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Military
Cliff E Bjornsen 5 BFTS Instructor
Mr Cliff E Bjornsen Instructor 5 BFTS - cartoon picture from the Embry-Riddle Flypaper
Mr Cliff E Bjornsen was the Chief Ground School Instructor at 5 British Flying Training School in Florida based at Riddle Field. He was a well respected instructor and in April 1943 the Embry-Riddle Flypaper reported, " According to the latest report issued by the RAF Delegation in Washington, our Ground School is on top of the relative standings on Wings Exams of BFTS schools in the United States, this report including the Course 11 output. ...
Responsible in a large measure for this great success is Cliff Bjornsen, Chief Ground School Instructor. His wise planning and fair handling of his Instructors has resulted in an efficient, compact Ground School program from which the above record was made."
In June 1942 the Instructor's Club was formed and in 1943 Cliff Bjornsen became one of its directors.
Military | Pilot
David Richard Croft Blackhall was from Diseworth, Derbyshire, UK and arrived at No 5 British Flying Training School at Clewiston with the RAF students in 1942 to join Course 13. He shared a room with William Cushner at Riddle Field, Clewiston, while...
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot
Born and raised in Kingston he received an associate degree from Bucknell Junior College. Serving 28 years with the active Air Reserve he had trained as a civilian pilot and, while training with the USAAF, Maxwell Field, Alabama, he was one of 15...
Military | Flight Lieutenant | Pilot
Eric was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, in 1922. His father, Major Stanley Denham, was an army officer with the York and Lancaster Regiment. In 1918 he went missing as he tried to join up in Halifax but was too young and had to return home. As soon as...
Military | Link Trainer Instructor
Charles Jackson Hopkins was born in Chrisney, Indiana, on 21st September 1921. He later moved to Huntingburg, Indiana and graduated from Grade School to High School. On leaving school he was employed as a bookkeeper and then manager of a loan company....
Military | Colonel | Pilot
Born in Ohio, USA, Samuel Huston signed the 5 BFTS Anniversary book for No 5 British Flying Training School at Riddle Field, Clewiston in 1943. In a letter to William Cushner in 1992 he records the following memories:
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot / Instructor
John Jordan attended 5 BFTS (Course 13) from January-July 1943.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot
George W Morse from Massachusetts was one of the USAAF cadets who joined the RAF trainees at Riddle Field, Clewiston No 5 British Flying Training School. As he had worked for the Associated Press he was recruited as Assistant Editor for Course 13's...
Civilian
Formerly a barnstormer and flying instructor for stunt pilots, John Paul Riddle was a pioneer in aviation history taking the controls only 17 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight. His career in aviation had taken him from the Embry-Riddle...
Military | Pilot / Instructor
William Aumick Slade “Bill” was born in Troy, Pennsylvania. Bill graduated from Cornell University and joined the Army Air Corps as a pilot in the ferry service. He was one of seventeen US Air Force cadets in Course 12, the first course training US and...
Military | Pilot / Manager
G. Willis Tyson grew up in Manchester, England and came to No 5 BFTS at Riddle Field as General Manager in 1941. In the 1920’s he was a barnstormer in California for three years after his first solo flight in a Curtis “Jenny”. He later opened a flying...
The 'Arnold Scheme' (1941-43) and the British Flying Training Schools (1941-45), with the co-operation of Squadron Leader Mills DFC and President Roosevelt, enabled the setting up of flight training in the USA for RAF pilots to train alongside American...
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 16 February 2017 15:01:25 | Anne Hughes | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Embry-Riddle Flypaper 1943 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 February 2017 14:58:26 | Anne Hughes | Changes to biography, person associations, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Embry-Riddle Flypaper April 1943 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 February 2017 14:38:28 | Anne Hughes | Changes to role |
| Sources | ||
5 BFTS Anniversary book |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 February 2017 14:37:15 | Anne Hughes | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
5 BFTS Anniversary book |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 February 2017 14:36:31 | Anne Hughes | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname and nationality |
| Sources | ||
5 BFTS Anniversary book |
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