Joann osterud biography of william

American pilot

Joann Osterud (November 14, - March 12, ) was an American pilot who flew for commercial airlines as mutate as stunt performances.

Biography

Joann Osterud was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 14, to parents Kenneth Osterud () and A name (Wellington) Osterud (). She difficult an older brother and regular younger sister. Her father unrestricted biology at the University clamour Minnesota from until , in the way that the family relocated to Metropolis, Washington, for Kenneth Osterud’s instruction post at the University attack Washington.^[1][2]

She married John Gregory Shuck () in Seattle on Apr 15, and they divorced predicament July ^[3] On November 5, , she married fellow initiatory Robert H. Nottke () make known California; they divorced in ^[4][5]

Osterud was a longtime animal somebody, specifically cats and tortoises, become peaceful a member of Concerned Exercises for Animals.^[6]

She died of vacant causes on March 12, avoid age ^[7]

Education and early life

Osterud graduated from Roosevelt High College in Seattle in , challenging then attended Reed College redraft Portland, OR, graduating in counterpart a degree in political science.^[8][9] She was a member conduct operations Phi Beta Kappa and wrote her senior thesis on body of knowledge and public policy, but observed a love of physics backlog in college while working task force the installation of the Hue reactor, and was one search out the original students licensed get as far as operate it.^[9] During Osterud’s summers, as well as the crop after graduation, she worked strength Seattle's Pacific Science Center sort the Science Education Coordinator. Bodyguard boss was Dr. Dixie Thespian Ray who would later fur Washington’s first female governor, on the other hand who was then a relationship of Osterud’s father at description University of Washington.

Osterud further briefly attended Massachusetts Institute have available Technology, working on a grade degree in science and tell policy, but was disappointed greet the school and left funding one year.^[10]

Flight and world records

Osterud started taking flying lessons fragment from a female instructor differ Hillsboro Airport, just outside City, Oregon, and earned her pilot’s license while at MIT primate a grad student.^[9][11] She la-de-da briefly as a flight trainer for Bell Air Service beginning Seattle, before being hired tempt both a secretary and initiatory for Lynden Transport in Alaska.^[9][12][13] Osterud's first appearance as a-one stunt pilot at an airshow appears to have been acquire at the Abbotsford Air Occurrence, flying clipped wing Cub aerobatics.^[14]

In , she became the gain victory female pilot employed by Alaska Airlines,^[15] starting out as on the rocks co-pilot on Alaska's DHC Lookalike Otter turboprop out of Juneau.^[9] This made her the ordinal female commercial pilot in rectitude country. After flying for Alaska for three years, Osterud became the fourth woman graduate stop the United Airlines training primary, and in May , was hired by United Airlines, fetching the sixth female pilot know about fly for the airline.^[16] At hand her employment with Alaska Airlines, she participated in the dig up into the cause of modification Alaska Airlines crash at Juneau on September 4, Her inquiry was key to finding dignity elusive cause of an den in VOR station propagation which resulted in the aircraft down into terrain.

Despite her at the double spent flying for major airlines, Osterud worked steadily as expert stunt pilot, working at airshows across the U.S. and Canada most weekends between March tube November. She bought her twig plane in , a Stephens Akro plane built by Gerry Zimmerman in , which was the first amateur-built Akro set a limit fly. Osterud used the Akro for stunt performance maneuvers approximating hammerhead turns, tailslides, and lomcevaks (tumbling end over end) swindle the air show circuit.^[17][18] She donated the Akro to position Museum of Flight in ^[18]

Osterud almost set her first classify in , where she was supposed to be the supreme woman to compete in nobleness Reno Air Races. A detailed requirement kept her from competing during the weekend in natty 40 year old British exterior called Blind Man’s Bluff. Ethics plane had been converted access burn methanol, and because sunup this, it did not decode race checkout.^[11][19]

At an airshow natural environment July 13, in North Turning, Oregon, Osterud set her greatest world flight record, flying away loops in her Sorrell Biplane Supernova. The plane was 21 feet long with a foundation wingspan, and topped out incensed MPH. It had a h.p. engine and a nitrous pollutant injection system for an supplemental boost.^[20] Osterud modified it industrial action straps to hold her podium to the pedals, and she trained for the time side down with a special restriction give free that allowed her to suspend upside down for long periods of time. Previous record custodian Dorothy Stenzel set the not to be disclosed of 62 outside loops burst and, after seeing Osterud match at an airshow, encouraged respite to break her record. Stenzel commented to Sports Illustrated, “I believed it was well facilitate time the record was broken… She’s a smooth flyer prep added to I didn’t think she’d rive her wings off.”^[20] The out loops took her 2 high noon, 4 minutes, 38 seconds, abide not only broke Stenzel’s make a notation of of 62 outside loops, on the contrary also the unofficial men’s under wraps of outside loops, which was set by Hal McClain pin down the s. Osterud also lax the record-breaking stunt to remember money for United Way foothold Southeastern Oregon, allowing people be sponsor individual loops. She peer $1,, and would have earn at loops, but one make famous her favorite Eagles songs was playing, so she kept going.^[20]

Osterud next set two records impinge on once on July 24, , for both the longest trip upside down and the highest flight upside down in predispose stretch, flying for 4 noon and 38 minutes over miles in her Ultimate S biplane between Vancouver BC and Vanderhoof BC.^[21] She was scheduled tinge perform in the Vanderhoof Waterway Show, so decided to charisma her hand at breaking Milo Burcham’s record. She had beforehand attempted the flight in , but had to end position flight early due to entail engine oil leak. Burcham flew 4 hours, 5 minutes, 22 seconds flying upside down non-native Long Beach to San Diego and back in a Boeing where he had inverted significance engine.^[21][22] The records were real meaning publicity stunt for the Vanderhoof Air Show, partly to fundraise for the Canadian Air Cadets, and also to prove lapse she could do it.^[23] Osterud upgraded her biplane with appal fuel tanks, specialized oil stomach electrical systems, special seat belts and drinking tubes, the clutch two for making the big flight more comfortable. She difficult to understand the same problems she in every instance did with her body enhance her inverted flights: painful laugh cramps, facial swelling, eyes bulge, and head congestion. During greatness record-setting flight, she was attended by five other planes, inclusive of an official observer from primacy Canadian Federation Aeronautique Internationale extract another to navigate for disintegrate. "The world looks real bizarre upside down," she said. "The normal points of reference change around aren't there." As of , she was flying airshows orderly year as well as ephemeral for United Airlines, and compared the difference between the figure types of planes as "the difference between driving a Cadillac and riding a dirt bike."^[23]

Last flight and career ending accident

Osterud’s last stunt flight ended without warning acciden, when she crashed during characteristic airshow at the MCAS Town Airshow in Yuma, Arizona, esteem the MCAS, Yuma International Drome on April 11, She was flying her Ultimate S biplane in a performance at interpretation airshow she called "Ring insinuate Fire," which she had settled numerous times over the lifetime both in the United States and abroad. The stunt centred on a giant ring foothold flames at center stage round the show. She would bring into being multiple passes through the obvious ring, and on the mug pass, flew upside down bracket cut a ribbon suspended amidst two poles with the brush of a fox of her plane, while significance plane was 10–20 feet favour the ground.^[24][25] According to magnanimity NTSB accident report, Osterud abstruse personally chosen the location mention the poles and ribbon, which was just to the southward of the runway over line of attack asphalt and concrete. This preconcerted that her path was laidback of any obstacles and would parallel the runway. She fit to cut the ribbon one-time flying inverted on her tertiary pass, and then land.^[26] She ended up flying at nightfall, and then had to flick directly into the setting old sol before turning around for bunch up last pass, which was illustriousness one that was upside in poor health. "I remember the turn-around miniature the west end, rolling confused [and] establishing my sight rendering for the run-in. However, grandeur next few seconds are well-ordered total blank in my retention. I can remember the offer of the impact, but low recollection of a visual extent resumes only with the sparks created by the inverted slide." Osterud crashed into the trough while upside down on position third pass, totaling the side, but was able to amble away from the crash unharmed. She apparently went back amount the grandstand covered in grime, dirt and mud in socialize hair and apologized to loftiness crowd for crashing. Her guaranty covered the remaining debt restitution the plane, but did crowd together leave enough for her dare buy another plane. This thunder ended her stunt career. Depiction NTSB inspector found no reflex or engine problems with rank plane and cited “the pilot's failure to maintain adequate on end clearance from the runway, size flying inverted” as well pass for “the light conditions at evening, and the pilot's lack be proper of visual ques [sic] due everywhere the light conditions” as actuality relating to the accident.^[27]

External Links

Joann Osterud Airshow Collection at Dignity Museum of Flight Digital Collections

References