American stunt pilot in air shows, a participant in shows and competitions throughout North America and around the world, including South America, Europe, and Russia. Every year she performs in aerial exhibitions before millions of spectators, giving a breathtaking low-level air show of precision and complexity in outstanding aerobatics.
Patty was born in a USAF family. When she was nine years old, she moved to Japan where her father captained 747’s for Japan Airlines. She began her cross- cultural academic career in Japan and continued her education in Europe. After a six year work-study program in Australia, she moved to Alaska, where in 1979 she began her incredible career in aviation.
Patty’s first flying lesson was in a Cessna 185 floatplane and since then she has earned her commercial, multiengine, instrument, seaplane, and helicopter ratings, along with instrument ratings. Her sister, Toni, was also bitten by the flying bug and is currently a 727 pilot for Continental Airlines based in Guam.
Patty had two early marriages and divorces and it was her second husband, a lawyer named Wagstaff, who introduced her to serious flying. Her parents had a fairly stormy marriage, made worse by alcohol; her mother often hit her. As a teen, she dropped out of high school, ran away to London and was kidnapped back home by private detectives hired by her parents.
A six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team since 1985, Patty is three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, the 1993 IAC Champion, and a six-time recipient of the “First Lady of Aerobatics” Betty Skelton Award. The first woman to ever win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, Patty has won numerous medals in Olympic-level International Aerobatic Competition. She has trained with the Russian Aerobatic Team in the Soviet Union. She coaches and trains aerobatic competitors from around the world and is an IAC rated judge.
Patty bases her HQ in Fernandina Beach, FL where she teaches aerobatics during off-season. She flies as a “stunt pilot” for major motion picture and television projects. Her sponsors include B.F. Goodrich Aerospace, Textron Lycoming Engines, Barrett Performance Aircraft, MT Propeller, Shell Oil, and McCauley Propeller.
Her many honors and awards include:
1997 Inductee, Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
1996 Recipient, Charlie Hilliard Trophy
1996 GAN & Flyers Readers Choice Award, Favorite Female Performer
1996 Top Scoring US Pilot at World Aerobatic Meets
1991, 1992, 1993 US National Aerobatic Championships
1993 International Aerobatic Club Champion
1985-1996 Member, U.S. Aerobatic Team
1990/1992/1994 Top US Medal Winner, World Aerobatic Championships
1995 Recipient, ICAS Sword of Excellence Award
1994 National Air and Space Museum Award for Current Achievement
1994 NAA Certificate of Honor
1991 Voted Western Flyer Reader’s Choice Favorite Airshow Performer
1988-1994 Winner Betty Skelton “First Lady of Aerobatics” Trophy
1987 Rolly Cole Memorial Award for Contributions to Sport Aerobatics
1998 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship
1997 Recipient, NAA Paul Tissiander Diploma
1997 Inductee, Women in Aviation International Hall of Fame
Link to Wikipedia biography