Pioneer Lady of Flight Hazel Jane Raines: A Biography in Letters Book

Hazel Jane Raines's passion for flying led to her placement in the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame for her contribution in peace and in war as Georgia's Pioneer Lady of Flight. Her career in aviation is documented in a series of letters written to her mother from 1942 until her death in 1956. These letters are filled with humor, courage, observations on the war in England, and conversations with notable people such as Jacqueline Cochran, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lady Astor. Born in 1916, Hazel Raines barnstormed with the local air shows in the 1930s and was recognized as one of the South's outstanding flyers. In 1942, she was chosen by Jacqueline Cochran as one of twenty-five American women to ferry planes with the Air Transport Auxiliary in England. These pilots flew through ballon barrages without ammunition or radio, delivering planes to factories for repair and to RAF Squadrons. Hazel Raines's wartime experiences in England included a Christmas visit with Lady Astor at her Cliveden Estate, and crashing a Spitfire through the roof of an English house. After returning to the United States, Raines joined the WASPs, organized in 1943 by her friend and mentor, Jackie Cochran. Raines tested and delivered planes to American pilots and towed targets in a B-26 so that fledgling gunnery students could practice shooting. During the Korean Crisis, Hazel was the first female reserve pilot to be called to active duty. She returned to England in 1954 as WAF Advisor for the Third Air Force. She is credited with 6,400 flying hours in 44 types of airplanes. From 1938 to 1944, she flew Taylorcrafts, Tiger Mothers, Hurricanes, Spitfires, BT 13a, and AT 11s, a remarkable feat.