HomeMy WebLinkAboutWings Over Aggieland 010704
The
from ~
of wood,
above. In
At t:37 on th
Agricultural and /
that
the
was to be
sky
ivities alt along the flight path to gaze skyward
hoping to g its way through the valley of
pilot
the route. In
rd that Fowler had left Hearne at t 2:45
d/and at the College to refuel. The
~usiness and social activity came
:hey had only read about in
me visible in the clear, bright,
J for the best
vantage risking injury or
ato get closer to the history-
Id see the spinning propeller
and hear engine_
clearly visible to the eager throng of
students and faculty members gathered to watch the arrival of the first aircraft ever
to visit the campus. Just as the craft neared the campus, it suddenly dropped from
~e to a halt as
sight sending a wave of apprehension through the as-
sembled crowd. Fowlerhad ! the old fairgrounds
between Bryan a 'gency
adjustment to Aquick turn of a nut
here and a n ain in the
air. Over and
then "al than 400 students
rushed toward the amazement and
it
was real and not I ques-
was
cadets, he refueled at 3 p,m. "into
the cer the
love affair
with aviation t technical
background to the mysteries of flig bt.
This event did not happen in a vacuum.
These were years of rapid change in an era
that was still very much rooted in the past.
To realizethe enormity of the impact of
modern technology, one only has to
remember that the first automobiles were
only beg inning to maketheir appearance
and weregreeted with both amazement
and scorn. Farmers throughout the Brazos
Valley were band ing together to fight the
intrusion of the smoke belching machines.
Some even vowed to shoot anyone driving
one of these threats to pastoral tranquility. And yet there were
these new machines would lead mankind into a new age of h;
As is often the case with new technology, m
could be delivered. News of the Wright
brothers' aircraft trials for the Army at Fort
Myer, Va., were reported in detail by the local
papers When Fort Sam Houston in San
Antonio was selected to carry out aviation
field testing, Texans envisioned their state
becoming the hub of modern technology.
Beginning in 1909, newspapers seemingly
focused on every aviation event, no matter
how small. They riveted public attention on
the successes and failures of aviation's first
crude attempts to advance the boundaries of
flight. Amazing adventures, feats and records
awaited news of Herbert Latham's
~nnel from Calais to Dover. When Latham
reed obViOUs proof to doubters that manned flight over any real
First Air Service squedron in the Texe$ A&M Corps of Cedot~--lg21.
was asked if he would attempt a
long ago." On July
;rapt, Louis Beriot crossed
Americans who
tdid not
be made in
A uid earn
Id in two
almost
stare in
only two weeks after the first flight onto Kyle Field. Although the show was some-
thing of a failure, it was very typical of early aviation. James R. Mills, publicity agent
for the event, arrived in Bryan on December t3, 1911, to promote a series of flights
by Art Smith. one of the Glenn H. Ourtiss Aeroplane Company's better known pilots.
Mil Park, located between Bryan, as the site for
birdman."
man. Cars of the
of the
bad weather
Smith crashed on
, Smith left the
by students
machine." wrote Smith,
i the air show failed to materialize, the few days
~r gave A&M students time to visit at length with both
Smith and
Daily Eagle, entitled
"The majt
and sti
;ze that it i~
SCO
COtJ
of its gigantic
fact no outdoor
from one city to an
Eng land was thought to be
factor of war Englan~ uard."
Some may have cons dered Mills's prophecy an abstract threat, but the
Elks' Lodge certainly could see the money-making potential of an air
show. This was an opportunity to build on the publicity and interest
generated by the first attempt. Just five months after Smith's crash,
the lodge contacted an exhibition troupe founded by the renowned
Moisant brothers. John B. and Alfred Moisant were already well-
known throughout the country. John had been the first to fly from
Paris to London. The pair had even attempted to take over the
government of El Salvador. Their adventures as soldiers of
fortune and pioneer aviators were fodder for the popular press.
Like Mitis, the Moisants had been quick to realize the economic
potential of aviation. They expanded their interests beyond
their own personal competition at air meets by forming an
exhibition company known as Moisant internatio hal Aviators.
is group flocked such well-known aviators of the day as Roland
Simon. Rene Barrier, St. Croix Johnston Harrold Kantner and
pitot, Harriet Quimby. The brothers founded a flying school at
Hempstead Plains on'Long Island to
The Moisant International Aviators' air show
exciting event. Tru~
fell out of an airp lane in New Orleans in
1910 and was kitied while performing
just such an exciting event, in 19t 2,
Quimby, a well-known writer for Leslie's
Weekly, died the same way when a gust
of wind caught the aircraft and bounced
her out. it did not hurt the drawing
power or reputation of the aviators
when they managed to get involved in
the Mexican Revolution.
what they termed "trade days" for May 21 and 22. 1912. to take full advantage of
the "throngs" of potential customers. As an inducement, they offered sales.
discounts, premiums for the visitor traveling the mOst distance and an absolute
promise of an air show. According to
the Eagle:
is to be an absolutely
There is no
ncertainty about it. The
behind it and
patron an iron-clad
~is guarantee is that the
machine is to be on the field where all
can see it, its working explained, and
the flight must reach 500 feet in altitude and embrace a circle of four miles. If all
these conditions are not complied with, each patron will have his money refunded
as he passes out the gate."
Civic pride and unabashed boosterism went hand in hand. Here, hoped the city
fathers, was an event to make some money and "put Bryan on the map." One
thousand tickets, at 50 cents each, were placed on advance sale. The Eagle ran
articles and advertisements daily urging citizens to buy tickets and promote the
event. Public SChools and the A&M College were to be dismissed early. The
Interurban trolley was rescheduled to run every 15 minutes from Bryan and the
College to the site at Dellwood Park. Even the weather seemed to be cooperating.
Eve~'thing was now in readiness.
Moisantcrewmen wasted no
fro
queror of
States by ti
enormous at the
rcraft and equipment for the
/ uncrated
volunteer labor
lege. The
rich aviator and con-
]der license in the United
~ne, considered
aircraft to speeds above 100
miles per hour. Unusual in design by today's standards, the Gnome had seven air-
cooled cylinders that rotated at 1.600 revolutions per minute with the propeller
The aviator who arrived on May 20 aboard the special Moisant train for the Elks'
show was none other than Harrold Kantner. "speed demon of the air." By the time
of the Bryan meet, Kantner had already established a world record speed of 105
miles per hour at an altitude of 5.000 feet during a prewous meet in Chicago. He
was somewhat unusual for this time, because he was actually a licensed pilot
holding pilot certificate number 64. Licensure was in actuality little more than a
formality; the license was not required by law and most pilots of the day thought it
unnecessary for the practice of their profession and an abridgement of their
freedom. As soon as he stepped off the train, Kantner announced that he would
perform the "famous voloplane stunt" (a corruption of volplane) for the enloyment
and amazement of the spectators. To perform this feat. touted as the "most
dangerous" in all aviation Kantner would climb high into the sky, switch off the
aircraft's motor and glide toward the ground while performing acrobatic turns and
dives. Then, when only a few feet off the ground and nearing what seemed certain
death, Kantner miraculously would restart
his engine and climb away. True to their
word pany performed all
parts of the air meet. The
Students at A&M
a ground crew an d
taken with the craft.
The they even
in the yearbook, The
Kantner soaring over
War in
Europei students at Texas
J the progress of the
conflict. ;es in the
technologyof modern warfare. Machine
Kadet Aviation chief instructor Guy Smith.
guns and artillery created carnage on a scale previously unimaginable. On the high
seas, German U-Boats committed "dastardly deeds" that brought the war closer to
home by claiming American lives. Above the horror of it all were the dadings of the
popular press, the aviators. In the daily newspapers, these daring and gallant
"knights of the air" were portrayed as maintaining e that
had been lost in the mud of the trenches below. It did not n often
burned to death in their aircraft. While the press vilified the
poison gas as criminal and cowardly, the airplane remain~ Here
were al the elements to excite the spirit and imagination Jents.
As diplomatic relations between the United States and
during 1917. Texas A&M was already in the midst of seemed
to be an almost inevitable conflict. Patriotic spirit ran high in Ity and
student body. On March 21,1917, the faculty voted ali of the
College to the federal govern ment as a war training
Board of Birecto rs ratified the action of the faculty. It was
nation to volunteer its facilities for military service. The College quickty took
advantage of the National Befense Act of 1916. applying for permission on October
3 of that year to establish a senior Reserve Officer Training Program. By the fall of
1917. Texas A&M's first R.O.T.C. program was in place. Students exchanged the
cadet gray uniforms the Corps had worn for 40 years for the army green of R.O.T.C.
and the beginning of a long and proud tradition of providing commissioned officers
for the armed services of the United States. Many students did not wait to finish the
course work, electing to resign from school and enter the service directly. After war
was declared on April 6,1917, seniors in good academic standing who entered
officer training camps received their degrees even though they had not completed
the final semester's work. For the first time in the history of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas no graduation exercises were held in Oollege Station.
instead, President William B. Bizzell held commencement under a grove of oak
trees at Leon Springs, where most of the seniors were undergoing officer training.
In some respects, the largest military college in the United States was far ahead
of the rest of the nation in military preparedness. Its students were well prepared
for what was considered to be the standard military arts of the day. But when it
The Aggie Air Furce at Easterwood Airport during World War ii.
came to training for the war in the air. Texas A&M. like the rest of the nation, was
unprepared. Hurriedly, in June of 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked for an
appropriation of $600,000 for the construction of 30,000 aircraft within the
following year. In addition, he asked for the
camps. Thus,
the U.S. Army in Augus
active training camp for
facilities be located nea~
need
While Bizzell was unable to obtain one of
became a center for Sk.
were expanded to include radio mechani
sors Frank C. Bolton and O.B. Wooten were
13 weeks in the intricacies of maintaining and
~ aviation training
~sentatives of
~us into an
~ new aviation
~ school would
d it.
Texas A&M
orps activities
.Service. Profes-
300 recruits every
lng radios aboard aircraft. For
this purpose, a number of Curtiss JN-4's were brought to the campus and the
Animal Husbandry Pavilion became an aircraft hanger for a large pad of the war.
After completion of the course, the mechanics left directly for service in Europe.
Some went only as far as the Texas border with Mexico to help with the search for
Pancho Villa.
While the aviation radio mechanics school was in operation, the Signal Corps
attempted to supply radio parts by air to the campus. Two aircraft from Ellington
Field in Houston made precarious landings on the campus on April 18, 1918. After
delivering their cargo, the first aircraft crashed on take off, The second aircraft
waited until the next day and met a similar fate on departure. Surprisingly, no one
was sedousty injured in the mishaps and the damaged aircraft were loaded on the
train for shipment to Houston. The Air Service made no further attempts to land in
the middle of the campus. Dedicated landing facilities would have to wait for
another two decades. By November, World War I was over and the Army ended its
use of A&M as a training base. The troops came home and the College made an
attempt to return to its primary mission of educating the young men of Texas.
For Texas A&M the world would never be the same again. The College was no
longer an unknown Texas military school. It had trained thousands for the "war to
end all wars.' Forty-nine percent of its graduates had served in the armed forces of
the United States. Fifty-five former students
were in the Air Service. Second
Aero Squadron (Lafayette Escadrill
France. He had been on the front
of a fighter pilot. Some, like Jesse L.
records and survived the war onl
others never made it to combat, dying
epidemic of 1918-1919.
Of those who survived the war,
complete their studies, promote the
flying. For example, Mark A. Hamilton. C/.
war flying the mail from Chicag
finish a degree in chemical engineering
Of these t0
1917. of the 103rd
somewhere over
average life span
heroic
~st of the
accidents or in the flu
return to Texas A&M to
their love of
year after the
A&M to
Class of 1922, had
served as an Air Service instructor pilot. Neitl Singleton had seen combat over
France as a member of the famous 103rd Aero Squadron. Not surprisingly, it would
be the milita
at the
Th
ri
enroll. Beginni
spent the next
gunnery, aerial
infantnj an d
the Air l
Army's flight
observers." tn
"The
the first formal aviation training
n December 1920.
itc cadet unit with
tl~efirst 102 cadets to
lar college curriculum,
aerial
and
:A&M, the cadets of
one of the U.S.
deal of back seat work as
work from the army in
~mmissions as
for actual flight
g:
e.
They are justly proud of their service; they are enthusiastic on the subject of flying,
and the great pride and love for the magnificent sport will bear them out through
many unrelenting demands on their physical and mental courage; it will steady the
hand that jams on the gun for the first solo; it will be their strength in the hard fight
of man for mastery of that light treacherous sea
While the Department of Military
after the end of the war, academic
Not until 1928 was for
Mechanical Engineering introduced ME,
1930, the College hired Willard I. Truettner, an
course. In 1931-32, Truettner introduced 1
two graduate courses, ME 511 and 51
demand for these courses had
approved the creation of the D
two years to formalize the department; Howard
training soon
development.
the Department of
senior elective. In
to teach the
along with
1938, the
of Directors
It would take
become its first
head in the fall of 1940. The late 1930s to the beginning days of World War II were
heady days for aviation on campus. These were times that would see the creation
and development of important facilities and programs in aviation.
It was painfully obvious that Texas A&M needed an airport and the facilities to
put theoretical knowledge into practice. During the 1930s numerous barnstormers
visited the campus using the large area adjacent to Boyett Corner as a crude
landing strip. No one wanted to repeat the Army experience of 1918. in one of the
more unusual events, aviation entrepreneur Reg Robbins brought his Ford Tri-
Motor to the campus for three days, offering an air show and rides. For many it
was their first flight and a rare chance to see the campus from the air. increas-
ingly, former students, military training flights and aviation buffs in general
dropped in on the makeshift landing field. While many airplanes visited the
campus, the absence of landing, maintenance and repair facilities was a
detriment not only to the expansion of the educational process, but also to
the operation of the College.
In the summer of 1939, Gibb Gilchrist, then dean of engineering at Texas A&M,
met with officers of the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) to approve the site of an
Lake
,~ matter for some time
to be developed into a real
)1 was Texas A&M. At
were building
y, By the ~,
ompleted preliminary
1.5 miles
as
Jction was the
from the CAA,
impor-
' between Barksdale Field in
two of the largest Army
Before anything of substance could be accomplished in these various discus-
sions, Germany attacked Poland on September 1,1939, beginning World War I
and adding a new sense of urgenc~
would be needed for national defense, a
ties. One answer to the
Civilian Pilot Trainin,
funding at collegeS and
the flight instruction was n,
designed to produce quickl
the event of a national emergem
certification, however,
Unless the school m
students trained at government
Meeting the CAAdeadline was not
College. Th~
)usands of new pilots
'nilitary capabili-
ementation of the
would provide
[training. While
itary, it was
~the military in
~rogram
inning stages.
to have its
Gilchrist and the
facility would be
an expensive undertaking, if the proposed airport had to rely solely on Texas A&M
for financial support, it had almost no chance of becoming more than just another
of the little grass strips that dotted the rural Texas landscape. Gilchrist knew he
would need continuing outside support from the surrounding communities. At that
time, College Station was too small to provide any meaningful help. Bryan, on the
other hand, had begun construction of the 250-acre Coulter Field in 1938 with
funds provided by the Walter J. Ooulter family. In addition. Bryan had just approved
$8,500 in airport improve ment bonds.
On September 21, 1939, Gilchrist and Col. Ike Ashburn. executive assistant to
Texas A&M President Thomas 0. Walton. met with Bryan's city commissioners to
explore the possibility of making the airport at Texas A&M a joint venture. Ashburn
explained that obviously the city and the school could build a better facility if they
pooled their resources. Secondly, the existing Coulter Field was located too far from
Texas A&M to be used efficiently for student training. The proposed A&M site
would be about the same distance from Bryan as Coulter Field. Therefore. Gilchrist
and Ashburn proposed that Bryan contribute its recently approved bond funds to
the college airport. Walter Coulter. who was at the meeting, agreed with the
Army aviation instruction inside the Animal Husbandry Pavilion.
su~
oft used the Coulter name. The city
Mayor ivan Langford appointed a
meeting that the city
prepares to take off from the campus on April 18,1918.
oondence between
otiatiens between the two bogged
down almost immediately and dragged on through the spring of 1940. Texas A&M
wanted the city's continuing financial participation in all aspects of airport opera-
tion. Bryan wanted to make a one-time donation, leaving all future costs and
management decisions to A&M. At this
point, an unrelated action by students
severely strained town and gown
pute over the distribu-
movies between the
Bryan. the cadets decided
in general and Bryan
specifically. According to
part in the "stay
away from Bryan" campaign, it was
extremely effective in placing economic
pressure on the merchants. Gilchrist later recalled that this action so angered the
city commissioners that they became unwilling to consider the airport proposal.
While Bryan debated the matter, Gilchrist
plunged doggedly ahead with the details of airport
construction, In the middl.
notified Gilchrist that the College had bee
asone of the Civilian Pilot Train
locations. Naturally, the
on the'completion of the airpo
more than 400 schools acrc
for the program ir
10,000 newpilots. At Texas A&M. m,
students applied for only 40 available si
first class. To be eligible, an applicant had
between 18 and 25 years
64 inc ~es nor more than
appt leant had to have wei.
as specified by go~
,,ye, not have any color blindness
i diStance of 20 feet. Students were
usage, Classes were held at night so as
~ietion of ground school,
student pilots would fly a total of between 35 and 50 hours. Actual flight instruction
was contracted to Kadett Aviation Company of Bryan at the cost of $290 per
student, all paid by the CAA.
The missing element in the progress of
this program was the construction of the
airport. Initial site preparation began in
January 1940 at the same time as the
formation of the first ground school class.
Within a month, the bare essentials of
grading and surfacing had been completed.
The 2,200-foot runways were sodded with
grass and all was ready for the first flights. In
addition, an 80-foot wide by 100-foot long
sheet metal hanger was added near the north
end of the north-south runway to handle maintenance. This crude little field was
just the beginning of Gitchrist's plans to make the airport a regional center for
transportation and training. Although the College had little additional funding to
expand the project, the deteriorating world situation stimulated ever increasing
government appropriations for national defense. During the early spring of 1940,
Gilchrist traveled to Washington, D.C., to presentthe school's needs to a new
Civilian Aviation AdministratiOn. I m
for the future. $131,000 in Works Progress Adm
funds were provided for
certificate naming the facility as an "Air Navigati
began immed lately on
Soon after original construction began on the
suitable name that would honor and represent th
school. After a shod search,
Jesse Lawrence "Red" Easterwood,
Gilchrist. Indeed it was Gilchrist who recomrf
They had grown up together in Wills Point, Texas,
and plans
in CAA
CAA issued a
)nstruction
; begun for a
of the
g the airport for
friend of Gibb
~ to Dr, Walton.
ained close friends even
when Gitchrist went to the University' of Texas and EasterwoOd attended Texas
A&M. Easterwood enlisted in the Naval Air Service, He trained at Pensacola. Fla..
and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Commissioned as an ensign, he
was only the second American to qualify as a naval aviation pilot, hie sailed to
England in March of 1918 and saw service with the Royal Flying Corps. In addition.
he also served with Italian. French and American Services. By the end of the war. he
had flown 16 bombing m~ssions and completed numerous hazardous flight
operations. Lt. Easterwood was killed while flight testing a sea plane at Coco Solo.
Canal Zone. Panama, on May 19, 1919. He was awarded the Navy Cross posthu-
mously for his "distinguished and heroic service as an aviator" during World War I.
The dedication of Easterwood Airport took place on May 22, 1941. Held in
conjunction with final review, the dedication was made even more poignant by the
fact that the 100 seniors were being called to active duty immediately after gradua-
tion. The ceremony then moved to the airport where Eva Easterwood unveiled a
granite marker honoring her brother. During the dedication, the Aggie air force
light aircraft from the CPTP flew over in formation. Brig. Gen. Gerald C. Brant.
commanding general. Gulf Coast Training Center, spoke at the ceremony and
Hand propping a Meyers and Taylor C
ibest aviation facilities
Br. walton
but also to the State of
completed the primary
~ng. Of these five had even qualified as
Army flight cadets from Randolph Reid
untry training,
Little did anyone realize at the time that the field also marked a transition from
the romance of flying, which captivated students on the campus, to the commercial
and military applications that would characterize post-war American aviation. World
War II would complete the break with the past. Aviation would no longer be viewed
as a savior of the world, but as a possible
destroyer. Commercial airlines and giant
aircraft made flying about as exciting as
taking the bus. The field would remain,
however, as a monument to the vision of
those who had worked so hard for its
construction. Indeed, it serves as a vibrant
memorial to the pilots of World War I the
barnstormers of the Depression. the flyers of World War 11 who learned to fly there.
and all the pilots for whom the romance of flying did not fade.
--For Jim Noel, '52, who taught me to fly.
4, The Oceans,
5. Glimpses of Aggieland
6. Aspe~
7, I Had ail the Fun
8, The Loran L, Laughlin Coil
Antiquarian Books, A Prelimin~
9. I Am My Work: My Work ts
10. Pancho Villa: Images of the Mexican
11, Charles Goodnight Remembered
sram
1971
1972
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
12. Juan Oso, A Dobie Christmas 1983
13. Mary & Mavis Kelsey Collection of Americana 1984
14. Sterling C. Evans: Texas Aggie, Banker. Cattle man 1985
15. A Vanished Landscape 1986
16. Ten Years After: The Alamo in the Letters and Journal of Edward Everett 1987
17. From Where the Sun Now Stands, A Manuscript of the Nez Perce War 1988
18. Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Mounted Rangers 1989
19, The ShideyHotel 1990
20. Jeff C, Dykes. 1900-1989, Conservationist. Collector, Scholar 1991
21. La Hacienda de la Mariposa 1992
22. Thomas Bewick 1993
Copydg ht
1994, Friends of the Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A&M University, Keepsake No. 23.
94-30 3/94-700-UR