Pearl Laska Chamberlain
Pearl L. Chamberlain | |
---|---|
Pearl Laska Chamberlain, WASP trainee | |
Born |
Chestnut Mountain, Summers County, West Virginia | April 29, 1909
Died | November 22, 2012 103)[1] | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Pilot |
Pearl Laska Chamberlain (née Bragg, April 29, 1909 - November 22, 2012) learned to fly in a Kinner Fleet bi-plane in 1933 and held a pilot’s certificate until she was 97.[2] Prior to World War II, the federal government established the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a back-door method to train pilots for military service.
She was a W.A.S.P. (Women Airforce Service Pilots) trainee during the war and was honorably discharged.[3] In 1945, following her dream to be a full-time pilot, Pearl moved to Nome, Alaska and worked as a flight instructor and bush pilot.[4] The next year she became the first woman to solo a single-engine airplane (a 1939 Piper J-4) up the Alaska Highway.[5] The FAA recognized her achievements as a pioneer Alaska aviator in 2006.[6] Scorning the belief that Alaska Natives (Inuit, etc.) were unable to learn flying, she taught many, including Holger Jorgensen, who became the first Native hired as a pilot by a scheduled air line.[7]
In 2007 she received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.[8]
References
- ↑ "Lelia Pearl Bragg Laska CHAMBERLAIN Obituary: View Lelia CHAMBERLAIN's Obituary by The Tennessean". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
- ↑ Women Pilots Of Alaska: 37 Interviews And Profiles - Sandi Sumner - Google Books. Books.google.com. 2005-01-31. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ↑ "Digital Collections : Item Viewer". Twudigital.cdmhost.com. 2004-10-02. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ↑ "Pearl Laska Chamberlain". Jukebox.uaf.edu. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ↑ "Pearl Laska Chamberlain". Lewislaska.com. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ↑ "Alaska Briefs - Alaska Journal of Commerce - February Issue 1 2005 - Anchorage, AK". Alaskajournal.com. 2005-02-20. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ↑ Pilot Infonews biography
- ↑ SunStar Media. "The Ninety-Nines, Inc. | About the Organization | Awards | Past Award Winners". Ninety-nines.org. Retrieved 2012-11-29.