Tired

Yesterday was one long day.  I started off out at the airport by 8:30 am, and I got home for good at midnight.  In that, I flew with one scared wife trying to overcome her fear of flying by flying with me, then a guy who has 25 hours in a tailwheel and can't even do a takeoff properly yet, whose instructor is having me give it a try.  Followed by stalls in the Harvard with the guy from N. Indiana.  Then a Discovery Flight with a young man while his dad was also up flying.  He told me that it was life-changing for him.  He was lit up pretty good, and I have no doubt he'll start in on lessons next year, as he said he would.  Last but not least was a night cross country to Danville, Illinois, from which I got home at midnight.  Long day, and actually today I'm pretty tired.  Fortunately I only had one flight today, thanks to the fog all the way past lunch.  So that actually helped.

I saw this today in the CAF WASP newsletter, and I thought... "Huh.  She is?"  All we can come with is maybe they meant the first fully paying squad member, if she is.  I'm a WASP squadron member female pilot who flew Nella.  Last year.  It's kind of like when they did a CAF magazine on "women in the CAF" and had pictures of all the ladies who sell rides and the couple of female pilots they have in the organization--but didn't include me, who was the only female instructor and check pilot they had in the organization.  In neither case am I seeking out accolades or publicity.  But when I'm in a bad mood, it annoys me to be completely dismissed, too.  It feel like the CAF is a dismissive boyfriend taking advantage without caring if you stay or not and only going out in public with the the most attractive option while leaving the other in the wings just in case they get desperate.  I'd like to find an organization that I can help, keep the history going, keep the planes flying, keep veterans flying in it, and who will actually appreciate that I'm even there.  It's a little counter-intuitive, that I say I'm not looking for credit, but feel like leaving because I'm not getting credit.  But it's not that.  I like keeping the planes flying anyway, and if they never did a single news clip on it or pilots in it or whatever, I'd be totally fine with that. Perfectly happy. Don't need it. But being left out a few times in a row of something that I should have been a part of if they are telling a particular story, that IS annoying.  And the below is just untrue, like I didn't exist.  She's more active, flying the plane around to events, so that's great that a woman pilot is finally doing that in the WASP airplane.  I live too far away to be able to, so I'm glad she can.  I am also grateful that I had the opportunity to fly a WASP plane at Sweetwater, Texas, where the WASP learned to fly and broke ground.  I am grateful I had the experience of that history, and of being able to participate in the documentary they did.  That was a special thing to be a part of.