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Offline Asid

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WW2 Spitfire pilot Joy Lofthouse dies aged 94
« on: November 16, 2017, 05:33:39 PM »
WW2 Spitfire pilot Joy Lofthouse dies aged 94


Joy Lofthouse was one of only 164 female pilots, known as the Attagirls, who flew aircraft from factory to airfield


Veteran pilot Joy Lofthouse, who flew Spitfires and bombers for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during World War Two, has died at the age of 94.

Mrs Lofthouse joined the ATA in 1943 after spotting a notice in a magazine calling for women to learn to fly.

She was one of only 164 female pilots, known as the Attagirls, who flew aircraft from factory to airfield.

The Royal International Air Tattoo said she was an "amazing character with even more amazing stories".

The ATA was formed in 1940 when, despite some male opposition, women were allowed to fly military trainer and communications aircraft.

Mrs Lofthouse, from South Cerney in Gloucestershire, learned to fly before she learned to drive.


Joy Lofthouse was one of the first female pilots to fly a Spitfire during World War Two


Female pilots helped keep the RAF's front-line airfields equipped

In an interview last year, she said: "I saw this caption in the Aeroplane magazine that said the ATA had run out of qualified pilots and were training. So I applied and I was in."

Trained at Thame in Oxfordshire, she learnt to fly all types of single-seater aircraft but without a driving licence, she said she found "taxiing much more difficult than flying".

"We had nine days of technical training - it wasn't very technical - no navigation, just map reading," she said.

"After about 10 hours [of flying], they sent you off solo. My first solo flight I think you're only afraid if you're going to find the airfield again."


Last summer, she was guest of honour in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, where she received an ovation from the centre court crowd


In 2015, she returned to the skies, taking control of a Spitfire 70 years after last flying in one

The auxiliary suffered 156 casualties, mostly due to bad weather, but Mrs Lofthouse said when you are young "you don't think about the danger".

"It was just part of the war effort. I felt very lucky that I was allowed to do something so rewarding," she said.

In 2015, she returned to the skies, taking control of a Spitfire 70 years after last flying in one.

Last summer, she was guest of honour in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, where she received an ovation from the centre court crowd.

And last November, she and fellow ATA pilot Mary Ellis were honoured in front of members of the Royal Family at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

In all, she flew 18 different types of aeroplane across her career but the "wonderful" Spitfire remained her favourite.

"It's the nearest thing to having wings of your own and flying," she said.

Report from the BBC
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Offline Frankie

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Re: WW2 Spitfire pilot Joy Lofthouse dies aged 94
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2017, 06:11:22 PM »
What a pretty maiden during the War and what an inspiration!

Here she is at 92 flying in a (dual seater) Spitfire once again in 2016.

Her story and many others' of the World War Two Air Transport Auxiliary are told in the book "The Female Few, Spitfire Heroines" by Jacky Hyams.

Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions. The dangers these women faced were many: they flew unarmed, without radio and in some cases without instruments, in conditions where even unexpected cloud could mean disaster. In The Female Few, five of these astonishingly brave women tell their awe-inspiring tales of incredible risk, tenacity and sacrifice. Their spirit and fearlessness in the face of death still resonates down the years, and their accounts reveal a forgotten chapter in the history of the Second World War (Jacky Hyams).


Joy Lofthouse quotes

   "You didn’t know what type of plane you were going to fly that day. You’d get out of a Tiger Moth after delivery and then into a Wellington bomber. After that, you could be flying a Spitfire."
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/doing-their-bit-the-female-fighter-pilots-of-world-war-ii/

   "The weather was our biggest enemy. There were a couple of times when I thought I'd lost one of my nine lives."
   "It really was the best job to have during the war because it was exciting, and we could help the war effort. In many ways we were trailblazers for female pilots in the RAF."
  "The Spitfire is such a wonderful plane. It's the nearest thing to having wings of your own and flying."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/685661/Wimbledon-2016-video-moment-Centre-Court-honoured-pilot-Joy-Lofthouse

She was one of the Few who will be missed by many.

Cheers
Frankie Kam

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