Memories

It was a new experience for me.  I had lived in North Carolina all of my life and in my military life to date all of my stations and training had been in the south also.  So it was with joy and anticipation when I got the news that I, along with 40 other instructor pilots would be coming to Freeman Field in early October of 1944 to teach in the AT-10.  I had completed my flight training in twin engines that early Spring - got my wings - at Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas.  Then on to Central Instructors School at Randolph Field, Texas - and back to Stuttgart to instruct in Twin Engine Advanced.

As a southerner I had never had my fill of snow or cold weather so Freeman Field was going to be something special for me.  One of the first new experiences for me was my introduction to the helicopter.  On the west end of the field there were 4 or 5 strange looking machines that could take off straight up, hover, fly sideways and backwards.  Never did met any of the pilots of these birds as this area was held in secrecy and off limits to us.  The helicopters were Sikorsky R-4Bs made in Bridgeport, Connecticut and flown direct to the program at Freeman.  The program was short lived and in December they were transferred to Chanute Field in Illinois.

I enjoyed my flying at Freeman very much and as I recall I had good students who had a strong desire to learn and were a joy to teach.  On some days with high winter overcasts and less than good visibility you could give the students a feel for the true instrument conditions they would later be flying.

The flights that still live in my memory some 58 years later are the ones I flew with students on cold winter nights over snow covered fields under a full moon.  What a treat ! !  But of course the biggy had to be the dual low altitude cross county that we took with each student.  My best route was southeast to the Ohio River near Madison, Ind., and then north up the river valley.  One early morning on one of these low altitude training flights I teamed up with two other instructors and flew the tail end Charlie position on this rat race as such.  As we all three flew by a barn on a sloping hill to out right with the big barn door open - a farmer with milk bucket in hand arrived at the door just as I went by and we looked each other straight in the face.  I do believe had we both met each other on the street the next day - we would have known each other.  As instructors we were most pleased when word came back form overseas that we should add a second low altitude flight to our program.  Oh Joy ! !

Just after Christmas of 1944 orders came down for 38 of the instructor pilots to take a train out of Seymour on December 28th and go to Lancaster, California and fly 38 Stearman By-planes across the US to Greenwood, South Carolina.  What a trip - it took five days on the train to make the trip west.  We then had a couple of days in LA prior to going to Lancaster to pick up the planes.

I was standing at the gate of Paramount Movie Studios with a fellow pilot when a large black car stopped at the gate and from the back seat Paul Jones called to us - saying, "Hey fellows - How would you like to see the inside ?"  Paul Jones was the producer of the "Road Shows" among others, with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamore.  He was very kind to us and spent the entire morning as our tour guide.

As to our trip back to South Carolina, I had never flown a Stearman - my primary plane was a low wing Fairchild PT-23.  The ground crew got me started and on take off I hit a rain puddle and was airborne.  The quickest check-out I ever had.  We flew in flights of five with one as our leader.  It was a hoot ! !  Buzzed every cactus in the west - every cow in Texas and any and every train going in our direction was fair game.  At all fuel stops west of the Mississippi we had to climb to get to traffic pattern altitude.  The trip took all of six days to get to South Carolina and the amazing thing as I look back - all 38 got there.

In February or March of 1945 I left Freeman and on to B-24s and into the B-29 program.  Mr. Truman dropped the bomb and that was that.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention how kind the people of Seymour were to all of us at Freeman Field.  Christmas time of 1944 stands out in my memory as very special - all doors were open to us.  And now once again - many of these same people along with the next generation are there to welcome us back to Freeman Field.  HOW GREAT ! !

I wish you all well.

Bill Howard