Vernon Burge
Vernon Lee Burge | |
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6th Bombardment Group |
Vernon Lee Burge (November 29, 1888 – September 6, 1971) was an aviation pioneer. He was the first American enlisted man to be certified as a military pilot.[1] After ten years as an enlisted man, Burge was commissioned during World War I and served the next 25 years as an officer.[2]
Biography
He was born on November 29, 1888.
In the autumn of 1907,
While Burge was stationed there in August 1909, the
On December 16, 1909, Burge transferred to Company H, Signal Corps, traveling in February 1910 to Fort Sam Houston, Texas to serve under Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois as one of ten enlisted mechanics repairing the frequently damaged S.C. No. 1.[6] Along with Glenn Madole and a civilian mechanic in August 1910, Burge contrived a way to fasten three wheels to the aircraft so that its skids would not be damaged as much upon landing. Crude as it was, this was the first tricycle landing gear on an aircraft. Foulois' initial reaction was negative: "One of the unpleasant features of landing on wheels is the difficulty experienced in stopping the machine."[7] However, the wheels saved the aircraft from more frequent repair, and subsequent aircraft models incorporated wheels.
On December 11, 1911, the Army shipped S.C. No. 7, a
1st Lt.
Burge met the requirements of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) on June 14, 1912, and received FAI aviation certificate No. 154 (Love received No. 155 on June 28).[10][11][12] The Chief of Signal later disapproved the training of enlisted men as pilots, but Burge's certification as a pilot was already a fact. He reversed himself and accepted Burge's certification on August 14, 1912, and promoted him to sergeant.[1] He was also rated a master signal electrician.[13]
Officer
On June 26, 1917, Burge was first commissioned a
In the spring of 1922, Burge served in Oklahoma City on an Army Board whose purpose was to investigate the shooting death of Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Beck. The board raised serious questions about the actions of Judge Jean P. Day who said he had only intended to strike Beck with his pistol, not shoot him. The board determined that Beck had "died in the line of duty."[16]
During the school year 1934–1935, Burge attended the Air Corps Tactical School at the rank of major.[17]
Burge commanded the
For two months beginning in June 1939, Lt. Col. Burge served in the
He died on September 6, 1971, at age 82.[19] He was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
External links
See also
- Aviation history
References
- Notes
- ^ a b "Cpl. Vernon L. Burge". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Cpl. Vernon L. Burge became the first enlisted pilot three years after the Army bought its first airplane. He was Lt. Benjamin Foulois' mechanic on Signal Corps airplane No. 1 at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in 1910, and Lt. Frank Lahm taught him to fly in the Philippines two years later. ...
- Early Aviators. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Col. Vernon L. Burge, USAF retired, died September 6, 1971. He was the last surviving member of the historic 1st Aviation Detachment of the U.S. Army. He made his first solo flight in the Philippines March 1, 1912, becoming the first enlisted man to become a pilot in the Army. He retired in 1945, with the rank of colonel, after 38 years in the military service. ...
- ^ Tillman, 2006, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Tillman, 2006, p. 217.
- ^ Chivalette, Master Sergeant William I. "Chapter 2: Enlisted History." Archived February 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Part of Professional Development Guide. Air Force Pamphlet AFPAM36-2241, July 1, 2009. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ Tillman, 2006, p. 82.
- ^ Coffman, 2004, p. 165.
- ^ Correll, John T. Air Force Magazine, August 2007. "The First of the Force." Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ Hennessey, 1958, p. 79.
- ^ Hennssey, 1958, pp. 79-80.
- ^ a b Air University. Milestones. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ Aero Club of America, p. 66. "Holders of Aviator's Certificates of the Aero Club of America." Retrieved on November 23, 2009.
- ^ The Official Bulletin, Saturday, July 14, 1917, page 15. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ a b Tillman, 2006, p. 220.
- ^ Photographs of the Vernon L. Burge Collection at the Airmen Memorial Museum, Suitland, Maryland.
- ^ Arlington National Cemetery. Paul Ward Beck. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ Finney, Robert T. (1998) Air Force History and Museums Program. History of the Air Corps Tactical School 1920–1940.[permanent dead link] Third imprint. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- ^ Air Force Historical Research Agency. 6 Operations Group (AMC) Archived 2011-05-07 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
- New York Times. September 9, 1971. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Col. Vernon L. Burge, Air Force, retired, who in 1912 became he first Army enlisted man to win his pilot's wings. He was 82 Years old. Colonel Burge ...
- Bibliography
- Arbon, Lee. They Also Flew: the enlisted pilot legacy, 1912–1942. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. ISBN 1-56098-108-3
- Chivalette, William I. Vernon L. Burge: First Enlisted Pilot. Airmen Memorial Museum, 1990s
- Coffman, Edward M. The Regulars: the American Army, 1898–1941. Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01299-2
- Hennessey, Dr. Juliette A. The United States Army Air Arm, April 1861 to April 1917, USAF Historical Study No. 98, (1958). Office of Air Force History
- Miller, Roger Gene; Air Force History and Museums Program. A preliminary to war: the 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916. DIANE Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-4289-1068-9
- Tillman, Stephen F. Man Unafraid. Kessinger Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-4286-5771-1