“Just like riding a bike”: WWII combat pilot flies again
By S.E. Jenkins, Lori Malhiot
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FORT WORTH, Texas (KTVT) — A World War II pilot took to the skies again Saturday in Fort Worth.
One-hundred-and-two-year-old Charles Baldwin flew 51 combat missions during the war.
Saturday, he climbed aboard the same type of plane he piloted 80 years ago and took the controls for part of the flight.
Baldwin was learning to fly through the civilian pilot training program when he was called to active duty in January 1943. After basic training, he went to flight training. He graduated and was commissioned in March 1944. He was sent to France in November 1944 and attached to the 36th Fighter Group, 23rd Fighter Squadron and began flying combat missions in a P-47. Baldwin was discharged in December 1945 but stayed in the reserves until 1982.
On Saturday, Baldwin’s son, also a pilot, flew a second plane so he and his father could fly in formation.
Baldwin thanked everyone who made this special flight happen, adding, “It’s just like riding a bike.”
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