Women run wind tunnel experiments, direct air traffic, and fabricate airplanes. American women have been involved with flight from the beginning, but until 1940, most people believed women could not fly, that Amelia Earhart was an exception to the rule. World War II changed everything. "It is on the record that women can fly as well as men," stated General Henry H. Arnold, commanding general of the Army Air Forces. The question became "Should women fly?"

Deborah G. Douglas tells the story of this ongoing debate and its impact on American history. From Jackie Cochran, whose perseverance led to the formation of the Women's Army Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II to the recent achievements of Jeannie Flynn, the Air Force's first woman fighter pilot and Eileen Collins, NASA's first woman shuttle commander, Douglas introduces a host of determined women who overcame prejudice and became military fliers, airline pilots, and air and space engineers. Not forgotten are stories of flight attendants, air traffic controllers, and mechanics. American Women and Flight since 1940 is a revised and expanded edition of a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum reference work. Long considered the single best reference work in the field, this new edition contains extensive new illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography.

Deborah G. Douglas is the Curator of Science and Technology at the MIT Museum and a specialist in aviation history. She lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Reviews:

"An interesting and compelling read about awe-inspiring women who pursued their passion against imposing odds and often with extreme sacrifice."-H-Minerva

"Provides a thorough analysis of the barriers women had to overcome in aviation, even in roles more socially acceptable than pilot, astronaut, or air-traffic controller."-Wellesley Magazine

"Reading like a novel, but too unbelievable to be one, Debbie Douglas' work is a powerful statement of how women have changed the world of flight."-Roger Launius, Chair, Division of Space History, Smithsonian Institution

"An excellent survey of the progress and accomplishments of women in all aspects of aviation in the second half of the 20th century. Douglas reveals the hard-fought struggle to attain real equality in the cockpit, as part of the larger societal struggle, and her first-rate bibliography includes non-aviation gender titles and studies. The book is an important motivational and educational resource for young women."-Dorothy Cochrane, Curator, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum

"A wonderful service to all women in aviation. From the Air Transport Auxiliary of the 1940s -we 24 gals that Jackie Cochrane took to England to ferry aircraft- to the present, this book will be an essential tool for students and researchers."-Ann Wood-Kelly, original member of the ATA, later Staff Vice President of Pan American Airways

"An accomplished historian, Debbie Douglas has written the authoritative account of contemporary American women's contributions to civil and military aviation. Based on solid scholarship, this even-handed book documents not only women's numerous aerial feats, but what transpired on the ground for them to be able to achieve in the air."-Capt. Rosemary Bryant Mariner, United States Navy (Ret.), former tactical jet pilot of the A-4 Skyhawk

"This book is required reading for anyone seriously interested in women in aviation. Not only does Douglas take you into the cockpit with women, she takes you into the cabin, behind the engines, and onto the front lines of this continuing battle for equality in the skies. Thoroughly illuminating"-Laurel Ladevich, Writer/ Producer, Fly Girls

"We've come a long way since 1944 when a female voice asking permission to land a P-47 caused consternation in the tower. Or have we? While extolling women’s myriad accomplishments in aviation, Douglas asks if aviation in the 21st century will finally reshape itself to truly accept and accommodate women or will it still be up to women to find the best way to 'fit in'"-Sarah Byrn Rickman, The Originals: The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron of World War II

"The numbers of women pilots sharing the skies with men have advanced at turtle-speed. However, Deborah Douglas offers evidence that women of talent and persistence are making dramatic inroad into all fields of aviation. Her powerful story offers assurance to every young girl that only the imagination, not the sky, is the limit."-Gene Nora Jessen, author of The Powder Puff Derby of 1929

"Unique in its inclusion of flight attendants, workers in the aircraft industry, air traffic controllers, helicopter pilots, aerospace engineers, mechanics, and administrators in aviation, as well as the pilots and astronauts. . . Highly recommended." -Choice

"Probably . . . the best single volume introduction to the subject of women in aviation since 1940."-Journal of Transport History