A Wasp Among Eagles: A Woman Military Test Pilot in World War II

by Ann B. Carl

Before World War II most Americans did not believe that the average woman could fly professionally, but during the war more than a thousand women pilots proved them wrong. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), who served as military flyers on the home front. In March 1944 one of them, Ann Baumgartner, was assigned to the Fighter Flight Test Branch at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. There she would make history as the only woman to test-fly experimental planes during the war and the first woman to fly a jet.

A WASP among Eagles is the first-person story of how Baumgartner learned to fly, trained as a WASP, and became one of the earliest jet-age pioneers. Flying such planes as the Curtiss A-25 Helldiver, the Lockheed P-38, and the B-29 Superfortress, she was the first woman to participate in a host of experiments, including in-air refueling and flying the first fighter equipped with a pressurized cockpit. But in evaluating the long-awaited turbojet-powered Bell YP-59A, she set a “first” record that would remain unchallenged for ten years.

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction, Biography, World War II, Military Fiction, War

132 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Spad53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a good book. I’d never heard of Ann Carl, but when I read she flew the XP-59 Airacomet I had to read it, the XP-59 was the first US jet, and to get to fly that in 1944 was an outstanding achievement, impossible almost for a woman. She did it by being a very good pilot, and working as a test pilot at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Read the book to see how she managed that. It’s strange that she’s not as famous as Hanna Reitsch or Jacqueline Cochran. Enough hero worship for now, I’ll just also note that she is a very good author. This quote sums up her amazing wartime career:

“I had come to know the very first man in aviation, Orville Wright. I had experienced the effects of the sound barrier—the effects of compressibility—and had, also, been a pioneer into the jet age.”

[ejs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed her biography, however it was too technical for me. If you have a knowledge and interest in WWII planes, you should read this. She is a very extraordinary woman...one to be admired. This book is very matter of fact from the meeting of Orville Wright to her near death experiences.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multi-talented and brave female pioneer of the sky

Ann Baumgartner was blessed with many good fortunes, good breeding and great contacts. And she made the most of them as a sailor, journalist and legendary flyer and test pilot.
And, she was the first American woman to fly a jet.
A few years ago I got on a commercial jet from Montreal to Newark where both the pilot and co-pilot were women who flew a perfect flight. It occurs to me now that that flight didn’t strike me as even unusual, thanks to pioneers like Ann Baumgartner.
If you like airplanes, this book is worth your time.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get invested in this book. I found it very dry and told in a way that seemed distant and unengaged. There was also a lot of credit given to Jackie Cochran for the success of women pilots in the 1940s, but Nancy Love gets only one small mention despite her very successful group of.women ferry pilots.

[Michelle Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book but a little too much plane terminology for me.

[Jeanie Wallenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Baumgartner's tale of life and adventures in the WASP. From Texas to being the very first woman and one of the first anyone to fly a jet airplane (XP-59A).

[Lani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty blah book with ocassional highlights.

May be more interesting to someone with a better appreciation for aircraft history and/or WWII.

The author has certainly led a fascinating life, but the book was very dry.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read, but written by an absolutely fascinating person…

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The incredible memoir about the first female test pilot for jets and other planes that would go into official military and federal use during the war and the Jet Age.