Oliver Parks
Encyclopedia
Oliver L. “Lafe” Parks was a pioneer in the fields of pilot training
and aviation
studies in the early decades of the aviation industry’s existence
. A friend of Charles Lindbergh
, Parks founded the Parks Air College
in 1927 and quickly established higher standards for the amount and quality of training that student pilots were required to complete to earn their commercial pilot’s certification
. In the late 1930s, with war brewing again in Europe and no air force in existence, Parks also convinced the Air Corps that the training program at his college could adequately prepare military pilots for combat missions. In October 1938 Gen Arnold
brought in the top three aviation school representatives to request they establish an unfunded startup of CPTP schools at their own risk. These were Oliver Parks of Parks Air College
, C.C.Mosley of the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute
, and Theopholis Lee of the Boeing School of Aeronautics; all agreed to start work. In 1939 Oliver Parks was brought to Alabama to set up a Civilian Pilot Training Program, CPTP, for the University of Alabama
at Van de Graaff Field
. By the end of World War II
, more than 37,000 cadets (more than 10% of the Air Corps) had received their primary flight instruction at a Parks institution.
In 1944, Parks conducted a nationwide survey to see what features the potential pool of 70,000 new post-war pilots would want in a personal aircraft.
In 1946, having concluded that future aviation leaders would need a broader, more academic education, Parks gave the college named after him to Saint Louis University
, a Jesuit institution located across the Mississippi River
from Parks’ Cahokia, Illinois campus, where it was renamed the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
of Saint Louis University.
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
studies in the early decades of the aviation industry’s existence
Aviation history
The history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered heavier-than-air, supersonic and hypersonic flight.The first form of man-made flying objects were kites...
. A friend of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, Parks founded the Parks Air College
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University.-History:right|thumb|[[de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver]] restored by Parks students in 1991...
in 1927 and quickly established higher standards for the amount and quality of training that student pilots were required to complete to earn their commercial pilot’s certification
Commercial Pilot Licence
A Commercial Pilot License or, in the United States, a Commercial Pilot Certificate, is a qualification that permits the holder to act as the Pilot In Command of a single pilot aircraft, or as co-pilot of a multi-pilot aircraft and be paid for his/her work.The basic requirements to obtain the...
. In the late 1930s, with war brewing again in Europe and no air force in existence, Parks also convinced the Air Corps that the training program at his college could adequately prepare military pilots for combat missions. In October 1938 Gen Arnold
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
brought in the top three aviation school representatives to request they establish an unfunded startup of CPTP schools at their own risk. These were Oliver Parks of Parks Air College
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University.-History:right|thumb|[[de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver]] restored by Parks students in 1991...
, C.C.Mosley of the Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute
Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute
The Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute was an early professional trade school operated by the Curtiss-Wright corporation for aircraft maintenance training...
, and Theopholis Lee of the Boeing School of Aeronautics; all agreed to start work. In 1939 Oliver Parks was brought to Alabama to set up a Civilian Pilot Training Program, CPTP, for the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
at Van de Graaff Field
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Tuscaloosa, a city in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, United States...
. By the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, more than 37,000 cadets (more than 10% of the Air Corps) had received their primary flight instruction at a Parks institution.
In 1944, Parks conducted a nationwide survey to see what features the potential pool of 70,000 new post-war pilots would want in a personal aircraft.
In 1946, having concluded that future aviation leaders would need a broader, more academic education, Parks gave the college named after him to Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, a Jesuit institution located across the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
from Parks’ Cahokia, Illinois campus, where it was renamed the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology
Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology is a college within Saint Louis University.-History:right|thumb|[[de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver]] restored by Parks students in 1991...
of Saint Louis University.