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Thousands
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THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. —Julie Clark wasn’ t the flashiest pilot in the sky
Saturday. Her plane wasn’ t the loudest or the fastest. Her tricks weren’ t the
most daring. But as tens of thousands of people watched her glide across the
clear blue expanse, colored smoke streaming behind her, Clark hoped she had
done one thing: inspire a young girl to become a pilot.
Forty years after Clark learned to fly, female pilots are
still considered unusual. Clark, in fact, was the only woman piloting a plane
in Saturday’s Oregon International Air Show. The 23rd annual event continued
Sunday with Clark and 19 other aerobatic acts, including wing walkers, jet
teams and a flying tenor. Air show leaders aren’ t sure yet how many people
have attended this weekend, but the show has averaged 75,000 spectators in
previous years.
The show is so grand — th undering noise, imposing
machines, death-defying tricks — that dreams of ever manning your own plane can
seem out of reach. More than one act ended Saturday with an announcer’ s
warning, “Don’t try this at home.”
But Clark says it isn’ t impossible.
“I always tell kids, if you’re creative, it can happen,”
she said.
Clark knew she wanted to be a pilot by the time she was 8,
when her father — commercial pilot Ernie Clark — sneaked her into the cockpit.
A few years later, in 1964, when a passenger killed her father as he flew an
F-27 carrying 44 passengers and crew, Clark decided to become a pilot no
matter what. She would honor her father with her own career.
She was orphaned, broke and a teenager. But by 19, she
had pulled together enough money to take flying lessons. First, she used her
college textbook money. Then she earned paychecks by restoring old books and
competing in water-skiing competitions. That took care of flying lessons, but
securing a job was another battle in the 1970s.
“Nobody wanted to be the one to hire that first woman,”
she said.
But in 1977, Howard Hughes’ airline, Hughes Airwest, hired
Clark to be the company’s second female pilot. Her managers made her cut
her hair short, like a man’s, to prevent distractions. She was newly married
and reluctant to defeminize herself. But flying was her dream.
A few years later, she broke new ground when she bought
and restored a military T-34 and began performing with it in air shows.
Though she has flown all over the world, Saturday was her
first appearance in Oregon. She rarely flew upside down. Her T-34 is heavier
than others in the show and lacks the inverted fuel and oil systems that make
such tricks possible. But restrictions such as those mean nothing to Clark.
They’re just obstacles to overcome.
So she flew as precisely as possible, executing
hammerheads and vertical lines before twisting into Cuban 8s.
Hundreds of feet below her, spectators stood and clapped.
They snapped photographs as she flew through more fireworks. Clark waved a flag
from the plane, and the crowd settled in to wait for the next act. Little girls
rushed to Clark’s tent, where she was signing autographs.
Recently added to the "Employees" pages
Jerry Butler Ed Maymo, Shirley Rogers, Donna Tanfani, Judy Baker, Steve Day, Jim Jones, Joe Buckley, Richard Jeppesen, Ray O"Neal, Sharon Walsh, Morgan Godare, Cheryl (Jacobson) Towey, Ed Riderich, Denise Martino Pinson,
K. Keim, Jim & Janine (Junk) Moyle, ,
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This Website
is dedicated to the 3000+ men and women that made Hughes
Airwest one of the leading "regional" airlines in
the United States during the 1970's prior
to the airline industry being deregulated by the federal government.
The
Summa Corporation first announced their plans in 1979 to
sell Hughes Airwest. In the fall of 1980, the assets were
acquired by Republic Airlines. Northwest Airlines
then purchased Republic Airlines in 1986. THE
REST, AS THEY SAY, IS HISTORY!
"Hughes
Airwest - The Movie"
has been an overwhelming
success and we appreciate
all of you that have sent
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