Patty Wagstaff
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Patty Wagstaff (née Patricia Rosalie Kearns Combs) (born September 11, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an aerobatic pilot from the United States. Wagstaff traveled all over the world as a child: her father was a pilot for Japan Airlines, and Wagstaff would travel to Southeast Asia, Australia and Alaska to prepare for her own career as a pilot. Her first lesson was on a Cessna 185; since then, she has earned licenses to fly multiple aircraft, including commercial helicopters. Her sister, Toni, is a pilot for Continental Airlines.
In 1985, Wagstaff joined the USA aerobatics team, where she stayed until 1996. In 1987, she earned the Rolly Cole memorial award for her contributions on the aerobatic sports, and in 1990, she won her first of three top US medal winner awards in aerobatic sports. In 1991, Western Flyer's Magazine readers chose her as their favorite pilot. In 1992, she earned her second top US medal winner award. She was the International aerobatic champion in 1993 and repeated as top US medal winner in 1994, same year in which her Goodrich Extra 260 airplane was put on display next to Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
From 1988 to 1994, she won the Betty Skelton First Lady of Aerobatics award back to back.
The awards kept on coming, and in 1996, she was the top scoring American pilot at the World Aerobatics Championship. That year also, she won the GAN and Flyers Magazine Reader's Choice awards as favorite female pilot, as well as the Charlie Hillard trophy.
Wagstaff's honors were not limited to awards and championships, and in 1997, she received her first Hall of Fame induction, being inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame as well as the International Women's Aviation Hall of Fame. In 1997, she was the recipient of the NAA Paul Tissandier diploma, and she won the Bill Barber award for sportsmanship in 1998. In 2002, she won the Katherine and Marjorie Stinson award, and in 2004, she was elected into what is arguably aviation's most prestigious Hall of Fame, the National Aviation Hall of Fame. In December of 2006 Patty was inducted into the International Council of Air Shows Foundation Hall of Fame.
Wagstaff continues working in the aviation field, as board member of the NAA and as chief pilot of the Aeroshell aviation team. Her Aeroshell team is based in Florida.
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