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52-G & H- Great Classes of Air Force Pilots
Note: The 52G and 52-H USAF Pilot Training Classes had their 52 year reunion at the Radisson Hotel in Covington, KY the week of Sept. 19, 2004. While there we dedicated an engraved granite bench in the Memorial Garden of the USAF Museum at Dayton. If you are a member of either of these classes (or for that matter any of the 1952 classes) and have not received information on our reunions, please contact rp@presley.com for details. Click here to send me email for details. Our next reunion will be at Seattle, WA in September of 2006.
Please note that one of our members, Adam Gaus (52-H) has created a web site for the two class association, www.52G-52Hpilots.org It went on line December 10, 2002 and continues to be improved monthly. Please pay it a visit.
During the summer of 1951 the Korean War was
not going well. The war started on June 25, 1950. The North Korean Army made a
sudden invasion of South Korea crossing the 18th parallel which was established at the end
of World War II when the country was divided after the surrender of Japan. Russia,
being Allied with the U. S. in WWII, got control of North Korea and the U. S. got South
Korea. The U. S. did not give much thought to South Korea following the end of WWII
with only a minimal army of both U. S. and S. Korea.
The United States had allowed their military forces to dwindle to almost nothing at the
end of World War II thinking there would not be any more wars (does that ring a bell of
today) but here we were in the middle of terrorist wars half way around the
world. The U. S. Air Force had to scramble to re-open training bases to train new
pilots. They had to quickly re-manufacture old North American Advanced Trainers (old
name AT-6; new name T-6G) and use them as primary trainers since all the previous WWII
trainers had been sold or junked.
There were a lot of young men who would meet the age requirements of 20 to 26 and have at
least two years of college, be of good physical condition and have 20-20 eyesight at that
time. The lure of aviation and the desire to avoid the trenches were just some of
the reasons the men of 52-G & H entered pilot training. Many of us had to enlist
in the Air Force as buck privates to avoid being drafted even though we had already been
accepted for pilot training. The volunteers came faster than bases could be reopened
and many of us spent 13 weeks of USAF basic military training at Lackland AFB in San
Antonio or Sampson AFB at Geneva, NY.
Finally in late September 1951 we in 52-G were sent to one of eight basic flight training
bases at either Bartow, Fl.; Bainbridge, GA; Columbus; MS, Greenville, MS; Malden, MO;
Hondo, TX, San Angelo, TX , Marana, AZ or Moultrie, GA. Six weeks later 52-H started
at these same bases including one more that had just opened at Kinston, NC. We had a
few weeks of pre-flight and then six months of ground school, flight training and officer
training. Most of us were aviation cadets and a few were student officers with most
having just received their commissions through AFROTC at college. An aviation cadet
was almost a "nobody". He got corporal pay and had no particular
rank. So training for us was a half day of ground school, a half day of flight
training and a half day of officer training all rolled into one day! I think most of
us wouldn't take anything for the experience but would never want to go through the
hazing, discipline, hard work and heart breaks again. We all agonized when someone
washed out. Maybe that was the bond that has kept us together over the years. The
Aviation Cadet program goes way back to WWI but came to an end in 1960 when the USAF
decided all pilot trainees should have a college degree and already have their commission
through either Officer Training School, the Air Force Academy or one of the USAF ROTC
college units. Today a member of the last class of aviation cadets has established
an Aviation Cadet Museum in Eureka Springs, AR. Read more about this at the end of
this page.
At the end of six months we went to another base for six more months of advanced
training. Here we split. Some went to single-engine schools for fighters at
Bryan, TX; Big Spring, TX; Laredo, TX; Orlando, FL; Selma, AL or Phoenix, AZ. The
others went to multi-engine schools for bombers and transports at Lubbock, TX or Enid,
OK. At the completion of advanced for 52-G on 25 Oct 1952 and 52-H on 19 December
1952, the cadets were commissioned as Second Lieutenants and received our silver Air Force
Wings. The student officers received their wings. Then we cadets finally
became "somebody". We all got a few weeks of welcome leave and then headed
for some form of combat or operational crew training.
The fighter jocks who were in the pipeline to Korea went to combat training for F84's at
Luke AFB, F-86's at Nellis AFB, or F-80's at Pinecastle AFB. The others going to
Europe, stateside or other assignments went to other schools. Those picked for heavy
bombers mostly went to Randolph AFB for B-29 training and the light bomber pilots went to
Perrin AFB and Langley AFB for B-26 training. Most transport pilots went to their
respective units for training starting as co-pilots. Over 300 of the class went to Korea
flying mostly in F-84 and F-86 fighters, with fewer in B-26's and B-29's. Many
others were in C-46 or C-119 transports based in Japan that supplied almost everything to
Korea.
About 1,000 students started in 52-G and 1,100 in 52-H. We know of at least 10% who
washed out (but there were likely more than that--records on them just don't exist) in
flying school for one reason or another. In addition to the Americans In 52-G there
were also 170 students from Belgium, Denmark and Holland. There were 111 of the
class killed in military airplanes while on active duty and 197 who have died of
non-military causes as of 25 May 2005 that we know of. 52-H had NATO students from France, Belgium and Norway.
In 1998 Class 52-H joined with us as members of USAF Pilot Training Class 52-G
Association, Inc. Other members and friends are welcome to attend our reunions. The
situation above for members of 52-H were very similar to those in 52-G.
There is an Aviation Cadet Museum
founded by Errol Severe (61-E) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, that is worthy of the support
of every former aviation cadet. For more information about this project, pleas visit
the web site at www.aviationcadet.com .
This is an incorporated organization with 501C(3) Veteran's Non Profit Organization tax
exempt status so you contributions will be tax deductible. When finished this will
be a very nice museum and tribute to all aviation cadets from 1917 to the end of the
program in 1968.
For more information on the reunion, Email rp@presley.com
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