This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of Columbus Air Force Base in 1942. It is also the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Air Force as a separate military branch.

In 1918 the U.S. Army Air Service opened Payne Field, a pilot training base, near West Point. This grand heritage of military aviation was celebrated this weekend with the Air Force Birthday Ball held at Columbus Air Force Base.

Construction of what is now Columbus Air Force Base began in 1941 and the base opened as Kaye Field in the spring 1942. It was named briefly in honor of Capt. Sam Kaye, pronounced Coy, but the name was soon changed to Columbus Army Flying School because of confusion with Key Field in Meridian.

In 1942, then Major Joseph Duckworth developed innovations in training instructor pilots in instrument instruction at Columbus, which led to him being known as the “father of Air Force instrument flying.” It also resulted in Duckworth and base Commander Col. L.C.M. Mallory being featured in the Nov. 30, 1942, Time Magazine article, “Teaching the Teachers.”

Duckworth’s legacy remains at Columbus AFB with the continued training of the world’s best pilots. His contributions to pilot training are recalled in the Base Operations Building, which is named for him.

During World War II, an animation cell illustration of the first airplane being delivered by the Wrights to the Air Service signed by Walt Disney was given to the Drop in Hanger Servicemen’s club/hangout at Whitehall in Columbus. It was a production cell from Disney’s 1943 feature film, “Victory Through Air Power.” That and other pieces of Disney aviation artwork were a gift from Disney and Josh Meador, a Columbus native and Oscar-winning director of animation effects for Disney Studio.

Nearly 8,000 aviation cadets received pilot training at the base during World War II. Following the end of World War II the Army ceased operations at the base. In response to the Korean War, the base was activated as a contract flying school, and in 1955 it became a Strategic Air Command base with a B-52 and a KC-135 squadron placed there in 1958. The base again became a pilot training base in 1969. Today Columbus AFB is home to 233 aircraft and is the third busiest base in the Air Force.

The story of military aviation in the Golden Triangle goes back 104 years. In 1918 the Army Air Service, the grandfather of the Air Force, opened Payne Field on 533 acres of rolling prairie about four miles north of West Point. The field in its short two-year existence trained about 1,500 pilots in its 125 Curtis JN-4 “Jenny” aircraft. Airplanes were new to the townspeople, who were said to have called them “buzz wagons” and the pilots “birdmen.” The base closed in March 1920.

During its short life, Payne Field played an important role in an aviation milestone. In January 1919, Major Theodore Macauley made the first transcontinental round-trip flight. His airplane was a De Havilland, DH-4. Its propeller was damaged flying through a thunderstorm in Alabama and he landed at Payne Field where the field’s “propeller shop” fabricated a new propeller, enabling the flight to continue to its completion.

Payne Field was commanded by Lt. Col. Jack Heard, a former cavalry officer with Mississippi roots. Col. Heard left Payne Field in spring 1919 to help organize “The Victory Loan Flying Circus” for the Army Air Service. The flying circus consisted of three groups of aircraft that toured the U.S., putting on exciting air shows to promote the sale of Liberty Bonds to help pay off the nation’s debt incurred during World War I.

Though it flew only in 1919, the Army Air Service’s Victory Loan Flying Circus was the world’s first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team. It was reported that nationwide more than 1 million people had watched the air shows. The Air Service’s Victory Loan Flying Circus has been called the forerunner of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, predating the Navy Blue Angels by 27 years.

Among the World War I pilots from Columbus was Capt. Sam Kaye of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker’s famous 94th “Hat in the Ring” Squadron. The original name of Columbus Army Air Field was Kaye Field after Capt Kaye. His Spad airplane became known as Sam Kaye’s “Acrobatic Easter Egg,” as he had painted it light blue with white and red polka dots.

On Oct. 8, 1924, the first transcontinental airship flight passed over Columbus. It was the silver, 2 1/2 city-block long Navy Zeppelin, the USS Shenandoah. Just west of Columbus, the airship passed over Crawford. A reporter for the National Geographic was on board and wrote about being impressed with the warm greeting the Shenandoah received when passing over Crawford. He told how people even ran into the street to wave white banners of greeting at them.

Some older residents of the Crawford area well remembered that day. Tom Hardy’s father had read about the Shenandoah’s flight and realized it would pass near their house. He got Tom, then a child, out in the yard to watch it pass over. Tom said it was huge, silver colored and came over without making a sound.

In Crawford most people were not expecting it and had never seen a Zeppelin. When suddenly a huge silver bullet shaped aircraft that looked to be a half-mile long appeared without making a sound the residents became frightened it might be from outer space and attack them. Many ran and got white sheets and tablecloths to wave as a sign of surrender. As the craft continued without stopping a collective sigh of relief was breathed.

This weekend’s ball was one to remember. It was an evening that began with the posting of colors, the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” and a standing toast to the flag of the United States. Music was provided by the Air Force Band. The evening concluded with all standing and together and singing the Air Force song which dates to World War II.

“Off we go into the wild Blue Yonder, climbing high into the sun. Here they come zooming to meet our thunder, At ’em boys, Give ‘er the gun!”

Thinking of that song, I could not help but recall one of my earliest memories of my father who had served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. His B-17 had been shot down over Frankfurt, Germany, where he was captured and then spent a year as a POW in Stalag Luft IV. Sometimes, after a particularly long day at work, he would come home, get a beer, sit down in his easy chair and play a 45 record of that Air Force song except his older version ended at little differently than what we sang last night. But the spirit was the same.

“We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey! Nothing’ll stop the Army Air Corps.”

Rufus Ward is a local historian.

Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].

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