Final Approach
RC club helps to celebrate a WW II aviator
As the longtime vice president of the RC
Club of Jacksonville, I deeply value our club’s facility lease holders, the City of Jacksonville. We rely on them for several things, such as road repairs, fixing the roof of our pavilion after a hurricane, and other repairs and maintenance. When Jacksonville City Councilman Al Ferraro reached out to me, saying that he had a project he needed some help with, I was already willing to do anything in my power to help, but when he explained what it was that he needed—I knew right then that I was all in!
Knowing that I have a great interest in all things WW II aviation, Councilman Ferraro explained that he was starting a broadcast series called Hometown Heroes on the localaccess cable channel, and the first episode was an interview with former Army Sgt. John Connelly. Connelly, now in his eighties, was a waist gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber over Germany in WW II. Ferraro asked if I knew where to find a model of a B-24 to have on display during the taping of the episode. I have a Mustang and a couple of Corsairs, but no big bombers, so I put out the call for help on our club’s private Facebook page, and fellow club member Steve Betts answered the bell, offering his Motion RC
FlightLine B-24.
The FlightLine B-24 model has a 78-inch wingspan, so it strikes an impressive pose in an indoor setting without being too large. Betts used a 3D printer to make the cockpit and gun turret details, and he had applied the same craftsmanship to the B-24 that he uses on all of his high-quality plastic models. We got a few raised eyebrows walking up to the security desk at City Hall with the big bomber, but Councilman Ferraro had paved the way and we were escorted to the council chamber, where they were setting up the broadcast.
I knew the time and energy invested in bringing this all together was well worth it when we had set up the B-24 and Connelly came in: his face lit up like a little kid’s. He was as interested in that beautiful model as we were in hearing his story. At first, we talked about the differences in the various models of B-24s. He showed us where he rode and described what it was like to be in aerial combat as a 19-year-old. As he recounted how flak clouds exploded all around his plane, I got chills, but when their aircraft took a hit and he and the rest of the crew knew they were going to be “riding the silk,” as he put it, meaning parachuting, it literally sent chills down my spine.
One of the most striking parts of Connelly’s story was when he told us that, incredibly, the first time he ever put on a parachute was when their plane was hit and the crew knew they would have to bail out! I found this astounding because as a P-3 Orion crew member, we were constantly drilled in emergency procedures, and even now, 18 years later, I probably could still don a parachute in my sleep.
After donning their silks, Connelly and the crew tried to reach Switzerland, but unfortunately, they had to bail out while still over enemy territory. His tale was 90 captivating minutes about his last flight, capture, and subsequent time in a prisoner-of-war camp.
While Betts and I were thanked over and over for bringing the model, the chance to meet a true hero and hear his stories firsthand was more than enough repayment for our time. The goodwill generated by our gesture will surely come around in spades, but the chance to be a part of this tribute was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.