Documentary on aviator Jackie Cochran begins national museum tour

A documentary about the aviator Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran screens at the Museum of Flight in Seattle on Saturday as part of a national tour, Wings of Courage.

The film, The Flight of Jackie Cochran, was directed by Jessica Anderson and is based on a one-woman show by the playwright and actress Nancy Hasty. Hasty acquired the rights to Superwoman Jacqueline Cochran, a book by Beth Dees and Billie Pittman Ayers, a niece of Cochran's, and adapted it for the stage. Hasty performs excerpts from that show in the documentary.

Cochran, a contemporary of Amelia Earhart, had a career spanning several decades that included setting records. She died in 1980 at the age of 74.

The documentary draws on historical records and interviews with family members, according to its description. The screening is scheduled for 3 p.m. PDT and is free with admission to the museum. Anderson and Hasty are expected to take part in a discussion after the film.

The tour follows a broader pattern of renewed attention to early women aviators, though Earhart remains the figure most readily recalled by the public. Cochran's career lasted considerably longer than Earhart's nine years of flying before her disappearance during an attempt to circle the globe.