Silent Wings Museum
Encyclopedia
Silent Wings Museum, "The Legacy of The World War II
Glider
Pilots", is a museum in Lubbock, Texas
.
South Plains Army Air Field, where glider pilots were trained between 1942 and 1945, after which time they were required also to command skills in powered flight. The Lubbock site was chosen for the glider school because of its dry, warm weather, mostly clear skies, and goodwill in the local community. The climate creates conditions of upward air currents and relatively little low-cloud formation, both conditions essential in gliding. The glider training area is now within the scope of the museum and the nearby Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
.
In 1971, former pilots of the U.S. Army Air Force banded together to form the National World War II
Glider Pilots Association, Inc. Their mission was to establish a forum for glider
pilots to interact socially and provide the framework for the preservation of the history of the U.S. glider program.
One of its first goals was to locate and restore a WACO CG-4A (See CG-4 Hadrian) glider for public display. Several pilots in the Dallas area learned of just such a glider sitting on top of a tire store in Fresno
, California
. After World War II, the aircraft had been purchased as military surplus, placed on top of the building and used as advertising. In 1979 the glider was purchased, restored and completed in time for the reunion in Dallas
. After the reunion steps were taken to build a museum to house the CG-4A.
The first Silent Wings Museum opened to the public on November 10, 1984 in Terrell
east of Dallas. By 1997, the need for a more permanent museum home was realized. Lubbock, where a majority of the pilots had trained, offered to provide a new site for the museum. The pilots agreed to the new location, and the Terrell site closed in January 2001. The following October, the former South Plains Army Air Field site opened the new Silent Wings Museum with the restored CG-4A glider as the centerpiece of the exhibits.
trainer, airborne equipment, and living exhibit: the British Horsa Glider restoration project.
Silent Wings offers a variety of outreach programs and provides speakers that can tailor a program to fit a group's meeting.
The Adams Research Library is located within the Silent Wings Museum. It is home to an extensive archive and book collection about the WWII military glider program. Research appointments can be scheduled.
in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, served on the first Silent Wings board and was instrumental in relocating the museum from Terrell to Lubbock. A native of Fort Worth
, Todd was an artist
at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
from 1948-1985. He graduated from Paschal High School and received a degree in commercial art from what is now the University of Texas at Arlington
. He also obtained a pilots license from Texas Christian University
.
Todd then trained at South Plains Army Air Field at Lubbock as a volunteer in the Army Air Corps Combat Glider Program. On June 7, 1944, he piloted a glider in the D-Day
Normandy invasion. He flew several other missions and was recognized by France
with a certificate recounting his service. He also received Holland's highest honor, the Order of the Orange Lanyard for his service in Operation Market Garden
. In his later years, Todd returned to painting with oils, capturing the essence of New Mexico
's missions and the western expansive landscapes with his work. Todd died on September 14, 2009.
Memorial services were to be held on September 28 at St. Christopher's Episcopal
Church in Lubbock on what would have been his 89th birthday. Todd's first wife, the former Maxine Beasley, died in 1979. In 1981, he married the former Blanche Read Trammel. In addition to his wife Blanche, he was survived by a brother, Leslie Todd of Burleson
, and children, Ronald Allen Todd of Scottsdale
, Arizona
; Steve Trammel of Centennial
, Colorado
; Robert Trammel and Mark Trammel, both of Lubbock, and Marie Kathrine Trammel Rowins of Austin
, and eleven grandchildren.
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...
Glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
Pilots", is a museum in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
.
History
The museum is located on the site of the World War IIWorld 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...
South Plains Army Air Field, where glider pilots were trained between 1942 and 1945, after which time they were required also to command skills in powered flight. The Lubbock site was chosen for the glider school because of its dry, warm weather, mostly clear skies, and goodwill in the local community. The climate creates conditions of upward air currents and relatively little low-cloud formation, both conditions essential in gliding. The glider training area is now within the scope of the museum and the nearby Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport
Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport is an airport located just north of Lubbock, Texas. Originally known as Lubbock International Airport, it was renamed in 2004 to honor former Texas governor Preston E. Smith, an alumnus of Texas Tech University...
.
In 1971, former pilots of the U.S. Army Air Force banded together to form the National 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...
Glider Pilots Association, Inc. Their mission was to establish a forum for glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
pilots to interact socially and provide the framework for the preservation of the history of the U.S. glider program.
One of its first goals was to locate and restore a WACO CG-4A (See CG-4 Hadrian) glider for public display. Several pilots in the Dallas area learned of just such a glider sitting on top of a tire store in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. After World War II, the aircraft had been purchased as military surplus, placed on top of the building and used as advertising. In 1979 the glider was purchased, restored and completed in time for the reunion in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. After the reunion steps were taken to build a museum to house the CG-4A.
The first Silent Wings Museum opened to the public on November 10, 1984 in Terrell
Terrell, Texas
Terrell is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States, and a southeastern suburb of Dallas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,606...
east of Dallas. By 1997, the need for a more permanent museum home was realized. Lubbock, where a majority of the pilots had trained, offered to provide a new site for the museum. The pilots agreed to the new location, and the Terrell site closed in January 2001. The following October, the former South Plains Army Air Field site opened the new Silent Wings Museum with the restored CG-4A glider as the centerpiece of the exhibits.
Exhibits
The museum features a fifteen-minute program in its theatre entitled Silent Wings: The Story of the World War II Glider Program. Visitors then move on to the Timeline, Hangar and Combat Galleries. Photographs and artifacts, including a fully restored WACO CG-4A glider, TG-4Schweizer SGS 2-33
The Schweizer SGS 2-33 is a United States two-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, training glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York....
trainer, airborne equipment, and living exhibit: the British Horsa Glider restoration project.
Education and outreach
Silent Wings makes learning about history a hands-on experience with educational tours, footlocker loan kits and scavenger hunts. Tours can be scheduled and teaching materials can be reserved.Silent Wings offers a variety of outreach programs and provides speakers that can tailor a program to fit a group's meeting.
The Adams Research Library is located within the Silent Wings Museum. It is home to an extensive archive and book collection about the WWII military glider program. Research appointments can be scheduled.
Robert Allen Todd
Robert Allen Todd (1920-2009), a World War II glider pilot and retired lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, served on the first Silent Wings board and was instrumental in relocating the museum from Terrell to Lubbock. A native of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Todd was an artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
from 1948-1985. He graduated from Paschal High School and received a degree in commercial art from what is now the University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
. He also obtained a pilots license from Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
.
Todd then trained at South Plains Army Air Field at Lubbock as a volunteer in the Army Air Corps Combat Glider Program. On June 7, 1944, he piloted a glider in the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
Normandy invasion. He flew several other missions and was recognized by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with a certificate recounting his service. He also received Holland's highest honor, the Order of the Orange Lanyard for his service in Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
. In his later years, Todd returned to painting with oils, capturing the essence of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
's missions and the western expansive landscapes with his work. Todd died on September 14, 2009.
Memorial services were to be held on September 28 at St. Christopher's Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
Church in Lubbock on what would have been his 89th birthday. Todd's first wife, the former Maxine Beasley, died in 1979. In 1981, he married the former Blanche Read Trammel. In addition to his wife Blanche, he was survived by a brother, Leslie Todd of Burleson
Burleson, Texas
Burleson is a city in Johnson and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is considered a suburb of Fort Worth and is located in the rapidly growing suburban expanse just south of the city. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,690, having increased from the 20,976 residents counted...
, and children, Ronald Allen Todd of Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
; Steve Trammel of Centennial
Centennial, Colorado
The city of Centennial is a Home Rule City located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States, and part of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The city was to have a total population of 100,377 in 2010 census. Centennial is the tenth-most populous municipality in the state of Colorado and its...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
; Robert Trammel and Mark Trammel, both of Lubbock, and Marie Kathrine Trammel Rowins of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and eleven grandchildren.