Patty Wagstaff | |
|---|---|
 Wagstaff at the 2004Stuart, Florida Air Show | |
| Born | Patricia Rosalie Kearns Combs (1951-09-11)September 11, 1951 (age 73) |
| Occupation | Aerobatic pilot |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Website | pattywagstaff |
Patty Wagstaff (née Patricia Rosalie Kearns Combs; born September 11, 1951)[1] is an American aviator and U.S. nationalaerobatic champion.
Wagstaff was introduced to aviation as a child; her father was a pilot forJapan Airlines. After graduating from high school in California, she moved to Australia for five years where she traveled up the west coast of Australia in a small single-engine boat with no radio. After moving to Alaska in 1978, she worked for the Bristol Bay Native Association inDillingham, Alaska where she started taking flying lessons and began her own career as a pilot. Her first flight in a small airplane in the Alaskan bush ended in a crash and that was when she decided to learn to fly. Her first lesson was in aCessna 185. After earning her single and multi-engine land, single engine sea and commercial and instrument ratings, she became a Certified Flight and Instrument Instructor. Since then Wagstaff has earned a commercial rotorcraft rating and has flown many types of aircraft. She holds type ratings in theTBM Avenger,T-28,L-39 andTucano. Her sister, Toni, is a pilot forUnited Airlines.[2]
In 1985, Wagstaff qualified for the US National Aerobatic Team and competed both nationally and internationally until 1996. She was the top U.S. medal winner, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals in international competitions for several years. In 1991, she won her first of three US National Aerobatic Championships, the first woman to win that competition.[3] She was theInternational Aerobatic Club champion in 1993. The following year, herGoodrich-sponsoredExtra 260 airplane was put on display next toAmelia Earhart'sLockheed Vega at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Air and Space Museum.[4] From 1988 to 1994, she won theBetty Skelton First Lady of Aerobatics award six times in a row. In 1996, Wagstaff was the top-scoring US pilot at theWorld Aerobatics Championship. That year, she was also the first person to win theCharlie Hillard Trophy, awarded to the highest scoring U.S. pilot at the World Aerobatic Championships.
In 1997, Wagstaff received her first Hall of Fame inductions, becoming inducted into both theArizona Aviation Hall of Fame and the International Women's Aviation Hall of Fame. She was awarded theNational Aeronautic AssociationPaul Tissandier Diploma in 1997 and won theBill Barber Award for sportsmanship in 1998. In 2001, Wagstaff began training pilots of theKenya Wildlife Service in Kenya. In 2002, she won theKatherine andMarjorie Stinson Award, and in 2004, was elected into what is arguably aviation's most prestigious hall, theNational Aviation Hall of Fame.[5] In December 2006, she was inducted into the International Council of Air Shows Foundation Hall of Fame[2] and in 2007, theInternational Air and Space Hall of Fame at theSan Diego Air and Space Museum.[6]
Based inSt. Augustine, Florida, Patty Wagstaff Aviation Safety, LLC trains pilots from all over the world in aerobatics, airmanship andupset training. She continues working in the aviation field as an airshow pilot, stunt pilot for films, consultant, flight instructor, and writer. Wagstaff is emeritus board member of the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, and was on the Presidential Advisory Committee to theCentennial of Flight Commission. She flies airshows across North America in a variety of airplanes, including anExtra 300S,T-6 Texan, and aP-51 Mustang. In addition to airshows, she has flownOV-10 Broncos as a seasonalaerial firefighter director in California. She is an instrument-rated pilot and has owned aBeechcraft Baron and aCirrus SR22 and currently flies aBeechcraft Bonanza.[7][8]
Wagstaff has been featured numerous times in Microsoft'sFlight Simulator series.[citation needed]