blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 4, 2009 This is one of my prized items of my collection. This cigarette case belonged to A.F. Story who was Gen. MacArthur's personal pilot during he Korean conflict. It was given to me by a family member after his death. I have never been able to ID all the wings on the box. What can you tell me? Dan H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted September 4, 2009 I also have his Ferry Command coat, hat, headphones, log book and other items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted September 4, 2009 Here is his photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted September 4, 2009 Here is his plane the Bataan. Mr. Story is on the left with his crew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted September 4, 2009 Here is another photo of Story and MacArthur. Thats all for now, there is a lot more I could share in photo s. Maybe later in another thread. Dan H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted September 4, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 4, 2009 This is one of my prized items of my collection. This cigarette case belonged to A.F. Story who was Gen. MacArthur's personal pilot during he Korean conflict. It was given to me by a family member after his death. I have never been able to ID all the wings on the box. What can you tell me? Dan H That's a nice cigarette case. The wings with the S and the star in the center of the case are for a Senior Service pilot. Service pilots civilian commercial pilots or airline pilots who did not go through the usual AAF flight training program due to their experience. Their training was much shorter, and they generally were assigned to ferrying and transport functions. Senior Service pilot wings are rather scarce. Was Story a Service Pilot? Or were the Senior Pilot wings put on the box to personalize it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkdown Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted September 4, 2009 Story had been flying since the 1930's and had gone to Canada to join the RAF Ferry Command in October 1942. He had flown an astounding number of planes before he was allowed to join the Army Air Corps later in WW2. I have 2 of his RAF logs with an amazing amount of entries. I guess that would make since for the Service Pilot. As far as I can tell he was the pilot that flew MacArthur in the day Truman relived him of command. I have seen the letter MacArthur wrote to him personally thanking him for his service. What about the other wings in the case? Dan H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbonemuseum.com Posted July 23, 2022 Share #8 Posted July 23, 2022 On 9/3/2009 at 10:51 PM, blackhawkdown said: I also have his Ferry Command coat, hat, headphones, log book and other items. While i realize this post is from 2009, i just came across it. While his cap is for the Ferry or Transport Command (same insignia for both but changed wording when it went from Ferry to Transport designation), his tunic is actually badged and ranked for the ATA or Air Transport Auxiliary, a British civilian organization that authorized private pilots to shuttle aircraft from factory to base. A very rare tunic. Would love to see a better photo of that incredible wing. Tod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbonemuseum.com Posted July 23, 2022 Share #9 Posted July 23, 2022 On 9/3/2009 at 10:49 PM, blackhawkdown said: This is one of my prized items of my collection. This cigarette case belonged to A.F. Story who was Gen. MacArthur's personal pilot during he Korean conflict. It was given to me by a family member after his death. I have never been able to ID all the wings on the box. What can you tell me? Dan H Hi. I will give you the best of what i can tell you about your wings. From clockwise upper left 1. With the lion holding the tusk this is Rhodesia. It is not the Rhodesian Air Force wing which is different and has a British royal crown not the lion. So I believe it is likely an early Rhodesian Airways pilot wing 2. Wing with torch. Have never seen this one. Torch usually symbolizes "learning" in heraldry so could be an air university/training etc 3. S wing with star. Senior service pilot. Commercial pilots trained and qualified to fly military aircraft in military service. Star for 7 years as pilot + 2000 flight hours or 1300 as instructor 4. RAF Ferry Command. Commercial and Military pilots flying under RAF command flying aircraft over the "Atlantic Bridge" from Canada to UK. Later became Transport Command and then 45 Air Transport Group 5. Small version of Ferry or Transport depending on what it says on bottom 6. Engraved wing on case. ATA or Air Transport Auxiliary wing for the UK program that had volunteer private and commercial pilots ferrying aircraft from factories to bases. 7. Another small Ferry or Transport wing. It would be great to get a better picture to see the engraving and dedication at the bottom Tod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyNavy02 Posted July 23, 2022 Share #10 Posted July 23, 2022 Great case. The wing on the upper left is Imperial Airways (IA on the shield), became British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1939. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbonemuseum.com Posted July 24, 2022 Share #11 Posted July 24, 2022 @FlyNavy02thanks for the correct identification of that wing! Here is one from Barry Turk's site for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now