Talked to a WW2 veteran yesterday.

Went to a birthday gathering for a friend of mine and saw another friend. I knew he had been in the war but he never talked about it, what I have found to be typical. . My friend that took me up in the YAK mentioned that he had flown over to Auburn from Montgomery in the B-17 that Jeff and I explored. So I ask him what he had flown during the war. Turned out to be a Lockeed PV-1 Ventura, our British friends will recognize it as a Hudson. . He flew it i n the Aleutians in terrible weather and had a crash landing that killed most of the crew.....not wonder he did not want to talk about it. 92 and more alert than I ! He invited me out to visit his farm so I will report back. What a wonderful surprise to have a nice talk with him, a real honor..

Pictures of a Ventura:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lockheed+pv-1+ventura&FORM=HDRSC2

Gaines

 

The Ventura/Hudson ( based on the Electra?) was a favourite here in Australia...a great aircraft. Even have a model of one in the back room...will look forward to your report! : )

 

I too look forward to reading more about his experiences, as flying up there often was no picnic.

Looks like there were more than a few PVs that went down up there.
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/USN/PV.htm

All from the same family, with the Electra being the great grand pappy. The Ventura was directly related to the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar(which was based on the Super Electra), while the Hudson was directly related to the Super Electra.

 

Ditto, having this conversation must have been quite a thrill

 

I'm always fascinated by the Aleutian campaign.

 

KB, his descriptions of taking off and landing in sleet, fog, snow and rain was most chilling and lucid...no pun intended.. At 92 he is still every bit a a military man and local hero. At 85 he was in a small local cafe and a customer was harassing a waitress. about other than food , hard enough job without that. He ask the guy politely to stop,, he didn't . All witnesses said he put the guy on his back with one punch !!! Super nice guy, but still built like an ox,

 

He sounds like a great guy. Even today, flying in the Aleutians is a pretty sketchy business. For most of the year you're in a trough between extreme arctic high pressure and extreme low pressure funneling up from the mid-Pacific. Those two systems meet at the Aleutians and spawn cyclonic storms, fog, rain, blizzards, 100 mph winds. In the 40's with rudimentary navigational equipment it must have been a nightmare.

 

Jeff, splendid idea. I will ask him how he feels about it. He is outgoing and certainly well spoken. He might enjoy it.
Will get back to you.. He and another vet from Opelika were invited to fly from Montgomery to Auburn in the B-17 we went through. He gave a funny description about how he entered a plane in his youth and now !! I could relate. . To get into the Yak I had to use my hands to help fold my legs to get in behind the pilot !!

Gaines

 

From the same family, but not the same aircraft. The Hudson was powered by Wright 1820 engines. The Ventura had a stretched fuselage and much greater load capacity due to P&W R-2800 power. The AAF version of the Hudson was designated A-29, while the AAF version of the PV-1 Ventura carried the B-34 designator.