.
By Dixie Norwood
Collection Overview
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This notebook is filled with letters from men all over the United States who were trained or were instructors at Courtland Army Air Field. It was a Basic Flight School from early 1944-1946. Here, the B-24 was flown as well as it was a B-13 training school facility. It was closed in 1950.
Biographical Note
Jim McCoy, a former pilot, wrote a open letter to the AOPA Magazine in December 1990 to ask about the concrete runwaus located at Courtland Army Air Field and also if there wereany cadets that had trained here still living. To his amazement, he received numerous letters from many of those who has trained at Courtland. Very detailed letters and photographs are present in this collection.
Jim McCoy, joined the Air Force on June 15, 1950, in San Antonio, Texas. He was supposed to have a sixteen week training course, but after eight weeks, he was shipped to Biloxi, Mississippi for six weeks for radar training. From there, he was stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, where he helped train officers from allied nations. He was then shipped to a radar site in Sakai, Japan and spent two years there during the Korean War. After two years, he returned to Florence, where he attended Florence State Teacher's College. He spent the next twelve years in Dayton, Ohio as a foreman at the National Cash Register Company. He moved back to Alabama, where he worked from Teledyne Brown on the Saturn 5 Rocket. For the next sixteen years, he worked at Reynolds Metal Company and then became a general foreman at the Sheffield Can Plant until his retirement.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[
All]
- Box 1
- Item 1: Courtland Air Field Notebook
- Item 1: Photocopy of Airman Jim McCoy (No Date)
- Item 2: East Lauderdale News "Thanksgiving During a Time of War" (November 25, 2015)
- Item 3: Photocopy of Lackland Air Force Base Squadron 3705 (August 1950)
- Item 4: Letter to Jim Cox, Editor of East Lauderdale News (No Date)
- Item 5: Photocopy of picture of Jim McCoy (2017)
- Item 6: East Lauderdale News "Courtland Air Field Prepared Pilots for World War II Service" (March 18, 2018)
- Item 7: Letter from James Butterfield to Jim McCoy (September 29, 2005)
- Item 8: Letter from Donald Glass to Jim McCoy (October 4, 1995)
- Item 9: Letter from Clifford E. Sachleben to Jim McCoy (No Date)
- Item 10: Envelope from Delbert J. Schmitz to Jim McCoy (No Date)
- Item 11: Letter and envelope from Lew Wright to Editor AOPA Pilot {Copy for Jim McCoy} (December 15, 1990)
- Item 12: Letter from Albert R. Deloid to Jim McCoy (December 15, 1990) {There is also a copy of a certificate of completion of training included}
- Item 13: Letter from J. William Ingeman to Jim P. McCoy (No Date)
- Item 14: Envelope from Letter from Mr. Albert R. Deloid (December 18, 1990)
- Item 15: Envelope from Letter from J. William Ingeman {Copy of picture with signature, too} (December 18, 1990)
- Item 16: Letter from Bill Bustin to Jim McCoy (December 10, 1990)
- Item 17: Envelope from Letter from Bill Bustin (December 10, 1990)
- Item 18: Letter from John Dumbacher to Jim McCoy (December 5, 1990)
- Item 19: Envelope from Letter from John Dumbacher (December 5, 1990)
- Item 20: Envelope from Note {previously noted} from Clifford E. Sachleben (December 5, 1990)
- Item 21: Letter from Thomas F. Whalen to Jim McCoy (No Date)
- Item 22: Individual Flight Records of Thomas F. Whalen (December 1944-March 1945)
- Item 23: Letter and Envelope from Rick Young to Jim Mccoy (December 12, 1990)
- Item 24: Letter and Envelope from Robert J. Arnold to Jim McCoy (December 17, 1990)
- Item 25: Letter and Envelope from David Fain to Jim McCoy (January 18, 1991)
- Item 26: Memo and envelope from W.A. Battle to Jim McCoy (December 17, 1990)
- Item 27: Letter from Raymond J. Thurber to Jim McCoy (December 7, 1990)
- Item 28: Envelope from Letter from Captain Raymond J. Thurber (December 8, 1990)
- Item 29: Letter, Envelope, and 2 Black and White copies of Consolidated B-24 and Consolidated Liberator from Elmer Swicord, Jr. to Jim McCoy (December 9, 1990)
- Item 30: Letter and Envelpe from Gilbert L. Morse, Jr. to Mr. McCoy (December 16, 1990)
- Item 31: Letter and Envelope from Mike M. Kovar to Jim P. McCoy (December 1, 1990)
- Item 32: Letter and Envelope from Roy Becker to Mr. Mccoy (January 2, 1991)
- Item 33: Letter and Envelope from David L. Hanst to Jim McCoy (December 7, 1990)
- Item 34: Letter and Envelope from Donald Glass (December 12, 1990)
- Item 35: Letter and Envelope from John T. Godfrey to Jim McCoy (December 23, 1990)
- Item 36: Letter and Envelope from Cecil Poss to Jim McCoy (December 2, 1990)
- Item 37: Letter, Envelope, and Flight Record from June 1943 from Mr. Guild to Jim P. McCoy (December 5, 1990)
- Folder 38: Letter from Del Schmitz to Jim McCoy (January 12, 1991)
- Item 39: 4 Black and White photographs [copies} of airplanes/One Colored photograph of a man flying a small engine plane (No Date)
- Item 40: Information & Picture of the B-24J (No Date)
- Item 41: Picture & Information on the Consolidated Liberator (October 1945)
- Item 42: Newsletter from Quad Cities Chapter 615 for Jim McCoy (January 10, 1991)/2 Balck and White photocopies of planes
- Item 43: Letter and Envelope from Jack R. Kimbrell to Jim McCoy (January 16, 1991)
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[
All]
