In 1939, the United States Army Air Force trained just 1,200 new 
pilots. Yet, by the end of World War II, airfields had become 
factories, and 193,440 additional young men had become pilots. 
Author William P. Mitchell entered the pilot factory at San Antonio's 
Kelly Field in January 1942. He then went to Garner Field near 
Uvalde, Texas, for primary training; to Randolph Field for basic; to 
Brooks Field for advanced flying; and to Del Valle for transition on 
the C-47.

    Mitchell's experiences were similar to those of thousands of young 
men. Because his mother kept his wartime letters, readers of this 
book can catch glimpses of a world long vanished and an era that 
now seems innocent and naive. Mitchell worried about washing out, 
but he eventually learned to do nighttime "blitz" landings without 
lights, to loop and roll and recover from a spin, to identify an aircraft 
from its silhouette, and to navigate cross country. Like many of his 
peers, he wanted to be a pursuit pilot, but he was assigned to C-47s. 
As a member of the 73rd Squadron of the 434th Troop Carrier Group, 
he delivered glider infantry at Normandy, dropped airborne troops 
during Operation Market Garden, and supplied the 101st Airborne 
Division during the Battle of the Bulge.

    Mitchell's letters remind us that learning to fly was a romantic and 
unexpected adventure for the young men of the Greatest Generation 
who flew for the USAAF.

_________________________________________________________

WILLIAM P. MITCHELL retired in 1992 after a successful career with 
advertising agencies. He now lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina, 
and contributes to local newspapers.


Number Fourteen: Centennial of Flight Series


What people are saying about this book

"From the Pilot Factory is an excellent read that touches on a time 
when military aviation was in full gear meeting wartime needs through 
the lens of its product."—Air Power History, Summer 2006

"What we have here is a cleancut American middleclass boy who 
exemplifies the real strength of the US war effort. I was trained as 
an aerial gunner not as a pilot but most of what Mitchell depicts 
resonated with me as right on target. He makes the point that fear 
of washing out was far more powerful than fear of crashing or 
getting killed. That is a most important point which is one of the 
insights which makes this book valuable. . . . a fine example of a 
decent youngster's reaction to the great adventure of participating 
in the high drama of the nation's role in WW2."—I. B. Holley, Jr., 
Professor Emeritus, Duke University

". . . a welcome and informative insight into the often overlooked, 
but crucial, process of pilot training in wartime. I think that this 
prospective book will appeal to military buffs, aviation buffs, 
general readers, and collectors of Texana. The letters are poignant 
at times, consistently interesting, and characterized by relevant 
details of daily life as well as details of the difficulties of learning 
how to fly and to deal with gruff flight instructors. Among other 
things, the letters clearly illustrate the remarkable phenomenon of 
inducting thousands of young men from all over the nation, and 
their reactions as they adjust to life in a much different military 
environment. There are also insightful comments about 
understanding different cultures in the Southwest and gaining 
new perspectives about a mythic state like Texas. . . . [a] worthy 
addition to the literature of aviation and the history of World War II."
—Roger E. Bilstein, professor emeritus, University of Houston–Clear Lake