A Very Short Air Force Career

I got out of the Army in January 1953 after serving during the Korean War on Okinawa. In June of 1953, I decided to visit my brother George and family in Portland. At that time, he was the Liaison Officer between the Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol for Oregon and Washington.

One day, he decided to take me along for a flight around Oregon to pick up CAP cadets who were coming to Portland to compete to find five who would accompany him in an exchange program with Norway. His unit there consisted of an old master sergeant and a civilian secretary. He gave me a blue Air Force zipper coverall to go over my Hawaiian shirt and Levis. We flew to Bend, Medford and Eugene picking up the cadets That night, I attended the meeting in a large Portland Hotel. George was the only real Air Force officer and all the others were retired Colonels and Lt. Colonels. He showed the cadets how to salute when they were called up to be questioned. After he went back to the head table, I destroyed his whole lesson by showing them how sloppy he saluted!

The next day, we flew around Oregon taking the cadets back to their homes. On the way back to Portland, we flew over Mt. Jefferson. He decided to teach me how to fly the Air Force C-45 eight passenger twin engine plane. He explained the movements of the wheel (like a steering wheel) and back and forth movements. Also, the use of the foot pedals. Then he let me take over giving me the bearing of 270 degrees northwest and an elevation of 10,000 feet.

I had white knuckles gripping the wheel and had it on course pretty good. On checking the dial, I had dropped 1,000 feet, so I pulled up and down and up until it was at 10,000. Then I looked at the compass, which was way off the 270 degrees and tried to get it back on course.

Finally, every thing was AOK but I had a “death grip” on the wheel. I was intent on looking straight ahead, but I turned to him and saw him laughing. When I had gotten on the right bearing and elevation, he had switched on the automatic pilot. He grabbed the wheel and yanked it around and nothing happened!

During the 50th anniversary of the Air Force in 1997, I went to Beale Air Force Base in California. There was C-45G there exactly like the one I had been “co pilot” on.
I told the pilot about my experience with the plane and he let me get in and sit in the co pilots seat. He got a good laugh when I told him that I think I could fly it but wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to take off or land the plane.