Ann Baumgarther
USA- Biography of Ann Baumgartner
- Joining the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
- Achievements and Family Life
Biography of Ann Baumgartner
Ann Baumgartner was an American aviator and the first woman pilot to fly a jet aircraft for the United States Air Force. Born on August 27, 1918, in Augusta, Georgia, Baumgartner's father served in the military in France, so her family moved to New Jersey to live with relatives. Her father was an engineer and worked on patent cases. Baumgartner developed a passion for aviation after Amelia Earhart, the first woman pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, visited her school. She would often accompany her father to Newark Airport to watch the night flights of mail planes.
After graduating from Walnut Hill High School in Natick, Massachusetts, Baumgartner attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In 1940, she completed a pre-medical program at Smith College. While working in the public relations department of Eastern Airlines, Baumgartner learned to fly at Somerset Hills Airport in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She later became the first woman pilot to fly a jet aircraft, the Bell YP-59A Airacomet.
Joining the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
In January 1943, Baumgartner joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) organization in Houston, Texas, to train as a pilot. However, she contracted measles, which delayed her training. She eventually completed her training on July 3, 1943, and was assigned to Camp Davis in North Carolina. There, she flew various aircraft, including the Douglas A-24, Lockheed B-34, and Stinson L-5. In February 1944, she was transferred to Wilbur Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio, where she tested equipment for aeromedical purposes. She also gained access to the flight test division at Wilbur Wright Field, initially working in clerical roles before becoming a full-fledged test pilot. Baumgartner was responsible for transporting high-ranking officers to other military bases.
Achievements and Family Life
On October 14, 1944, Baumgartner made her legendary flight on the Bell YP-59A Airacomet. Her career as a test pilot ended in December 1944 when the WASP program was disbanded. On May 2, 1945, she married Major William Carl, an engineer who designed the last piston-engine fighter for the U.S. Air Force, the North American F-82 Twin Mustang. The couple had two children.
Carl continued his career as an engineer, working on projects such as building wing-in-ground-effect ships for the U.S. Navy and Grumman Aerospace. Baumgartner became a flight instructor and later worked as a journalist, specializing in scientific topics. She passed away on March 20, 2008, just a month after her husband's death on February 19, 2008.
