Flexible Gunnery School

[Buckingham]

Hi all,

Just joined the Aircraft of World War II - Warbird Forums out of general interest and also looking for stories from the Buckingham Army Air Field, near Fort Myers, Fla. It was home to a Flexible Gunnery School where some 50,000 men trained as aerial gunners.

I just completed a pictorial history book about BAAF that will be published in December 2010 by Arcadia Publishing. While the book is finished, I am still interested in stories, anecdotes, photos or mementos from soldiers who served at the base. I am especially interested in stories and photos of the Bell P-63 King Cobra and its use as a "pinball" or aerial target for training.

I have created a Facebook page for the new book, where I will share photos and info from the book as well as share some images that didn't make it in the final version. For those of you on Facebook, please check it out and "like" it while you are at it. It was a labor of love and I appreciate the support.

Here's a link. Feel free to share it with others: World War II ? Buckingham Army Air Field | Facebook

Looking forward to any information or stories that you all might have to share.

Thanks, Chris (aka Buckingham)

 

[vikingBerserker]

Thanks for the heads up Chris, and welcome aboard.

 

[cptsmith]

I think Buckingham and Hendricks field had the same ramp and runway lay outs initially. Buckingham later added a few parallel runways. Hendricks was a multi engine crew training field and B-17s from there used Buckingham ranges frequently. Two of Hendricks four runways are still in use and one original hangar survives. The control tower is still there but has been moved about 200 yards from the original site. Those wide runways sure make it easy to land a Cessna!

 

[Wayne Little]

G'day mate welcome to the forum!

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

Welcome to the forum. 8)


Wheels

 

[diddyriddick]

Welcome to the group!