WWII P-38 Pilot Nadine Ramsey Posthumously Inducted Into Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame
Why It MattersThe 2026 class pairs wartime pioneers with business-aviation leaders such as Ed Bolen and Robert Taylor, showing how the sector's institutions are marking the transition between generations of its history.
Nadine Ramsey, a World War II pilot and one of only 26 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, was posthumously inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on Nov. 10 at WSU Tech's National Center for Aviation Training in Wichita, Kansas.
Ramsey began flying in 1936 and became the first woman in Kansas to earn a commercial pilot's license. In May 1938, she flew a mail route in Kansas as part of National Air Mail Week. According to the National WASP Museum, she also worked as a flight instructor, took part in air races and served with the Civil Air Patrol before joining the WASP program in 1943. After her initial military flight training, she attended pursuit school and qualified to fly fighter aircraft, then joined the Sixth Ferrying Group at Long Beach Army Air Field in California, where she ferried military aircraft.
After the WASP program was disbanded in December 1944, Ramsey kept flying and working in aviation. In February 1946, she bought a surplus P-38 from the government at Kingman, Arizona, for $1,250, becoming the first woman to privately own the aircraft. A Los Angeles Times article from the time documented her flying the former military aircraft from Kingman to Long Beach, California. "It's what I've been dreaming about," she told the newspaper in February 1946. She flew the twin-engine aircraft for about two and a half years before selling it because of operating and maintenance costs.
Other 2026 inductees included longtime National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen, who died the day after the ceremony following a battle with cancer; his nephew accepted the honor on his behalf. Bolen had recently retired after more than 22 years leading the organization. The class also included experimental test pilot Thomas Carr, aviation marketing executive Al Higdon, Wichita's first Black air traffic controller Harold Miller and Executive AirShare founder Robert Taylor. Aviation entrepreneur and pilot Clay Lacy received a separate lifetime achievement award.
