"Teaching had always been a woman's profession and so consequently there wasn't that much objection, and the men wanted to go to combat anyway." (Audio Interview, 15:21)

Ethel Meyer Finley

Ethel Meyer Finley in uniform [1943] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) Service Location: Winona, Minnesota; Sweetwater, Randolph Air Force Base (AFB), and Love Field, Dallas, Texas; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; Shaw AFB, South Carolina Place of Birth: Lake City, MN

Minnesota-born Ethel Meyer Finley began her flying career while at Winona Teachers’ College in September 1940, when she was accepted into the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Aviation pioneer Max Conrad offered her a job operating a link trainer, the forerunner to the simulator of today, which allowed pilots to establish aircraft instrument proficiency without leaving the ground. In December 1942, she was invited to join the WASP and was part of the fifth class to be trained in Sweetwater, Texas. She eventually flew as co-pilot transporting generals and other non-flying personnel, test-piloted planes after they were repaired, and taught pilots as part of a squadron of male instructors. In 21 months of active service, Finley logged a total of 1074 hours in the air. (NOTE: The transcript in this collection is from a 1998 interview with the veteran; the digitized interview was conducted in 2004.)