Sandra Scott (pilot)

Sandra M. Scott is a former United States Air Force officer. Scott was among the first 10 women pilots in the US Air Force.[1]

First 10 Air Force female pilots. Scott is 6th from left in the white turtle neck.

Biography

Scott entered Oregon State University in 1969. In 1970, she joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, (ROTC).[2][1] After commissioning she trained at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida as a weapons controller. She then served in Tactical Air Command (TAC) at Bergstrom AFB, Texas. Her next assignment was King Salmon Long Range Radar Station, AK.

While in Alaska, she was selected for undergraduate pilot training (UPT) as part of the test program to train women jet pilots, UPT Class 77-08. The ten women's initial pilot training was in T-41 airplanes at Hondo Air Base, San Antonio, Texas and Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. They attended 49 weeks of training including 278 classroom hours, 125 physical training hours, and 210 flying hours.[2]

Upon graduation, the women pilots were limited to flying the KC-135 (a military version of the Boeing 707), C-130, C-141 and C-9 cargo/transport aircraft or the T37 and T38 trainer aircraft.[3]

Scott's first flight assignment was to Mather Air Force Base, California piloting a KC-135 Stratotanker, flying air-to-air refueling, and performing alert duty as part of Strategic Air Command (SAC).[4] Her follow on assignment in 1982 was to the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) where she was sailplane instructor and flew the UV-18 (De Havilland Twin Otter) for the USAFA parachute training program. During that time she also competed as a member of the Air Force Shooting team.[5]

In 1986 Scott transferred to the Air National Guard to fly the C-22 (a military version of the Boeing 727) and the C-21(a military version of Learjet 35) as part of the District of Columbia Air National Guard supporting Military Airlift Command (MAC).

Recognition

Scott and the other nine women members of the UPT Class 77-08 were inducted into the Women in Aviation, International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2016.[6] In 2020, the Air Education Training Command (AETC) honored these first women jet pilots by dedicating the Trailblazer Room in their honor.[7][1]

References
  1. "Trailblazers: AETC honors first women pilots in Air Force history". Joint Base San Antonio. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  2. Ricks, Chip (1979). Beyond the Clouds. Tyndale House. pp. 95–109. ISBN 978-0842301497.
  3. "Michigan Woman Reminisces About First Female Air Force Pilots". Collins Flags Blog | Flying Proud. 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  4. "Grissom salutes Women's History Month". Grissom Air Reserve Base. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  5. "Women in Combat". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  6. "UPT Class 77-08 | Women in Aviation International". www.wai.org. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  7. "Trailblazers: JBSA Martin Hall conference room to be renamed in honor of first female USAF". Vance Air Force Base. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
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