Maverickson
Well-Known Member
Through my interest in early Hawaiian aviation flight covers, I have come into a collection of early Army Air Corps memorabilia that I would like to share with the forum members. These items once belonged to an Army Air Corps aviator named Gilbert Tefft and contemparary of Charles Lindberg. Gilbert Tefft graduated a cadet from Brooks Field Texas in 1925 and later through his affliliation with an aviation asignment in Hawaii became one of the first pilots for Inter Island Airways Ltd., the predecessor of Hawaiian Airlines. This was Lt. Teffts final computation of flight hours entered in his US Army flight log book which directly proceeds into his initial logs to his next 19 years of tenure as an airline captain with Inter-Island Airways Ltd.
The last asignment then Second Lieutanant Tefft completed in the Army Air Corps before being hired away in 1930 to Hawaii's fledgling airlines was a stint at Luke Field, Oahu Hawaii with this group of Army aviators from the Twenty Third Bombardment Squadron.
No doubt, due to the warm temperatures and high humidity within the Islands I found few photographs within this collection of anyone wearing anything resembling a leather flight jacket. However, this squadron insignia was found on the back of a Christmas dinner invation which dated 1927.
This winged skull would have been their insignia and maybe a patch that they wore on thier flight gear or something seen as an painted on the sides of their airplanes.
The Hawaiian translation of his insignia is 'Gaurdains Of The Upper Regions'. Interestingly enough this same insignia of the group dates the conception of the air group to Luke Field in 1918. Just prior to World War-II Luke Field reverted to the United States Navy to become Ford Island with the opening of Hickum Field. The group currently using this insignia, know as the 5th Bombardment Wing, currently flying B-52 Stratofortresses are out of North Dakota. This same insignia has obviously evolved over the years into this.
I hope that you enjoy this bit of Hawaiian aviation history.
Dave
I
The last asignment then Second Lieutanant Tefft completed in the Army Air Corps before being hired away in 1930 to Hawaii's fledgling airlines was a stint at Luke Field, Oahu Hawaii with this group of Army aviators from the Twenty Third Bombardment Squadron.
No doubt, due to the warm temperatures and high humidity within the Islands I found few photographs within this collection of anyone wearing anything resembling a leather flight jacket. However, this squadron insignia was found on the back of a Christmas dinner invation which dated 1927.
This winged skull would have been their insignia and maybe a patch that they wore on thier flight gear or something seen as an painted on the sides of their airplanes.
The Hawaiian translation of his insignia is 'Gaurdains Of The Upper Regions'. Interestingly enough this same insignia of the group dates the conception of the air group to Luke Field in 1918. Just prior to World War-II Luke Field reverted to the United States Navy to become Ford Island with the opening of Hickum Field. The group currently using this insignia, know as the 5th Bombardment Wing, currently flying B-52 Stratofortresses are out of North Dakota. This same insignia has obviously evolved over the years into this.
I hope that you enjoy this bit of Hawaiian aviation history.
Dave
I
