Born: 1920 (circa), United States
Died: 6 December 2022
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Catherine Vail
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
Branch of Service: WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots)
Service Unit/Ship: 5th Ferrying Division; Air Transport Command
Location of Service: Texas; California
Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
“Of course, the ideal was to stay out as long we could so we’d get more flying time.” (Video Interview, 44:04)
Catherine Vail got her first taste for flying on a teen date with a boyfriend, who had a pilot take them for a ride in a small plane. In college at Berkeley, California, she signed up for the Civilian Pilot Training Program and obtained her pilot’s license. When aviator Jacqueline Cochran began forming the group that would be come the WASP, Vail interviewed with her and was hired as her personal secretary. Cochran would make an exception for Vail and other young pilots with less than the required flying time, and Vail became a member of the second class of WASP to graduate. She flew over 1000 hours, doing ferrying work all over the U.S., while her husband, whom she married in June 1944, served as a pilot in the Pacific Theater. She admits her life’s biggest disappointment came when the WASP were deactivated in December 1944, with so much experience behind them and so much still to offer to the war effort.