Patty Wagstaff
Patty Wagstaff (* 11. September 1951 as Patricia Combs in St. Louis , Missouri ) is an American aerobatic pilot.
Life
Wagstaff's father was a flight captain with Japan Air Lines . At the age of ten she discovered her passion for flying when she and her father took over the controls of a Douglas DC-6 in Japan . She learned to fly in 1979 on a Cessna 185 - Floatplane in Alaska . She holds several flight license classes for different aircraft including helicopters and flight and instrument flight instructor. Her sister is a professional pilot and flight captain with Continental Airlines .
In 1985 she qualified for the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team , of which she was a member until 1996. She was the top US medalist and won gold, silver, and bronze medals in international aerobatic competitions. In 1987 she received the Rolly Cole Memorial Award for her aerobatic achievements, and in 1991 she became the first woman to win the US National Aerobatic Championship . From 1988 to 1994 she received the Betty Skelton First Lady Award six times in a row and in 1996 the Charlie Hillard Trophy.
She lives in St. Augustine , Florida and continues to work in the aviation field such as an airshow pilot, stunt pilot for films, consultant, flight instructor and book author. She is Emeritus Director of the Smithsonian Institution and Chair of the National Air and Space Museum , a museum affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. She flies airshows across America in a variety of aircraft including the Walter Extra 300S , North American T-6, and P-51 Mustang . In addition to air shows, Wagstaff has also in 2010 inserts with firefighting aircraft to fight forest fires in California on a Bronco OV-10 and the fire-fighting aircraft Grumman S-2 flown F3AT. In 1997 she was awarded the Paul Tissandier Diploma from the NAA . In 2004 she was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame . In 2006 she was awarded the Philip J. Klass Prize for Lifetime Achievement.
In her private life she also owns a Beechcraft Baron and a Beechcraft K35, among other machines . The Extra 260 , with which Wagstaff won the US National Aerobatic Championship in 1991 and 1992, is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC .
Awards
- 2013, Wings Club, Outstanding Aviator Award
- 2007 Inductee, International Aerospace Hall of Fame
- 2006 Inductee, Air Show Hall of Fame
- 2006 Aviation Week & Space Technology Laureate, Philip J. Klass Award for Lifetime Achievement
- 2005 Recipient, Air Force Association Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2005 Inductee, International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame
- 2005 Katherine Wright Award
- 2004 inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame
- 2002 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award
- 1998 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship
- 1997 Recipient, NAA Paul Tissiander Diploma
- 1997 Inductee, Women in Aviation International Hall of Fame
- 1997 Inductee, Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
- 1996 Recipient, Charlie Hillard Trophy
- 1996 GAN & Flyers Readers Choice Award, Favorite Female Performer
- 1996 Top Scoring US Pilot at World Aerobatic Championships
- 1995 ICAS Sword of Excellence Award
- 1988–1994 Winner Betty Skelton “First Lady of Aerobatics” Trophy
- 1994 National Air and Space Museum Award for Current Achievement
- 1994 NAA Certificate of Honor
- 1993 International Aerobatic Club Champion
- 1991, 1992, 1993 US National Aerobatic Championships
- 1990, 1992, 1994 Top US Medal Winner, World Aerobatic Championships
- 1991 Voted Western Flyer Reader's Choice Favorite Airshow Performer
- 1987 Rolly Cole Memorial Award for Contributions to Sport Aerobatics
Web links
- Homepage Patty Wagstaff
- Biography on The Ninety Nines
- 2006 Hall of Fame inductee Patty Wagstaff
- Honors and Elections, Aviation Week & Space Technology, March 18, 2013, page 10
- Patty Wagstaff, Air and Space Magazine, August 2011
- Wings Club to present award to Patty Wagstaff 2013
- List of Bill Barber Awards for Showmanship
Individual evidence
- ^ Wagstaff's profile on the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) website , accessed January 27, 2014
- ^ Extra 260. Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum, accessed February 27, 2014 .
- ↑ Patricia “Patty” Wagstaff. National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 27, 2014 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wagstaff, Patty |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American aerobatic pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 11, 1951 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Louis |