Today is
OFFICIAL SITE OF
Dedicated to all who have captured the true spirit of flight
"Since 1977"
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
APHOFHR is unlike many other fields in the humanities. It is composed
solely of famous aviation poets who have written of their own or other’s
flying experiences in striking verse. There are never any membership
dues, solicitations for money, advertisements, fund raisers or other
financial schemes associated with the APHOFHR. Such funding is neither
needed, nor accepted, as it is a totally self-sufficient, not-for-profit
enterprise. The APHOFHR is beneficent with the single object in mind to
honor a select few who have excelled in writing unique aviation poetry
deemed worthy enough to be passed to posterity for generations to come.
It serves for the useful enjoyment of those who fly or dream of flight.
Pilot Officer John Gallespie Magee, Jr.
1922 - 1941
HIGH FLIGHT
by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds -- and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
TO HEAR THE AUDIO OF THIS IMMORTAL POEM, CLICK HERE
Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American, was
18 years old when he went to Canada in October of 1940, during
World War II, and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. Upon
completion of his pilot training, he was deployed to England to
participate in the Battle of Britain.
On December llth, 1941, at 19 years of age, he was killed when his Spitfire
collided with another aircraft inside a cloud while on a training flight.
The fatal accident occurred near the airfield at Scopwick, Lincolnshire,
England. Several months before his death, he composed his immortal sonnet
"High Flight." Fortunately, he mailed it to his parents in the United
States on the back of a letter he had written to them.
In the letter, he stated, “I am enclosing a verse I wrote the other
day. It started at 30,000 feet and was finished soon after I landed.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE COPY OF HIS ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN POEM
Amelia Earhart
1897 - 1937
World Famous Aviatrix
First woman to fly the Atlantic solo; set several other flying records
First president of the 99s, which she named for the original number
of charter members
COURAGE
by Amelia Earhart
Courage is the price that Life exacts
for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not
Knows no release from little things:
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter
joy can hear
The sound of wings.
How can life grant us boon of living,
compensate
For dull gray ugliness and pregnant
hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion? Each time we
make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the resistless
day,
And count it fair.
Charles Augustus Lindberg
1902 - 1974
World Famous Aviator
Lindbergh enrolled in a Lincoln, Nebraska flying school in 1922. He originally
worked as a mechanic, wing walker and parachute jumper. After purchasing a war
surplus Jenny trainer in 1923, he made his first solo flight. In 1924, Lindbergh
entered a U.S. Army flying school at Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas. In 1926,
he was the first air mail pilot to fly between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint
Louis, Missouri. While in St. Louis, he convinced a group of businessmen to
back him in an attempt to win the $25,000 Orteig Prize, which had been offered
by New York hotel businessman Raymond Orteig for the first non-stop flight between
New York, NY, and Paris, France. Lindbergh helped design the Ryan monoplane that he
was to fly. The plane was named the "Spirit of St. Louis." On his way to New York from
California where the plane was built, Lindbergh established a record for flight time
between San Diego, CA, and St. Louis of 14 hours and 25 minutes for the 1,500 mile
journey. After a brief layover, he flew to New York, establishing another record for
transcontinental flight time. On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field
on Long Island, NY, for Paris, France. On May 21, 33 1/2 hours later, Lindbergh landed
the "Spirit of St. Louis" at Le Bourget Field near Paris. He had flown over 3,600 miles
and became the first to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. He was awarded the
Medal of Honor by the U. S. Congress and the first-ever Distinguished Flying Cross by
the U.S. government. Later in 1927, Lindbergh flew to a number of Latin American
countries as a goodwill ambassador for the U. S. government. While in Mexico, he met
Anne Spencer Morrow, daughter of the American ambassador. They were married on May 29,
1929. In 1930, Lindbergh taught his wife to fly. She became the first woman in America
to earn a glider pilot's license. Later that year, she earned her pilot's license.
During the next few years, Anne was his co-pilot, radio operator and navigator. Despite
his status as a civilian adviser to the U.S. Army and Navy in the Pacific, during World
War II, Lindbergh flew fifty combat missions, and worked on developing new technologies
to aid military pilots in combat. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed
Lindbergh a U.S. Air Force Brigadier General.
Lindbergh continued to be a consultant
to both the U.S. military and commercial enterprises, including Pan American Airways.
In the late 1960s, he became a spokesman for a variety of environmental conservation
causes. He earned the nickname, "Lucky Lindy," for his many exploits. Charles Lindbergh
died of cancer in 1974 at his home on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
He wrote of his love of flight in prose in 1927. This passage has been referred to
exclusively as a quotation until it was finally recognized as also being prose poetry.
[untitled]
by Charles Augustus Lindbergh
Science, freedom, beauty, adventure:
What more could you ask of life?
Aviation combined all the elements I loved.
There was science in each curve of an airfoil,
in each angle between strut and wire,
in the gap of a spark plug
or the color of the exhaust pipe.
There was freedom in the unlimited horizon,
on the open fields where one landed.
A pilot was surrounded by beauty of earth and sky.
He brushed treetops with the birds,
leapt valleys and rivers,
explored the cloud canyons he had gazed at as a child.
Adventure lay in each puff of the wind.
I began to feel that I lived on a higher plane
than the skeptics of the ground,
one that was richer because of its very association
with the element of danger they dreaded,
because it was free of the earth
to which they were bound.
In flying, I tasted the wine of the gods
of which they could know nothing.
Who valued life more highly,
the aviators who spent it on the art they loved,
or these misers who doled it out,
like pennies through their ant like days?
I decided that if I could fly for ten years
before I was killed in a crash,
it would be a worthwhile trade
for an ordinary lifetime.
Colonel Ray Allen Munro, RCAF
1921 - 1994
Medal of Canada
Canada's Aviation Hall Of Fame
World's Most Decorated Aeronaut
[untitled]
by Ray Allen Munro
These are the three machines pilots fly
To qualify
The first is the past
Now peeling and bent
Born of adventure a plan drawn with daring
Each plane-stroke and wrench-turn so carefully skill-checked
Whose maker grew woods used
And proved each wire tune-wise
Then melded so carefully one with another
To wrap them with linen
The living creation
The next is the present
All metal and x-rayed
Cast in a mould with so many look-alikes
Assembled by workers whose skills have no heart in them
Sprayed fancy colors and stuffed with soft carpetting
Lettered with call-signs
Pampered and stored inside
Devoid of all wire songs
Sterile and challengeless
One like another
Save for the shape of them
The last is the future
A vessel of space quest
Lacking all character
Aimed at the farthest star
Planned by computer and built without loving-touch
Guided by earth signals
Made to be error-free
These are the three machines pilots must fly
Two in their secret minds
To qualify
Nancy Robinson Masters
World Class Aviatrix, Writer, Poet, Historian, Lecturer, TEA Certified
One of the most successful children's book authors in the U. S.
ARE ALL THE AIRPLANES IN?
by Nancy Robinson Masters
I think ofttimes as the night draws nigh
Of an airport on the hill,
Of a runway wide and bordered with grass,
Where the airplanes taxied at will.
And when the night at last came down,
Hushing the whirling din,
Masters would look around and ask,
"Are all the airplanes in?"
'Tis many and many a day since then,
And the airport on the hill
Echoes of pilots who've come and gone,
And the runway is never still.
But I see it all as it used to be,
And tho' many the voices have been,
In the old north hanger, I hear Masters ask,
"Are all the airplanes in?"
I wonder if as the shadows fall
On his hair now turning gray,
As he steps aside as men must do
For new pilots to come the way,
If forgotten they'll pass him while calmly he stands,
Eyes focused upon the wind,
And quietly he'll ask tho' no one may hear,
"Are all the airplanes in?"
Dr. Paul E. Garber
1899 - 1992
Curator at Smithsonian Institution Air and Space Museum
Historian Emeritus of the Smithsonian Museum
Ramsey Fellow of the National Air and Space Museum
TO FLY
by Dr. Paul E. Garber
To fly, Dear God in Heaven, to fly,
To see Thy world from Thy vast sky,
To pilot my airplane high and low,
To ride the wind wherever I go.
To climb through dark clouds - then
Suddenly a burst of light and the sun I see,
Climbing higher, I look below
And see that the clouds are white as snow.
I know that the world is way down there
But I'm above all worldly care,
Onward I fly, alone, serene,
Immersed in a wonderful, beautiful scene.
But then, alas, I must go down again,
To earth's gray shadows, to mankind's domain,
But my heart is enriched, my soul lifted high,
Because - for a while - I was up in Thy sky.
Captain Keith Murray, Colonial Airlines
(Later Colonial became part of American Airlines)
Wrote the poem, The Copilot, in August of 1941, while
flying enroute to Boston, Massachusetts, in a DC-3
First published in THE AIRLINE PILOT Magazine
(U. S. Airline Pilots Association) in 1942
According to Eastern Airlines, Captain Keith A. Murray
passed away in 1989.
THE COPILOT
by Keith Murray
I am the copilot. I sit on the right.
It's up to me to be quick and bright;
I never talk back for I have regrets,
But I have to remember what the captain forgets.
I make out the flight plan and study the weather,
Pull up the gear, stand by to feather;
Make out the mail forms and do the reporting,
And fly the old crate while the captain is courting.
I take the readings, adjust the power,
Put on the heaters when we're in a shower;
Tell him where we are on the darkest night,
And do all the bookwork without any light.
I call for my captain and buy him cokes;
I always laugh at his corny jokes,
And once in awhile when his landings are rusty
I always come through with, "By gosh, it's gusty!"
All in all, I'm a general stooge,
As I sit on the right of the man I call "Scrooge";
I guess you think that is past understanding,
But maybe some day he will give me a landing.
[A second more humorous version of this poem (with only slight word
changes as sung on Oscar Brand's popular CD entitled
THE WILD BLUE YONDER) is called THE LOUSY COPILOT.]
Reverend Gill Robb Wilson
1893 - 1966
Presbyterian Minister and Founder of the Civil Air Patrol
FIRST THINGS FIRST
by Gill Robb Wilson
The boundary lamps were yellow blurs
Against the winter night,
And I had checked the last ship in
And snapped the office light
And paused a while to let the ghosts
Of bygone days and men
Roam down the skies of auld lang syne
As one will now and then ...
When fancy set me company
A red checked lad to stand
With questions gleaming in his eyes,
A model in his hand.
He may have been your boy or mine,
I could not clearly see,
But there was no mistaking how
His eyes were questioning me
For answers which all sons must have
Who build their toys in play,
But pow'r them in valiant dreams
And fly them far away;
So down I sat with him beside
There in the dim lit shed,
And with the ghost of better men
To check on me, I said:
"I cannot tell you, Sonny Boy,
The future of this art,
But one thing I can show you, lad,
An old time pilot's heart;
And you may judge what flight may give
Or hold in store for you
By knowing how true pilots feel
About the work they do;
And only he who dedicates
His life to some ideal
Becomes as one with his dreams
His future will reveal.
Not one of whose wings are dust
Would call his bargain in,
Not one of us would welsh his part
To save his bloomin' skin,
Not one would wish to walk again
Unless allowed to throw
His heart into the thing he loved
And go as he would go;
Not one would change for gold or pow'r,
Nor fun nor love nor fame,
The part he played and price he paid
In making good the game.
And of the living ... none, not one,
Regrets the scars he bears,
The sheer uncertainty of plans,
The poverty he shares,
Remitted price for one mistake
That checks a bright career,
The shattered hopes, the scant rewards,
The future never clear:
And of the living ... none, not one,
Who truly loves the sky,
Would trade a hundred earth bound hours
For one that he could fly.
If that sleek model in your hand,
Which you have brought to me,
Most represents the thing you love,
The thing you want to be,
Then, you will fill your curly head
With knowledge, fact and lore,
For there is no short cut which leads
To aviation's door;
And only those whose zeal is proved
By patient toil and will
Shall ever have a part to play
Or have a place to fill."
And suddenly the lad was gone
On wings I could not hear,
But from afar off came his voice
In studied tones and clear,
A prophet's message simply told
For this is what he said
And why his hand will someday lead
Formations overhead:
"Who wants to fly has got to know:
Now two times two is four:
I've got to learn the first things first!"
...I closed the hanger door.
Sarah Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill's daughter
1914 - 1982
THE BOMBERS
by Sarah Churchill
Whenever I see them ride on high,
Gleaming and proud in the morning sky,
Or lying awake in bed at night,
I hear them pass on their outward flight;
I feel the mass of metal and guns,
Delicate instruments, deadweight tons,
Awkward, slow, bomb racks full,
Straining away from downward pull,
Straining away from home and base,
And try to see the pilot's face,
I imagine a boy who's just left school,
On whose quick-learned skill and courage cool
Depend the lives of the men in his crew
And success of the job they have to do;
And something happens to me inside
That is deeper than grief, greater than pride,
And though there is nothing I can say,
I always look up as they go their way
And care and pray for every one,
And steel my heart to say,
"Thy will be done."
William Butler Yeats
1865 - 1939
Irish Poet and Dramatist
Winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1923
Founder of the National Literary Society
Served as Minister of Fine Arts in the Irish Cabinet
AN IRISH AIRMAN
FORESEES HIS DEATH
by William Butler Yeats
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years behind seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.
[untitled]
by Charlie Williams
Former U. S. Navy pilot; advanced CFI;
retired from the FAA
Sailplane
Gracefully tapered
Gliding, soaring, climbing
Mind is at peace
Silence
*****
Airship
Outdated antique
Cruising, mooring, tethered
Dinosaur of the sky
Nostalgia.
*****
The trainer skimmed over the ground,
The instructor hollered "Go around!"
The student hesitated,
The instructor waited,
We all heard a crashing sound.
1946 Side-By-Side Taylorcraft Model BC-12D
Stinson Field, San Antonio, Texas, 1954
WATCHING LIGHTS ABOVE AND BELOW
by e. rowan s. trimble
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Philosophy and Aviation Science
Pioneer Poet Laureat of Aviation Poetry since 1977
Whose sky this is the stars can tell-
He lives out there where all is well;
I wonder about the mysterious deep,
About its secrets while others sleep.
My friends must think it's very strange,
To ponder on things beyond our range,
But the beauty captures the inward soul
And asks for answers of life's goal.
They seem content to dream of flight,
To slumber in darkness without a light,
-The only other object up here
Is a silky cloud that's floating near.
The ground is covered with twinkling things,
But I must care for human beings
And make this long and arduous flight,
While others sleep in the dark of night.
Dedicated to the Bomber Crew 60, 499th Bomb Group,
879th Bomb Squadron, 20th AF, Isley Field, Saipan Island
1944 -1945
FLAK ALLEY
by W. D. Royster
Silver wings in the moonlight
Smiling swiftly through the night.
With a rendezvous with destiny
Before the morning light.
There's a place called Fuji Ami
Where the bombing runs begin.
It's a straight line to the target
Will we stand on earth again?
There's a place we call Flak Alley
The combat crews all dread,
Where the shells burst all around us
Someone down there wants us dead.
Fiery fingers reach to grab us
As the searchlights scan the sky.
Then we are caught in their clutches.
We can't escape them, though we try.
Shrapnel then explodes around us
As the shells light up the night.
We can feel the aircraft shudder,
Then continue in its flight.
We continue onward, forward.
'Til we hear the bombardier say,
The words that we are waiting for,
As he announces, "Bombs away!"
Then the Zeroes are coming at us
At last, now we can use our guns.
They harass us to the coastline
As we fly toward the Rising Sun.
Yes, our plane is badly wounded
But we still hear the engines drone.
Still we pray that we will make it,
It's 15 hundred miles to home.
We can hear our engines labor
As we struggle through the night.
We still pray that we can make it
We have not yet won this fight.
Silver wings now in the daylight
And we have our base in sight.
Soon we will come in for a landing.
We'll not forget this bitter night.
What a blessing! What a feeling!
As we start to earth again.
Still it is a short lived pleasure,
Tomorrow we must go out again.
We don't fight for fame or glory.
We have done this job for pay.
I have flown for 18 hours
And I earned five bucks today.
W. D. Royster is said to be an humble man and an
accomplished poet and writer. He is also a bonafide
American hero. He flew 31 combat missions in B-29
bombers while serving in the 20th AF, during WW II
and was wounded while in perilous aerial combat with
the Japanese. He received a chest full of medals and
ribbons in recognition of his valor and devotion to
duty along with the other members of his flight crew.
Among the decorations that characterized his heroism
were the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.
He will be remembered as having been among THE
GREATEST GENERATION, for such courageous patriots
kept America free for posterity.
Remember: Freedom is not free.
Bleriot XI - the most used bomber of WW I
LORD, GUARD AND GUIDE
THE MEN WHO FLY
Mary C. D. Hamilton wrote this verse in 1915
which was made into a hymn by C. Hubert H. Parry.
It has been amended and modified many times by
others for special use. For example, it is the
official hymn of the USAF. The most prominent
additions follow the original poem.
by Mary C. D. Hamilton
(original)
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces of the sky;
Be with them traversing the air
In darkening storms or sunshine fair.
Thou who dost keep with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight,
Thou of the tempered winds, be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
O God, protect the men who fly
Thro’ lonely ways beneath the sky.
AMEN
AMENDMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS
In U. S. Naval Aviation circles, an additional
verse is often Added to the traditional hymn.
It was rearranged by others about the time of
World War II as follows:
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with Thy saving grace.
Thou Who supports with tender might
The balanced birds in all their flight.
Lord, if the tempered winds be near,
That, having Thee, they know no fear.
—Mary C. D. Hamilton (1915)
Due to the hymn's association with the U. S. Navy, other
verses have been written for various subdivisions and
special circumstances of naval service, including the
MARINES:
Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.
—J. E. Seim (1966)
SEABEES:
Lord, stand beside the men who build,
And give them courage, strength, and skill.
O grant them peace of heart and mind,
And comfort loved ones left behind.
Lord, hear our prayers for all Seabees,
Where'er they be on land or sea.
—R. J. Dietrich (1960)
THE MERCHANT MARINES:
Lord, stand beside the men who sail
Our merchant ships in storm and gale
In peace and war their watch they keep
On every sea, on thy vast deep.
Be with them Lord, by night and day
For Merchant Mariners we pray.
—Wynne McClintock
(Wife of former USMMA Superintendent VADM,
Gordon McClintock, USMS)
THE COAST GUARD:
Eternal Father, Lord of hosts,
Watch o'er the men who guard our coasts.
Protect them from the raging seas
And give them light and life and peace.
Grant them from thy great throne above
The shield and shelter of thy love.
—(1955) CWO George H. Jenks, Jr., USCG
DIVERS AND SUBMARINERS:
Lord God, our power evermore,
Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,
Dive with our men beneath the sea;
Traverse the depths protectively.
O hear us when we pray, and keep
Them safe from peril in the deep.
—David B. Miller (1965)
ANOTHER SUBMARINER VERSE:
Bless those who serve beneath the deep,
Through lonely hours their vigil keep.
May peace their mission ever be,
Protect each one we ask of Thee.
Bless those at home who wait and pray,
For their return by night and day.
—Reverend Gale R. Williamson (date unknown)
NAVAL NURSES:
O God, protect the women who,
In service, faith in thee renew;
O guide devoted hands of skill
And bless their work within thy will;
Inspire their lives that they may be
Examples fair on land and sea.
—Lines 1-4, Merle E. Strickland (1972) and
adapted by James D. Shannon (1973);
Lines 5-6, Beatrice M. Truitt (1948)
ANTARCTIC AND ARCTIC SERVICE:
Creator, Father, who dost show
Thy splendor in the ice and snow,
Bless those who toil in summer light
And through the cold antarctic night,
As they thy frozen wonders learn;
Bless those who wait for their return.
—L. E. Vogel (1965)
SPACE TRAVEL:
Almighty ruler of the all
Whose power extends to great and small,
Who guides the stars with steadfast law,
Whose least creation fills with awe—
Oh grant Thy mercy and Thy grace
To those who venture into space.
—Robert A. Heinlein (1947) as part of his
short story "Ordeal in Space."
Eternal Father, King of Birth,
Who didst create the Heaven and Earth,
And bid the planets and the Sun
Their own appointed orbits run;
O hear us when we seek Thy grace
For those who soar through outer space.
—J. E. Volonte (1961)
THOSE WOUNDED IN COMBAT:
Creator, Father, Who first breathed
In us the life that we received,
By power of Thy breath restore
The ill, and men with wounds of war.
Bless those who give their healing care,
That life and laughter all may share.
—Galen H. Meyer (1969), adapted by James D. Shannon (1970)
CIVILIANS:
God, Who dost still the restless foam,
Protect the ones we love at home.
Provide that they should always be
By Thine own grace both safe and free.
O Father, hear us when we pray
For those we love so far away.
—Hugh Taylor (date unknown)
U. S. ARMED FORCES:
Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
And those who on the ocean ply;
Be with our troops upon the land,
And all who for their country stand:
Be with these guardians day and night
And may their trust be in Thy might.
—Author Unknown (1955)
AND THE COMMISSIONING AND
DECOMMISSIONING OF A SHIP:
O Father, King of Earth and sea,
We dedicate this ship to thee.
In faith we send her on her way;
In faith to Thee we humbly pray:
O hear from Heaven our sailor's cry
And watch and guard her from on High!
—Author/date Unknown
And when at length her course is run,
Her work for home and country done,
Of all the souls that in her sailed
Let not one life in Thee have failed;
But hear from Heaven our sailor's cry,
And grant eternal life on High!
—Author/date Unknown
Father John MacGillivary
1923 - 1995
Chaplin, Royal Canadian Air Force
AN AIRMAN'S GRACE
by Father John MacGillivary
Lord of thunderhead and sky
Who placed in man the will to fly,
Who taught his hand speed, skill and grace
To soar beyond man's dwelling place.
You shared with him the eagles view,
The right to soar as eagles do,
The right to call the clouds his home,
And grateful through your heavens roam.
May all assembled here tonight,
And all who love the thrill of flight,
Recall with twofold gratitude,
Your gift of Wings, Your gift of food.
Amen
Father John MacGillivary was a COPA member
and pilot. He owned four aircraft, during his
lifetime, -a De Havilland Tiger Moth which he
donated to the EAA and was placed in the Museum
in Oshkosh; a Miles Hawk M2W; a De Havilland Puss
Moth, which was restored as a replica of CF-PEI,
an aircraft flown by one of Canada's leading female
aviation pioneers, Louise Jenkins; it is now in the
National Aviation Museum in Ottawa; and a Taylorcraft
BC12D. Father John MacGillivary was a native of Nova
Scotia. He lived in Antigonish, during his retirement.
He died in February of 1995.
SONG OF THE VALKYRIES
by unknown Marine pilot
This poem was said to have been found in the wreckage of a Marine
fighter that was shot down over New Ireland, during WW II. Its name
may have been in reference to the music in Richard Wagner's The Ride
of the Valkyries (German : Walkürenritt), the popular term for the
beginning of Act III of his opera Die Walküre. If not, it may have been
in reference to The Battle Song of the Valkyries known as Darraðarljoð.
It is often said of Norse mythology that if one sees a Valkyrie before a
battle, he or she will die in that battle.
I have skimmed the ragged edge of lightning death,
And torn from bloody flesh of sky a thunder song;
Across the nakedness of virgin space,
I've blistered my frozen hand in feathered ice,
And dared angelic wrath to smash
The snarling will of my demon steed;
Far above sun-glint on winded spume,
High executioner of laws no man has made,
I've welded Samurai knights into fiery tombs
And hurled them down, like the plumed Minoan,
Far down the searing heights to punch
Their livid crates in the sea;
"Enemies," you say. They were not mine,
More than blood brothers, I swear,
With tawny skin and warrior eye,
Bushido-bred for hell-strife joy;
Much closer my kin, my race than those
Who cud-chew their lives can ever be;
"War-lover," you say, "Sadist, psychotic,"
That sick cycle of canned clich is masking
Your lust for eternity fettered to time;
Go, epigonic pygmies, make peace with hell;
Drag the myths of our ancient might
Through the miserable muck of a cringer's dream;
What could you know,
Who have never heard
The soaring song of the Valkyries,
Felt thunder-gods jousting with livid peaks:
You, who have never dared to walk the razor
Across the zenith of your peevish soul?
Leo D. Hymas and his Great Lakes biplane
Leo D. Hymas has been an aviator for many years. What is most remarkable is
the fact that his poem literally has been out of this world. His friend,
Don Lind, was an astronaut who carried a copy of THE PILOT with him on the
Space Shuttle Challenger when it flew SKYLAB 3 around the earth 110 times.
What greater tribute could be made to the spirit of flight that he has
captured and so generously shared with the world's aviation community?
THE PILOT
by Leo D. Hymas
Someday we’ll know where the pilots go
When their work on earth is through
Where the air is clean and the engines gleam
And the skies are clear and blue.
They have flown, with the engine’s moan
As they climbed to the great beyond
And taken delight at the awesome sight
Of the world spread far and ‘yond
And how they love, and are beloved,
But their love is most for air
With wings spread out, they still fly out
And leave their troubles there.
How near to God, these men of sod
Who come near danger’s door;
They are real, not made of steel
He knows who goes before.
Yet not alone, above their home
When the earth is out of sight,
They make their stand, He takes their hand
And guides them through the night.
He knows these things, of men and wings
And they are surely true;
He’ll give a hand to such a man,
Because He’s a pilot, too.
 _
"Trish" Shaw____________Betty Jo Mings
The two poems, REMEMBERING RUTH by Patricia "Trish" Shaw,
and THE PILOT’S PRAYER by Betty Jo Mings, are posted as a joint
memoriam to Ruth Deerman. Trish was Ruth’s close friend, while
Betty Jo was her sister. THE PILOT’S PRAYER was especially composed
for a speech that Ruth made in her capacity at the time as International
President of the Ninety-Nines. Ruth Deerman was born June 17th, 1915,
and passed away May 6th, 2006. A true pioneer aviatrix, she earned her
pilot’s license in 1944 in El Paso, Texas. That fulfilled her early
childhood dream to fly, but that was only the beginning of her efforts
to encourage other women to learn to fly and to establish a universal
appreciation for aviation among all people. Ruth earned a commercial
pilot’s license, plus flight and instrument instructor ratings, and
advanced ground school and ground school instructor ratings. She flew
helicopters (was Whirly Girl #78) and became a board member of the
Whirly Girls. She christened her Cessna 140 the
"Cotton Clipper Cutie"
that she eventually donated to the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, NM.
She was a charter member of the El Paso Ninety-Nines and also helped establish
the El Paso Aviation Association. She was a spot-landing champion, navigation
master and born-to-be aviatrix. She enjoyed being first, and she managed to
fill her home with aviation trophies. She with her co-pilot RUBY HAYS won the
1954 All-Women Transcontinental Air Race (known as the ”Powder Puff Derby”),
flying from Long Beach, California, to Knoxville, Tennessee. While serving
as the International President of the Ninety-Nines, she introduced the term
for “significant others” as the "49½s." She also coined the term for pilots
in training as "66s," but that has been changed to "FWPs" (Future Woman Pilot).
The words that she loved and that captured her spirit were from Bing Cosby’s
famous song, DON’T FENCE ME IN. Because of her pioneering achievements,
Ruth Deerman is a name to respectfully remember in aviation history.
REMEMBERING RUTH
by Patricia "Trish" Shaw
retired from American Airlines 10/28/07 with 40 years service
There's a memory
There's a memory
A vision in the sky---
There's a twinkle
A twinkle from her eye.
There's a smile,
invincible----
just like her style.
There's a tenderness, a caring
A presence of honor-bearing.
In the memory, light clouds roll away
revealing Ruth's face: radiant as day!
With propellers awhirling---
She could be flying or even whirlybirding.
We know it is she---
why, she's as shoeless as can be!
With Cotton Clipper Cutie
she climbs majestically---
away from earth and on to victory.
An aviator of extraordinary degree,
Our Ruth has departed for a destination heavenly.
So open up those pearly gates---
Ruth's arrival all heaven awaits!
A PILOT'S PRAYER
by Betty Jo Mings
Dear Lord, I ask for guidance as
I chart my course through life;
And help me find Your flight plan, that
Will conquer pain and strife.
I know there is no lapse rate in
The warmth of Your great love.
Keep open, free and clear my lines
Of guidance from Above.
And as I face the slips and skids
Of daily life, I pray
My turn coordinator will
Stay centered on Your way.
But most of all, remind me You're
The Pilot In Command,
And I'm a flight crew member, held
In Your protective hand.
Captain Harry W. Brown
1921 - 1991
Harry Winston Brown was born in Amarillo, Texas, on May 19th, 1921. He became
a fighter pilot in the USAAF on August 15th, 1941, and was stationed at Wheeler
Field, Hawaii. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941,
Brown had the distinction of being one of five American pilots to score victories
by shooting down two Japanese Kate torpedo bombers. He was the first Texan to be
decorated for valor in WW II. He got another kill while flying with the 49th FG. Then,
he was a founding member of the 475th FG and became the first "Ace" of the group when
he shot down 3 Japanese fighters on the group's first operational sortie. According to
squadron members who outlived him, he designed the insignia for the 475th FG and the
431st FS. As a flight leader in the 431st, he often led the whole squadron on raids.
Flying as flight leader for the fighter group called "Satan's Angels," he scored those
first three victories for his group and later shot down three more enemy aircraft
while flying a P-38. Following WW II, he served as base commander of McGuire AFB,
New Jersey, and retired from the military in 1948. While in the reserves, he
completed his Master's Degree at the University of Denver and was promoted to the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded the Silver Star for valor, the Distinguished
Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster and an Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters.
He wrote a number of aviation poems, but this one honors his friends who were KIA.
HADES SQUADRON
by Harry W. Brown
The world seemed covered with dripping mist
With walls of dismal grey;
Even the plane seemed to resist
When pulled from the hangar that day.
But everything was soon onboard
And my walk-around begun;
Then I fired it up and taxied toward
My rendezvous with fun.
The mags were checked, prop in low pitch,
My full run-up was done;
Controls were free—the mixture rich,
I began my take-off run.
I lifted the nose and became airborne
Into the overcast;
When that eerie mist was suddenly torn,
And I found myself in the past.
And I was flying a P-38
Stacked in an echelon right;
Hades Squadron was tempting fate
And looking for a fight.
We were at angels twenty, and my Blue Flight
Was lined-up covering the rear;
So I knew that things would be all right,
And I had no sense of fear.
I saw some faces I hadn't seen
For forty years or so,
Including some that departed this scene
A long, long time ago.
There was old Nick to lead the way,
And then Houseworth appeared;
Then Hedrick and Allen and Wenige
With his blonde mustache and red beard.
And then Kirby, Willie Haning and Johnny Hood,
Each man a real hero,
Who fought with all the strength he could
Against a vicious foe.
Those wondrous warriors that I knew,
Like Harris and Torn McGuire,
Champlin and Monk -Czarnecki, too,
Verle Jett and Gronemeyer.
And those who lead my element,
Each one a friend of mine,
Red Herman and Mankin and Francis Lent,
And Lewis and “Pappy“ Cline.
But the mist soon began to thin,
And my friends to fade away,
And I found out that I had been
But an instant along the way.
And then I broke completely clear
In the brilliance of the dawn;
All those scenes of yesteryear
And all my friends were gone.
And so I felt a moment's pain
When returned to reality;
And I hoped I'd see them all, again,
And that they'd fly with me.
For the bonds of friendship that were wrought,
On an anvil of adversity,
Were forged forever as we fought
In the skies so valiantly.
Hark! Do you hear it?—the thundering roar
Of engines in the sky?
Someday I want forevermore
To be where those brave men fly.
WASPs Elizabeth MacKethan Magid and Marie Michell Robinson
1918 - 2004.............................1925 - 1944
Elizabeth MacKethan Magid and Marie Michell Robinson entered the September,
1943 class for training in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during
World War II. While undergoing training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas,
they became very close friends. They exchanged a promise that if anything ever
happened to one, the other would go to be with the bereaved mother, never really
believing this promise would have to be kept. After graduation from flight school
in 1944, Elizabeth and Marie were stationed together as ferry pilots with the Air
Transport Command, Love Field, Dallas,Texas. Later Elizabeth was sent to Cochran
Field, Georgia, where she flew overhauled basic and advanced trainers. Marie was
sent to Victorville Air Force Base, California, where she flew twin-engine bombers.
In October, 1944, Marie was killed in the crash of a B-25. She was nineteen years
of age. While waiting for transportation to Michigan for a Memorial Service for
Marie, Elizabeth completed her test flying duties for the day. As she soared upward
amidst the soft fair weather cumulus clouds, she fantasized that her friend was there.
She recalled the happy days training when she, Marie and sky were one-- on playful
silver wings. But Marie was not there. Elizabeth landed and in a secluded spot in
the Operations Room she penned "Celestial Flight" in words that seemed to come
from a Source other than herself. As soon as possible Elizabeth caught military
flights to Michigan and shared the words of the poem with Marie's mother, thus
fulfilling the promise exchanged many months before at a dusty, windswept
training field in Texas. WASP members remained civil service employees who did
not receive the pay and benefits given to male pilots sharing the same risks. In
recognition of this fact, on 23 November 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed
legislation providing procedures for former WASPs to be granted veteran status,
although with limited benefits. Coincidentally, this was in the same year that
the United States Air Force graduated its first female pilots. It was not until
1979 that the WASPs were given discharge certificates, and it was 1984 before
they were awarded World War II Victory Medals. Those who had one year's
service were awarded American Theater Campaign Medals, also.
CELESTIAL FLIGHT
by Elizabeth MacKethan Magid
She is not dead -
But only flying higher,
Higher than she's flown before,
And earthly limitations
Will hinder her no more.
There is no service ceiling,
Or any fuel range,
And there is no anoxia,
Or need for engine change.
Thank God that now her flight can be
To heights her eyes had scanned,
Where she can race with comets,
And buzz the rainbow's span.
For she is universal
Like courage, love and hope,
And all free, sweet emotions
Of vast and godly scope.
And understand a pilot's Fate
Is not the thing she fears,
But rather sadness left behind,
Your heartbreak and your tears.
So all you loved ones, dry your eyes,
Yes, it is wrong that you should grieve,
For she would love your courage more,
And she would want you to believe
She is not dead.
You should have known
That she is only flying higher,
Higher than she's ever flown.
Madge Rutherford Minton
1920 - 2004
This immortal prayer was penned by Madge Rutherford Minton who was a WASP.
It needs no further introduction as its aviation poetry is so universally compelling.
Obituary
INVOCATION
by Madge Rutherford Minton
WASP Chaplain, 1986
For a vision in our youth, Dear Lord,
We are much beholden, and with heartfelt
respect we invite Your presence here.
We come to celebrate a score of glorious months
When You blessed us with more courage than caution
and more determined commitment than common sense.
Our vision was to fly, and we hardly considered
That we might fail. Eager and proud; rebellious,
Even arrogant, we defied current morés
And slipped time-hallowed traces.
Our purpose held, and with Your help we achieved
Our hearts’ desire; to serve as pilots in our
Country’s cause; to fly in defense of
Freedom, truth, and human dignity.
Bless, Dear Lord, our comrades untimely dead;
Bless all who fought and all who died
In common cause with us.
We are here to share friendship to revel in past
Glories, and to marvel at our incredible luck.
Years deracinate our fellowship and time
Impedes accuracy;
Dear Lord, forgive us if our memories be gently
enhanced by selective forgetting.
We entertain conjecture of the times when, all alone,
We flew between the sun and citadels of clouds
And watched the shadow of our plane
convoy us on our course --
A dark cross rimmed in fractured light--
A holy wage -- The Pilot’s Cross--
We felt Your Presence then and touched the
Interface between that which may be known
And that which can never be transcended.
You blessed us then; we pray Your blessing now.
Amen
TO A PILOT'S SON
by Captain Richard M. Kerti
1957 - 2004
Though my job takes me to far away places,
Far from home among many new faces,
Enjoying rich, glowing sunsets and brilliant sky of blue,
The sad part is it takes me away from you.
But to a pilot a plane is a mixed blessing,
Like cold, sleepless nights and 4 o’clock dressing,
All the nights missed tucking you in bed,
Too many bedtime stories that won't get read.
Cobalt blue sunrises followed by fiery red sunsets,
The scale of privilege balanced with regrets.
My job pulls me here to Timbuktu,
But the heart of me is always with you.
Missed days and nights filled with great joy and laughter,
Too tight of schedules running here and thereafter,
To earn a living, son, this is what I do;
I miss every minute separated from you.
If a king’s ransom I had, I’d be a stay-at-home dad,
Every night rubbing your head and tucking you into bed,
Long walks on the beach to take,
Seeing your smile when I wake.
So, son, keep in mind as you grow older,
A strong healthy body and, oh, so much bolder!
All those days and nights and days away too long,
I miss you every minute I’m gone.
If God should send me for that final flight West,
Don’t be sad, don’t protest;
Keep your head and body strong,
To win the challenge long.
And remember as you gander at the sky above you,
That forever in time I will always love you.
SOME MEMBERS OF THE AVIATION COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE
TRIED TO SERVE OVER OUR 25 YEAR HISTORY, INCLUDING AIRCREWS
THE WORLD OVER AND MEMBERS AND FORMER MEMBERS OF
AEA
APA
AWA
AOPA
CAT
COPA
EAA
FAA
HAA
HAMM
IAOPA
ICOA
NASA
NPA
OSKOSH
SAMA
WASPS
WPA
WSPA
Ninety-Nines
Powder Puff Derby
Ravens
Air America
Air Vietnam
Southern Air Transport
Blue Angels
Thunderbirds
Snowbirds
The Wings Of Freedom Tour
United States Air Force
United States Marine Corps Aviation
United States Naval Aviation
United States Army Aviation
United States Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue
United States Air National Guard
Canada's Bush Pilots Squadron
Canada's Aviation Hall Of Fame
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Air Force
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Aviation Hall Of Fame, Dayton, Ohio
Active Aero - United States
Adria Airways - Slovenia
Aegean Airlines - Greece
Aer Lingus - Ireland
Aerolineas Argentinas - Argentina
AeroMexico - Mexico
Aerosur - Bolivia
Afriqiyah Airways - Lybia
Air America - Puerto Rico
Air Aruba - Aruba
Air Atlanta - Iceland
Air Austral - Reunion
Air Baltic - Latvia
Air Berlin - Germany
Air Caledonia - Caledonia
Aircalin - New Caledonia
Air Canada - Canada
Air Canada Jazz - Canada
Air China - China
Air Dolomiti - Italy
Air Fiji - Fiji Islands
Air France - France
Air Greenland - Greenland
Air Iceland - Iceland
Air India - India
Air Jamaica - Jamaica
Air Labrador - Labrador/New Foundland
Air Liberte
Air Lithuania -Lithuania
Air Madagascar - Madagascar
Air Mandalay - Burma
Air Malta - Malta
Air Mauritius - Mauritius (Indian Ocean)
Air Macau - Macau
Air Malawi - Kenya
Air Nauru - Nauru
Air Namibia - Namibia
Air Niugini - New Guinea
Air New Zealand - New Zealand
Air Nostrum - Spain
Air One - Italy
Air Pacific - Australia/Fiji
Air Rarotonga - Cook Islands
Air Royale International
Air Seychelles - Seychelles
Air Srpska - Republic of Srpska
Air Transat - Canada
Air Tropical - Caribbean
Air Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe
AirEurope - Italy
Airnorth - Australia
AirTran Airways - United States
Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air
Alaska Mountain Flying
Alitalia - Italy
Aloha Airlines - Hawaii, United States
Alpenglow Aviation - Canada
American Airlines - United States
American Trans Air - United States
American West Airlines - United States
Amerijet International - United States
ANA - Japan
Arkia - Israel
Asiana Airlines - South Korea
Asian Spirit - Philippines
Atkin Air - California, United States
Atlantic Airlines - United States
Atlantic Airways - Faroe Islands
Aurigny Air Services - Channel Islands, United Kingdom
Austrian Airlines - Austria
Avensa - Venezuela
Avianca - Colombia
Aviateca Guatemala - Guatemala
Aviation Cadet Museum - United States
BAC Express Airlines - United Kingdom
Bahamasair - Bahamas
Bangkok Airways - Thailand
Baxter Aviation - British Columbia, Canada
Binter Canarias - Canary Islands
Boeing Aircraft Co. - United States
Bombardier Skyjet - Montreal, Canada
British Airways - United Kingdom
British Midland - United Kingdom
C & C Aviation - Oregon, United States
Calm Air - Canada
Cargolux - Luxembourg
Cathay Pacific Airways - Hong Kong
Cayman Airways - Cayman Islands
Channel Islands Aviation - California, United States
China Airlines - China
China Southern Airlines - China
China Xinhua Airlines - China
Cimber Air - Denmark
Coast Air - Norway
Colgan Air - Virginia, United States
Condor - Germany
Continental Airlines - United States
Copa Airlines - Panama
Corporate Express - Alberta, Canada
Crescent Helicopters - United States
Croatia Airlines - Croatia
Crystal Airways - United States
Cubana - Cuba
Cyprus Airways - Cyprus
Czech Airlines - Czech Republic
Delta Airlines - United States
EasyJet - United Kingdom
Egypt Air - Egypt
El Al Israel Airlines - Israel
Emirates - United Arab Emirates
Emirates - Dubai
Era Aviation - United States
Ethiopian Air - Ethiopia
Eurocopter Canada - Canada
Eurowings - Germany
EVA Air - Taiwan
Exel - United States
Finnair - Finland
First Air - Canada
First Choice - United Kingdom
Frontier Airlines - United States
Gray Eagles Foundation - United States
German Wings - Germany
Great Lakes Aviation - United States
Historic Aviation Memorial Museum
Horizon Air / Alaska Airlines - United States
Iberia - Spain
Icelandair - Iceland
Japan Airlines - Japan
Japan Asia Airways - Japan
JetBlue Airways - United States
Kitty Hawk Airlines - United States
KLM - Netherlands
Korean Air - South Korea
Lacsa Costa Rica - Costa Rica
Lan.com - Chile
Lithuanian Airlines - Lithuania
Lufthansa - Germany
Malaysia Air - Malaysia
Malev Hungarian - Hungry
Maya Island Airways - Belize
Middle East Airlines - Lebanon
Mesa Air Group - United States
Mesaba -Minnesota, United States
Mexicana Airlines - Mexico
Midwest Express - United States
NatureAir - Costa Rica
New England - United States
NorthWestAir - United States
OneWorld -Airline Alliance (Aer Lingus, American Airlines,
British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, Japan Airlines, Quantas)
Pacific Coastal Airlines - Western British Columbia, Canada
Penair -Alaska, United States
Pan American World Airway - United States
Philippine Airlines - Philippine Islands
Qatar Airways - Qatar
Quantas Airways - Australia
Ryanair - Ireland
Sabena - Belgium
SAS Braathens - Norway
SAS Scandinavian Airlines - Denmark, Norway, Sweden
Singapore Airlines - Singapore
Skyways - Sweden
Skywest - Western Australia, Australia
Skywest - United States
Solomon Airlines - Solomon Islands
South African Airlines - South Africa
Southwest Airlines - United States
Spanair - Spain
Spirit Airlines - United States
Sun Air - Fiji Islands
Sun Country Airlines - United States
Swiss International Airlines - Switzerland
TACA Airlines - Costa Rica
TAP Air Portugal - Portugal
Thai Air - Thailand
Thomas Cook Airlines - Germany
Thompson Fly - United Kingdom
Trans World Airlines -United States
Turkish Airlines - Turkey
Ukraine International Airlines - Ukraine
United Airlines - United States
US Airways - United States
Varig - Brazil
Virgin Atlantic Airways - UK
WestJet Airlines - Canada
World Airways - United States
Yugoslav Airlines - Yugoslavia
and any other aviators who fly or who have flown
from any other nation in the world.
Disabled American Veterans
AVIATION WEATHER CENTER
Don't dare miss visiting the
HISTORIC AVIATION MEMORIAL MUSEUM
where even historic aviation poetry is displayed!
For those who are further interested in
aviation history, peruse this site supported by the Kassel Mission
Historical Society and dedicated to the 445th Bomb Group,
Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart's original bomb group.
Fly the WW II warbirds! Watch the schedule for a tour near you.
These flights are spectacular. Experience what WW II aviators
did in a B-17, B-24, B-25, P-51 and other vintage aircraft.
Click Here To Learn About The Director
1. Go here for more aviation poetry
2. And here
3. Or here
"Poetry is imaginative literature made incarnate." -Billie Lovelady
Email comments and questions to APHOFHR
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