About Vicki
Vicki Cruse
(1967- 2009)
From Sea to Sky
Vicki Cruse was born in Springfield, Missouri, where she is still fondly remembered. She moved to Florida to attend the University of Miami, where she earned a Bachelor of Science and Master’s degree in Marine Biology in 1992. After many years spent focusing on what was under the sea, she turned her vision skyward and began taking flying lessons. Vicki was a mere five feet tall and weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet. Sitting on a phone book, she could barely see over the instrument panel of the airplane in which she trained.
Considering her later accomplishments, it may be surprising to learn that Cruse didn’t pass her first private pilot checkride. That was because her instructor hadn’t taught her how to slip. A few days later, she went up again and passed the test, earning her pilot’s license in 1993. Soon, she purchased a Christen Eagle aircraft sight-unseen, a hihg-performance type in which she’d had no previous experience. In 1995, she visited Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s huge annual air show and joined the International Aerobatic Club (IAC), a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
Timid Fledgling
Despite her avid interest, Cruse hadn’t flown since she got her license. As is true of many new pilots, Vicki did not trust herself to fly alone, so she did not fly again until 1996. It was then that she had her Eagle flown out to California and took Master CFI Rich Stowell’s Emergency Maneuver Training Course. This gave her the confidence she needed to fly the Christen Eagle not only alone, but to begin competing in aerobatics. “The introduction to aerobatics changed my life,” she said. Suddenly, Vicki was in the air all the time!
Precision and Achievements
Vicki took very meticulous care of her aircraft. Aerobatics requires precise flying, and this art fit the tiny dynamo perfectly. She pushed herself to perform the many maneuvers more and more skillfully with each flight, until she was among the best in the nation.
In1997, just two months after soloing in the Eagle, she entered her first aerobatic competition. She needed a reliable aircraft to pursue higher levels of competition, so she purchased a Zivko Edge 540 and had specially-adapted pedals crafted so she could reach them. What followed was a steady rise through the levels of competition and success on the national level. She also was the first woman to qualify and race in the Sport Class at the Reno Air Races, flying her Glasair III, the “Cruse Missile” at speeds approaching 264 mph.
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Personality and Service
Vicki Cruse was a bright, spunky, humble and gracious lady. She had a great sense of humor and loved to play pranks on her IAC buddies.
Vicki joined the Ventura County Chapter of The Ninety-Nines, Inc. in 2004. Right away, she became involved with her Chapter’s Girl Scouts in Aviation Days, speaking to groups of young girls about flying careers and aerobatics. As a Chapter member, she mentored and inspired her sister 99s to pursue further training, helping at least one to become an aerobatic competitor herself.
Like Amelia Earhart, Vicki was naturally reserved, but passion and devotion to her sport pushed her to reach beyond her shyness and speak to groups. Her presentations to pilots focused on the topics of Aerobatics and the value of Emergency Maneuver and Unusual Attitude training. She stressed that this training would increase pilot confidence, lower anxiety and increase overall enjoyment of flying. She was an excellent aerobatics judge and helped train other judges. She wrote the “Technical Advisor” column for the IAC’s magazine, Sport Aerobatics and served as IAC President since 2005. She was a board member of the IAC, EAA and Unlimited Aerobatics USA Inc.
Legacy
Vicki Cruse said, “Despite the fact that the general population thinks flying is difficult, it is really something most people can do. If people can just feel the freedom it gives us and the satisfaction we get from it, everyone would do it.” Vicki’s devotion to flying and safety has led those who knew her to preserve her memory by enabling others to become more precise and safe pilots through the Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarship.
