Mar 3, 2022
Welcome to episode fifteen of the Lessons From the Cockpit Show! In 1948 Douglas Aviation ran full-page ads of their C-54, a little girl catching glasses of milk dropped from the Skymaster aircraft. The Skymaster was making history during the Berlin Airlift. An aviation Rockstar was born during the airlift, flying a C-54 and dropping candy to German kids gathered along the fences of Tempelhof Airfield. 1Lt Gail Halvorsen became known as "Onkel Wackelflugel" or Uncle Wiggle Wings to the German kids but forever known as the "Candy Bomber" in aviation history. I attended Colonel Halvorsen's funeral last week after his passing at the age of 101.
The link to Colonel Halvorsen's great webpage with great Berlin Airlift information is here.
The link to a great article on The Candy Bomber at St Mary's Research Scholars can be found here.
Wall Pilot's rendition of the Douglas C-54 Skymaster, the plane Colonel Gail Halvorsen flew in the Berlin Airlift available in four, six, and eight-foot vinyl prints for the walls of your home, office, or hanger can be found here.
This is the 1948 Douglas Aviation advertisement based on the Berlin Airlift:
Thanks to Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit for sponsoring this episode of the show.
Thanks for listening, downloading, and sharing this and other episodes of Lessons from the Cockpit found on my webpage.