Looking for First Army Female WO Helo Pilot

[Legal Eagle]

Looking for the first female WORWAC pilot. She went through Rucker in early '74 I believe. Sadly, and embarrassingly, I don't recall her name. (I was her first IP.)

[Linc]

The distinction of being the Army's first female military pilot goes to 2nd Lt. Sally D. Woolfolk, who received her wings to fly UH-1 Huey helicopters on June 4, 1974.

 

Woolfolk entered the Army in January 1973, a month after receiving a master's degree in history from Kansas State College of Pittsburg, Kan. She attended an 11-week orientation course for women officers at Fort McClellan, Ala., and then went to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., for the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course.

 

Meanwhile, the Army opened its flight training program to women. She applied and was accepted.

 

After pinning on her wings, she was asked if she would recommend flight school for other women, Woolfolk said, "I definitely encourage women to apply for it, if they are interested in doing something out of the ordinary.

 

"Of course, one of the main objections to such training has been the opinion held by many that women cannot be used tactically by the service," she said in 1974. "Well, I don't want to fight wars. But I joined the Army, and if they feel that I should go, I will go."

Source

[Legal Eagle]

Woolfolk, as noted, was an RLO. She was running a few months ahead of my student, who was the first WORWAC student. I remember that both were getting a lot of press at the time, although Woolfolk, as the first (modern) female Army Aviator was much better known. Thirty some odd years ago I would have never believed that the day would come when I couldn't remember her name, but now that CRS has begun to set in ...

 

Her stick-mate was a former NCO and returned POW. I think he was the first (perhaps only) returned Army POW to go to flight school. I left Rucker, went out west and lived out of the back of a pickup truck for a while, going from one fire contract to another and lost contact. I heard she went to Germany and married another Army Aviator.

[Mac-Av]

What about the great Sandra Bebe she was a early WO pilot. I rember being station in Bad Kreuznach FRG and she was pre-flighting my Huey and I was doing the checklist thing and she squated down on the left side eng deck and her flight suit blew out the seem of her ass. Jeff Stafford (pic) and I fell out laughing on the ramp. We had a mission with the General so I think I gave her some Duct tape. She was good people and great to have in our unit. that was in the 85-87 time. I think.

 

 

Brian

[46yrsflyingF/W+R/W]

Sally Woolfolk (Murphy-Johnson-Brown) was a commisioned officer and not a Warrant Officer--Just in the last year or so I saw some news article that she had retired as a LTC. She was the roomate of my wife when they attended OCS.

 

The first Warrant Officer (female) pilot was stationed in West Germany in the the 74-76 timeframe

and yes, due to CRS syndrome, I also can not remember her name.

 

I met her at AAAA meetings at Garmisch Par-K around that time. If I remember correctly she was married to another Warrant Officer-pilot but was not stationed the same place as her "husband" since she was restricted from a "combat unit" (at the time) and her hubby was assigned up in Graff(?) near the border.

 

She seemed like a nice person, (and other IP's, SIP's I talked to said her flying skills were appropriate to her flight hour level/experience) but her husband seemed to feel the need use the NON co-located assignments as a public forum to publicly "criticize" Army Policy in "Stars and Stripes" and at AAAA meetings. HIS loud and frequent expressions of opinion placed them both and especially HER in a very negative spot light both within the Army Aviation community in particular and German/American community in general. I hope she was able to survive HIS ego, and had a good career in Army Aviation.

Fly Safe

Echomike

[helopilot2be]

I found this: The first female warrant officer aviator was Jennie A. Vallance. Here Women WO's

Chris

[Stagga22]

Woolfolk, as noted, was an RLO. She was running a few months ahead of my student, who was the first WORWAC student. I remember that both were getting a lot of press at the time, although Woolfolk, as the first (modern) female Army Aviator was much better known. Thirty some odd years ago I would have never believed that the day would come when I couldn't remember her name, but now that CRS has begun to set in ...

 

Her stick-mate was a former NCO and returned POW. I think he was the first (perhaps only) returned Army POW to go to flight school. I left Rucker, went out west and lived out of the back of a pickup truck for a while, going from one fire contract to another and lost contact. I heard she went to Germany and married another Army Aviator.

Legal Eagle are you still around. I might know who you are talking about. Sounds like my mother.

[Stagga22]

Legal Eagal are you still around? Sounds like my mother who you are talking about.