Female pioneers of military aviation meet at McChord Air Expo

Published July 22, 2008
By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- In front of a P-51 Mustang static display, one woman shared what it was like to fly the aircraft in the waning days of World War II. Beside her stood another pioneer, the first operational and combat-ready female pilot of the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force's newest and most advanced fighter aircraft.

Dorothy Olsen, a former Women Airforce Service Pilot, met here July 20th with Capt. Jammie Jamieson, who was supporting an F-22A Raptor static display at the McChord Air Expo 2008.

Ms. Olsen, who recently turned 92, read a feature article on Captain Jamieson and requested the opportunity to meet with her.

As a WASP, she primarily flew fighter aircraft in the program from 1943 through the end of the war, said her son Kim Olsen.

"She was qualified on everything the Army flew, as well as some Navy planes," he said.

However, he noted, her favorites were the P-51 and P-38 fighters. "She felt bombers were like driving busses," said Mr. Olsen.

Ms. Olsen had always wanted to fly growing up, said her son, and had taken flying lessons in a Piper cub. As soon as she heard about the WASP program, she signed up.

Mr. Olsen said that the pilot wings his mother wore were among the rarest from World War II, with only about 1,000 issued.

The Air Force currently has 13,202 pilots, of which 596 are female, according to Air Force Personnel statistics.

Ms. Olsen said she ferried the planes from factory to points of shipment in the United States, but did not have the opportunity to take any overseas.

"I loved every minute of it," she said.

As the former WASP and current Raptor pilot shared stories and flying experiences, they learned that the two had both flown in the same airspace over at least one town, more than 50 years apart.

Ms. Olson said that one of her favorite memories was flying a P-38 at night over Coolidge, Ariz. She caused a stir when she buzzed the field and "woke the whole town up," she said.

Captain Jamieson, whose call sign is "Trix" (which stands for Aviatrix), related that she spent a week in Coolidge during her junior year at the Air Force Academy learning aerobatics during glider training.

The captain, a Washington native who graduated from Prosser High School in 1996, received her commission through the academy in 2000. She said that she was very inspired by the astronaut program, specifically with their courage in the face of the unknown.

She said she loves flying the F-22, and that aerial "dog fighting" is her favorite part.

Captain Jamieson is currently stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where she is the mobility flight commander for the 525th Fighter Squadron.