To Fly On Eagle's Wings

Sylvan Ralph Lucier, to whom this blog is dedicated, was in the first or second class of pilots to earn the wings of a glider pilot in August of 1942. The first class was not large, and the program was just being developed. His wings have the G (for glider, but some will say for guts) attached instead of part of the mold.

As a man of 26 years, with a college business degree when he joined , Sylvan probably felt fortunate to be able join the Army Air Force where he could become an aviator. He had a fascination for airplanes and seems to have enjoyed soaring as much as the enthusiasts today.

Although he later flew much less graceful gliders in missions (the CG 4A & the British Horsa) I know his early training was something he enjoyed sharing with his folks at home. For a few months, he was "on eagles wings"all over the south west. A time line of his training, following the pictures, shows the many locations where he flew.

Schweizer Tow Line

Ready for take-off.
The instructor attaches the tow line to release clip. Parachute on the tow rope is to slow its descent after it is dropped and to keep the wire tight on take-off. Note landing gear details; the single brake-equipped wheel and the rubber tube sections that act as shock absorber on the nose block. The projection on the ship's nose is the pitot tube for airspeed indicator.

Schweizer Glider On A Winch

Here are some pictures you might find interesting. This picture shows a plane being taken off by use of a motor driven wench. We did not use this method as it is faster to use power planes to tow the gliders off the ground.
Glider Pilot in Training, Sylvan R. Lucier, wrote this note on these five pictures sent to parent from Twenty-nine Palms Air Academy, Summer, 1942. He was one of the first to earn glider wings!

Triple Tow of Schweizer Gliders

Three Schweizers being towed off by a Vultee 0-49. In this type launching, odd cable lengths are used, making collisions impossible. Shortest length is 400 fee. Center glider gets the longest line. Using gliders as air barges, the 295 hp. “tug” is capable of transporting over three times its self-contained capacity at about 70 per cent of its normal speed. Experts say post-war freight will be carried thus.

Sylvan Lucier writes on picture of glider triple tow:
This is the method we used except that we towed only 2 gliders instead of three at one time. They take us up to about 3,000 feet and then we release and can stay up from 15 minutes to 3 or 4 hours dependin on the air conditions. It is possible to soar around the mountains all day if the wind is just right. Of course, our training consists mostly of tow work and making landings on a certain spot.

(Inserted with arrow to glider on far left.)
Put a lot of time in this particular glider.

Learning the controls.
Twenty-nine Palms School has acquired the services of some of the nation's leading glider experts in instructing the first few groups of Army glider cadets. Most of the initial group of power plane pilots, were selected to act as instructors in the most widespread glider-pilot instruction plan ever projected. Enlistment and selection for glider pilot training has already begun.

Twenty-nine Palms Air Academy, August 1942

Glider Pilot Song

Glider Pilot Career Timeline

TIMELINE OF DOCUMENTS, LETTERS & PHOTOS
FOR SYLVAN R. LUCIER, GLIDER PILOT
Serial No. 17062570

SYLVAN'S EARLY YEARS (Military papers information, family photos)
1916-1936

• 1916 Born October 29 in Fargo, N.D.
• 1922-1930 St. Mary's Grade School
• 1930-1934 Central High School, Fargo
• 1934-35 North Dakota State College
• 1935-36 Dakota Business College, Graduate; Employed as Accountant at Business Machines Midnite Express, Inc.; Basic ROTC 1 year, Aviation Cadet, 6 months

POWER PILOT & GLIDER PILOT TRAINING (based on certificates, cards & photos sent to his parents)
1942

• January 20 Enlisted, Minneapolis MN, age 25
• January 20 Higley Field, Arizona-Card
• CAA Ground School, 72 hours, no flying
• April 25 Oxnard, California-letter about wings.
• Primary Training at Oxnard, CA, 60 hours
• May 21 Santa Ana, California-Card
• May 25 Oxnard, California (60 hours Primary Training
• May 25 Gardner Field, California (8 hours in Basic Training)-Card
• Basic Training, Gardner Field, CA, 8 hours
• May 27 Mira Loma Flight Academy, completed Primary Flight Training
• June 21 Santa Ana, California
• June 23 Minter Field, Bakersfield, California-Card
• June 25 Barkley Field, California-Card
• June 27 Clovis, New Mexico-Card
• August 15 Appointed Staff Sergeant Pilot (Glider) Air Corp
• August 16 Twenty-nine Palms Air Academy: Diploma Given
• October 22 Dalhart, Texas-Card
• October 22 Albuquerque, New Mexico

1943

• January 10 Honorable Discharge from Army to become Flight Officer
• January 11 Dalhart, Texas, Diploma, Glider Pilot, US Army Air Forces
• January 21 Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky
• March 7 Maxton, North Carolina. Mass card.
• March 15 Lawrenburg-Maxton Field, N.C. Letter

AFRICA ASSIGNMENT (Photographs, 3 letters home, Italian Lire)
1943 (con't)

• April 21 Change of Address notice to the 49th Squadron, 313 Tro0p Carrier Group
  
• May 21 North Africa Letter 49th Squadron, 313 TCG.
• May Casablanca, Morocco
• May Axuica, Morocco
• July Kaiyouan,
• December 7 Sicily. Date written on Italian Lire

1944

• January 26 Sicily "In the event..." Letter, 6 pages.
• February 20 Sicily-Card

GLIDER MISSIONS: NORMANDY, HOLLAND
1944 (con't)

• June 6 Operation Overlord, Normandy (Orders for Temp duty-Ingresano)
• 88th Squadron, 438 TCG. His Horsa Glider landed near St. Mere Englese.
• September 10 Letter home about his dream.
• September 18, Operation Market Garden, Holland (Interrogation Report-Ingresano)
• 36th Squadron, 316 TCG. His CG 4A glider landed OK. Return: Sept. 27.

KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
1944 (con't)

• October 13 Killed in Line of Duty, flying double tow. Place: Tiffield, England.

1946

• January 29, Notification of Remains in Cambridge Cemetery, Plot 0, row 10, grave 3

1948

• August 5 Transport Lawrence Victory brought body home with 31 North Dakotians.
• Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Fargo.

1951

• Roll of Honor in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, (28,000 American dead.) Memorial Book Sent to family.

2006

• Monument installed at grave site with etching of Sylvan's glider & wings. Commemorative blog started to honor Sylvan & the Troop Carrier part in W.W.II