The 33rd annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) conference, held March 17 to 19 in Nashville, Tennessee, concluded on Saturday with a dinner banquet honoring the WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees. Since the previous conference was held virtually due to the pandemic, this year's inductees ceremony also recognized pioneers in aviation and aerospace from 2021.
Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees for 2022 are hometown hero and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) aviator Cornelia Clark Fort, U.S. Navy Capt. Rosemary Bryant Mariner, and U.S. Air Force Col. Peggy Phillips.
Clark Fort earned her instructor rating in March 1941, becoming Nashville's first female flight instructor and the only one in Tennessee at that time. A few months later, while conducting a civilian training flight near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, Clark Fort was the first U.S. pilot to encounter the Japanese air fleet during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She and her student narrowly escaped a midair collision with the Japanese aircraft. The following year, she became the second member of what was to become the WASP. On March 21, 1943, she became the first female pilot in American history to die on active duty.
Bryant Mariner, also honored posthumously, earned her private pilot certificate at 17 and became the first woman admitted to the Purdue University Professional Pilot program. After graduation, she was selected in the first group of eight women to train as naval aviators in 1973. Bryant Mariner received her Navy wings of gold in June 1974 and became the first military woman to qualify in a tactical jet aircraft, the A-4 Skyhawk, in 1975. The following year, she notched one of her many firsts over her flying career: becoming the first female naval aviator to fly the A-7E Corsair II. Bryant Mariner also was the first Navy woman to fly the vintage F-86, the first woman aviator to qualify as a surface warfare officer, and the first military woman to command an operational aviation squadron.
Phillips was the first woman selected by the 702nd Military Airlift Squadron to attend undergraduate pilot training. She later became the first female C-17 squadron commander and was promoted to the rank of colonel. She was the first female reserve pilot to serve as director of mobility forces supporting the Katrina Operation. After serving for 30 years as an Air Force Reserve officer, Phillips retired from military service in 2010. She is a charter member of Women Military Aviators and a WAI Lifetime member.
Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees for 2021 included Joan Robinson-Berry, retired Boeing Global Services senior v-p and chief engineer; Maj. Gen. Carol Timmons (retired), lifetime WAI member and the first woman to lead the Delaware National Guard; and the U.S. Marine Corps first class of women aviators—Lt. Col. Sarah "Dimes" Deal, Lt. Col. Traci "Powder" Hoffman, Capt. Susan "Xena" Jenkins, Maj. Melinda "Tink" Rizer Gould, Col. Alison "Rocky" Thompson, Maj. Donna "Gidget" Hesterman, Col. Karen Fuller "Stump" Brannen, Capt. Jeanne "Xena" Woodfin, Maj. Keri "NAG" Berman, and Maj. Christine "Mulan" Westrich.
A separate reception was also hosted during WAI2022 to celebrate 1995 Pioneer Hall of Fame member Wally Funk, who was recognized as the recipient of the 2021 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Trophy.
The 33rd annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) conference concluded on March 19 with a banquet honoring the WAI Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees. Since the previous conference was held virtually due to the pandemic, the ceremony also recognized the 2021 honorees.
Pioneer Hall of Fame inductees for 2022 are hometown hero and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) aviator Cornelia Clark Fort, U.S. Navy Capt. Rosemary Bryant Mariner, and U.S. Air Force Col. Peggy Phillips.
In 1941 Clark Fort became Nashville's first female flight instructor. A few months later, while conducting a civilian training flight near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, Clark Fort was the first U.S. pilot to encounter the Japanese air fleet during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She and her student narrowly escaped a midair collision with Japanese aircraft. The following year, she became the second member of what was to become the WASP. On March 21, 1943, she became the first U.S. female pilot to die on active duty.
Bryant Mariner, also honored posthumously, earned her private pilot certificate at 17 and became the first woman admitted to the Purdue University Professional Pilot program. After graduation, she was selected in the first group of women to train as naval aviators in 1973. Bryant Mariner received her Navy wings of gold in June 1974 and became the first military woman to qualify in a tactical jet, the A-4 Skyhawk, in 1975. She since notched many female firsts from flying the A-7E Corsair II to qualifying as a surface warfare officer and commanding an operational aviation squadron.
Phillips was the first woman selected by the 702nd Military Airlift Squadron to attend undergraduate pilot training. She later became the first female C-17 squadron commander and was promoted to the rank of colonel. She was the first female reserve pilot to serve as director of mobility forces supporting the Katrina Operation. Phillips retired from military service in 2010.