Debbie Gary Callier

Debbie Gary Callier is an American air show pilot.[1] She began flying at age nineteen, and was the first woman to fly in a formation aerobatic team.[2] She also wrote the Bellanca Pilot Proficiency Training Manual.[1]

Biography

Gary first took flying lessons in 1966 in New Jersey.[3] Her first solo flight took place in the Virgin Islands, where she had moved with her family.[3] Starting in 1968, she began working as a glider instructor and in 1969, met Jim Holland when she flew a glider at the St. Croix airshow.[3] She learned aerobatics from Holland and joined his airshow.[3] She performed for some time for Holland, then worked for a Canadian aerobatic team.[4][5] She competed against 40 men for her spot on the aerobatics team.[6] After, she joined the Bede Jet Team.[7] She became the first woman to fly full-time in an aerial formation team.[4][3][6] The Star Tribune called Gary "the world's leading woman show pilot" in 1978.[8] She was also filmed for a feature called The Blue Marble in 1978.[9] She has flown a Bede BD-5J and a Pitts SIA open cockpit biplane doing her stunts.[10][11]

After 1972, she started working as an instructor at the Flabob Airport.[3] When she was not doing airshows, she worked as an instructor.[10] Later, she worked in Alexandria, Minnesota.[5]

In 1978, Gary married Jim Callier, who was the president of the Bellanca Aircraft Corp.[12] In 1994, Gary earned a journalism degree from the University of Houston.[4] She did an internship at the Houston Post, and wrote for Air & Space, a magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution.[4][13] She also took time off from air shows to raise her children.[4]

Gary started flying airshows again around 1998.[4] She encourages young people, especially girls, to think about going into aviation as a career.[14][15]

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Gary's name and picture.[16] A photo-lithograph of the card is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 Flying Magazine. August 1979. pp. 13–. ISSN 0015-4806.
  2. ↑ "Air Show Takes Flight at RDU". WRAL.com. 1998-04-30. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aerobatic Pilot Returning". The Herald. 1977-06-06. p. 11. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SMALL JET, BIG FUN/ FEMALE AVIATOR LOVES PERFORMING FOR THE CROWDS". greensboro.com. 1998-09-11. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
  5. 1 2 "Airborne Artistry to Test Butte Skies". The Montana Standard. 1978-06-18. p. 26. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Sowers, Carol (1976-10-09). "Flying Obsession Has Her Making Aerobatic Tailspins". Arizona Republic. p. 44. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Schultz, Rob (1977-08-03). "Debbie Gary One of the Few Women Aerobatic Pilots". The Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 4. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Up and Down and Around They Go". Star Tribune. 1978-08-24. p. 14. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "The Minneapolis Star in Brief". The Minneapolis Star. 1978-08-24. p. 3. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Scott, Vernon (1976-10-04). "Flying Under London Bridge Out, But Debbie Gary's Air Show Still On". Simpson's Leader-Times. p. 11. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Chambers, Thomas (1975-08-02). "Speed is Second Nature to Woman Who Pilots Jet". The Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 8. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Winslow, Carmen (1978-07-04). "Stunt Flier Will Wed in Butte". The Montana Standard. p. 1. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Flying Magazine". 1 August 1979. Retrieved 22 November 2017 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Airfest a Thrill Ride for All-Female Cast of Performers". Star-Gazette. 2005-07-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2017-11-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Wag, Patty (1 November 2016). "Oshkosh". Plane and Pilot. Retrieved 28 November 2017 – via HighBeam Research. (Subscription required (help)).
  16. ↑ Wulf, Steve (2015-03-23). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  17. ↑ "Supersisters Inc. | Debbie Gary Callier, Supersisters No. 54". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
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