USAF Pilot Class 61-F

(This site created
and maintained by
“Pappy,” who is
solely responsible
for its content)

USAF PILOT CLASS 61-F

This site looks best
in Internet Explorer

with a screen

resolution of at

least 800 X 600

December 17, 2009

Lest we forget, an event occurred on this date in 1903 that would forever alter the course of history, not least for us poorly-educated guys who were able to take advantage of that achievement by two poorly-educated bicycle mechanics some 56 years earlier. They succeeded where many other notables, including Dr. Samuel Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, had failed, even with government funding. Salute to the Wright Brothers!

There were various incentives that the Air Force used (and still does) to recruit pilots. One, of course, was the television commercial. For one from the 1950’s promoting the Aviation Cadet Program, of which this class was one of the last, see this You Tube Video.

September 28, 2009

There will be a Reunion in about a year and a half from the above date. Following are the details available as of this date, as provided by Errol Severe (61-E), the organizer. More will be posted in this space as they become available.

Aviation Cadets! All cadet reunion April 29-May 1, 2011. This is for all army, navy, marine, coast guard, and air force cadets, which includes pilots, navigators, observers and bombardiers. We are also inviting the student officers who trained along side us. We will be giving special attention to the 1961 year classes as 2011 will be their 50th anniversary graduating from pilot training and was the last year of USAF pilot cadet training. This great event will be held at Silver Wings Field, home of the Aviation Cadet Museum, in beautiful Eureka Springs, AR, 50 miles SW of Branson, MO. Click here for the web site. Please call 479-253-5008 or email.

I have plans to invite several national figures to speak at this event and I have sent this information to Mike Huckabee and others to try to generate as much press as possible. As we all get a bit older we need to think about how important it is that we all hang together as much as possible and come to events such as this. It should be a real party!!

Click here for an MP3 file of the first verse of the Air Force Hymn (426 KB). Below are the words of the complete hymn:

Verse I
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly,
Through the great spaces of the sky;
Be with them traversing the air
In darkening storms or sunshine fair.

Verse II
You who support with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight;
Lord of the tempered winds, be near,
That, having you, they know no fear.

Verse III
Control their minds with instinct fit
Whene'er, adventuring, they quit;
The firm security of land
Grant steadfast eye and skillful hand.

Verse IV
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with your saving grace;
O God, protect those who fly
Through lonely ways beneath the sky.

Here is a link to a YouTube video of The Air Force Song. The original words to the song, written by Col. Robert Crawford in 1939, are below.

Off we go into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At 'em boys, Give 'er the gun! (Give 'er the gun now!)
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under,
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!

Additional verses:

Minds of men fashioned a crate of thunder,
Sent it high into the blue;
Hands of men blasted the world asunder;
How they lived God only knew! (God only knew then!)
Souls of men dreaming of skies to conquer
Gave us wings, ever to soar!
With scouts before and bombers galore. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force

Bridge: "A Toast to the Host"

Here's a toast to the host
Of those who love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send a message of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old,
Then down we roar to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast, the U.S. Air Force!

Zoom!

Off we go into the wild sky yonder,
Keep the wings level and true;
If you'd live to be a grey-haired wonder
Keep the nose out of the blue! (Out of the blue, boy!)
Flying men, guarding the nation's border,
We'll be there, followed by more!
In echelon we carry on. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!

Note: Crawford didn't write "Hey!; he actually wrote "SHOUT!" without specifying the word to be shouted. Wherever they appear, the words "U.S. Air Force" have been changed from the original "Army Air Corps." Words in parentheses are spoken, not sung.

Addendum: For a “new” Air Force Song that debuted in 1957 (and didn’t catch on) see this YouTube video.

On December 7, 1959 (A Day Which Will Live In Air Infamy) a group of 400-odd 19-21 year old kids (along with a few grizzled old prior service veterans of about 25-26) reported for Aviation Cadet Pre-Flight Training at Lackland AFB, Texas. After three months of training conducted by disciples of the Marquis de Sade approximately 75% of them managed to complete that initial portion of the course. They were joined at their Primary Pilot Training bases by a number of commissioned officers fresh out of ROTC, the various service academies, and navigators who had convinced the military authorities that they should be pilots after all. After another year of training approximately 25% of the students who had enrolled received their silver wings and, in the cases of the Cadets, their commissions as Second Lieutenants. March 17, 2006 marked the 45th anniversary of that graduation ceremony, an event that will never be forgotten by any of the graduates.
These pages will present a few stories, poems, cartoons, pictures, etc. depicting some of the trials, tribulations, fun and games we experienced during our journey. This is but a small sample of our experiences related by some of the participants who came from farms, factories, cities and towns across the United States and several foreign countries. (Some of the links will take you off this site, so you will need to click the BACK button and/or arrow at the top left of your browser to return).

*61-F TRAINING AIRCRAFT*			*CURRENT TRAINING AIRCRAFT*
T-34	T-37	T-33	T-6	T-38	T-1A
(Click the respective thumbnails for details) *(For a recent air show picture of a T-33 click* *here*)

Your visit to this site will be incomplete without reading these four poems. The first was written by a young American serving with the Royal Air Force during WWII shortly before he lost his life, the second by a young WWII era pilot who I’m pleased to say is still with us, the third one was penned by our own inimitable Mike Larkin and the fourth by 61-E graduate and proprietor of the Aviation Cadet Museum, Errol Severe.