Author Topic: Earl's Logs  (Read 477 times)

Offline Animl-AW

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Earl's Logs
« on: October 07, 2024, 07:52:01 PM »
I ran across these the other day. For the unknowing, Earl played AW, and I believe maybe AH. from what I recall, anyone can correct me, he was a WWII pilot an/or became a test pilot. He was somewhat regular on Bigweek. He gave a lot of tips on the AW flight model. He was a very captivating guy with his stories. A seriously great guy. When he posted, everyone listened.

I found a few of his flight logs he had posted many years ago.



May 23

1942:   
I had a solo flight in a Stearman PT-17 for 1:05 hours.

1943:   
I had my first flight in a P-38.  I flew a P-38G for 1:00
hour.  I also flew a P-39N for 10 minutes. 

2002:
I departed for the 345th Fighter Squadron reunion held in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I expect to return on Monday.



May 24

1943: 
I flew a P-39N for one hour of slow time.

F/O Hugh E. McCall, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter
Group was a member of a P-39 flight sent out from Taher
airfield, Algeria to search for an enemy pilot who was shot
down at sea.  The pilot was found and picked up by a Walrus.



May 25

1942: 
I flew a dual flight in a Stearman PT-17 for 53 minutes.

1943: 
I flew a maintenance test flight for 30 minutes in a P-39N. 
I flew a P-38G for 1:30 hours in the Algiers area.

1944: 
I flew a maintenance test flight in a P-39N for 30
minutes.     


May 27

1942: 
I flew a dual flight for 43 minutes in a Stearman PT-17.

1943: 
I flew a P-39N for one hour of slow time.

1st Lt. Vincent J. Dugan, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th
Fighter Group was killed after taking off from Maison
Blanche airfield, Algiers in bad weather with a load of
"supplies" for a squadron party planned at his home field,
Taher airfield, 125 miles east.  His P-39 struck a hillside
20 miles east of Algiers while he was trying to fly under
low clouds.  Don't know what happened to the "supplies".

1944:  I took my flight to Monte Cavino, Italy to pick up
P-39Qs.  We flew them to Naples, a 30-minute flight, to be
checked by our mechanics before ferrying them to Sardinia.


May 28

1943: 
I practiced ground gunnery for 40 minutes in a P-39N.

1944: 
My flight ferried the P-39Qs from Naples to Alghero,
Sardinia, a 1:45-hour flight.     
       
1st Lt. Harry R. Carney, 345th Fighter Squadron, 350th
Fighter Group, had engine failure of his P-39 while on
convoy patrol over the Strait of Bonifacio.  He bailed out
10 miles northwest of Maddalena and landed on the beach on
the south side of the strait.  He rode a horse for 20 miles
to a small airfield at Albio, where he was picked up by
Major Lee C. Wells, the Squadron Operations Officer, in the
two-place Hurricane.



May 31

1943:

1st Lt. Joseph L. Morsheimer, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th
Fighter Group was scrambled to intercept a Ju-88 recce
aircraft.  He sighted the enemy aircraft overhead, but at
16,000 feet his P-39 blew an engine cylinder.  He undershot
the Taher airfield by 100 feet when making a "dead-stick"
landing.  The aircraft stopped with its nose in the sand.


2nd Lt. John B. Byrn, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter
Group was flying the squadron's L-4 Taylorcraft aircraft,
which was acquired when it was left by some Army unit and
repaired and flown by the pilots, nosed up in a shallow
ditch on the airfield.  The propellor and engine exhaust
were damaged, but Byrn was all right.

1946:
Four of us, flying P-51Ds, were enroute from Biggs Field,
El Paso, Texas  to Tarrant to perform in an air show, when
bad weather forced us to RON at Waco Field.



June 1

1942: 
At the Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics, near Jackson,
Mississippi, I flew
55 minutes dual and 48 minutes solo in a Stearman PT-17.

1943: 
At Maison Blanche airport, near Algiers, North Africa, I
flew a P-38G for 40
minutes and practiced ground gunnery in a P-39N for one
hour.

Each  squadron of the 350th Fighter Group was  assigned two
P-38s for the interception of high altitude enemy
reconnaissance aircraft.

Sometime in late May or early June (I have no specific date)
F/O Kenneth B. Smith, 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter
Group was returning from a convoy patrol mission in a P-39
when he saw a submarine 20 miles east of Algiers.  He flew
low over it and could see no markings.  He checked with the
Controller, who had no information, but advised, "Use your
own discretion".  Smith attacked the submarine with both his
cannon and machine guns and reported that he got some hits
on it.  Later, the squadron learned that a British submarine
had filed a formal complaint.  The squadron kept "mum".

1944: 
At Alghero Airfield, Sardinia, I was preparing to ferry our
Hurricane to Naples, Italy.

In late May or early June (I don't have a specific date) 2nd
Lt. Clifford L. Stockwell, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th
Fighter Group, based at Aghione airfield, Corsica was
scrambled with wingman 2nd Lt. Maurice A. Brasch.  They
climbed up through the overcast, but made no contact with
the bandit.  Upon landing, Stockwell was asked if he had
seen any flak.  Upon review, it was discovered that the
Ajaccio AAA had fired at aircraft in the clouds for several
minutes.

1945: 
I flew an AT-6 for 1:10 hours at the Central  Instructors
School, Single Engine Advanced at Waco, Texas,

1946: 
Based at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas, four of us flew P-51s
from an RON at Waco,
where we were weathered in enroute to Tarant, Texas, for an
air show.  Flight time
was 40 minutes.

1965: 
At Pleiku, South Vietnam, I was attending to my duties as
Chief of the Air Force
Advisory Team (AFAT) and advisor to a Vietnamese Air Force
(VNAF) wing.


June 2

1942: 
I flew 54 minutes of dual instruction and 1:06 hours of solo
time in a Stearman PT-17.

« Last Edit: October 07, 2024, 08:10:37 PM by Animl-AW »

Offline Animl-AW

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2024, 07:52:57 PM »
1943: 
I flew 1:55 hours in a P-39N.
.
1944: 
I ferried the Hurricane from Alghero to Elmas airfield at
Cagliari, refueled and flew to Palermo, Sicily.  The
British commander there asked me if he could borrow the
Hurricane to take their Flight Surgeon up for a spin.  I
said, "Sure", and went off to find chow and sleeping
quarters for the night.

1946: 
The four of us flew 1:15 hours at the Tarrant Air Show.  We
had missed one day because of our RON at Waco.  We had one
aircraft on static display for the day and took turns
answering visitors' questions until we were scheduled to
fly.  The P-51 was considered a modern fighter at that time
and sparked a lot of interest among the local folk.  When it
was our turn to
fly, we took off in twos, joined up over the field and
climbed out some distance waiting our turn, at which time
we made a low-level, high-speed pass over the field.  We
didn't perform aerobatics.



June 3

1942:
I flew 1:03 hours of dual instruction and 1:58 hours of
solo time in a Stearman PT-17.

1943: 
I flew a P-39N for 1:30 hours.

1944: 
I flew the Hurricane from Palermo to Naples in 1:30 hours,
just about max range.  When I came down to the flight line
that morning at Palermo, the British commander was waiting
for me.  He thanked me for the use of the two-seated
Hurricane and offered to trade a Spitfire for it.  I told
him I had no authority to do that, but I would relay the
offer to my commander.  After arriving at Naples, I
mentioned the offer to the Squadron Commander.  He asked,
"Why didn't you trade?"  I told him I would be glad to fly
back to Palermo.  End of story!

1945:
 I flew 3:15 hours in the AT-6.

1946: 
The four of us flew our P-51s back to Biggs Field from the
air show at Tarrant.  Flight time was 2:15 hours.  Upon
returning to Biggs, I was told we would soon be going to
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for gunnery practice.


June 4

1942: 
I flew 1:23 hours of solo flight in a Stearman PT-17.

1944: 
I flew a P-39Q for 15 minutes.  I assume it was a
maintenance test flight.

1945: 
I flew 2:30 hours in an AT-6.



June 5

1942: 
I had 1:10 hours of dual instruction in a Stearman PT-17.

1943: 
I was scrambled in a P-38G for a 40-minute flight in the
Algiers area.  No joy.

1945: 
I flew 2:40 hours in an AT-6. 

2nd Lt. Billy B. Ashbaugh of the 345th Fighter Squadron,
350th Fighter Group crashed at sea and was killed while on
a post-war training flight in a P-47 off Leghorn, Italy. 
He flew too low, allowing the propeller to touch the sea
and was unable to get the nose back up because the water
spray made his elevator ineffective.  In 1952 that P-47 was
snagged by a trawler and raised to the surface .  Ashbaugh's
remains were recovered and buried in Arlington National
Cemetery.  He was the 350th Fighter Group's last casualty.

1965:
I went to Nha Trang in a U-17 to fly dive-bombing missions
in the A-1H.



June 9

1944:
A 347th pilot flying CAP over minesweepers off the coast of
Italy near the front lines had engine trouble with his P-47
and had to return to Corsica, 90 mile away over the Med.

A 346th pilot was scrambled in a P-39 with the control
locks still on.  He had to use trim tabs to climb up high
enough to remove them.  Removing them required some forward
stick movement.

1946:
I picked up a left magneto and some tools at squadron
supply and flew a P-51 to the airport at Huntsville,
Alabama.  The disabled P-51 was parked in front of the
operations building.  As soon as I began removing the side
panels, a fellow who said he was an aircraft mechanic, came
out asking me what I was doing.  When I told him, he asked
to see my Aircraft Mechanic Certificate.  When I was unable
to produce one, he ordered me to stop work and replace the
panels.  When I refused, he left and soon returned with the
airport manager who, after I explained my situation, let me
continue.  All through the procedure, the mechanic would
come over occasionally to watch me.  As I removed the
magneto from the housing, he said, "Now you've done it!"
and left.  He didn't bother me any more the rest of the
time.  When I had replaced the magneto, I ran a magneto
check.  They checked out OK.  Since it was getting late,
I asked the pilot if he would replace the side panels. 
As I taxied past the operations building when leaving, I
saw the mechanic standing in the window.  I gave him a
hearty thumbs up.

earl



June 10

1944:
2nd Lt. James K. Levy, 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th
Fighter Group, in a P-39, was on reconnaissance flight to
Elba Island to locate harbor defenses at Port Ferraio for
a planned Allied (French) invasion.  While crossing the bay
at high speed on the deck, he crashed within 200 yards of
the shore, probably due to AAA.  KIA.

The 346th Fighter Squadron was transferring from Tunisia to
Sardinia.  One of the pilots made a departing buzz job near
dusk and hit an elevated roadway at high speed.  The P-39
disintegrated and the pilot was sent to the US and, after
spending five months in a coma, recovered.


June 11

1945: 
I received orders to report to Chanute Field to attend the
Officers Engineering Course.  I had applied for the course
as soon as I arrived at Waco.  The irony is that I was
scheduled to check out in the single P-40 on the base the
very day that the notice arrived.

1964: 
I had a 2-hour orientation flight at the Navy air Base at
Corpus Christi in a T-28.  The flight included 8 landings.


June 12

1964: 
I was given a check ride of 1.3 hours (Naval decimal system)
in a T-28.  The Navy was very cautious about Air Force
pilots, I guess.  This flight included 7 landings.


June 13

1943:
Six P-39s from the 346th Fighter Squadron flying out of
Tunisia on a sweep near the Pantelleria Island tangled with
a bunch of Fw-190s.  I will need to sort out the action and
write it up in a suitable sequence, but don't have the time
to do it now.  Look for it later

Offline JimmyD3

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2024, 08:31:27 PM »
Awesome Animl, Earl was still flying in AH2, as I recall when I started in 2012 ( I could be confusing him with someone else). A real gentleman, with a wealth of knowledge.
Kenai77
CO Sic Puppies MWK
USAF 1971-76

Offline Oldman731

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2024, 10:40:29 PM »
Awesome Animl, Earl was still flying in AH2, as I recall when I started in 2012 ( I could be confusing him with someone else). A real gentleman, with a wealth of knowledge.

Earl Miller.  Not to be confused with our later Earl, the bomber guy.  Earl Miller flew P-39s and P-47s in North Africa and Italy, then P-47Ms, P-51s, and P-80s after the war, until his retirement.  +Tiff met him at his home shortly before his death.

The other Earl is known to many of the AH community, because he organized and flew bomber missions here.

Both were heroes.  Thanks for the posts, Animal.

- oldman

Offline xanax

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2024, 01:23:50 AM »

Sometime in late May or early June (I have no specific date)
F/O Kenneth B. Smith, 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter
Group was returning from a convoy patrol mission in a P-39
when he saw a submarine 20 miles east of Algiers.  He flew
low over it and could see no markings.  He checked with the
Controller, who had no information, but advised, "Use your
own discretion".  Smith attacked the submarine with both his
cannon and machine guns and reported that he got some hits
on it.  Later, the squadron learned that a British submarine
had filed a formal complaint.  The squadron kept "mum".


Heh! "Use your own discretion." I love it.

Good find, Animl. This stuff is gold. I had saved it all once, I wish I could find it again but in my stupidity, I probably deleted or lost it.


The Damned
Founded 1988

Offline JimmyD3

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2024, 07:58:44 AM »
Earl Miller.  Not to be confused with our later Earl, the bomber guy.  Earl Miller flew P-39s and P-47s in North Africa and Italy, then P-47Ms, P-51s, and P-80s after the war, until his retirement.  +Tiff met him at his home shortly before his death.

The other Earl is known to many of the AH community, because he organized and flew bomber missions here.

Both were heroes.  Thanks for the posts, Animal.

- oldman

Thank you for the correction and clarification Oldman. :cheers:
Kenai77
CO Sic Puppies MWK
USAF 1971-76

Offline Animl-AW

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2024, 09:22:03 PM »
Anyone know IF Earl's call/nick name was Dutch?

Offline xanax

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2024, 09:25:40 PM »
The Damned
Founded 1988


Offline xanax

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Re: Earl's Logs
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2024, 09:51:55 PM »
The Damned
Founded 1988