11 May 2021
Legendary ferry pilot Margrit Waltz starts her 900th transatlantic crossing today.
64-year-old Margrit is flying a TBM 940 from the factory at Tarbes, France to Muncie, Indiana, USA via her usual route: Wick (Scotland), Keflavik (Iceland), Iqaluit (Canada) and Bangor (Maine, USA).
Margrit is well-known to air traffic controllers en route.
“I’m around these people more often than my own family,” she told FLYER contributor Jean-Marie Urlacher.
“Robin and Brian in Glasgow, Chris, David or Jens in Keflavik, Peter and Junia in Greenland… makes me think I need to wish Eris, my mechanic based in Sept-Îles (Seven Islands) in Canada, happy birthday. He turns 81 tomorrow.”
Magrit started flying in gliders at 15, then learned to fly powered aircraft with an instructor in Germany who turned out to be the Luftwaffe’s highest scoring pilot in WWII, Erich Hartmann.
“I was 17 years old and later I realised he was the greatest ace in the Luftwaffe, the man with 1,404 combat missions and 352 planes shot down without ever being shot down himself,” explained Margrit. “He was humble, discreet and loved tight turns.”
She flew her first ferry, a Rockwell Commander, across the Atlantic as a favour at the age of 20, then stepped in to ferry a Mooney just because she happened to be at the Mooney factory and had done it before.
Mission accomplished, other orders followed.
“The pace has accelerated and I will deliver about one plane per week from USA to Europe or sometimes the other way.”
Margrit often talks about David, her husband. They met at Scranton Airport in Pennsylvania. “We became friends but I made it clear to him that I will never marry someone who is not in aeronautics.”
David took pilot training and the day he got his certificate, he asked Margrit to marry him. For 33 years they have worked together. He prepares his wife’s trips, books her hotels, manages her schedule and paperwork, while she pilots.
Follow Margrit’s flight on FlightRadar
Update: Friday, 14 May: Margrit completed the flight!
Made it! No problem! Margrit and the TBM 940 outside Muncie Aviation, Indiana. Photos: Jean-Marie Urlacher
5 comments
I wonder what the RAF, USAF’s highest scoring aces fare compared next to Hartmann…
Perhaps a better wording would have been “The Ultimate Ace of Aces” as no one will ever beat that.
Johnny Johnson, RAF 38 confirmed kills, though it is thought that Pat Pattle scored 40 or more but was never confirmed. Richard Bong for the USAAF with 40 kills in the Pacific. I can recommend the 4 volume set of books by Red Kite entitled Luftwaffe Aces Biographies and Victory Claims. It goes without saying that Luftwaffe claims are often disputed. The top 3 were Hartmann 352, Barkhorn 301, and Rall 275. Barkhorn became a test pilot with the P1127 VTOL plane, and rall became a Nato General. I met Rall at his home in 2005 where he signed 250 prints for me.
It doesn’t matter who did better it’s just an article about her life ?
Hi Margrit,
Nice to hear you’re still flying.
Congratulations on ringing up 900 times
Only 100 to go!!
Think often of your many visits to Signature for coffee and flight plans( which I hear no longer happens)
Wish you well for the future Margrit.
Martin McRobert.
One of the good guys.
Good to hear you are still flying Margrit…remember you from Goose Bay days….if you are ever in Gander look Aidan and Linda Cox up