Vincennes Posted February 12, 2017 Share #1 Posted February 12, 2017 I just bought some stuff on eBay belonging to George Ripple who was an Air Crew member out of Africa during WW2. During research I came across 10 immigration forms for flights back to the US. Whenever his job description is listed it is "F.T.C." or "FTC". (see form below). What is FTC? What was his job? Thanks, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcdino685 Posted February 12, 2017 Share #2 Posted February 12, 2017 Flying/Flight Training Command I think is what the official abbreviation is in military terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincennes Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share #3 Posted February 13, 2017 I know that FTC is the official abbreviation for Flying Training Command, but how does that fit this situation. That column on the form describes a job on the airplane. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 13, 2017 Share #4 Posted February 13, 2017 Guessing, somewhat educatedly - that his spot on the crew may simply have been as a training officer. The aircraft appears to have been assigned to HTC. Could that mean Headquarters Training Command? Kind of germane, somehow, that this flight went from Bermuda to La Guardia... so I am wondering what kind of aircraft it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincennes Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share #5 Posted February 13, 2017 This is turning into an adventure. All the immigration forms I have show the planes coming from Newfoundland or Bermuda. But since the package I bought on ebay included a signed short snorter with the notation "Africa" on it I am guessing that he was stationed in Africa.I think the immigration forms only list the last landing point of the aircraft.I attach another of the forms. It shows that the aircraft belonged to "ATC". The "HTC" on the first form is just a poorly written "ATC". That is probably Army Transportation Corps?Also George's rank was only Private, so I cannot see him being a training officer, or observer. But who knows? Below is another immigration form. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted February 13, 2017 Share #6 Posted February 13, 2017 Im thinking the ATC is the Air Transport Command Probably was ferring aircraft or personel to locations around the world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted February 13, 2017 Share #7 Posted February 13, 2017 WIKI has this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transport_Command Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 13, 2017 Share #8 Posted February 13, 2017 Yup... must be Air Transport Command, in which case Pvt Ripple may have been on free hops? Would love to discover what type of aircraft this was...That could tell us a lot about what he might have been doing on those flights... e.g. clerical function (since immigration related)? In my AF time I talked my way onto numerous manifests, as a ground crew member on a given aircraft, not to perform any function at all - but just because the pilots and crew chief were willing to let me come along since our "shop" was out of the hangar and in the air. Base Ops put me on the manifest with their permission and off we went! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcdino685 Posted February 13, 2017 Share #9 Posted February 13, 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._Stansbury I wonder if this is one of the captains on that sheet that was aboard the plane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted February 13, 2017 Share #10 Posted February 13, 2017 Just a guess; FTC = ________ Technical Consultant (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincennes Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share #11 Posted February 14, 2017 I have 10 different immigration forms listing Ripple as a crew member of an airplane. They range from 9/3/44 to 10/28/45. 10 trips back to the US in just over a year seems like more than some free hops. Here is the short snorter I am getting with this lot. This is why I think he was stationed in Africa. His name is just below the "ONE". Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 14, 2017 Share #12 Posted February 14, 2017 Yes, 10 trips may be too many as free hopper. Plus which, at least, doubtful he'd be included on any short snorter as an incidental/superfluous airman. Possible I guess, but not likely. Back to square one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plick27 Posted February 14, 2017 Share #13 Posted February 14, 2017 F-errying T-?????? C-ommand. Airfield locations on this wiki checks alot of the boxes on that short snorter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_air_ferry_route_in_World_War_II Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted February 14, 2017 Share #14 Posted February 14, 2017 I can't added anything about "FTC" but I wanted to thank you for mentioning using the immigration records. I hadn't thought about using them for WWII aircrew members, but after reading this thread, I searched and found a few of "my" vets in the immigrations records. Thanks for providing another research tool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettow Posted February 14, 2017 Share #15 Posted February 14, 2017 I have 10 different immigration forms listing Ripple as a crew member of an airplane. They range from 9/3/44 to 10/28/45. 10 trips back to the US in just over a year seems like more than some free hops. Here is the short snorter I am getting with this lot. This is why I think he was stationed in Africa. His name is just below the "ONE". Paul He is part of the Air Transport Command. The country names on the note are all waypoints for the ATC. One of the routes went US-Brazil-West Africa and then points beyond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettow Posted February 14, 2017 Share #16 Posted February 14, 2017 Ripple, Tucker and Long were all on the same flight originating in Casablanca on September 2, 1944. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siege1863 Posted February 14, 2017 Share #17 Posted February 14, 2017 FTC is "flight traffic clerk." Essentially, they played the role of steward/stewardess on the trans-ocean flights. See my posting of another "short snorter" here on the forum. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112368-brass-hat-squadron-short-snorter/?hl=%2Bbrass+%2Bhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincennes Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share #18 Posted February 14, 2017 OK siege1863 Thanks. A good explanation for what "FTC" is as a job description that fits everything I know so far. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted February 14, 2017 Share #19 Posted February 14, 2017 FTC is "flight traffic clerk." Essentially, they played the role of steward/stewardess on the trans-ocean flights. See my posting of another "short snorter" here on the forum. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112368-brass-hat-squadron-short-snorter/?hl=%2Bbrass+%2Bhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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