Ladies Love Taildraggers (LLT) is a nonprofit organization made up of a group of remarkable female pilots. They recently returned from their Ladies Love Taildraggers Mississippi River Flying Tour, which was a resounding success. The tour was co-hosted by founder Judy Birchler and LLT President Laura Benton. Judy flew her 8KCAB Decathlon, while Laura flew her Cessna 170. Incidentally, Laura’s first trip to Oshkosh was when she just 5 weeks old, and she hasn’t missed one since.
The tour featured 22 aircraft flown by women from 15 different states and two women from Canada. Including passengers, the 38 participants started their journey in Hannibal, Missouri (KHAE), on June 8. They hit Memphis, Tennessee; Natchez, Mississippi; and ended the tour at the Louisiana Regional Airport, and then headed home on June 14. During their travel they spent a lot of time sightseeing and visited places like the Mark Twain Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum, and Graceland.
A highlight of this year’s trip was an encounter LLT had with Louisiana pilot Mike Harris. He shared the story of his father, Hugh Harris, who had recently passed away. His father was a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon of 36 years as the brigadier general for the Missouri Air National Guard, and his mother, Kitty Harris, was a Bonanza pilot. The U.S Air Force was supposed to plan a T-38 missing man flyover in honor of Hugh, but the whole thing was canceled at the last moment. Per Mike’s request, the women performed an honor flight for him which was, according to Judy, the “absolute most significant thing that happened on our trip.” Mike then donated $2,000 to the Ladies Love Taildraggers Scholarship Fund to show his support for the women.
LLT was organized in 2009, and it has continued to grow. Judy and Laura have been working hard to gain new members.
They said the mission of Ladies Love Taildraggers is “to promote the joy of flying taildraggers to women everywhere, to expand our network, supporting and empowering women across all facets of aviation to offer scholarships in the art of flying conventional gear aircraft, to continue to host awesome, one-of-a-kind Ladies Love Taildragger flying tours, and meet up at flying events. And to never lose sight of the privilege it is to fly any airplane.”
This trip has been so successful that Judy is already excited about the next trip they’re planning for 2025, and while they haven’t decided on a route, they’re already taking suggestions.
During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, LLT members will be on the grounds, and they’re very recognizable because every aircraft the women fly in will have a matching pair of pumps displayed next to them. LLT will have a luncheon at the Tall Pines Café on Tuesday at noon for $20 a person. Judy, Laura, and other LLT members can also be found on the grounds on Thursday at the Vintage in Review program at 11 a.m. “We’re always looking to meet more women taildragger pilots,” Judy said. “They’re out there!”
