Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a fantastic yearbook for the  318th Army Air Force Flying Training Detachment (AAFFTD) with a gorgeous cover embossed with the patch insignia of the unit designed by Walt Disney himself, Fifinella. Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book The Gremlins. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and the Disney Company granted them the rights. Fifinella was adopted by the WASPs as their official mascot.

The creation of WASPs can be contributed to the separate efforts of pilot Jacqueline Cochran and test pilot Nancy Harkness Love. In 1939, Cochran wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt to suggest using female pilots in non-combat missions. Roosevelt introduced her to General Henry H. Arnold, but nothing immediately came of the suggestion. Upon the outbreak of war in 1941, both Cochran and Love submitted separate proposals to again encourage the use of women in the Air Force to fly as pilots in non-combat roles. They suggested that this would free male pilots for combat roles by using qualified women to ferry planes and tow drones and aerial targets. Cochran’s photo is at the front of this book.

The book depicts many drawings of women in planes and other silly cartoons, with group photos and individual photos of women in their flight jackets with the 318th patch on the front. The book measures 8¼ x 11”. It is specifically for the 318TH A.A.F.F.T.D. W-6 - - - W-7. There’s a section full of quotes from the men and women of the unit. A really phenomenal piece of Female Aviation history, ready for further research and display!