James Gillespie Collection
The Gillespie Collection contains business records of Gillespie Airfield, a Nashville commercial flight center, and items on its World War II flight instructor program. The collection also includes magazines such as Aero Digest and Aviation Magazine. The magazines contain various aviation advertisements that depict soldiers, as well as military recruitment advertising. In addition, the collection has information regarding Tennessee's Women's Research Instructor School where women trained and studied to become viable flight instructors. 

The following is a brief description of aviation and statistics of the Gillespie Airfield during World War II:
"By late 1942, many qualified male aviation instructors were designated for combat positions, increasing the demand for instructors.  Mr. W. Percy McDonald, chairman of the Tennessee Bureau of Aeronautics, promoted an idea for an Aviation Instruction School at Gillespie Airfield for women.  The purpose was to train the women as pilots The Aviation Instruction School officially opened in 1943 and women accepted into the program were put through a rigorous training schedule:

• Flight Instruction:   45 hours, 12 minutes
• Supervised Solo:   16 hours
• Ground School:      216 hours
• Shop Instruction:    162 hours
• Physical Exercise: 18 hours
• Flight Instructor School: 36 hours
• Rest Periods:   72 hours
• Study Periods: 108 hours"

Schedule taken from American Aviation Historical Society Journal, "Guinea Pigs with Wings", Fall 2001, by Dr. Ronald Ferrara (MTSU Aerospace Dept.)