Blue Skies for Fly Girls on The American Experience Online

Posted on May 26, 1999

In the midst of World War II, the call went out: women with flight experience were needed to fly for the military as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). All over the country, young women postponed their weddings, put their educations on hold, and quit their jobs to respond. From 1942 to 1944, more than a thousand women were trained to ferry aircraft, test-pilot planes, instruct male pilots, even tow targets for anti-aircraft artillery practice. They logged sixty million miles in the air, and thirty-eight died in service. The "Fly Girls" website on The American Experience Online allows visitors to learn more about the courageous women who took to the skies, explore the planes they flew, and track the changing role of women in the US military.

The "Fly Girls" site accompanies the one-hour documentary of the same name airing on The American Experience Monday, May 24 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings). The American Experience Online appears on PBS Online.

The site also contains an enhanced program transcript, extended transcripts of interviews used in the program, a teacher's guide, primary source documents, and a bibliography. The American Experience Online produces a companion website for every new television broadcast of The American Experience, with information beyond the broadcast including program schedules, teachers' guides, audience feedback and links to related sites.