Background
Wagstaff traveled all over the world as a child. Her father was a pilot for Japan Airlines, and Wagstaff would travel to Southeast Asia, Australia and Alaska to prepare for her own career as a pilot.
Wagstaff traveled all over the world as a child. Her father was a pilot for Japan Airlines, and Wagstaff would travel to Southeast Asia, Australia and Alaska to prepare for her own career as a pilot.
In 1991, Western Flyer"s Magazine readers chose her as their favorite pilot.
Her first lesson was on a Cessna 185. Since then, she has earned certificates to fly multiple classes of aircraft, including helicopters. Her sister, Toni, is a pilot for Continental Airlines.
In 1985 Wagstaff qualified for the United States Aerobatic Team and competed until 1996.
In 1994, her Goodrich-sponsored Extra 260 airplane was put on display next to Amelia Earhart"s Lockheed Vega at the Smithsonian Institution"s National Air and Space Museum. In 1996 Wagstaff was the top-scoring United States pilot at the World Aerobatics Championship.
Wagstaff"s honors were not limited to awards and championships, and in 1997, she received her first Hall of Fame induction, being inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame as well as the International Women"s Aviation Hall of Fame. In December 2006 Wagstaff was inducted into the International Council of Air Shows Foundation Hall of Fame.
In March 2013 she was named the recipient of the Outstanding Aviator Award, presented by The Wings Club of New New York
On July 31, 2008, during the European Association of Archaeologists AirVenture convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Wagstaff was arrested for driving drunk on a runway at Wittman Regional Airport after the airport had closed. She pled no contest to first-offense drunk driving and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest. She was fined $500, ordered to pay court costs and banned from driving for eight months.
Wagstaff later issued an apology for the incident.
Based in Saint Augustine, Florida, Wagstaff continues working in the aviation field as an airshow pilot, stunt pilot for films, consultant, flight instructor and author She was on the Presidential Advisory Committee to the Centennial of Flight commission.
She flies airshows across North America in a variety of airplanes including the Extra, T-6 and P-51 Mustang. In addition to airshows, Wagstaff has flown OV-10 Broncos as a seasonal firefighter in California.
Patty Wagstaff has been featured numerous times in Microsoft"s Flight Simulator series.
Wagstaff is an instrument-rated pilot who flies herself to her airshow performances. She has owned a Beechcraft Baron and a Cirrus SR22, and currently flies a V-Tailed Beechcraft K-35 with her two dogs and parrot.
She is Emeritus Board Member of the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum.