Airlines: Keep 'em flying

Air Classics, Mar 2003

PAPPY BOYINGTON

Mint Moore sent me a copy of the January Air Classics which featured the Corsair and the show in Indianapolis. I was one of the Black Sheep in attendance and met you during one of our very numerous (and lengthy) print autographing sessions.

I have read the magazine cover to cover and frankly found a few things about the Corsair that I didn't know which is quite unusual since I have been a fan of the airplane ever since my first flight in the plane in the New Hebrides during the summer of 1943.

In "Pappy's Last Mission," the author has combined elements of Boyington's flight on 2 January (which I was not part of) and the final flight of his on 3 January - which of course turned out to be his last flight.

Not that it makes any difference to the story, but on the 3 January mission the composition of the fighter sweep at takeoff was eight Corsairs from our squadron (VMF-214) plus twelve more from VMF-211 along with 16 Navy Hellcats from VF-30. This was a total force of 36 fighters. I was leading the second section of the second division (of four). En route to the target area (Rabaul), four of our eight VMF-214 fighters dropped out for various mechanical reasons and returned to base. As was the SOP, we "moved up" and filled in the emptied spaces in front. Thus, by the time we got to the Rabaul area, Boyington's entire second section had dropped out - as had the lead section from my division. So now instead of eight, we had four. There was no way to tell, actually, who was who since all had oxygen masks on and we didn't take the trouble to copy down side numbers. I was well aware, of course, that Boyington was in the lead (and now my division leader for the first time in my overseas tour).

The rest of the quote in the article is okay. I saw Boyington flame one Zero and I flamed another in a different segment of the flight. My wingman hung in with me but found his guns wouldn't fire so peeled off and returned. The result was that I was alone - could find no friendlies even after "searching" cautiously for quite a while - and I too finally returned to Bougainville without ever seeing another friendly fighter.

Outside of that minor correction, the rest of the article - and the whole issue for that matter - was outstanding. I was one of the Black Sheep in attendance at Columbia when Joe Tobul crashed. I was the last one in the cockpit of his RU-4 before he strapped in and took off for what turned out to be his last flight.

Bruce J. Matheson

Colonel USMC (Ret.)

Kailua, HI

What a wonderful way to start the New Year - the January issue was one of the best ever. You mention that Charles A. Lindbergh "did most of the test flying that determined the capability of the Corsair to lift huge amounts." I wish you had added that he not only tested the Corsair, but put his life on the line flying Corsairs in the Pacific.

I have a picture of him standing alongside a Corsair of VMF-222, along with a couple of Marine pilots. They had just returned from a sortie on 3 June 1944. It is in his Wartime Journals book.

Gene Weisenberg

San Marino, CA

As an old Navy Corsair pilot, I was enthralled on the coverage you had on the "Bentwing" in the January issue. Brought back many memories of when I flew that great airplane.

I started operational training in June 1946 with FG-lDs at NAS Opa Locka, Florida, until the station was closed in December of that year. I then completed training at NAS Cecil Field, Florida, in early 1947 on F4U-4s.

Following carrier qualifications, I was posted to NAS Norfolk, Virginia, with VF6B, Air Group Five, USS Coral Sea where I continued to fly F4U-4s until placed on inactive duty in December 1947.

Larry Cunningham

CORSAIRPI@aol.com

DE KELLIS AIR TRUCK

It was a great surprise to see the photo of Tom De Kellis' airplane in the December 2002 issue. There are photos of this aircraft posted on the walls of Oroville Aviation, Oroville, California. Common legend around the airport is that the Air Truck flew exactly once and it took everything the R-985 had to keep it in the air.

The six wings were from J-3 Cubs and the mission of the aircraft was not agricultural work but to haul a jeep to back country trips in the Sierra Nevada. That certainly explains the boxy fuselage. It appears that your photo was taken at the Oroville Airport.

Hugh Mattingly

Paradise, CA

DOUGLAS

COMMERCIAL ONE

As a long-time subscriber, I thought the December 2002 issue was excellent. The Reno coverage was outstanding but I truly enjoyed the story on the Douglas DC- 1.

On page 72, the photograph of men loading mail shows my father, the mechanic in white coveralls. It was taken on the day the airmail contracts were canceled and later that same day there were layoffs at TWA.

My dad went on to fly for Continental Airlines and retired at the mandatory age of 60 in 1970.

Cliff Pleggenkuhle, Jr.

Huffman, TX

INVADER

I enjoyed the three-parter on the Douglas Invader - a great aircraft that served in three major wars!

I returned from Viet Nam in 1971 to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. DM at the time was a hot-bed of activity due to the retirement of all kinds of aircraft from the active inventory.