# Hazel Jane Raines

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American aviator

Hazel Jane Raines Born (1916-04-21)April 21, 1916 Waynesboro, Georgia Died September 4, 1956(1956-09-04) (aged 40) London, England Resting place Riverside Cemetery, Macon, Georgia 32°51′05″N 83°38′17″W / 32.85128°N 83.63813°W / 32.85128; -83.63813 Education Wesleyan College Known for First Georgia woman to earn a pilot's license

**Hazel Jane Raines** (April 21, 1916 – September 4, 1956) was an American pioneer aviator and flight instructor with the [Civilian Pilot Training Program](/source/Civilian_Pilot_Training_Program). During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), she was part of the first group of United States women to fly military aircraft, which they did in a war zone for the civilian British [Air Transport Auxiliary](/source/Air_Transport_Auxiliary). She was later a member of the civilian contract labor [Women Airforce Service Pilots](/source/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots). After the war, she taught instrument training in Brazil. When President [Harry S. Truman](/source/Harry_S._Truman) authorized the integration of women into the military, she served with the [Women's Air Force](/source/Women's_Air_Force) and was based in Texas, Alabama, and finally London until her death. Raines was the first woman in Georgia to earn a pilot's license, and has been inducted into both the [Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Aviation_Hall_of_Fame) and the [Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement).

## Early life

She was born in [Waynesboro, Georgia](/source/Waynesboro%2C_Georgia), on April 21, 1916, to Frank and Bessie Raines, into a family that already included sisters Frankie and Martha. Raines pursued her dreams of flying in spite of being born with an unspecified heart condition and chronic [asthma](/source/Asthma).[1] She graduated in 1936 from [Wesleyan College](/source/Wesleyan_College), a liberal arts school founded a century earlier as the Georgia Female Institute.[2] What is known about her early training and experience is gleaned from the 1996 biography *Hazel Jane Raines: Pioneer Lady of Flight* written by her niece Regina Trice Hawkins, through her access to personal letters inherited by the family upon the 1971 death of Bessie Raines. She took her first aviator lessons at [Herbert Smart Airport](/source/Herbert_Smart_Airport) in Macon.[3] When she earned her pilot's license in 1938, it earned her the distinction of being the first woman in Georgia to do so. Thereafter, she worked as a stunt pilot at local aviation shows.[4]

## World War II

### Civilian Pilot Training Program

As conditions led up to [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the United States joined European nations in strengthening its armed forces, which included the training of civilians for participation in the country's defense. The experimental [Civilian Pilot Training Program](/source/Civilian_Pilot_Training_Program) (CPTP) had been operating since 1938, when President [Franklin D. Roosevelt](/source/Franklin_D._Roosevelt) signed the Civilian Pilot Training Act on June 27, 1939. The legislation contained a key provision from Illinois congressman [Everett Dirksen](/source/Everett_Dirksen), "none of the benefits of training or programs shall be denied on account of race, creed, or color",[5] and opened the doors to people who would not otherwise have been eligible in the segregated armed forces that existed at that time. The "redtails" of the [Tuskegee Airmen](/source/Tuskegee_Airmen) were a direct result of that program.[5] And for the first time, women were being trained as pilots in large numbers. Within its first year, the program qualified 2,500 women as pilots. By the time it ended in 1944, 435,000 men and women had qualified as pilots at 1,460 flight schools, and 1,132 colleges and universities.[6]

Receiving her flight instructor's rating in 1941, Raines became an instructor with the CPTP program in Georgia and Florida in 1942. Besides being an instructor, Raines held a commercial pilot's license, had a documented 1,300 hours of flying time, and was a member of the [Ninety-Nines](/source/Ninety-Nines), the [Macon Aero Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macon_Aero_Club&action=edit&redlink=1) and the [National Aeronautical Association](/source/National_Aeronautical_Association).[7]

### British Air Transport Auxiliary

Pioneering American aviator [Jacqueline Cochran](/source/Jacqueline_Cochran) was at that time involved with recruiting women for the British [Air Transport Auxiliary](/source/Air_Transport_Auxiliary) (ATA) Ferry Pool Service, 14 individual pools of pilots in England and Scotland who were civilian contract employees to the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force).[8][9] The [escort fighter](/source/Escort_fighter) aircraft used to accompany bombing raids over Germany were transported from one air base or squadron to another by the ATA. They employed both men and women, with the latter being 16% of the force. Requirements for both men and women were similar but had some key differences. Women pilots were accepted at a slightly younger minimum age, had an education requirement of completing high school, and needed two letters of reference. The male pilots had no education or reference stipulations for their service.[10][7]

If only you knew how happy I am when I fly a plane! I never feel so completely close to God as when I'm up in the blue. So if you ever get a message that I’ve been in a crackup and have been killed, don't grieve for me more than you can possibly help; just know I died the way I wanted to.

— Hazel Raines, letter to her mother.[11]

Even though Raines modestly joked about being "a two bit flight instructor" for the CPTP,[12] Cochran was sufficiently impressed with her credentials in 1942 to schedule an interview in New York, that resulted in Raines being accepted into the Ferry Pool Service.[13] Training commenced at [White Waltham Airfield](/source/White_Waltham_Airfield), during which each pilot was each given a set of Ferry Pilots’ Notes on index cards, instructions on how to fly any plane they were assigned to, whether or not they had prior experience or knowledge of any particular plane.[14] Raines and the 24 other female American flyers working for the Ferry Pool Service during that period established themselves in aviation history as the first women from the United States to fly military aircraft, and they did it in a [theater of war](/source/Theater_(warfare)). To fly undetected by enemy radar, they used no navigational instruments, made no radio contact while flying, and had no ammunition for defense if the enemy spotted them.[15]

During her service with the ATA, Raines flew numerous types of British escorts, including the [Hawker Hurricane](/source/Hawker_Hurricane), the [Supermarine Spitfire](/source/Supermarine_Spitfire), and the [de Havilland Tiger Moth](/source/De_Havilland_Tiger_Moth).[16] She survived a March 2, 1943 crash landing at [Collingbourne Kingston](/source/Collingbourne_Kingston) when her Spitfire's engine malfunctioned, landing atop an English cottage.[11] Although the cottage was severely damaged, there were no casualties. The Spitfire lost its wings, Raines managed to pull herself out of the plane and followed the ATA instructions on securing the aircraft, commanding "London – guard that plane!",[17] before being transported to a medical facility. Her head and eye injuries were severe enough for a mandatory medical leave from flying.[18] She resumed her duties in June, flying [Airspeed Oxford](/source/Airspeed_Oxford) and [Fairchild 24](/source/Fairchild_24) planes, but was unable to wear a helmet due to ongoing issues with her injuries. Raines left the ATA with the rank of captain, and returned to the United States in August.[19]

### Women Airforce Service Pilots

The [United States Army Air Forces](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Forces) had begun to use women pilots as civilian contract labor in 1942. When Cochran returned to the US, she headed the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). Aviator [Nancy Harkness Love](/source/Nancy_Harkness_Love) was named head of the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS).[20] The two groups were combined under the directorship of Cochran in 1943 to form the [Women Airforce Service Pilots](/source/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots) (WASP), with training at [Avenger Field](/source/Avenger_Field) in [Sweetwater, Texas](/source/Sweetwater%2C_Texas).[21]

I am convinced, that if you girls hadn't gone to England, and were not doing the grand job that you are, that this [wasp] program would never have gotten started

— Jacqueline Cochran to Hazel Raines and colleagues, May 20, 1943[22]

Prior to her return to the United States, Raines and some of the other women pilots had received a letter from Cochran crediting them with laying the groundwork for the creation of the WASPs.[22][23] In November, Raines joined the WASPs and was made squadron commander at Avenger Field, completing her training ahead of schedule after learning to fly the [Martin B-26 Marauder](/source/Martin_B-26_Marauder). Her next duty stations were as squadron commander at [Pecos Army Air Field](/source/Pecos_Army_Air_Field) in Texas, and [Kingman Army Airfield](/source/Kingman_Airport_(Arizona)) in Arizona.[24]

Both Cochran and Love lobbied for the WASPs to be fully militarized as a branch of the armed services, thereby giving the women not only recognition for their services, but also the same government benefits as the men. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and the WASP program ended on December 20, 1944.[25][26]

## Final years

Plaque of Raines at the [Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Aviation_Hall_of_Fame)

Raines found herself at loose ends after the WASP deactivation, despite having logged 6,400 flying hours in her career. She was unemployed with no health care or retirements benefits to sustain her, and her heart condition was deteriorating. She spent a year teaching at the Air Ministry of Brazil in [São Paulo](/source/S%C3%A3o_Paulo_(state)), where she used the [Link Trainer](/source/Link_Trainer), a type of flight simulator, for pilot instrument training.[27]

In the United States, she was respected for her accomplishments and was invited as either a speaker or honored guest at conferences and public events.[28] Nevertheless, she wanted to have an active part in aviation. When President [Harry S. Truman](/source/Harry_S._Truman) signed the [Women's Armed Services Integration Act](/source/Women's_Armed_Services_Integration_Act) of 1948, women were accepted as part of the US military, albeit limited to 2% of the forces.[29] In 1949, Raines was commissioned in the [Women's Air Force](/source/Women's_Air_Force) (WAFs) as a [Second lieutenant](/source/Second_lieutenant) with the reserves unit at [Lackland Air Force Base](/source/Lackland_Air_Force_Base) in [San Antonio](/source/San_Antonio), Texas. Through determination and nonstop efforts to be recognized, Raines was finally returned to active status in 1950 and stationed at [Maxwell Air Force Base](/source/Maxwell_Air_Force_Base) in Alabama.[28]

Raines served in administrative capacities before being transferred to [London](/source/London), from where she was dispatched to several European locations. Health issues began to surface in 1956, and she was hospitalized in [Wiesbaden](/source/Wiesbaden) and London. She died in London on September 4, and her remains were shipped back to Georgia for burial in [Riverside Cemetery](/source/Riverside_Cemetery_(Macon%2C_Georgia)).[30][31]

Raines was inducted into the inaugural class of the [Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Aviation_Hall_of_Fame) in 1989 as "Georgia's First Lady in Flight",[32] and into the [Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement) in 1995.[4]

## Citations

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 261

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Huff, Christopher Allen. ["Wesleyan College"](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/education/wesleyan-college). *New Georgia Encyclopedia*. University of Georgia Press. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 260–261, 274–275

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Saba_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Saba_4-1) Saba, Natalie D. (September 20, 2004). ["Hazel Raines (1916–1956)"](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/hazel-raines-1916-1956). *New Georgia Encyclopedia*. University of Georgia Press. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NMAF_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NMAF_5-1) ["Civilian Pilot Training Program"](https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196137/civilian-pilot-training-program/). *National Museum of the US Air Force*. US Air Force. May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Kraus, Theresa L. ["The CAA Helps America Prepare for World War II"](https://www.faa.gov/about/history/milestones/media/The_CAA_Helps_America_Prepare_for_World_WarII.pdf) (PDF). *Federal Aviation Administration*. FAA.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-C263265_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-C263265_7-1) [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 263–265

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 266

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Jacqueline Cochran and the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190111065452/https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/jacqueline_cochran.html). *Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home*. National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from [the original](https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/jacqueline_cochran.html) on January 11, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Schrader_10-0)** Schrader, Helena P. (April 6, 2006). ["Winged Auxiliaries: Women Pilots in the UK and US during World War Two"](https://web.archive.org/web/20211208121206/http://helena-schrader.com/womenpilots.html#INTRODUCTION:_A_BRIEF_HISTORY_OF_THE_ATA). *The Journal of Navigation*. **59** (2). The Royal Institute of Navigation: 187–199. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0373463306003651](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0373463306003651). Archived from [the original](http://helena-schrader.com/womenpilots.html#INTRODUCTION:_A_BRIEF_HISTORY_OF_THE_ATA) on December 8, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GAhumanities_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GAhumanities_11-1) Hutton, Allison. ["Hazel Raines paved the way for generations of female pilots"](https://www.georgiahumanities.org/2017/04/13/hazel-raines-paved-the-way-for-generations-of-female-pilots/). *Georgia Humanities*. Georgia Humanities Council. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 265

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Hazel Jane Raines"](http://www.airtransportaux.com/members/raines.html). *British Air Transport Auxiliary*. Retrieved May 3, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 265–266

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 265, 267

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 267

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 268

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 267–268

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 269

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** [Rickman 2008](#CITEREFRickman2008), pp. 80–82

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** [Rickman 2008](#CITEREFRickman2008), pp. 131–132

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-H270278_22-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-H270278_22-1) [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 270, 278

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** [Rickman 2008](#CITEREFRickman2008), p. 132

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 270–271

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 271

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** [Rickman 2008](#CITEREFRickman2008), pp. 197–204

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), pp. 272–273

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-H273_28-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-H273_28-1) [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 273

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** [Stiehm 1989](#CITEREFStiehm1989), p. 109

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** [Hudson 2014](#CITEREFHudson2014), p. 274

1. **[^](#cite_ref-riverside_31-0)** ["Interment: Hazel J Raines"](http://genealogy.riversidecemetery.com/genealogy/interment?InterID=11630). *Riverside Cemetery*. Retrieved May 3, 2017. Lot Designation: Block 1, Section C, Lot 7. (Includes obituary & photo of grave).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** ["Hazel Jane Raines"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170601233203/http://www.gaaviationhalloffame.com/Hall-of-Fame.48.0.html?avid=79). *Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame*. Archived from [the original](http://www.gaaviationhalloffame.com/Hall-of-Fame.48.0.html?avid=79) on June 1, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.

## References

- Hudson, Paul Stephen (2014). "Hazel Jane Raines (1916–1956): Georgia's First Woman Pilot and her "Band of Sisters" during World War II". In Chirhart, Ann Short; Clark, Kathleen Ann (eds.). [*Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times Volume 2*](https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1216175). University of Georgia Press. pp. 260–280. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8203-4700-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8203-4700-4) – via [Project MUSE](/source/Project_MUSE).

- Rickman, Sarah Byrn (2008). "Two Women Pilot Groups". [*Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II*](https://muse.jhu.edu/book/5466). University of North Texas Press. pp. 80–90. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-57441-375-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57441-375-5) – via [Project MUSE](/source/Project_MUSE).

- [Stiehm, Judith](/source/Judith_Stiehm) (1989). [*Arms And The Enlisted Woman*](https://muse.jhu.edu/book/9863). Temple Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4399-0478-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4399-0478-7) – via [Project MUSE](/source/Project_MUSE).

## Further reading

- Hawkins, Regina (1996). *Hazel Jane Raines : Pioneer Lady of Flight*. Macon, GA: [Mercer University Press](/source/Mercer_University_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-86554-532-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-86554-532-8).

- Merryman, Molly (1998). [*Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS) of World War II*](https://muse.jhu.edu/book/10722). NYU Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8147-5970-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8147-5970-7) – via [Project MUSE](/source/Project_MUSE).

- Schrader, Helena Page (2006). *Sisters in Arms: The Women Who Flew in World War II*. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword Aviation. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-84415-388-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84415-388-6).

## External links

- [Hazel Jane Raines](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55983446) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave)

- [The WASP Archive at Texas Women's University](https://web.archive.org/web/20130512055945/http://www.twu.edu/library/wasp.asp)

v t e Georgia Women of Achievement 1990s 1992 Martha Berry Lucy Craft Laney Juliette Gordon Low Flannery O'Connor 1993 Dicksie Bradley Bandy Mary Musgrove Cassandra Pickett Durham Viola Ross Napier Ma Rainey 1994 Julia Flisch Carson McCullers Margaret Mitchell Ruth Hartley Mosley Emily Harvie Thomas Tubman 1995 Selena Sloan Butler Anna Colquitt Hunter Hazel Jane Raines 1996 Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson Nellie Peters Black Ellen Craft Corra Harris Lugenia Burns Hope 1997 Rebecca Latimer Felton Mary Ann Harris Gay Nancy Hart Lucy Barrow McIntire 1998 Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Julia Collier Harris Rhoda Kaufman Carrie Steele Logan 1999 Moina Michael Lillian Smith 2000s 2000 Sallie Ellis Davis Laura Askew Haygood Ellen Axson Wilson 2001 Julia L. Coleman Catherine Evans Whitener 2002 Wessie Gertrude Connell Lula Dobbs McEachern Alice Harrell Strickland 2003 Madeleine Kiker Anthony Helena Maud Brown Cobb Julia Lester Dillon Leila Ross Wilburn 2004 Mathilda Beasley Louise Frederick Hays Helen Dortch Longstreet Sarah McLendon Murphy Emily Barnelia Woodward 2005 Alice Woodby McKane Nina Anderson Pape Jeannette Rankin 2006 Eliza Frances Andrews Grace Towns Hamilton Sarah Porter Hillhouse 2007 Margaret O. Bynum Edith Lenora Foster Helen Douglas Mankin Sara Branham Matthews 2008 Elfrida De Renne Barrow Amilee Chastain Graves Susan Dowdell Myrick 2009 Caroline Pafford Miller Jane Hurt Yarn Harriet Powers 2010s 2010 Mary Ann Lipscomb Celestine Sibley Madrid Williams 2011 Lillian Gordy Carter Mary Francis Hill Coley May duBignon Stiles Howard 2012 Sarah Randolph Bailey Beulah Rucker Oliver Ethel Harpst 2013 Lollie Belle Wylie Mary Gregory Jewett Henrietta Stanley Dull 2014 Rebecca Stiles Taylor Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas Bazoline Estelle Usher 2015 Allie Carroll Hart Frances Freeborn Pauley Nell Kendall Hodgson Woodruff 2016 Sarah Harper Heard Ellamae Ellis League Katie Hall Underwood 2017 Carolyn Mackenzie Carter Clermont Huger Lee Lucile Nix 2018 Ludie Clay Andrews Susie Baker King Taylor Mamie George S. Williams 2019 Leila Denmark Mary Dorothy Lyndon 2020s 2020 Clarice Cross Bagwell Katharine DuPre Lumpkin Juanita Marsh Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright 2021 Ruby M. Anderson Mary G. Bryan Laura Pope Forester Allie Murray Smith 2022 Lizzie Lurline Collier Josephine Fields Sanders Hedy West Josephine Wilkins 2023 Phyllis Jenkins Barrow Alice Coachman Luck Flanders Gambrell Dorothy Rogers Tilly 2024 Beatrice Hirsch Haas Adella Hunt Logan Valerie Murphey Elizabeth "Bessie" Tift 2025 Jessye Norman Alma Thomas

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hazel Jane Raines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Jane_Raines) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Jane_Raines?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.