Aviators of the Past

[farley]

Todays Google home page features Bessie Coleman, a pilot in the eary 1900's. I'd never heard of her, but her story is quite interesting. Unfortunately she met an untimely death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman

I'd like to hear about others as well, so if you know of any, feel free to share their names, and stories here.

[Nightdare]

Unfortunately she met an untimely death.

As was the case with many Aviation pioneers
When looking at the space age programs, it appears their sacrifices have been taken into account

[DerDa]

Thanks for your post farley.
What a lady!


From the German side first Hitler fan girl Hanna Reitsch comes to mind.
Elly Beinhorn was a great pre-war pilot as well and she never flew for Luftwaffe.
Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg was a (not alltogether voluntary) test pilot at Rechlin. It is not known whether she knew about her husbands relatives plans to kill Hitler. After the attempt failed all the family was imprisoned. She was released after some weeks because her work was considered important. Her husband was kept in various concentration camps. In April 45 she tried to locate him in a plane and was shot down by an American fighter.
Another female pilot of the 30s and 40s was Beate Uhse. She became very famous after the war when she founded Germany's first mail order company for, ahem, how to say, adult products.

S!

DerDa

[farley]

@DerDa

What full, amazing lives these women met, although for Melitta Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg cut much too short. All were obviously exceptional pilots; can you imagine being a test pilot at 19 years old?

Great reads. Thanks for sharing.

[LuseKofte]

Some people live their life to the fullest, and I salute them. Myself I got a family. I cannot pursue personal dreams if it takes food from the table. Still I admire these men and women

[farley]

LuseKofte you are a parent, so it sounds like you have your priorities in the proper order.

Just live well and stay healthy so that when you have more personal freedom later on you will be able to follow more of your dreams and passions.

And no Highseas, we do not want to hear what yours are..... this is not a place for depravity!

[DerDa]

You know the Chinese curse: 'May you live in interesting times!'

Well, I had a pretty 'interesting' life for decades and now I am very, very glad I can spend most of my time behind a keyboard in a nicely heated, cosy room watching my kids groing up.

Maybe dreams grow up as well

[ATAG_Highseas]

Just live well and stay healthy so that when you have more personal freedom later on you will be able to follow more of your dreams and passions.

And no Highseas, we do not want to hear what yours are..... this is not a place for depravity!

[ATAG_Marlow]

Todays Google home page features Bessie Coleman, a pilot in the eary 1900's. I'd never heard of her, but her story is quite interesting. Unfortunately she met an untimely death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman

I'd like to hear about others as well, so if you know of any, feel free to share their names, and stories here.

As I climbed out of Eastchurch the other day, I was listening in on TS comms and chuckling to myself as Snargle was giving one of his.... 'smite the great foe...no mercy,' speeches. They always bring a smile to my face. Of course, I should have been paying more attention to my aircraft because just as I was reaching to lower my prop pitch the old bird began to shudder and shake! Damn! No! Surely not? Left the RAD closed................AGAIN!

I was cross because I'd already wrecked two engines at Caen Carpiquet earlier that day, though it has to be said I can't blame Snargle at all for those mistakes. The airfield was being strafed at the time and I had to 'get up' rather quickly!
So I was quite pleased to come across this in a book about the Spitfire that I read last night:

......'The legendary Douglas Bader served very briefly with George Unwin at No 19 Squadron in the spring of 1940. During this time the future Duxford Wing Leader destroyed Spitfire 1 K9858 whilst trying to take off in coarse pitch.'

Now I don't feel quite so bad. Alright, it wasn't the RAD that he left closed but taking off in coarse pitch? Tut, tut, tut! As if any of us would make THAT sort of mistake! (There's hope for me yet!) Salute All!

[farley]

Harriet Quimby, one hundred five years ago did this.....

On April 16, 1912, Quimby took off from Dover, England, en route to Calais, France and made the flight in 59 minutes, landing about 25 miles (40 km) from Calais on a beach in Équihen-Plage, Pas-de-Calais. She became the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the English Channel.[8] Her accomplishment received little media attention, however, as the sinking of the RMS Titanic the day before consumed the interest of the public and filled newspapers.[9]

The above from Wikipedea, and more of her story here, including her rather tragic ending:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Quimby

Harriet_Quimby_1911.jpg

[LuseKofte]

Beautyful woman and with guts, seat belts can save lives it seems

[DOWNEAST]

Here is a forgotten Ace pre-WWII, George Frank Glasgow Tinker

http://imansolas.freeservers.com/aces/Frank_Tinker.html

FGT.png

[farley]

LEONARD BIRCHALL AND THE JAPANESE RAID ON COLOMBO

This story came into my mailbox via the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. I found it an interesting read, so thought I'd share it here.

"Air Commodore Leonard Birchall was a Royal Canadian Air Force officer in the Second World War whose heroic efforts resulted in his being called “The Saviour of Ceylon"."

http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo7/no4/stuart-eng.asp

Hope you enjoy it.

[DerDa]

Great read, thank you!

"The defending fighters were scrambled in good time, but there were only 23 of them – 17 Hurricanes and 6 Fulmars – against 132 Japanese aircraft. Together with the anti-aircraft guns they managed to shoot down only four of the attackers, and the defences lost eight Hurricanes and a Fulmar"

A mere wonder any of them survived. With Fulmars against Zeros ... suicidal!

[1lokos]

In fall of Rabaul, 1942, the RAAF scramble 10 CAC Wirraway against the IJN attacking planes, after send for Melbourne the message: "Nos Morituri Te Salutamus" - they made no claims.

In the ~1995 Microporse 1942: The Pacific Air War you can shoot down Birchall’s Catalina, that suppose included in their radio transmission "Have sighted enemy carrier. Please Notify Next of Kin." .

[farley]

Amelia Earhart makes transatlantic solo flight 1932

Quote from Wikipedia:

"On the morning of May 20, 1932, 34-year-old Earhart set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland with a copy of the Telegraph-Journal, given to her by journalist Stuart Trueman,[83] intended to confirm the date of the flight.[83] She intended to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo flight five years earlier.[84][N 9] Her technical advisor for the flight was famed Norwegian American aviator Bernt Balchen who helped prepare her aircraft. He also played the role of "decoy" for the press as he was ostensibly preparing Earhart's Vega for his own Arctic flight.[N 10] After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The landing was witnessed by Cecil King and T. Sawyer. When a farm hand asked, "Have you flown far?" Earhart replied, "From America".[87] The site now is the home of a small museum, the Amelia Earhart Centre.[88]"


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart

[farley]

93 year old WWII Czech pilot flies in a Spitfire again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxFoH4JQ7w

He looks as though he still has many years left in him!

[DOWNEAST]

Farley - Here is a follow up to my posting earlier on Frank Tinker. Ajax was one of his flying mates in Spain that also had a colorful career in three conflicts; Spain, WWII and Korea. Like Tinker he is another forgotten American ace because of his involvement with the anti-fascists in Spain. What happened to these U.S.A. pilots was the opposite to those who volunteered for England or in China prior to Dec. 7, 1941.

http://www.warbirdforum.com/baumler.htm

[farley]

"Luftwaffe ace flies in Spitfire":

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_au...es-in-spitfire