THE CREW

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"FRANK WIDBIN - Copilot"

Frank Widbin now lives in Morton, Illinois with his wife, Doris.

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MORTON MAN RENEWS AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE......by Gary Watson for the Tazwell News

BLOOMINGTON

In the late afternoon of Sunday, August 20, 1995, a lone figure walked to the edge of the main runway of the Bloomington Normal Airport to say goodbye to an old friend. Down the runway a vintage, twin engine WWII airplane in faded camouflage paint, flew toward him. The man came to attention, saluting the aircraft as it gently rose above the runway and lifted into the air and flew past. In a surprise response, the plane began a long slow turn and headed back toward the airport. The man stood there watching as the C-47, "The Black Sparrow," throttles wide open, roared past lowering one wing to return the salute of its former copilot Frank Widbin of Morton. The reunion of Widbin and his plane took place at the Prairie Air Show '95 and was arranged by the Prairie Aviation Museum and the Great Lakes Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Frank meets the Sparrow.

The story of how Widbin met up with "The Black Sparrow" began almost 50 years ago. "The Black Sparrow" was an important piece of equipment in the war effort. It served as the lead aircraft of A Flight, 302nd Squadron flying paratroopers into France on D-Day. For that the plane's crew received a Presidential Unit Citation and went on to earn eight battle stars and the European Theatre of Operation Ribbon for outstanding service. In addition, Widbin was awarded five air medals. On December 23, 1944, "The Black Sparrow," with Widbin serving as copilot, flew supplies to men involved with the Battle of the Bulge. The plane off the Sparrow's right wing was hit causing a furious fire. The pilot held his course so the crew could bail out. Crew Chief Earl Pugett did not survive the incident. In recent years, Pugett's son has attended reunions for the 302nd Squadron. At one of these reunions Pugett met Widbin. At an air show where the newly restored version of "The Black Sparrow" was on display, Pugett's son mentioned he knew the plane's former copilot. Not long after that Widbin received a call from Col. Robert Brey of the Great Lakes Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. "I guess they've been looking for the original crew for quite a while," Widbin said last week. "Boy, was I surprised when they called. They (the C.A.F.) were really excited about finding me and seeing the plane at the Bloomington air show." The Prairie Aviation Museum contacted Widbin and made him an important part of this year's event. Two pages of the show's program was devoted to Widbin's reunion with the "Sparrow."

The reunion.

"Oh my gosh," Widbin said as the plane arrived August 18, flying low toward the parked aircraft already displayed for the weekend show. He stood silent as it flew directly over and I said, "Two L, that's my plane," referring to the large number and letter painted on the left side of the olive green fuselage behind the pilot's seat. Also quite visible were the distinctive black and white D-Day invasion stripes on the wings and the fuselage. The plane circled the airport, landed and taxied to where Widbin was standing. Walking to the crew exit door Widbin was greeted excitedly by the pilots and crew. "This is what it's all about," said Col. Brey, who had arranged the reunion. "Keeping the memories alive for the men who flew the planes and those who love to see them. LEST WE FORGET is our motto. We don't believe the planes should just sit in museums. They lose the impact of the history they tell when they don't fly." Brey continued, "One of the big bonuses of being in the C.A.F. is meeting guys like Frank Widbin." That sentiment was shared by all the members of the plane's current crew. Widbin was embraced as one of the crew and at the performers' tent was debriefed with the crew. He participated in reviewing the plane's records, helping to identify individuals from pictures of the 302nd Squadron.

The "Sparrow" takes wing

As the activities on August 1 wound down, Widbin returned to the "Sparrow" with pilot Bob Bos to review the plane's controls, preparing for the next day's flight. The plan called for Bos and Glenn Gross to take the plane up, circle the Twin Cities, then head out for open space before turning the plane over to Widbin. As the plane taxied to the end of the runway, Widbin, seated in the hot paratrooper compartment at the rear of the plane, began I reminiscing. "I really feel for those men we used to fly in. They had 180 pounds of equipment and were jammed in here." The plane roared down the runway and at 11:43 a.m. lifted off for Widbin's reunion flight. The plane's cabin cooled as, the plane gained altitude. Within a few minutes of liftoff, Widbin took the copilot's seat on the right side of the cockpit. Widbin took the controls at 2600 feet flying over green farm fields. Widbin's touch on the controls was smooth. He banked to the left and to the right in 30 degree turns, smiling the entire time.

After about 15 minutes flight I time, Widbin turned the controls back over to Gross. As Widbin left the cockpit, he shook hands with the beaming members of the crew and others on the flight. "That was wonderful," Widbin said. "Bob (Bos, the pilot) gave me an A plus, said I had good coordination and held my altitude very well. The controls were a little hard, but not too bad." After landing, Bos heaped praise on Widbin for his flight. "Flew like he'd never left it. He did an exceptional job. Kept his altitude during his turns. I'm I thrilled to be a part of this today."