Lorraine Rodgers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorraine Rodgers
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Lorraine Rodgers in 2009
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Lorraine Zillner
September 11, 1920 Park Ridge, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | July 3, 2018 (aged 97) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) | George Franklin Rodgers |
| Aviation career | |
| Air force | Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron |
| Rank | 1Lt |
Lorraine Zillner Rodgers (born September 11, 1920 – died July 3, 2018) was a brave American pilot. She was part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II. These women helped the U.S. Army Air Forces by flying planes across the country.
Early Life and Flying Dreams
Lorraine Zillner was born in Park Ridge, Illinois. She later went to the University of Illinois. After college, she started working at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Chicago. This company built many airplanes.
Lorraine loved airplanes from a young age. She spent her free time watching the large C-54 Skymaster planes being built. One day, a test pilot took her for a ride in one of these planes. This experience made her want to fly even more. She began taking flying lessons on weekends in a small Piper J-3 Cub plane.
Becoming a WASP Pilot
When the United States joined World War II, many male pilots were needed for combat. To help, the WASP program was created. This program allowed women to fly planes for the military within the U.S. Lorraine heard that women with pilot licenses could join this new program.
Even though she did not yet have her pilot's license, Lorraine applied. She had only eight hours of flight time, but 35 hours were usually needed. Still, she was accepted into the training program. Two weeks later, she received a telegram from the Department of the Army.
WASP Training and Service
Lorraine began her six months of training in September 1943. She learned in classrooms and practiced flying at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. She worked very hard and graduated in February 1944.
After graduating, Lorraine was sent to the 5th Ferrying Group at Dallas Love Field. Her job was to fly military planes from factories to airbases. This freed up male pilots for fighting overseas. On December 20, 1944, the WASP program ended. Lorraine received an honorable discharge for her service.
Later Life
After the war, Lorraine returned to Illinois. She started working at Naval Air Station Glenview. There, she met George Franklin Rodgers, who was also a naval aviator. They fell in love and were married for 33 years.
After her husband passed away, Lorraine moved to Alexandria, Virginia. She lived there until she died at the age of 97 on July 3, 2018. Her life story was even featured in Season 4 of the TV show Legends of Airpower.
