When I look at the photograph above—taken just before
graduation from our fifteen-month, tough as it gets Aviation Cadet pilot
training program in the USAF, class 61-E in January of 1961—I’m reminded of a
time when young men with big dreams learned to command the sky. I was one of
them. Now, at 85 years old, I feel a responsibility to carry forward this great
project for future generations and pass these stories on before they fade from
living memory.
This is why we are launching this blog series: to preserve
the firsthand accounts of Aviation Cadets and to ensure that future generations
understand what it took to build the air arm of this nation.
A Museum Like No Other
The Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is
the only museum of its kind in the world and I do teach how it was, after all,
I was there!
Here at Silver Wings Field, the public can join us for a 2 hour live show. We have filmed the first part of the show and you can watch it here. There are about 12 videos that can be accessed on our YouTube channel linked here.
I don't just tell the story—I lived it. And I want you to feel it too.
Do You Know That Feeling?
Do you thrill at the sound of a low-flying aircraft? Do you
search the sky for the source of that thundering sound? Does this stir your
heart and imagination to think that perhaps one day you too could be at the
controls, flying, turning, rolling among the soft fluffy clouds? If so, you may
understand what drove thousands of young men to become Aviation Cadets.
Imagine yourself at 18 or 19
…standing on an airfield,
…feeling the rumble in your chest,
…dreaming of the day you’d become one of
us, a master of the sky!
A Legacy That Shaped a Nation
As you watch our videos, you will learn what it truly took
to become one of us, a Flying (1917) or Aviation Cadet––boys turned into men by
this great program, we are those who built the air arm of this nation in all
services. From the biplane pilots of 1917 to the fighter and bomber crews of
World War II, Korea, and beyond, cadets built the air arm of this nation befor
and after the terrible sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7 th, 1941.
We were there on the front lines of aviation history:
- From
Controlling the skies in open-cockpit biplanes, to
- Responding
to the attack on Pearl Harbor
- Training
the men who fought—and many times died—for our freedom
The cadet programs ended in 1962 for most branches (the Navy
continued through 1968), but the legacy remains. Many Americans today are
related to an Aviation Cadet and may not even know it.
Why We Need Your Support
Our mission is simple: to preserve these stories before
they are lost forever.
But we can only continue this work with the help of people who believe in
honoring the past.
Your support—whether through a donation, a museum visit, or
by sharing these stories—helps keep the legacy of the Aviation Cadets alive.
You can make a donation here:
www.aviationcadet.org/home.aspx