Nancy Harkness Love (February 14, 1914 – October 22, 1976), born Hannah Lincoln Harkness, was an American

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and airplane commander during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She earned her pilot's license at age 16. She worked as a test pilot and air racer in the 1930s. During World War II she convinced Colonel William H. Tunner of the U.S. Army Air Forces to look to set up a group of female pilots to ferry aircraft from factories to air bases. This proposal was eventually approved as the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. Love commanded this unit and later all ferrying operations in the newly formed

Women Airforce Service Pilots The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

. She was awarded the Air Medal for her work during the war and was appointed lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force Reserve in 1948.

Early life

Born in Houghton, Michigan on February 14, 1914, as the daughter of a wealthy physician, Harkness developed an intense interest in aviation at an early age. At 16, she took her first flight and earned her pilot's license within a month.Aldrich, Captain Nancy Welz
"Nancy Harkness Love."
''20th Century Aviation Magazine.com''. Retrieved: August 20, 2014. Although she went to all the right schools, including

Milton Academy Milton Academy (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...

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and Vassar in New York, she was restless and adventurous. In 1932, by the end of her freshman year, dubbed, "The Flying Freshman!", she earned her commercial license and received national attention. At Vassar, she earned extra money taking students for rides in an aircraft she rented from a nearby airport.

Pre-war

In 1936, Harkness married Robert M. Love, an Air Corps Reserve major. They built their own successful Boston-based aviation company, Inter City Aviation, for which Nancy was a pilot. She also flew for the Bureau of Air Commerce. Love entered air races in 1936 and 1937, competing In the National Air Races in Los Angeles and Detroit. After finishing second in the Detroit race, she stopped competing. In 1937 and 1938, Love worked as a test pilot, alongside famous air racer Frank Hawks, for the Gwinn Air Car Company, performing tests on various aircraft modifications and innovations. In one project, she served as a test pilot on the new tricycle landing gear, which subsequently became standard on most aircraft. In another project, she helped mark water towers with town names as a navigational aid for pilots. In May 1940, after

broke out in Europe, Love wrote to Lt. Col. Robert Olds, then in the Plans Division of US Air Corps Headquarters but, who a year later, would be in charge of establishing the Air Corps Ferrying Command, that she had found 49 excellent women pilots. This group called "the originals" each had more than 1,000 flying hours. She proposed that the women could help transport aircraft from factories to bases. Olds submitted a plan for integrating civilian female pilots in the Ferrying Command to Gen. Hap Arnold, commanding general of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, who turned it down after Jacqueline Cochran extracted a promise from him not to act on any proposal regarding women pilots that did not make them commissioned officers commanded by women.Stewart-Smith. Lieutenant Colonel Natalie
"1981."
''Women Airforce Service Pilots'', May 18, 1998. Retrieved: October 20, 2009.

World War II

In early 1942, her husband Robert Love was called to active duty in the Munitions Building, Washington, D. C. as the deputy chief of staff of the Ferrying Command. Love accompanied him to Washington and on March 11, took a civil service position in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

with the Operations Office of the Ferrying Command's Northeast Sector (soon redesignated 2nd Ferrying Group), Domestic Division. The Domestic Division, commanded by Col. William H. Tunner, was designated Ferrying Division,

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies a ...

(ATC) a few months later. Love piloted her own aircraft on her daily commute from the couple's home in Washington, D. C. The offices of Major Love and Col. Tunner were near each other, and during a conversation between them, her piloting skills caught the attention of Tunner, who was scouring the country for skilled pilots to deliver aircraft from factories to fields. Major Love suggested Tunner speak to his wife directly.Douglas, Deborah G
"Nancy Harkness Love: Female Pilot and First to Fly for the U.S. Military."
''HistoryNet'', June 12, 2006 (originally published in ''Aviation History'' magazine, January 1999 issue). Retrieved: August 20, 2014. Love convinced Tunner that the idea of using experienced women pilots to supplement the existing pilot force was a good one. He then asked her to write up a proposal for a women's ferrying division. When his recommendation that she (and the other female pilots) be commissioned into the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC; ) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), on 15 May 1942, and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the United S ...

(WAAC) was denied, he appointed her to his staff as Executive of Women's Pilots. Within a few months, she had recruited 30 experienced female pilots to join the newly created Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS); 28 graduated from training. Love became their commander. In September 1942, the women pilots began flying from

New Castle Army Air Field New Castle National Guard Base is a United States Air Force installation under the control of the Delaware Air National Guard, located at Wilmington_Airport_(Delaware), Wilmington Airport in New Castle County, Delaware. Overview The base is ...

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, under the auspices of the 2nd Ferrying Group.Pelletier, Alain (2012). ''High-Flying Women: A World History of Female Pilots.'' Sparkford, UK: Haynes. pp. 136–137. . By June 1943, Love was commanding four different squadrons of WAFS at Love Field,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

;

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Cast ...

;

Romulus, Michigan Romulus is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Romulus is a western suburb of Metro Detroit and is also considered part of the Dow ...

and

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. The WAFS' number had greatly increased because of the addition of graduates of the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) at

Avenger Field Avenger Field is a List of airports in Texas, Texas airport in Nolan County, Texas, Nolan County, three miles west of Sweetwater, Texas, Sweetwater. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 FAA airport categories, called ...

Sweetwater, Texas Sweetwater is a municipality in and the seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. It is 123 miles southeast of Lubbock and 40 miles west of Abilene. Its population was 10,622 at the 2020 census. History The town's name "Sweetwater" is the ...

, an organization championed and headed by Jacqueline Cochran.Hyatt, G.W
"Nancy Harkness (Love)."
'' Davis-Monthan Airfield Register'', updated July 25, 2014. Retrieved: August 20, 2014. On August 5, 1943, the WAFS merged with the WFTD and became a single entity: the

(WASP). Love was named the executive for all WASP ferrying operations. Under her command, female pilots flew almost every type military aircraft then in the Army Air Forces' inventory, and their record of achievement proved remarkable. Love was certified in 19 military aircraft, becoming the first woman to be certified to fly the latest military aircraft, including the

Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilia ...

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...

, and along with Betty Gillies, the first to fly the

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

. In Dallas, Love was also checked out on the

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kin ...

, the USAAF's "hottest" fighter. In 1944, after the WASPs were disbanded, Love continued to work on reports detailing the work of the Air Transport Command.

Post-war

At the end of the war, Love and her husband had the unique distinction of being decorated simultaneously. He received the Distinguished Service Medal, and she the Air Medal for her "Operational leadership in the successful training and assignment of over 300 qualified women fliers in the flying of advanced military aircraft." After the war, Love had three daughters, but she continued as an aviation industry leader, as well as a champion for recognition as military veterans for the women who had served as WASPs. In 1948, after the creation of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, she was given the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Love died of cancer at the age of 62 in 1976, so she did not live to see the WASPs being accorded military recognition three years later.

Legacy

Love was posthumously inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Association's Hall of Fame in 1996, the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

in 1997, and the

National Aviation Hall of Fame The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) is a museum, annual awards ceremony and learning and research center that was founded in 1962 as an Ohio non-profit corporation in Dayton, Ohio, United States, known as the "Birthplace of Aviation" with ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

in 2005. A statue dedicated to Nancy Harkness Love is at the New Castle County Airport in Delaware."World War II Veteran Nancy Harkness Love."
''American Profile'', October 28, 2001. Retrieved: August 20, 2014.

References

Bibliography

* Haynsworth, Leslie and David Toomey. ''Amelia Earhart's Daughters''. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1998. . * Koppes, Clayton R. and Gregory D. Black. ''Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies.'' New York: The Free Press, 1987. . * Merryman Molly. ''Clipped Wings: The Rise and Fall of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS) of World War II.'' New York: New York University Press, 2001. . * Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II''. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. . *Rickman, Sarah Byrn. ''Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II''. Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press, 2008. . * Stewart-Smith, Lt. Col. Natalie J
''The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II: Perspectives on the Work of America's First Military Women Aviators.''
Pullman, Washington: Washington State University, 1981.

External links

Fact Sheets: Nancy Harkness Love, U.S. Air Force Biography

Texas Woman's University Biography of Nancy Harkness LoveMichigan Women's Hall of Fame Historical Center & Hall of FameNancy Harkness Love Summary
Rickman, Sarah Byrn (2008). Nancy Love and the WASP Ferry Pilots of World War II. University of North Texas Press, TX. {{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Nancy Harkness 1914 births 1976 deaths People from Houghton, Michigan Aviators from Michigan Military personnel from Michigan Recipients of the Air Medal Milton Academy alumni Vassar College alumni Women Airforce Service Pilots personnel National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees American test pilots American air racers American women commercial aviators American commercial aviators Female United States Air Force personnel United States Air Force colonels United States Air Force reservists