Patty Wagstaff: podcast appearances and interviews

Patty Wagstaff, born Patricia Rosalie Kearns Combs on September 11, 1951, is an American aviator and U.S. national aerobatic champion. She was introduced to aviation in childhood through her father, a pilot for Japan Airlines. After high school graduation in California, she spent five years in Australia traveling along the west coast in a small single-engine boat without radio contact. In 1978, she moved to Alaska, where she began taking flying lessons while working for the Bristol Bay Native Association in Dillingham. Her early flying experience in the Alaskan bush was marked by a crash that motivated her to pursue flight training. Wagstaff earned multiple ratings including single and multi-engine land, sea, and commercial and instrument certifications, and became a Certified Flight and Instrument Instructor. She later obtained a commercial rotorcraft rating and holds type ratings in aircraft such as the TBM Avenger, T-28, L-39, and Tucano. Her sister Toni is a United Airlines pilot. Wagstaff qualified for the US National Aerobatic Team in 1985 and competed internationally until 1996, winning multiple medals including gold, silver, and bronze. She was the first woman to win the US National Aerobatic Championships in 1991 and was named the International Aerobatic Club champion in 1993. Her aircraft was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in 1994. Wagstaff has received numerous accolades including induction into several aviation halls of fame and awards for sportsmanship and aeronautic excellence. She currently resides in St. Augustine, Florida, where she runs Wagstaff Aviation Safety, LLC, providing pilot training and working as an airshow and stunt pilot, consultant, instructor, and writer. Wagstaff has been featured in Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series and continues to actively participate in aviation events across North America.