Barbara Allen Rainey
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| Barbara Ann Allen (Rainey) | |
|---|---|
| August 20, 1948 - July 13, 1982 | |
 Rainey as a Lt. Junior Grade |
|
| Place of birth | Bethesda, Maryland |
| Place of death | Evergreen, Alabama |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | U.S. Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
Barbara Ann Allen Rainey (August 20, 1948 - 13 July - 1982) was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and the first female to be designated a Naval aviator.[1] She was killed in an aircraft crash in 1982 while performing her duties as a flight instructor.
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[edit] Early life and career
Allen was born at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland and was the daughter of a career Naval Officer. She was an outstanding athlete at Long Beach City College, California and later transferred to Whittier College in California. She was commissioned in the United States Navy Reserve in ceremonies at U.S Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island in December 1970, and was assigned to the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia[1] , she later served on the staff of the Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia.[2]
[edit] First female Naval Aviator
In early 1973 ,the Secretary of the Navy John W. Warner announced a test program to train female Naval Aviators.[2] Allen seeking a greater challenge and wanting to following in the footsteps of her U.S. Marine Corps aviator brother, Bill, she applied to the program and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Flight Training School.[1]
Allen along with seven other women reported for flight training on March 2, 1973 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. She was the first of her class to win her Gold Wings[2] and was designated the first female Naval Aviator in history in ceremonies at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 22, 1974.
Allen married John C. Rainey, whom she had met during her flight training, and while pregnant with her first daughter, resigned her commission in November 1977. She remained active in the Naval Reserves and while pregnant with her second daughter, qualified to fly the R6D (DC-6).[1]
In 1981, with the Navy experiencing a shortage of flight instructors, she was accepted for recall to active duty as a flight instructor and was assigned to Training Squadron Three (VT-3) based at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, flying the T-34C Mentor.[1] On July 13, 1982, Allen, along with her trainee Ensign Donald Bruce Knowlton were practicing touch-and-go landings at Middleton Field near Evergreen, Alabama when the aircraft banked sharply to avoid another plane, lost altitude, and crashed. Allen and Knowlton were both killed in the crash.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Naughton, Russell (editor). Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Ann Allen (Rainey) (1948-1982). Aviation Pioneers : An Anthology. Hargrave. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
- ^ a b c Love, JOC Bill W.. Women in the Training Command (PDF). U.S. Navy. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Barbara Allen Rainey. Arlington National Cemetary. ANC Website. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
