Nancy And Her Stearman Come Home

Story and Photos
By Wild Bill Hill

Nancy Ginesi-Hill lived and worked at Eagle Field near Dos Palos, Calif. for several years, helping to restore the former USAAF training facility and so she has a special affection for it.

Although Ryan PT-22s were most commonly associated with the training command, they also used Boeing PT-17 Kaydets.

The ground breaking ceremony was on March 12, 1942 and construction began immediately with the first cadet pilots arriving by train from Santa Ana at the railroad station in South Dos Palos in June, 1942. They rode to their brand new base on a tram that was used for the 1939 Worlds Fair held on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Only a few employees other than the cadets were actually in the Army. The others were civilians working for the contracting corporation, including the flight instructors who wore regulation Army uniforms and had to march in drill.

The civilians worked as mechanics, cooks, gardeners, office workers, fuelers, base security and many other jobs needed to make the base function. Hundreds of people from the local area and from out of town found good jobs and enjoyed working there. It was what they could do to support the war effort, according to their website.

One of those PT-17s came to Eagle Field in March of 1944 and did its share to help the war effort before being stricken from US Army Air Force records in June 1945.

Herein lies the interesting part - Nancy Ginesi-Hill is the current owner of this aircraft and she has been intimately involved with the airplane's former base. since she had lived and worked there for several years during the restoration.

"I have been coming to Eagle Field for many years, and I have always wanted to own and fly a Stearman," she said. "But never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever own one that had been stationed at this particular field."

That's the interesting part.

"When I bought the aircraft in Santa Rosa from Jacques Gandolfo, I had no idea it had been at Eagle Field," she said. "But once I got it, and started going through the log books I found these entries indicating it had been there."

During the war, aircraft were moved from the factories and depots to the active bases by women pilots, who were part of the Women's Army Service Pilots, or WASP. Many of the WASP have been and currently members of the 99s and Nancy has met some of them.

She joined the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Ninety-Nines International group of Women Pilots 20 years ago.

"I became Chairman in 2003, was named Women Pilot of the Year and received the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship," Ginesi-Hill said. "The Chapter is very active in promoting aviation in young and old alike and is a big part of the FAA Safety Team," of which Ginesi-Hill is a representative. She also attends air shows with her biplane and organizes and volunteers at various shows throughout the year including the California Capital Airshow at Mather AFB and the Lincoln Air show.

Ginesi-Hill is also on the board for the Lincoln Regional Aviation Association, Vice President of the Grey Eagles and a member of the P-38 Fork Tail Devils, Vice-Chairman of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Vice President of EAA Chapter 52, and a board member of EAA Chapter 526. You could say she's pretty much into aviation, and aviators.

"Sitting there listening to WW II Aces and pilot stories I could do all day long," she said. "I love the history of our men and women of the military and I proudly fly my Stearman in their honor!"

Each year Eagle Field honors its veterans with a big party featuring several WW II aircraft including B-25 Mitchell bombers, Ryans, Stearmans, reenactors, vintage military equipment all more, all topped off by a Big Band playing arrangements of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and other popular groups at a dinner dance.

Nancy wasn't going to miss that, so this year she flew the Stearman back to Eagle Field for the first time in 65 years, departing Lincoln Airport at 11:00 am and arrived just in time for the big dinner, dance and fly In. She and the plane were home.