May 19, 2020 Margaret

The Liberty Gazette

May 19, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: As Mike came in from the mailbox, he handed me the Indiana Historical Society’s bi-monthly magazine, INPerspective, saying, “Margaret Ringenberg is on the cover.”

Margaret Ringenberg, circa 1942

My heart jumped when I saw her photo gracing the cover of the May/June issue. It’s s a beautiful close-up of young Margaret next to a Piper J-3 Cub, her right hand resting on cylinder number four, the left rear of the four-cylinder engine. The cylinders partially stick out of the cowling, as this was the design in those days, where the exhaust stack protruded from the engine up front. The photo is circa 1942. Margaret was from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

On June 21, 2008, I was in Bozeman, Montana preparing for the start of my first Air Race Classic, the annual 2,400 nautical mile, all-woman, cross-country air race that would begin a few days later. The city of Bozeman made a big fuss over us all, with the mayor coming to a barbeque held in our honor. That afternoon, I sat down at a picnic table next to Margaret. She had won the Air Race Classic several times and competed in many other air races, including an around-the-world air race. She was also a WASP (Women’s Air Force Service Pilot). Hers was a fabulous story to hear, and I soaked up every minute I could get with her.

I had such a great experience that year, that I came back to race it three more times. Margaret was a big part of that inspiration for me, to be part of something women like her were part of.

She was an amazing lady, an Indiana farm girl who wanted to learn to fly when women weren’t supposed to do that. She was humble and kind, the grown-up eight-year-old who got her first ride with a barnstormer and never let go of her dream. What I loved most was watching how the men crowded around her. It reminded me in a way of a bunch of high school boys slobbering over a cheerleader, but in a much different, more respectable realm. The men at our picnic table were silent as Margaret told stories, like the time she was flying a heavily damaged WWII aircraft and the engine blew. She was supposed to bail out, using her parachute. But she kept control of the airplane and landed it instead. Margaret was full of life, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have met her.

Thirty-seven days later, on July 28, 2008, the aviatrix extraordinaire died in her sleep. She was 87. She was in Oshkosh to be honored at the annual mega-aviation convention, AirVenture, for her years of service and her contributions to general aviation, to women, and to America as a WASP during WWII.

Over the years, I’ve thought many times of all that Margaret gave to the world, and to me. It’s been a nice treat to see her again, on the cover of a Hoosier history magazine.

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