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"Originally published as The Powder Puff Derby of 1929 in 2002 by Sourcebooks, Inc."
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Illinois native Gene Nora Jessen was introduced to flying as a cadet in the Chicago Civil Air Patrol. She was drawn to the University of Oklahoma's flight training program, became a flight instructor on the flight school faculty and finished working her way through college teaching flying. Along with 25 female pilots she was invited to participate in an astronaut research program about the time of the original Mercury astronauts in 1961. Along with 12 other candidates she passed the physical exams and they became called the Mercury 13, however further testing was canceled.
The stars were aligned in Gene Nora's favor and she was hired by Beech Aircraft Corp in Wichita for what she considered the dream job of all time. She became one of the "Three Musketeers" flying one of three airplanes in formation for three months across 48 states introducing the new Beech model. Continuing on at the Beech factory, she obtained further ratings and flew the entire Beech line. Gene Nora met her husband Bob at Beech and they soon migrated to Boise, ID to found a Beech dealership.
Gene Nora has remained active in aviation, serving on the Boise Airport Commission, installed in the Idaho Aviation Hall of Fame, received the Mercury 13 NASA Award, Master Pilot Award, an Honorary PhD., and became an international President of The Ninety-Nines. She is the author of Three books--aviation, of course.
Gene Nora and Bob, who was a WWII B29 pilot, are the parents of two children and are now retired. Gene Nora has flown a dozen air races through the years and is still flying.
