Jump to content

WWII pilot logs docs & engraved Balfour wings


Bob Hudson
 Share

Recommended Posts

Bob Hudson

Picked up a small group with a couple of Navy wings and the pilot's flight training logs, CAA books and notes from 1944 to 1950 when he left the service. There are two nice full-size regulation Balfour pinback wings: one is engraved to his mother and the other to what may have been his wife or sweetheart.

He learned to fly at Cedar Flying Service, Loras College in Dubuque Iowa. It looks like he was still in training when the war ended. His log shows a last Navy flight in October 1950 and he didn't fly again until a few flights in the 1960's (civilian) and went full bore in 1972 when he bought a Beech Bonanza - got the logs for that too:

1.jpg

 

2.jpg

 

3.jpg

 

 

4.jpg

 

5.jpg

 

6.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bob Hudson

He was called by his first and middle names. I had an uncle who did that: he was Gene or Bill depending on how you knew him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice wings and very legitimate period engraving.
Aviator engraved wings are definitely more scarce then Pilot.

Fantastic to have his books as well.

Reading the remarks he made brings back memories of that first flight...level flight, level turns, etc. The realization of the joy of flight and how much we all had to learn!

Thanks for posting this wonderful group with the human side shown so well.

John

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bob Hudson
2 hours ago, B-17Guy said:

Very nice wings and very legitimate period engraving.
Aviator engraved wings are definitely more scarce then Pilot.

Fantastic to have his books as well.

Reading the remarks he made brings back memories of that first flight...level flight, level turns, etc. The realization of the joy of flight and how much we all had to learn!

Thanks for posting this wonderful group with the human side shown so well.

John

 

He trained at Loras College, which  had a Navy  contract - through the Civil Aeronautics Administration War Training Service - for training aviation cadets in Navy V-1, V-5, and 4-7 programs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bob Hudson

He started training in the TBM in September 1945 (but still spent a lot of time in SNJ's). Here's the log entry for his last Navy flight in October 1950 - his next two log entries are for a civilian Cessna 190 flight in 1960 and a Cessna 172 flight in 1969! In July 1972, 22 years after his last Navy flight, he bought an Beechraft Bonanza  asnd became an active flyer: his wife, too, got a pilot's ticket. 

last-navy-flight.jpg

Civilian logs

 

 

logs.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bob Hudson

Here's the Balfour wings he actually wore: like the others, gold filled.

1.jpg

 

2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...