Molly Rose, was a pilot in the wartime Air Transport Auxiliary and became one of the “Spitfire Women” when she delivered 273 of the fighters from aircraft factories to RAF units.
Already a qualified pilot, she joined the ATA in September 1942, flying light aircraft such as the Tiger Moth before advancing to more powerful single-engine aircraft. As she became more experienced, she started flying the Hurricane fighter and then the Spitfire (“a thrilling moment”). For much of her service she flew from Hamble airfield, an all-female unit near Southampton.
On some days she flew three or four different types of aircraft. Before flying a new type the pilots read aircraft notes and used a detailed checklist before starting up. They flew without radios, and many airfields were camouflaged and difficult to find.
She also delivered twin-engine aircraft such as the Anson and the Hudson, before she started flying the Wellington bomber, and she mastered the Beaufighter and Mosquito, aircraft which many pilots found a handful. As the war progressed she transferred to the more advanced Spitfire variants, the Typhoon and the powerful Tempest fighter-bomber.
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