Langmack, Charles J.
Dates
- Existence: 1907 - 1999
Biography
Born in 1907, Charles Langmack learned to fly in the early days of aviation, and first soloed in 1920, when he was only 12 years old. He spent the 1920s and 1930s giving flying lessons at a school he ran with his brother David. The land that they rented for the school eventually became the Albany (Oregon) Airport. He also participated in barnstorming events all over Oregon and Washington and flew for several local airlines.
In the 1930s Langmack joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to a bombing squadron. At the onset of World War II, Langmack, by this time too old for active duty, initially spent time training British pilots to fly Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Langmack was then assigned to be a liaison for the Air Force with Boeing, Vega, and Lockheed. Langmack served as an Inspector and Acceptance Officer, and spent much of the war conducting test flights and training pilots. During his time at Lockheed he witnessed the fatal crash of Major Richard Bong, in North Hollywood, California while test piloting a Lockheed (F-80) P-80A Shooting Star.
Langmack served in the Air Force for 35 years, rising to the rank of Colonel. He was involved with 73rd Bombardment Group and the 5th Air Force at various points in his career, and also seems to have spent some time in Japan during the American Occupation. He retired from the Air Force in 1967, and moved back to his home state of Oregon to farm grass. Colonel Charles Langmack died in 1999.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Biographical Information Files - L
Charles J. Langmack Papers
The Charles Langmack Papers contains textual materials, scrapbooks, and photographs concerning the life and military career of Charles Langmack (1907-1999). Langmack was an early Oregon aviator, and this collection equally documents both his civilian and military aviation careers.
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