Margaret Ringenberg
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Margaret Ringenberg (b. June 17, 1921, Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American aviator, who has logged more than 40,000 hours of flying time during her career.
[edit] Career and accomplishments
Ringenberg began her aviation career in 1943 during World War II when she became a ferry pilot with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Although WASP pilots were not allowed to fly combat missions, they served grueling, often dangerous duties, such as ferrying, test flying, and target towing. The WASP corps was disbanded at the end of 1944 and Ringenberg went on to become a flight instructor in 1945. She has flown as a commercial pilot and instructor ever since.
She raced in every Powder Puff Derby from 1957 to 1977, every Air Race Classic since 1977, the Grand Prix and the Denver Mile High and many others, garnering over 150 trophies for her accomplishments. She completed the Round-the-World Air Race in 1994 at age 72 and in March 2001 at the age of 80 she flew in a race from London to Sydney.
Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter to Margaret Ringenberg in his book The Greatest Generation. During an interview with Brokaw she said, “I started out flying because I wanted to be a stewardess—you call them flight attendants nowadays—and I thought ‘what if the pilot gets sick or needs help? I don’t know the first thing about airplanes’ and that’s where I found my challenge. I never intended to solo or be a pilot. I found it was wonderful.”
She authored her own book titled Girls Can’t Be Pilots. In 1999 she received the NAA Elder Statesman in Aviation Award in a presentation ceremony in Washington, DC.
Margaret Ringenberg is married to Morris Ringenberg, her husband of 55 years, and they have two children and five grandchildren, all of whom have flown with her in races and all have been in the winner’s circle with her to receive trophies.
