Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault: Aerial acrobat and pursuit pilot pioneer

  • Published
  • By Jessica Casserly
  • Air University Public Affairs
Looking to the sky over Prattville in 1931, residents might have caught a glimpse of Capt. Claire Chennault flying home for lunch in his P-12.

A tactics instructor at the Air Core Tactical School on Maxwell Air Force Base, Captain Chennault was known for his daring on and off-duty adventures, said Fred Schramm, Air University History Office historian. "Captain Chennault was known to fly his P-12 upside down under the highway 31 bridge on his way home for lunch. He would also take his P-12 to Louisiana for the weekend on hunting expeditions," Mr. Schramm said. "He would load his dogs in the cargo section of the plane and fly home with his game strapped to the wing of his plane."

A Louisiana State University graduate and former one-room schoolhouse teacher, Captain Chennault was commissioned in the infantry during World War I and earned his pilot's wings at Kelly Field, Texas in 1919, Mr. Schramm said.

After graduating with the last U.S. Army ACTS class at Langley Field, Captain Chennault followed ACTS to Maxwell AFB to serve as an instructor, said Mr. Schramm. Known as a rebel for his ideas about pursuit flight and tactics, Captain Chennault's teaching style and philosophies matched his dare-devil attitude in the air, according to Jerome Ennels, a former historian with the AU/HO.

In 1932, Captain Chennault set out on his riskiest challenge yet, organizing the Air Corps' first aerobatics team, "Three Men on a Flying Trapeze," Mr. Schramm said. The test for would-be teammates was simple: If pilots could stay within inches of Captain Chennault's wingtips while he performed 30 minutes of aerial acrobatics, they earned a spot on his team. Only three men completed the challenge.

In 1936, after four years of performing aerial wonders, the team disbanded, but not before paving the way for the Skylarks and eventually the Thunderbirds, Mr. Schramm said.

Retiring from the Air Corps in 1937, Captain Chennault left the U.S. for China. "Invited by Gen. Chiang Kai-shek to organize 'The Flying Tigers,' Captain Chennault served air efforts in China for the duration of World War II," Mr. Schramm said.

Returning to the U.S. in 1945 as a retired major general, Captain Chennault spent much of his time with his wife, Anna, in Washington, D.C., Mr. Schramm said. Losing his battle with lung cancer, General Chennault died in 1958, but his legacy lives on at Maxwell.

On 22 May, 1975, Maxwell celebrated General Chennault and his air ingenuity with the dedication of Chennault Circle, Mr. Schramm said. In true Chennault fashion, the dedication ended with a Thunderbird air show. "After all," Mr. Schramm said, "General Chennault began aerial demonstrations."