Bob Reierson joined the USAAF at age 18 and would find himself flying the Douglas A-20G Havoc in the Pacific. On my last visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum, director of collections Andrew Boehly arranged for Bob and I to sit down and discuss flying the A-20. In Part 1 of this 2-part interview, we discuss Bob joining up, learning to fly the PT-19, the BT-13, the UC-78, the B-25, and finally getting his hands on the A-20.

To get early access to part 2 to hear about Bob flying the A-20 in combat and climbing back in the cockpit of an A-20 for the first time in 80 years, become a Damcasteer today!

Get the latest from the Pima Air and Space Museum through the links below:

★Visit the Pima Air and Space Museum’s website here: https://pimaair.org/

★Learn more about the Titan Missile Museum here: https://titanmissilemuseum.org/

★Find out who is in the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame here: https://pimaair.org/about-us/arizona-aviation-hall-of-fame/

★Want to know how the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum is progressing? Find out more here: https://www.tucsonmilitaryvehicle.org/

★Become a Damcasteer today on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Click here for more info: https://www.patreon.com/thedamcasters

The Damcasters © 2024 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

00:00 Introduction

02:30 Meet Bob Reierson

02:55 Bob Introduces Boney to the Douglas A-20 Havoc

10:33 Bob's Dream of Flying

11:46 Bob Applies to the Aviation Cadet Program

13:00 Bob is Called Up to the US Army Air Force

16:47 Bob's Primary Flight Training

21:23 Bob Transitions to Twin Engine Aircraft - UC-78 and B-25

29:47 Training on the A-20 Begins

39:10 The Importance of Formation Flying

44:31 Bob's Journey to the Pacific

53:04 End of Part 1 - Become a Damcasteer!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.