The WASP Museum is located in a hangar at Avenger Field. Admission is free. A friendly woman with a wonderful Texas accent was there to give us a short guided tour of the exhibits and answer questions. A gift shop had books, t-shirts, and posters for sale.

The museum is small but has some very memorable exhibits. One of these was a target flag donated by former WASP Beverly Beesemyer. We smiled at the thought of this pretty girl next door flying a military plane out in the desert, towing this surprisingly small cloth flag (about 2 feet square!) for the male pilots, who used it for in-flight target practice. It is pockmarked with colorful bullet holes. The bullets were color-coded by pilot to later see who was hitting the mark most often. A video interview of Ms. Beesemyer plays in a loop, so we were able to hear her speak firsthand about her adventures. We felt grateful someone took the time to record her story in this way.

We were able to get a glimpse into the daily life of the WASP with the barracks display. Small, tidy beds and wooden wardrobes were arranged against the walls, with study desks in the middle of the room, just as they were in the 1940s. A spartan lifestyle focused entirely on flight training! Though surely a box of candy or two was hidden away once in a while?

Also in the museum is one of the instrument simulators used in WASP training, with a complicated arrangement of gears and circuits to work the instruments and record the pilots’ inputs. We marveled at the things accomplished back then without computers!

During a recent reunion at the museum which included big band music, all attending WASP made hand impressions and wrote their names in cement slabs. These are displayed in rows in the museum, with a corresponding 1940s photo and biography of each woman. What fascinating and diverse lives they led. Even today they would be an extraordinary group of women, but in those days they were even more exceptional–and in some cases, undoubtedly colorful! It seemed to me to have been a very special moment in time when these women were gathered here together, making history.

As a side note, if you’re hungry while in Sweetwater, you’ve got to try Allen’s Fried Chicken. A real down-home Texas family style restaurant, you sit at large tables with other guests while fried chicken and about 10 sides are served up, all you can eat. When you’re done, you pay $9 per person at an old punch-button cash register. It was a great way to soak up the local flavor and meet some nice people.

An excerpt from his news release:

In June, Stowell will celebrate 25 years as a full-time aviation educator. He is the 2006 National CFI of the Year, an eight-time Master Instructor, and a charter member of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators. He has logged more than 33,000 spins and 24,000 landings.

It was an honor and a pleasure to work with Rich on this project! If you are a pilot of any experience level, Rich’s books and flight training programs are well worth your time, and just may save your life someday.

Preview Emergency Maneuver Training

Preview Stall/Spin Awareness

Wagstaff’s accomplishments broke barriers and opened doors for other women to follow, club officials noted. In 1991 she became the first woman to win the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships and she would go on to win the Nationals three times, for three consecutive years. In addition to these U.S. Championships, she has earned a position on the U.S. Aerobatic Team at the World Aerobatic Championships six times, and six times won the Betty Skelton “First Lady of Aerobatics” Award.

…Wagstaff volunteers with the Kenya Wildlife Service, giving recurrent and aerobatic training to law enforcement officers patrolling for poachers of elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns.

What a lady! It is truly a high honor to have Patty’s endorsement on my book, when I’ve looked up to her for so long. I’ve been able to see her perform once at the Reno Air Races, where she made my jaw drop with her amazing octagon. It was unforgettable. Yet she remains a friendly, down-to-earth person with all her fame. If you have the chance to see her fly, I’d encourage you not to hesitate–and bring some young people along with you, too! It might be the spark that starts the career of a future pilot. At the very least, they’ll become an instant Patty Wagstaff fan.

Visit the Official Patty Wagstaff website to learn more and see her show schedule.

Illustration of the scary, stormy approach from the chapter “On Thin Ice” from the book Flight Emergency by Reya Kempley

Have you ever visited Etsy? It’s a fantastic online site where people from all over the world sell handmade and vintage items of all kinds, from furniture to clothing, candies to iPad cases. Members can create “treasuries,” or collections, of their favorite items within a theme of their choosing. As an example, here’s a recent treasury featuring a print of one of my illustrations from Flight Emergency, entitled “Traveling on the Wings of Angels” from Fiona Zakka in Europe. This particular one is from the chapter “On Thin Ice,” where, depending on your decisions, you might face icing in this scary storm during your approach to land!

Take a look around Etsy and you’ll find some beautifully crafted, unique items made by talented people from all over the world. Most are happy to create custom orders as well. Once you see what inventive entrepreneurs can create outside of mass-production, I bet you’ll be hooked!

P.S. If you’d like to see more of my illustrations like the one above, check out the Aviation Illustration section of rockplanet’s shop, or the book Flight Emergency.

I do have a few criticisms. One, I think the level of technical detail would be overwhelming to some, and a more basic “pinch-hitter” course or video would be more appropriate for them. Two, some of the photos and information are very outdated in today’s glass panel world, so a new edition incorporating newer technology would be useful. Three, in my experience flying the remote West, there may not be a VOR with voice capability or an air traffic controller around to help direct you to a large airport, yet this is the only emergency landing scenario the author describes. A short section on the strategies of off-airport landings would be a good idea!

A nice addition would be a easy-to-read, simple checklist in the back to turn to in the event of an emergency, if the pilot is incapacitated or the plane’s checklist is undecipherable to a non-pilot. The steps and discussion included in the book is great for ground reading, but much too lengthy for a quick-reference.

Find this and my other book reviews on goodreads!

Starflightpress.com was awarded for one or more of the following reasons:

• Accurate and precise informational content.
• Interesting and inviting layout and/or writing style.
• Reliable source for trustworthy content.
• Unique and entertaining information.

This all-new primer on owning and flying the Cessna 210 Centurion is dedicated to helping all who own or want to fly a Cessna 210 master the art of piloting this complex airplane. Author Chuck McGill covers the wide gamut of 210 models, accessories, and modifications, offering his wisdom on optimum performance and safe operations based on his thousands of hours of flying and teaching in the airplane. Flying the Cessna 210 contains 114 full-color photographs and illustrations, as well as abundant facts, tips, and techniques to help anyone command the Centurion for the best performance and safety.

While offering some background on the C210, T210, and P210, the book is much less about history and mechanics, focusing instead on systems and operations. Its 11 chapters and extensive Appendix offer insight into common operational issues during preflight, taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and landing operations unique to each model of the 210. Additionally, it goes a long way to help pilots of airplanes with STC’d mods, accessories, and new avionics understand how those enhancements can be best used to make the most of safe flight operations. The book also highlights the versatility and utility of this multitalented aircraft.

Chuck McGill is a Master CFI five times over, with over 12,500 hours of total flight time and 8,500 hours of instruction given.  In 2009 he was named the FAA CFI of the Year for the Western Pacific Region.

I’m proud to have been a part of producing this invaluable resource that will help every 210 pilot be safer and more proficient.

Get your copy of Flying the Cessna 210 now in print from Marv Golden, or as an ebook for Kindle and Kindle apps. Additional outlets will soon be available. Visit SafeFlightIntl.com for more information.