‘A REMARKABLE LIFE’
Pilot who flew over the Himalayan Mountains numerous times turns 100
From left, WWII Weekend special guest Carl Constein, Gov. Tom Corbett, and Alexander Mello talk inside of “Tinker Belle,” a Curtiss C-46, during World War II Weekend at the MidAtlantic Air Museum in Bern Township .
Carl Constein, a Fleetwood lad, was fresh out of Kutztown State Teachers College in 1942 when Uncle Sam called him to serve in World War II.
Instead of teaching high school English, Constein embarked on three-year adventure that left an indelible imprint on his life and character.
As an Army Air Corps pilot, Constein flew 96 missions at the controls of a C-46 transport, ferrying 55-gallon drums of gasoline “over the hump” from India to China.
The hump, of course, is the Himalayan Mountains, home to 29,029-foot Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
Constein, who’s written two books about his WWII experience, turned 100 years old on Tuesday.
State Rep. Mark M. Gillen presented Constein with a commendation from the state House of Representatives.
A collection of Constein’s WWII memorabilia is on display at the Berks Military History Museum, Mhnton, of which Gillen is president.
“Carl Constein has led a remarkable life that people still find fascinating today,” Gillen said. “Visitors to the museum yearn to hear his story and are spellbound when viewing his collection.”
In a brief telephone chat from his apartment at Phoebe Village near Wernersville, Constein revisited his military service at the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
It was the unpredictable weather more than enemy aircraft, he recalled, that was the greatest challenge in flying over the mountain range.
“It took four hours going over,” he said, “and five hours coming back because of the prevailing westerly winds.”
Loaded to the hilt with drums of highly flammable gasoline, the twin-engine C-46 Curtiss transports were in constant danger as they lifted off an airstrip in Chabua, India.
“You’d see a big cloud of black smoke,” Constein recalled, “and you knew one of the planes in front of you had crashed.”
Constein, who could have avoided military service because he was working at a plant in Fleetwood that made mattresses for the Navy, said he embraced the chance to serve his country.
“When my time came to serve, I put my job aside and went willingly,” he said. “I was eager to get in. Everybody else my age was serving.”
Constein, who’s been in lockdown at Phoebe since March, observed his 100th birthday quietly in his apartment.
Ann Constein, his daughter, said he was treated to his favorite dessert: peach pie and vanilla ice cream.
Constein said he’s gotten numerous birthday cards.
The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum sent out a bulletin asking members to send Constein 100 birthday cards for his 100th birthday. Constein has enjoyed celebrity status at World War II Weekend, which is sponsored by the museum on the grounds of Reading Regional Airport.
In 2014, when he was 93 years old, he flew a mission aboard “Tinker Belle,” a WWII C-46 transport, as part of World War II Weekend.
Constein said he has a little trouble getting around, but is in generally good health for his age. He had no trouble recalling details of his military service in the 1940s.