Image: LadybirdB-29

Description: The plane selected for the demonstration tour was appropriately named "Ladybird", Army Air Forces serial number 42-6453. Just prior to departure for the tour on 27 June 1944, the crew posed for the Eglin Field Base photographer. Crew members, left to right: Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets, D. D. Moorman, Dora Dougherty, Cpl. Raymond Gallagher, Sgt. Don Duzenbury, S/Sgt. Floyd A. Lemly, Sgt. Wade H. Wolfe, Sgt. Henry Ellis. Under Jacqueline Cochran, a training program for women pilots was approved on 15 September 1942, as the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). The 23-week training program begun at Houston included 115 hours of flying time. Training soon moved to Avenger Field at Sweetwater, Texas, and increased to 30 weeks with 210 hours of flying. Trainees were between 21 (later dropped to 18) and 35 years old, and already had at least 200 hours pilot experience (later reduced to 35 hours). Their training emphasized cross country flying with less emphasis on acrobatics and with no gunnery or close formation flight training. Johnson and Strother were the only two women to fly the B-29, trained by Tibbets.
Usage Terms: Public domain