Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Jim Johnson’s fascination with airplanes first drew him to the Navy at the age of 17, jump-starting military service spanning three of the largest U.S. conflicts in the past century.
Monday, the 82-year-old Killeen resident got a chance to relive some of his early love for aircraft, flying in a B-17 G-model Flying Fortress airplane being shown at Texas State Technical College this week.
“This was the first aircraft I’d ever flown on, and it will probably be the last one I ever fly in,” Johnson said, grinning in excitement after a 30-minute flight over the Waco and Bellmead area.
* The Experimental Aircraft Association will offer rides in the B-17 planes through Thursday at a cost of $125 per person for nonmembers of the association and $385 for members.
* Tours of the inside of the B-17 are available to the public at $5 for adults or $15 for families. Veterans and active-duty military members may tour the aircraft for free.
For more information, call (920) 379-4244.
* The local EAA chapter also offers different airplane demonstrations the first Saturday of each month.
For more information, call (254)749-5490 or visit its Web site at EAA59.org.
The B-17 is stationed at TSTC through Thursday as part of a nationwide demonstration tour by the National Experimental Aircraft Association. The plane recently left Arlington and will be taken to Georgetown after leaving Waco, said Kenny Grisham, president of the local EAA chapter.
With Veterans Day this Wednesday, Grisham reached out to TSTC for help finding a local World War II veteran who may have flown or worked on the B-17 before. Carson Pearce, assistant department chair for the TSTC airpilot training program, recommended Johnson, his father-in-law.
More photos: B-17 Flying Fortress airplane at Texas State Technical College
“They happened to be looking for someone who worked on this type of plane before, and I knew Dad was a great fit,” Pearce said. “This was just one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that lined up perfectly for him.”
Just before takeoff Monday, Johnson walked around the aircraft, discussing the differences between the plane and other models he worked on in his youth, noting, “These were the first model to have the nose turrets.”
He said he was excited at the chance to once again take to the skies as he did more than 66 years ago.
“There’s no reason to be nervous at all, I didn’t work on one of these,” Johnson quipped, drawing rounds of laughter from the plane crew and other aviation enthusiasts on the grounds.
Johnson rode in the cockpit in a seat just behind the co-pilot facing the rear of the plane, calmly placing his hands on his knees as the plane rocked, rattled and roared to life during takeoff. Once in air, Johnson unstrapped his seat belt and stood with his hands planted on his hips, confidently poised as he took in the marvelous view of the region.
Johnson said he was fascinated with airplanes as a child, “like many kids.” He first began working on airplanes at age 15, falsely stating that he was 16 to get a job at Alamogordo Army Air Field in New Mexico.
Johnson later enlisted in the Navy on his 17th birthday and was stationed at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Mojave, Calif.
He spent the next four years as a mechanic working on fighter planes that were to be used in combat during World War II, including the Grumman F-4F Wildcat and F-6F Wildcat and PBJ bomber plane.
“I worked on the engines, so I never got to pilot the planes,” Johnson said. “The only time I got to actually fly was when we were in training when I first got in the Navy, because the pilots wanted everybody on the crew to be able to fly in case something happened to the pilot, so I did learn some basic maneuvers then.”
Johnson left the Navy in 1944 but heeded the call to duty again during the Korean War, this time enlisting in the Army. He was 40 when he served in the Vietnam War, serving alongside a troupe that includes 295 Purple Heart honorees and one Medal of Honor recipient.
“I was the oldest one in my unit at 40, which is really old for ground combat — most of the other guys were 18, 19 and 20 years old,” Johnson said. “My unit was sent over there to fight, and I wasn’t going to let them go without me.”
Johnson said of all three wars, he probably has the greatest memories from his time in Vietnam. The bonds he shared with his fellow soldiers were stronger than in previous conflicts, and he still keeps in contact with many Vietnam comrades today.
After the flight, Johnson said the experience mirrored the flights he’d taken during his military days and felt “just the same” as his last trip aboard a B-17.
Ironically, Johnson said the B-17 plane was the model he most disliked working on. The engines were too dirty because of excessive oil buildup, and the parts were very intricate and complex compared to other plane models such as the B-24 Flying Liberator Bomber and the B-29 Superfortress, Johnson said.
rdennis@wacotrib.com
757-5755
Comments
By Joyce Koehnlein
Nov 12, 2009 7:59 AM | Link to this
I was delighted to read the article about my brother, Jim Johnson and happy that he was chosen to represent the Veterans of WWII. He well-deserves that honor, having spent most of his adult life serving our country in the United States Military. As a civilian, Jim has given much of his time to volunteer work in his community and his church. He is always first to help others in need. He is loyal to his country and devoted to his family. I am so proud of him! He is my big brother and has always been my hero.
Joyce Koehnlein
Huntington Station, NY
By Mike ward
Nov 10, 2009 10:55 PM | Link to this
That is my dad in the article on the B-17. I'am so glad that he got to participate in the flight with my brother-in-law Carson. My father is a very humble man when it comes to talking about his military career. He proudly served in three wars in the Navy and the Army. He will always tell you that it was an honor to serve his country and that it was his job to serve and to protect. I can't tell you how proud I am of him and what he sacrificed to help keep his family and all other Americans free.
Mike Ward
Bullard, Texas
By 91Bear
Nov 10, 2009 6:49 PM | Link to this
The PBJ should be a PBJ-1 bomber. It was the Navy and Marines version of a B-25 Mitchell bomber.
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