Jackie Moggridge the Spitfire Girl Moggridge was the youngest female pilot in South Africa and the first woman to perform a parachute jump there. She later moved to England to train as a commercial pilot. However, a year into her Commercial Pilots’ course World War II broke out. Moggridge promptly offered her services to the Royal Air Force (RAF), but they informed her that they did not accept women pilots. Disappointed, she decided to join the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), thinking she would be able to work with planes. Instead, the WAAF enrolled her, assessed her qualifications, and assigned her to be a cook. Eventually, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), where she flew 82 different types of warplanes. In 1954, an unusual opportunity arose when Moggridge was selected to join three male pilots tasked with delivering 30 Israeli Spitfires from Turkey to Burma. The journey involved nine stops along the route and was met with skepticism about a woman’s capabilities in such an important role. Flying along the dangerous borders of Iran and Iraq over war-torn deserts, one could only imagine the challenges she faced if a forced landing became necessary. Moggridge made history as the first female airline captain to ferry passengers on scheduled flights. She flew her last Spitfire at the age of 74.