The Texas Aviation
Historical Society will honor all those who have "slipped the surly
bonds of earth" at its Silver Wings Banquet on Saturday. The
society takes the theme for the event from the poem "High Flight"
by John Magee. Magee wrote about pilots who had "slipped the surly
bonds of earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered
wings."
The banquet will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Tradewind Business
Park Hangar One in Amarillo (TX). Featured speaker for the event
"Silver Wings - the Best Among Us" will be Amarillo native Oliver
"Ollie" Crawford. Crawford joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and
received his wings and his commission as a fighter pilot in April
1945. He was assigned to fly the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. After the
war, Crawford remained in the reserves for 13 years as a flight
instructor. After attending South Texas University of Law, he began
work with Time Inc. He flew many company aircraft, including the
Douglas DC-3 and the Fokker F-27 and F-28. Crawford is now a
charter member of the Air Force Association, honored by the
association as "Man of the Year" in 1989.
Crawford was honored by the U.S. Air Force in 1992 with the
"Exceptional Service Award" for his contributions to the defense
effort. He has flown nearly 100 types of civilian aircraft and
flies the P-40 in Commemorative Air Force air shows.
As part of Saturday's event, guests will be able to purchase
airplane rides on a Polish Iskra, a Czech L-39 and a classic
Stearman. A silent auction will take bids on rides in a S-2B Pitts,
a R44 Raven II helicopter, hot air balloon and a sailplane.
Specially framed aviation and space photographs and aircraft models
will also be available for purchase.
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