Featuring: Black was the Night: Recollections of a Yorktown Night Fighter

Speaker: Bill Watkinson

Bill is a pilot's pilot. He's probably flown more planes - military, private and heavy commercial tin - than anyone you'll meet, including a little F6F Hellcat night fighting from the deck of the Yorktown. And, on the evening of September 11th, he'll join us with the stories and film to prove it!

About Our Speaker:

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, Bill was introduced to aviation by Al Williams and the Gulf Hawk planes he would wring-out over the outlying towns back in the twenties. Bill was a freshman at college when the war broke out and he joined the Navy as a pilot. The first plane he flew was the SN-P (Spartan) in the winter of 1942 followed by the N3N, SMB and SN-J. At Floyd Bennet Naval Air Station, Bill took his first assignment after getting his wings with a ferry squadron delivering aircraft from the factories to the Navy. In that job, he flew every single engine plane then manufactured for the Navy, testing and then ferrying them to the west coast. The list starts with SNC-1, TBF, F6F, F4F, FM-1, FM-2 F4U1-4, FG-1, F2A-1, TBM, SBD, SB2C, SB2A, OS2U, SBW and JRB.

He was then assigned to a fighter training base in Melborne, FL to fly the F6F Hellcat. Iwo Jima and Okinawa were taking place and they needed night fighters badly when the Enterprise was hit with an all night-flying air group aboard. They rushed Bill to the fleet through Guam, Saipan and Ulithi to join the Yorktown in Air Group 9, one of the hottest fighter squadrons in the fleet. He later joined Air Group 88 until the end of the war.

After his discharge, Bill's private flying was in Cubs, Stinsons, Luscomes, Beachcrafts, Swifts, T-Craft and Cessnas.

Bill joined Eastern Airlines in 1951 and flew DC-3's, M404's, DC-4's, DC-6's, DC-7's, DC-8's, Connies, 747's, 1049's, 1049-C and G's, L1011's, Electras, A-300's and Boeing 720, 707, 727's.

Today Bill still enjoys flying with his son, MAPA member Tom Watkinson in his PA-28.



Formed in 1957, this year marks the 51st anniversary of the Mid-Atlantic Pilots Association, a non-profit flying organization dedicated to air safety, aviation education and flying camaraderie. All levels of pilots, student pilots and aviation enthusiasts are invited to join.

Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every Month at the Russian National Home, 4-6 Woodhull Avenue, Little Falls, New Jersey. Meeting price is $23 per person and includes dinner. Dinner is served at 7:00 PM. Members and non-members are welcomed. Visit www.midatlanticpilots.com. For More Information on MAPA, Contact:

David Simpson, MAPA Program Chairman on 973-635-9770 or dsimpso@optonline.net or visit http://www.midatlanticpilots.com

.