First Chinese-American woman pilot honored

  • Published
  • 373rd Training Squadron
As Women's History Month comes to a close, we take time to recognize one more woman's contribution to aviation and the United States Air Force.

Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman aviator, was also the first Chinese-American woman to fly for the United States military. She joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots and was trained to ferry aircraft. She delivered transport aircraft, but she also flew more powerful fighters, such as the P-63 Kingcobra to their destinations. She was killed in the line of duty ferrying the P-63, the last WASP to die in service to her country.

Lee was born in Portland, Ore., in 1912. In 1932, she took her first airplane ride and fell in love with flying. At a time when less than one percent of pilots in the U.S. were women, she joined the Chinese Flying Club of Portland and took flying lessons to earn her pilot's license.

Due to Japanese aggression against western China in 1933, Lee traveled to China with the goal of flying for their air force. Despite the need for pilots, the government would not accept a woman pilot so she settled in Canton and flew for a private airline. After Japan invaded China, she escaped to Hong Kong and returned to the U.S. in 1938 where she worked for the Chinese government as a buyer of war materiels.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and America went to war, Lee joined the Women Air Force Service Pilots in 1943 -- an effort by Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Harkness Love, with support from Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold. The WASP was created in an effort to sustain the war effort and to free up military men to fight during World War II. She was accepted into the fourth class and sent to Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas to begin her six-month training class. During training, Lee was forced to make an emergency landing in a farmer's field after her aircraft developed engine problems. The farmer mistook her for a Japanese pilot and held her at "pitchfork point," believing he was being invaded. His son called the training base and let them know one of the WASP trainees had made a forced landing. She returned to the base with an experience that would become a WASP history classic.

She was assigned to the Air Transport Command's 3rd Ferrying Squadron at Romulus Army Air Base, Mich. She primarily flew trainer and liaison type aircraft until April 1944 when she was sent to instrument school as part of an upgrade program designed to prepare her for flying advanced aircraft. After completing instrument pilot school, she attended Officer Candidate School in June. She completed her training by attending Pursuit School in September 1944. Pursuit School qualified her to fly all single-engine fighter aircraft, including P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51 and P-63. She graduated on Oct. 2, 1944, and returned to the 3rd Ferrying Group to resume deliveries of aircraft. In early November, she went to the Bell Aircraft factory at Niagara Falls, N.Y., to pick up a new P-63 and fly it to Great Falls, Mont.

Various weather problems delayed her on the way to Montana and it took until Nov. 23 for her to arrive. Many other pilots encountered the same weather delays and several arrived at about the same time. One male pilot who was also flying a P-63 had a malfunctioning radio and was unable to contact the control tower for landing instructions so landing control lights were used.

Lee was cleared to land by the control tower radio operators at the same time the other pilot was cleared to land using the light system. As both planes were attempting to land on the same runway at the same time, the control tower radioed for the pilots to pull-up and go around without landing to avoid a collision. 

Unfortunately, Lee's aircraft was slightly in front of and below the other aircraft and when she pulled up and the other aircraft did not because of the faulty radio, the two planes collided and crashed onto the runway. Although she survived the crash, she sustained severe burns and trauma in the resulting fire. She was pulled from her burning aircraft by Lt. Col. Nimmo C. Thysson and rushed to the local hospital, however, her injuries were too severe and she died on Nov. 25, a month before the WASP was disbanded.

A permanent exhibit about the life of Hazel Ying Lee will open in Fall 2007 at the new Maya Linn designed Museum of Chinese in the Americas in New York. A salute to Lee and other Asian-American women who fought for their country will also take place in Winter 2007 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Lee's actions as an aviator, and more importantly as a person, helped inspire women and Asian-Americans alike to serve honorably in the United States Air Force.

(First Information compiled from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, the National Museum of the Air Force and Alan Rosenberg)