52 Ancestors: Air - Sig loves the air!

U.S. Army Recruiting Service

My grandfather, Sig Levy, seemed to be interested in anything to do with airplanes and flight.  I wish I'd known that so I could have asked him about it.  I blogged about it a few years ago - you can read about it here.  National Aviation Day and First Days as a Cadet. 

I've mentioned before that Sig was a Flying Cadet and at one point was stationed at March Field in Riverside California.  He looked so dapper in his uniform - look at those cool boots!

He and my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer, wrote letters back and forth during this time and I love reading tidbits about what they were doing and feeling at the time.  On November 9, 1918 Sig described a little about his time flying.

Well another day is over and I am still alive - and I had my first flight.  Sweet it was a wonderful ride and I felt right at home - honest it didn't frighten me a bit.  Was up for almost an hour just on a joy ride and went up a little over 2000 feet.  I have a peach of an instructor and he is a Mason so that helps.  They strap you in tight and away you go - it really is fascinating - and they also have you take hold of the controls and run the ship for a tiny bit now and then.  It only takes the least bit of movement to sway in any direction.  I dressed up real warm and was not at all cold in the air - have my helmet, goggles, etc. & look like the real stuff.  Wish I could send you a picture love, but they don't allow them down here.  From now on I fly every morning so wish me luck.  I have the same instructor every day.  I can't reach the rudder control without stretching a lot so I am having a pillow seat made.  They seem to think that I won't have any trouble flying and there are a lot of pillow aviators down here.  But if I do sweet I'll not venture beyond the proper point so don't worry - but it seems that it is going to be easy to handle the plane from today's experience.  The country below looks beautiful & I didn't feel at all sick and took it all in.

Yes, my grandfather was too short so they were making a pillow seat for him so he could join the 'pillow aviators'.

And two days later, Loraine wrote a letter addressed to just Flying Cadet Sigmund Levy, March Field, Riverside, California and it made it safely to him since I have it now.  Notice the date - the war was over!

An excerpt from her letter.

I was so overjoyed this morn at the wonderful news that I just had to telegraph you and hope you received my telegram O.K.  At 4:20 A.M. I was awakened by whistles blowing and bells ringing out the joyous news of peace.  They kept the racket up for two hours and started it again at nine this morn.  Then at two this aft all the automobiles who could paraded and everyone was so happy.  Everything was closed up so we went for a lovely ride around the 17 mile drive and just returned. My, but I was busy this afternoon down town receiving congratulations from friends I met, dear.  It was rather hard to recognize people in their masks but I managed to. And to think that my boy is really flying.  Received your letter this morn and was so happy to get it and to learn that your first flight was so successful and I hope the rest have been likewise.  And now that the war is a thing of the past, love, am so anxious to know what they are going to do about discharging you.  Guess now that you have had a start at flying you would like to continue but I’d rather have you safe on terra firma.  And I hope my wishes will have some weight.  But it must have been a wonderful sensation – flying 2000 ft and I am so proud to think of my boy being so brave and fearless.  If conditions hadn’t changed you would have probably been driving alone in a very short time.  I am wondering and wondering if they will still continue to train you.  Hope not.  So please, let me know, sweetheart, about it as soon as you can.

The other big event going on at the time was the Spanish Flu pandemic and here she mentioned the masks that people were wearing just like we are doing today.

I haven't found any other mention of Sig flying so that may have been his only flight.  But I know that he continued to be interested due to pictures and 'clippings' he kept throughout his life.  These two must have been very special to him since they were from March Field, albeit from the late 1930's.

Official Photograph U.S. Army Air Corps
July 23, 1938

Official Photograph U.S. Army Air Corps
January 29, 1938

I wonder if he lived in those barracks?

And later in life, it seems like he loved anything to do with planes.  Check him out here!

Sig Levy, right

I think that his Flying Cadet hat (or was that his helmet?), which I have along with his uniform.  Glad that he found a time to wear this other than Halloween.

Although I have SO much information about my grandfather, I have so many questions I wish I'd asked.