Ringenberg Questions&Answers Page

What is your occupation?
Wife, mother, grandmother, pilot, speaker

What is your connection to the WASP program?
In class: WASP 43 - 5

When did you start flying?
1940

How did you become involved with the WASPs program?
I received a telegram. We didn't have a phone on the farm but our closest neighbors down
the road had one. We occasionally gave their number and I had put it on my private pilot's
license application. One day they received their ring, two longs and a short. It was Western
Union with a telegram for ME saying my services were needed by my country.

Why did you decide to join the program?
I was 21-years-old and loved to fly and was thrilled to know that I was needed and could
serve my country.

Did anyone in particular inspire you to become involved? (Ex: other pilots, Amelia Earhart)
I really didn't know about other women pilots. In our country school we studied reading,
writing and math. News was not in front of us on a daily basis like it is now.

How did your family react to your involvement with the WASPS?
One day when my dad and I were riding to General Electric where we both worked, I
got up the courage to say, "I want to learn to fly." He didn't answer. I wasn't even sure if he
heard me. I was afraid to ask again, and it seemed like such a dumb thing for a girl to want to
do. Then several weeks later we were alone and I asked again. He gave me all the
information I needed. He had obviously researched the subject. He knew where I should go
and how much it would cost. Then when I got the telegram and wanted to fly for my country,
he said he couldn't go and didn't have any sons so I would have to represent the family. It
was hard on my mom because I was her baby, but she didn't object.

What do you believe is your most notable memory about your involvement
with the WASPs? Explain
I have "snapshot" pictures in my mind of so many things: receiving the telegram, the train ride
to Chicago for the interview (my first train ride!), the girls who became my friends, Sweetwater,
the airplanes, my home - the second ferrying division in Wilmington, receiving the orders
saying we were no longer needed, checking out to leave the service forever, many memories
of an exciting life.

How did you feel about the other women pilots? Did you all get along?
The girls were from all walks of life but we had our love of flying and desire to serve our country
in common. We were on the go so much that we couldn't be picky about friendships.
Whoever was on base when it was time for meals joined up and went together.

What kind of treatment did you receive from the men pilots?
At first they seemed amazed. Then we saw that some of them thought we were taking the
easy flying from them and they would be sent overseas and so they got bitter. One time I
remember sitting in the mess hall next to some guys. They were passing a large platter of fruit
around and when it was my turn, I went to take some and would then take the platter and
hold it for the next person. The guy next to me let it go and dumped the whole platter full in
my lap. He said if I could fly, I could hold my own platter. That was a very upsetting
experience for me. But I do understand why some of them were upset and fearful.

Where you still expected to "be a lady"?
Oh my ... Yes!

What particular planes did you fly?
PT 19-26, B-13, AT6, VC78, AT11 and many more. I tested new aircraft out of the factory and
took it to bases where it was needed. I got my instrument ticket on a DC3 and had 4 engine
time on C54 and B24 as co-pilot. I wasn't tall enough to be pilot.

Do you believe that the outcome of W.W.II would have been the same had the WASP program
not existed?
That is an interesting question. I know that EVERYONE was needed and had to do what
needed to be done...the farmer needed to milk the cows, the factory worker needed to do
his (or her!) thing, and planes needed to be taken to where they were needed. I was trained
for that so I did it.

Do you have any regrets about the time you served in the program?
I have no regrets about my WASP years at all. In fact, I am very, very grateful for them. It was a
door that opened for me and going through it lead me to many, many wonderful
experiences...instructing, corporate piloting, racing, and now speaking.

Would you still have been involved in the WASP program had you know the difficulties you
would face?
Certainly, I think every life experience includes some difficulties. The advantages far outweigh
any temporary disadvantages.

Was there any point at which you wanted to quit?
No.

Do you know of any of the 38 women who died as a result of the program?
Yes.

How do you feel about the Russian women's flight program?
They did a wonderful job with planes that were not as good as ours.

Do you believe that WASPs should have been involved in air combat,
like in the Russian program?
I would have been ready but the USA was not.

Do you still fly?
Yes I do. In 1992 I raced around the world. I still fly races every year. You may enjoy reading
the chapter about me in Tom Brokaw's book, The Greatest Generation. I gave him a flying
lesson last year. I also have a book out of my own, Girls Can't Be Pilots.
(Contact Margaret to purchase this book or link online at the homepage.)

Do you believe that this program helped the women's movement in any way?
I didn't think about it at the time. I wasn't trying to prove anything. I just wanted to fly and
serve my country. But people like Commander Eileen Collins, and Kelly Hamilton (flew in
Desert Storm), and Kathyrn Sullivan (first woman to walk in space) and many other military
pilots give credit to the WASPs for opening the door for them. It certainly showed many
people what women were capable of doing when given the chance.

Are you happy with the advancements that women have made in the air force and the military
in general?
Yes. I have had opportunities to talk with some of these amazing women and am thrilled with
what they are doing. I especially enjoyed talking with the women at the Air Force Academy
when I went there to speak. It is great.

How did your involvement with the WASPs impact, influence, or change you personally?
It showed me what I was capable of doing. I could never go back to life on the farm. It
spurred me to seek new horizons.

How did time as a WASP influence your choices after you returned home?
Being a WASP showed me I could do anything I wanted to if I would be determined and
patient. Eventually I became an instructor, as well as, a commercial and race pilot.

Do you control a plane the ENTIRE time you are in the air?
Yes. Auto pilot is helpful, but I am still responsible for the flight and need to watch weather
and fuel supply.

How many hours of training did you need to become a flight instructor?
The hours are not the important thing. One takes a test to show they have the knowledge of
aviation and the skills necessary to teach.

Is their anything scary about being in a plane to you?
Piloting a plane is a great responsibility but no more so than driving a car. One always needs
to be ready for the unexpected.

What is the first thing you would tell young women wanting to be pilots?
Go for it!

Who is/are your greatest heroes of aviation history?
The Wright Brothers

"The longer I fly the more fascinated I get with the whole experience.
There are never two days alike," Margaret J. Ringenberg

www.GirlsCanFly.net

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