ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – It would be a crime to mention Women’s History Month without mentioning one of the greatest female aerobatic pilots in history, who also just so happens to reside in Northeast Florida.
Patty Wagstaff, 73, is described by many in aviation as a living legend. She’s also considered by many to be one of the greatest female aviators of all time.
Wagstaff has spent decades flying in airshows worldwide and winning aerobatic competitions.
“I’m most happy in the cockpit. That’s where I want to be all the time. Once you get off the ground, life is so simple. All the mundane, day-to-day- stuff goes away and you’re just focused on this beautiful little airplane,” said Wagstaff as she showed off her custom Extra 300 airplane she uses in aerial performances.
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Wagstaff learned to fly in the 1970’s, but she yearned for more.
“I knew I wanted to do aerobatics. I didn’t know where it was going to lead, so I started with a little training airplane and did a show. Then I went into some competitions and I kept doing it,” Wagstaff said.
Her hard work and tenacity paid off because, during the 80s and 90s, she earned a spot on the U.S. National Aerobatic Team, competing in the U.S. and overseas. She won numerous gold silver and bronze medals.
In 1991, she became the first woman to win the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship. Two years later, the plane she used to win the US championship was displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
As the years went by, she won more competitions and aviation awards. Wagstaff went on to be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the International Air and Space Hall of Fame. According to PilotMall.com, Wagstaff is one of 22 female pilots who left a mark on aviation history worldwide. Her name is up there with female aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.
“I want to be challenged in life. I want to explore all the things that are open to me, and I want to create opportunities,” Wagstaff said.
One of the opportunities she created was opening a flight school in St. Augustine where she and instructors under her teach advanced flying. She uses her decades of experience in aerobatics to teach licensed pilots how to recover from mid-air problems that can be potentially fatal.
“It’s called upset training and that’s what we do. We teach people how to get out of trouble and we want them to be really confident and leave feeling more confident and enjoy flying more,” Wagstaff said.
She also has a reputation for inspiring young people and even kids who attend air shows where her skills are put on display.
“I hear that all the time from boys and girls. ‘I saw you in an air show when I was a kid.’ Some of them do say they were inspired by seeing a woman fly because there are not many of us in air shows. If I can inspire other women to fly, I think that’s great,” Wagstaff said.
Being a spectator on the ground watching Wagstaff’s plane perform the Split S, the Hammerhead, rolls, and loops while in flight is one thing, but seeing a GoPro video of her inside the cockpit controlling the plane is something else. She makes it look effortless.
“It’s a lot of work. You have to practice. You have to be in the cockpit all the time; not that I’m complaining because I like it, but it’s not something you just jump in and go. You have to stay current and keep your physical condition up. It’s the whole package.”
A package that has resulted in years of success and a reputation for being one of the greatest aerobatic and stunt pilots of all time.