AircraftOwner Online

If anyone would have told Cindy Pilling a decade ago, that some day soon she’d be flying an airplane across country in the women’s Air Race Classic, she’d have thought that person had, well, flown the coop. “I never would have believed it,” said Piling, a pilot for just six years now and president of Women With Wings (WWW), the St. Louis Chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI). As a software engineer, Pilling certainly seemed to have the necessary aptitude to be a pilot. She was detail oriented and disciplined. But to actually fly an airplane? Well, that was a different story. It hadn’t really crossed her mind. She‘d done very well so far during her some 40 years with her feet firmly planted on the ground, thank you very much. Then out the clear blue sky, a friend suggested that she would make a good pilot. Instead of fluffing off the idea, totally -- for reasons that aren’t all together clear -- Pilling entertained the notion. She thought of her father. He was a “frustrated pilot.” Her father had to give up his dream of flying in the wake of an unfortunate accident that was a little too close for comfort. After that, his options were limited. “My grandfather (on her Mom’s side) told my dad that he could either marry my Mom or get his pilot’s license, not both,” said Pilling. “So he never got his license. But it was kind of always there when I was growing up. But, I’m glad he married my mom, of course.” So perhaps for her father, for herself -- or both, Pilling decided to give flying a try. She took flight lessons. Within a year or so, Pilling was flying. A couple years later, in 2004 -- after “life got in the way” to some degree, she had her license. She was a pilot. Ever since Pilling ventured out into the potentially-daunting world of aviation, she says everything has changed. You might say her overall quality of life, has taken flight. “Flying and being a pilot does so much for your confidence,” reflects Pilling. “It has improved my professional life, my relationships, everything really. One of the great things I learned for myself as a pilot is how to be better organized and how to have patience.” This past January, Pilling was the proud recipient of a $500 scholarship from her WWW comrades towards furthering her aviation ambitions. Pilling will put the funds towards acquiring her commercial license and her flight instructor’s license. Pilling is one of 41 members of Women with Wings -- the largest and fifth oldest (formed in 1997) chapter of WAI, which has 7,500 members in 66 chapters across the globe. Some WAI chapters recently contributed funds toward helping ensure the Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPS, of World War II had air transit to receive their Congressional Gold Medal last month in Washington, DC. “We figured it was the least we could do after what they did for our country,” said Pilling. On March 10, the WASPS were awarded the Gold Medal, Congress’ highest expression of national appreciation. More than 200 of the nearly 300 WASPS still alive today, attended the ceremony. About 1,100 civilian female pilots were recruited by the Air Force in 1942. They performed domestic duties such as testing newly-developed aircraft, and flying military planes across the country. Thirty-eight wasps were killed in the line of duty between 1942 and 1944. “All we ever asked for is that our overlooked history would some day no longer be a missing chapter in the history of World War II, in the history of the Air Force, in the history of aviation, and most especially in the history of America,” said Deanie Parrish, former WASP, who spoke at the medal ceremony on the women’s behalf. It’s chapters like Pilling’s WWW that help honor those first women military pilots and preserve a vital interest in aviation today for future generations of women flyers. Women With Wings was the first WAI chapter to engage the girl scouts in aviation education. “We tell them about aviation in general and explain to them all the different opportunities there are,” said Pilling. “We show them that you don’t have to know how to fly to be involved in aviation. There’s the tower control, weather observation and so many other things. It was awesome working with the girls and they really got a lot of it.” Pilling points to herself and shares her life’s story with different groups of girls and women in hopes of inspiring them and demonstrating that anything is possible. She adds: “And really, it’s not just about aviation, but community service as well.” By all accounts, WWW appears to be one of the more active chapters in WAI, holding several events a month. Said Pilling: “We always find something to do.“ Recently, the women held a “Support The Troops” night where members made greeting cards for the military men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. They hold scholarship dinners, and speaker nights. Astronaut Sandy Magnus recently spoke about her adventures on the space shuttle. WWW donates to causes like the Saint Louis Air Museum. Members recently took a tour of Scott Air Force Base in Bellville, Illinois -- central operations for the nation’s military aircraft. The women even have a regular movie night, offering a different flight flick each time. Those interested in joining either women With Wings or Women in Aviation International can check out their respective websites: www.womenwithwings.us and www.wai.org. Today, Pilling flies a 1978 Cessna 182 RG, of which she owns half with fellow WWW member Evelyn Rosengarten of St. Louis. In 2007, just a few years after she got her pilot’s license, Pilling competed in the women’s Air Race Classic -- formerly the “Powder Puff Derby.” Pilling and her co-pilot Rosengarten placed 29th in a field of 45 planes. The three-day race, started in Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma, and ended in St. John New Brunswick, Canada for a total of 2236.2 Nautical Miles. But Pilling’s greatest memory so far in her short flying career, is likely that fun flight down the Hudson on her way home from Canada after the race. The women were given the unusual permission to approach the State of Liberty in New York City and circle. “We circled once and they told us we could circle as long as we liked,” said Pilling, who sounded as if she were back in the pilot’s seat, hands on the controls and looking out over New York Harbor. “We stayed for 3 times around. That’s something I’ll never, ever forget.”