Ace Still Flying At 70
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A World War I flying ace, veteran of battles against the squadron of the famed German fighter pilot, "Red Baron," is still flying daily in Maine at the age of 70.
He is
Earl F. Crabb of Augusta, who has been flying for a living for 52 years and says "It comes second nature to me now."
As an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps of Canada, Crabb shot down five German planes during World War I to earn the title of "ace."
He recalls dogfighting with the "circus" of
Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron."
Crabb said his squadron dueled "at least four times" with the baron's and broke about even.
"That plane was just made out of wood, fabric and wire," Crabb said of the SE 5 he flew during World War I.
He now flies daily as an air taxi pilot for the Maine Instrument Flight School here and says the flights take him to Boston, New York and points in Maine.
He was born March 27, 1899, in Delhi, Ontario. He left the Canadian flying corps in France after eight months. He was then a captain and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
"When I returned from the war, there was no flying in Canada," he said, so he came to the United States in 1921 and took up barnstorming, flying to local fairs and putting on stunt flying performances.
He came to Augusta in 1929 and became the first pilot for the Maine Forestry Department. He flew for the state for 29 years.
He had a second tour of military duty during World War II. He joined the Air Corps in 1942 and flew a C45 as air inspector for the Western Technical Training Command. After three years, he was discharged a major.
Crabb's two sons followed him into the aviation field. Robert was a navigator during World War II and now is an engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Houston, Tex.
Donald flew transports and helicopters during the Korean conflict and now is a pilot for Executive Jet in New York.
Indiana Evening Gazette - Wednesday, October 8, 1969
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