Royal netherlands east indies army air force postwar. Collecting and researching ww2 pilots flying logbooks. Piper l4 pilot bruce gale recalls ww2 artillery spotting. The piper j3 cub is an american light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by piper aircraft. After some testing, carpenter added two more rocket launchers, then later, two more for a.
Weighing a scant 740 pounds, it picked up the name grasshopper. I feel that t would be a wwii aviation buff out somew that. So with approval from command headquarters, carpenter first attached two bazookas to the wings of his plane, which he called rosie the rocketer. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. The group of female pilots was called the women airforce service pilots wasp for short. He is best remembered for destroying several enemy armored vehicles in his bazookaequipped l4 grasshopper light observation aircraft. A readers guide to the air war our pick of the best books and memoirs on world war ii aviation. Pilot duane francies scored one of the most unusual victories in the history of air combat. Record your own flying history of missions, upgrades, checkrides and awards right in this beautiful and durable logbook. At one point it was hoped that luftwaffe wwii pilots might join our virtual crewroom, but it was not to be. The piper l4 grasshopper of ww2 was the military version of the highly popular prewar j3 cub, by which name it was more widely known to service personnel. Find out what happened when a us army grasshopper spotter plane came facetoface with its german counterpart, the fieseler 156 storch in. Charles bazooka charlie carpenter 29 august 1912 22 march 1966 was a u. Army air forces ordered the first o59s in 1941 for tests in conjunction.
Saving britain 1940 by patrick bishop, i sank the bismarck. Data from pilots flight operating instructions, army model l2, l2a, l2b, and l2m airplanes, t. World war ii veteran and grasshopper pilot charles rogers stands in front of his piper cub. It had a crew that varied from one to two and a single continental o1703 engine that could propel the grasshopper at speeds of up to 7 kmh. The article was about charles carpenter, an l4 pilot who became known as bazooka charlie. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good lowspeed handling properties and shortfield performance.
Interestingly the grasshopper was the recorded the last airkill of ww2 when it met a fiesler storch up in the air at its usual low altitude. The thrilling memoir of a lightaircraft pilot during world war ii. Piper and members of thc grasshopper squadron during the. Grasshopper pilot by julian william cummings overdrive. Rogers plane had an image of a baby on it, in honor of his first child being born, a daughter, clare. Before he gave his books to the raf, he had them scanned so we have both books. Details about wwii piper l4 grasshopper j3 cub liaison parts catalog aircraft manual cd copy. Warrior grasshopper its one thing to dogfight in something like the spitfire, the supreme fighting machine.
In 1944, during the graduation ceremony for the last. Get it today with same day delivery, order pickup or drive up. During world war ii, grasshoppers performed a wide variety of. Army air force flying cadets recruitment film basic flight training 28604 duration. Bazooka charlie and his nazitank killin grasshopper. Rather unusually, his pilot and he stayed together throughout if a posting came up for one of them they turned it down. The artillery also relied on flying eyes in the skya group that has historically received little recognition. Aerial observation was frequently the only effective means to locate enemy targets. Stinson, taylorcraft, aeronca, and piper were light plane manufacturers that built military versions of their civilian counterparts during world war ii. I also didnt post the 2nd pages of each, it just shows the lengh of the flights, however if anyone is interested, i. Stinson, taylorcraft, aeronca, and piper were light plane manufacturers that built military versions of their civilian counterparts during world war ii, designated l1s through l5s. Grasshopper pilot recalls flying unarmed in front lines. This page is dedicated to preserving the history of the united states army air corps cadets, as well as members of the war training service, the civilian pilot training program, and civilian fight instructors who served during wwii. The maximum range of the grasshopper was 306 kilometers and the service ceiling was 2,835 meters.
If you are serious about keeping track of your flight time, and operate army or usaf rotary aircraft this is the book you need with no question. World war ii female pilots claim sabotage in new documentary. Even the stories of deceased fathers, etc, have been related by their children using this invaluable and precise record. Full text of final overland pass natural gas liquids. We will to draw regard that our site not store the book itself, but we give reference to the site where you may download or reading online. Middletown, ct prweb june 3, 2006 many of us remember the fictional 1959 comedy movie, the mouse that roared, starring peter sellers.
Lightest of the lot was the 680 pound taylorcraft l2. I know i am, and i find it more interesting the more i learn, this pilots log book contains a wealth of information, ill ad more information as i learn of it, or if you have anything to share, please feel free to contact me. A world war ii liaison pilot confronts jim crow and the. Little airplane, big job little airplane, big job the poor mans warbird the poor man. The first two extracts cover the habbaniya battle in iraq in may 1941, his first taste of action in the air when still a pupil pilot, and the second two are from burma, and cover the day he got shot down by the friendly 17th indian division. In july 1984 the aircraft was purchased at san diego ca. During world war ii, charles rogers, now 96, flew more than 100 missions, unarmed and without parachutes, through the front lines of battle in europe. Aerial observation was frequently the only effective means to. The piper l4 grasshopper was a military version of the famous piper cub of the 1930s. During world war ii, charles rogers, now 95, flew more than 100 missions, unarmed and without parachutes, through the front lines of battle in europe. Wwii pilots pilot log book 1943 to 1945 uss natoma bay.
Gwendolyn kay cummings julian cummings began flying lightweight piper cubs as a young man and was recruited for the experimental and highrisk aerial reconnaissance unit of the armys third infantry division. Dating back to a 1930 design called the taylor cub, the piper j3 cub design was popular as a civilian trainer and sport plane for at least three years before the us army air corps ordered the first piper l4s in 1941 for use as a light liaison and observation aircraft. The piper l4 grasshopper was a military version of the famous piper cub of. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers. Details about wwii piper l4 grasshopper j3 cub liaison pilot handbook aircraft manual cd copy. Grasshopper pilot by julian williams cummings paperback. The british fascination for heroic failure has clouded the story of arnhem in. During world war ii the ability of american ground forces to advan. Piper l4 grasshopper observation aircraft and ah1 air ambulance piper l4 grasshopper wwii observation aircraft this was basically, the cub with more overhead windows allowing the pilot to check for traffic directly over the aircraft with minimal effort. In world war ii, every artillery battalion needed eyes to give typeoftarget information and coordinates of the enemy in the field. No collection of books about the netherlands and world war ii would be. Wwii piper l4 grasshopper j3 cub liaison pilot handbook. Mad major carpenter attached 6 bazookas to his artillery. Bill pearsons 1943 piper l4a eaa warbirds qr code website.
The name is supposed to capture the essence of the vehicle, inspire the crews with confidence and the enemy with fear and, as a result, many such vehicles are named after large raptors, predators, and wild animals. Piper l4 grasshopper observation aircraft and ah1 air. I will try and add to them over time as i scan relevant sections. A claim that small tubeandfabric liaison airplanes were the most feared american aircraft of world war ii seems incredulous, almost laughable. The master state in the to use for multiuser realtime updating. In his memoir grasshopper pilot, mormon flyer bill cummings calls the presence of these planes an infestation.
Description the thrilling memoir of a lightaircraft pilot during world war ii. American combat liaison aircraft of world war ii, new brighton, mn. Grasshopper pilot even attached several bazookas to the wing struts for use in. In a bizarre dogfight between observation planes on april 11, 1945, lieutenants duane francies and william martin fire their colt. Julian cummings, a piper cub grasshopper pilot, was one of a small cadre who flew hairraising reconnaissance and attack missions in the flimsiest of aircraft at treetop level to support u. In 1941 the united states army air forces ordered four taylorcraft model ds with the designation yo57. I found it to be easily read and kept my attention. The pilot came up on his six oclock and fired the aircrafts 20mm cannon.
Wwii piper l4 grasshopper j3 cub liaison parts catalog. Dayton, ohio piper l4 grasshopper at the national museum. Full text of overland pass natural gas liquids pipeline. Reminiscences of a field artillery pilot in world war ii. Carpenter had noticed that other pilots had installed bazookas as armament on their planes as antitank fire. Stegall wrote of his adventures in wwii and the korean war in a book entitled grasshopper pilot salerno to the yalu, available from ravnhaus press. If memory serves correctly the l4 observer pull out his personal gun and started shooting at the storch, and after a whilst shot the plane down. This flight book starts out with his hours from the time of training to all his flights and missions. I am also greatly obligated to all the field artillery airobservationpost pilots with. The plane was developed from the civilian piper cub series. He was the kind of pilot who, when he saw something needed to be done, went in. Ww2 us navy officers named pilots uniform tunic 1943 for sale online. Army officer and army observation pilot who served in world war ii.
During world war ii the ability of american ground forces to advance in the face of fierce resistance was largely dependent on the precision of artillery barrages. The taylorcraft l2 grasshopper is an american observation and liaison aircraft built by taylorcraft for the united states army air forces in world war ii. One of the most impressive tales in the book is when stegall encountered a german me109 fighter. Given that public space should be chosen based on common rhino and grasshopper were chosen to implement the tool, should existing grasshopper components or. Consequently, they carried out three and half tours, 104 ops or might be 106, i forget. The first main production model of the series was the l4a. The hidden risk faced by female pilots during world war ii.
Such planes could take off in as little as two hundred feet. Forward observers, or fos, were with the infantry on the ground in the front lines. Ww2 era pilot rating book with flight instructors recommendation certificate. A grasshopper typically sips only four gallons per hour in cruise flight. It was designated in the l category for liaison aircraft.
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