Vernon Lee Burge (November 29, 1888 – September 6, 1971) was an

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

pioneer. He was the first

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enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * Enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...

man to be certified as a military pilot. After ten years as an enlisted man, Burge was commissioned during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and served the next 25 years as an officer.

Biography

He was born on November 29, 1888. In the autumn of 1907,

Private First Class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

Vernon Burge was assigned to Fort Myer, Virginia, to join the newly formed

Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, Appendix 2 (1907–1914) was the first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in history and the progenitor of the United States Air Force. A component of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Aeronaut ...

under Captain

Charles deForest Chandler Colonel Charles deForest Chandler (December 24, 1878 – May 18, 1939) was an American military aviator, and the first head of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps that later became the United States Air Force. He was one of earliest a ...

. At that time, the Aeronautical Division was composed of only three officers, ten enlisted men and one female civilian clerk. There was to have been an eleventh enlisted man, but he deserted after learning of his assignment. At first, the unit trained in the military use of

balloons A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the per ...

. While Burge was stationed there in August 1909, the Wright Brothers brought to Fort Myer the first

fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...

purchased by the U.S. Army, a variant of the Wright Model A termed the Wright Military Flyer and designated by the Signal Corps as "Signal Corps (S.C.) No. 1".Chivalette, Master Sergeant William I
"Chapter 2: Enlisted History."
Part of ''Professional Development Guide.'' Air Force Pamphlet AFPAM36-2241, July 1, 2009. Retrieved on November 20, 2009. Burge worked as a member of the ground crew for the aircraft, and trained in its technology. On December 16, 1909, Burge transferred to Company H, Signal Corps, traveling in February 1910 to Fort Sam Houston, Texas to serve under Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois as one of ten enlisted mechanics repairing the frequently damaged S.C. No. 1. Along with Glenn Madole and a civilian mechanic in August 1910, Burge contrived a way to fasten three wheels to the aircraft so that its skids would not be damaged as much upon landing. Crude as it was, this was the first

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

on an aircraft. Foulois' initial reaction was negative: "One of the unpleasant features of landing on wheels is the difficulty experienced in stopping the machine." However, the wheels saved the aircraft from more frequent repair, and subsequent aircraft models incorporated wheels. Corporal Vernon L Burge

On December 11, 1911, the Army shipped S.C. No. 7, a

Wright Model B The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rat ...

, and spare parts to enable six months of operations to

Fort William McKinley Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located near the national headquarter ...

in the Philippines. Corporal Burge and Private Kenneth L. Kintzel accompanied the aeroplane as mechanicians and were joined by five Army mechanics already in Manila. S.C. No. 7, equipped with floats as a

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

, was assembled and flown for the first time on March 21, 1912. 1st Lt.

Frank P. Lahm Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 – July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces. Lahm developed an interest in flying f ...

, who had been the Army's first passenger on the Wright Military Flyer in 1909, rejoined the 7th Cavalry in the Philippines in November 1911 and was detailed to open the Philippine Air School in March 1912 by Chief Signal officer of the Philippine Department, Lt. Col.

William A. Glassford William Alexander Glassford (6 June 1886 – 30 July 1958) was a United States Naval officer with the rank of vice admiral, who is most noted for his service during World War II. Early Naval Career William Alexander Glassford was born on 6 June ...

. Although two officers were to be instructed, only one (1st Lt. Moss L. Love) volunteered for the dangerous duty, and Glassford approved Burge's request for pilot training without waiting for approval from the Chief of Signal in Washington, D.C. Burge met the requirements of the ''

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...

'' (FAI) on June 14, 1912 and received FAI aviation certificate No. 154 (Love received No. 155 on June 28).Air University
Milestones.
Retrieved on November 20, 2009. The Chief of Signal later disapproved the training of enlisted men as pilots, but Burge's certification as a pilot was already a fact. He reversed himself and accepted Burge's certification on August 14, 1912 and promoted him to sergeant. He was also rated a master signal electrician.

Officer

On June 26, 1917, Burge was first commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

from a vacancy in the 53rd Infantry, and a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

of the 40th Infantry, both of the Regular Army, with the service number O-5511. On August 5, 1917, as part of a large influx of mid-career officers detailed to the

Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the aerial warfare service of the United States from 1914 to 1918, and a direct statutory ancestor of the United States Air Force. It absorbed and replaced the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and co ...

in its wartime expansion, Burge received temporary promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, Signal Corps. In April 1919 he was assigned to the 24th Infantry and promoted in the permanent establishment to captain and sent back to the

1st Aero Squadron First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

where, as tensions rose in the U.S. near the end of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, he took part in patrol flights along the Mexico – United States border in 1919. Burge took photographs of the men and aircraft of 1st Aero Squadron. On July 1, 1920, when the Army Reorganization Act established the Air Service as a combat arm of the Army, Burge transferred in grade to the new branch. In the spring of 1922, Burge served in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

on an Army Board whose purpose was to investigate the shooting death of Lieutenant Colonel

Paul W. Beck Paul Ward Beck (1 December 18764 April 1922) was an officer in the United States Army, an aviation pioneer, and one of the first military pilots. Although a career Infantry officer, Beck twice was part of the first aviation services of the U.S. ...

. The board raised serious questions about the actions of Judge Jean P. Day who said he had only intended to strike Beck with his pistol, not shoot him. The board determined that Beck had "died in the line of duty." During the school year 1934–1935, Burge attended the Air Corps Tactical School at the rank of major.Finney, Robert T. (1998) Air Force History and Museums Program
''History of the Air Corps Tactical School 1920–1940.
Third imprint. Retrieved on November 20, 2009. Burge commanded the 2nd Observation Squadron in the Philippines from June 1923 to April 1925. He also held a number of service squadron commands, including the 68th S.S. in 1922-23, the 61st S.S. from 1925 to 1929, and again 1935-36, and the 66th S.S. from 1930 to 1932. For two months beginning in June 1939, Lt. Col. Burge served in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

at France Field as commander of the 6th Bombardment Group, and the base Headquarters and 16th Air Base Squadron. Burge retired as a colonel on January 31, 1942, and lived in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

.Tillman, 2006, p. 220. He died on September 6, 1971 at age 82. He was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

External links

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Arbon, Lee. ''They Also Flew: the enlisted pilot legacy, 1912–1942.'' Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. *Chivalette, William I. ''Vernon L. Burge: First Enlisted Pilot.'' Airmen Memorial Museum, 1990s *Coffman, Edward M. ''The Regulars: the American Army, 1898–1941''. Harvard University Press, 2004. *Hennessey, Dr. Juliette A. ''The United States Army Air Arm, April 1861 to April 1917'', USAF Historical Study No. 98, (1958). Office of Air Force History *Miller, Roger Gene; Air Force History and Museums Program
''A preliminary to war: the 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916''.
DIANE Publishing, 2003. *Tillman, Stephen F. ''Man Unafraid''. Kessinger Publishing, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Burge, Vernon 1888 births 1971 deaths Aerial warfare pioneers American aviators Air Corps Tactical School alumni Members of the Early Birds of Aviation United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery

Biography

Officer

External links

See also

References