Joan Hughes was considered a capable instructor and flew everything except flying boats.
13 Facts About Joan Hughes
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2.
Joan Hughes's mother was Lily Amelia Lekeup and her father Arthur Edward Hughes manufactured braids.
3.
Joan Hughes initially flew Tiger Moths from Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire and soon Joan Hughes had more than 600 hours' experience ferrying aircraft around the country.
4.
Joan Hughes became both a senior pilot and the only woman qualified to instruct on all types of military aircraft then in service.
5.
Joan Hughes continued to fly after the war, using her talents as an instructor.
6.
Joan Hughes was featured in "The Eagle Special Investigator Meets Joan Mills in 'Special Investigator Flies Solo'" in the 1953 book Eagle Special Investigator.
7.
In early 1964, due to her low weight and considerable experience, Joan Hughes was recruited for testing a near-replica of the 1909 Santos-Dumont Demoiselle monoplane, ultimately flying it for the shooting of the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
8.
Joan Hughes flew replica World War I aircraft for the film The Blue Max and a Tiger Moth bi-plane for the live-action flying shots in Thunderbird 6.
9.
In 1984, Joan Hughes was interviewed about her life and flying career as part of the Imperial War Museum's oral history project.
10.
Joan Hughes retired at Booker Airfield in 1985, after spending over 10,000 hours instructing other pilots making up 11,800 flight hours in her logbook.
11.
Joan Hughes was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for her war work.
12.
In 1980 Joan Hughes was awarded the Pike Trophy by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, the prize is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to civil flying instruction.
13.
Joan Hughes died of cancer in Taunton on 16 August 1993, aged 75.