Margaret Ringenberg

Margaret Ringenberg (née Ray; June 17, 1921 – July 28, 2008) was an American aviator, who had logged more than 40,000 hours of flying time during her career.

Career and accomplishments

Ringenberg became interested in flying as an eight-year-old when she saw a barnstormer land in a field near her family's farm. She trained at a flight training school and had her first solo flight in 1941 as a 19-year-old.

In 1999, she received the NAA Elder Statesman in Aviation Award in a presentation ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Margaret Ringenberg was married to banker Morris Ringenberg in 1946.

Books Tom Brokaw devoted a chapter to Margaret Ringenberg in his book The Greatest Generation.

Ringenberg's autobiography Girls Can’t Be Pilots, written with Jane L. Roth was published by Daedalus Press in 1998 . It was illustrated with several photos from her career both as a WASP and as an air racer. In addition to her autobiography, Ringenberg's daughter, Marsha Wright, wrote a biography of her mother in 2007 called Maggie Ray: World War II Air Force Pilot .

Death Ringenberg died in her sleep of natural causes on July 28, 2008, while attending the Experimental Aircraft Association annual airshow. She was representing the WASPs.