MUSEUM NEWS 

01 NOVEMBER 06

Aviation Pioneer visits

B-18 Restoration Crew Member Herb Tollefson and Museum Curator Ray Jordan have a conversation with Mary Feik in the Museums Restoration Hangar. 

Members of the McChord air Museum’s B-18 restoration crew were honored to have Aviation Pioneer Mary Feik pay a visit. Ms. Feik a member of the the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame has accomplished many outstanding contributions to aviation history becoming the first woman engineer in research and development in the Air Technical Service Command’s Engineering Division at Wright Field, Ohio. An accomplished pilot Ms. Feik logged more than 5,000 hours as a B-29 flight engineer, engineering observer, and pilot in fighter, attack, bomber, cargo, and training aircraft. When the Lockheed P-80 entered service, she was issued a brand-new model nicknamed “Mary’s Little Lamb” in her h o nor.

She also used her expertise to design high-performance and jet fighter pilot transition trainers and aircraft maintenance trainers. The pilot training manuals and technical engineering reports she authored were distributed throughout the armed forces

Ms. Feik retired from the National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) Paul E. Garber Restoration Facility as a Restoration Specialist. She has participated in the restoration of many antique aircraft one of which the classic WWI Spad XIII fighter.  Many thanks to Mary for her contributions to Aviation History and for her visit to our museum !