South Plains Army Airfield in Lubbock, Texas, was a major training base for U.S. Army Air Force's glider pilots during World War II. Approximately 80 percent of the roughly 6,000 pilots trained to fly the combat cargo glider received their advanced training and were awarded their "G" wings at SPAAF, as it was known.
The base was conceived, built, used, and then closed in a short five-year period during World War II. Today, little remains to remind one of the feverish and important military training programs that once took place on the flat, featureless South Plains of Texas.
The Images of Aviation series celebrates the history of flight – from the early experimental, lighter-than-air craft to modern commercial, military and private air machines. Donald R. Abbe, PhD, serves as the Curator at the Silent Wings Museum. He has coauthored several books on the history of Lubbock and the South Plains of Texas.
Abbe will be signing his book, Images of Aviation: South Plains Army Airfield on May 17th at 3 p.m. at the Silent Wings Museum. The Book Signing will be FREE and open to the public.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Silent Wings Museum.
Source: http://www.kcbd.com
