Sally Strempel
Sally Strempel (1905-1987) developed an interest in aviation as a teenager in Kansas in the 1920s. After she learned to fly, Sally flew as a barnstorming pilot in the 1930s and gave plane rides at fairs in Oklahoma and Kansas. She and her sister Betsy even performed as a sister act called "The Thrillers" in a flying circus.
The FAA took note of Sally's flying skill and perfect safety record. During World War II, the FAA recruited Sally to train as a flight instructor and flight examiner. She was one of the first female flight examiners in the country, and the first female flight examiner in Illinois. During her career, she tested and issued licenses to 1,367 pilots. Sally moved to Des Plaines in 1944 and began teaching in a flying school at Palwaukee Airport in Wheeling (now Chicago Executive Airport). In 1950, Sally purchased the flying school at Palwaukee. Sally and her husband, Des Plaines Police Lt. Erwin Strempel, operated Sally's Flying School until 1966. Sally taught the school's students and Erwin, a licensed pilot and mechanic, maintained the school's fleet of training planes.
