judy Pay on Tuesday after she'd flown her SNJ over to RAAF Point Cook from Tyabb.



It's in the colours of a Pensacola trainer - lovely.

[EDowning]

Good to see you back JDK.
What about Grace, the Spitfire pilot, does fly the T6 as well?

[Matt Gunsch]

Julie Smith in ABQ, NM, she and her husband had his and hers T-6. Scoop died in a crash of his T-6. Julie is still flying hers.

[JDK]

Good to see you back JDK.

Thanks!

What about Grace, the Spitfire pilot, does fly the T6 as well?

Carolyn Grace, owner / pilot of Spitfire ML407 doesn't currently fly a T-6 AFAIK. Incidentally, she's a good Aussie lass passing the years in the UK. There's a few women display pilots in Europe and the UK, but I can't think of any flying the T-6 / Harvard family. Maybe a European WIX poster might know better?

To elaborate, Judy Pay, chief of The Old Aeroplane Co at Tyabb, Vic, Aus, is a display pilot on her Mustang, SNJ, T-6 (she owns two, IIRC) and T-28 among others.

[Yak 11 Fan]

Leah Hammond flies a T6 in the UK, she checked out on it last year at the age of 21 and flies it very nicely. She has yet to display it however but is working on that.

[Tulio]

I don't know if she is still flying, but Anita de Villegas (from Belgium) used to fly a T-6 (and other aircraft as well) in Houston, and then she moved to Florida.

This was more than 18 years ago, though.

Saludos,


Tulio

[MKD1966]

Also Connie Bowlin who also flies a number of different fighters and bombers...

[T6pilot]

Gina Michelle Moore operates a T-6 ride business called Warbird Skyventures (www.warbirdskyventures.com) based in Gallatin, TN. Though I do not know her, I must say I am very impressed this young lady had chosen an entrepreneurial path, making a living with the T-6.

My person hero is my mother Dorothy Best. She checked out in our T-6G when they bought it in 1966. She was about 90 pounds dripping wet at that time and is all of 5 feet tall. Dad built rudder pedal extensions for the front cockpit to make it easier for her to fly it. She flew the T-6 to a lot of small time fly-in's around Wisconsin back when I was a kid, and even Rockford and the first Oshkosh.

She's 85 now and doesn't fly any more, but whenever I take the T-6 on a cross country, she always asks: "Did you check weather and Notams?"

Yes mom . . . .

Carl

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Am pretty sure Anna Walker is checked out in the Six and flies one regularly in the UK

TT

[bentwingbomber]

Anna does indeed fly a couple of t-6s here in the UK.

Also a Harvard as well....

[EDowning]

Must be some more women flying T6s in the U.S.

[Stoney]

Julie Clark don't own one, but I've seen her fly one.

[warbird1]

What about Patty Wagstaff? I know she is fully checked out in the P-51, as she did an aerobatic demo at GML in "Princess Elizabeth". I'm assuming that if she checked out in the Mustang, she HAD to have gotten checked out in the Texan.

Anybody know?

[retroaviation]

Patty used to own a T-6, but doesn't any longer (I think). The airplane is now based in Safford, AZ and is a pretty, polished one.

Gary