Aviation Cadet Pilot

Civilian enlistees who completed pre-flight, primary, basic, and advanced flight training to earn pilot wings without going through West Point or college ROTC — the path that built the wartime air force.

The Story

Cadets were addressed as "Mister," never "sir." The program was authorized by Public Law 97 signed 3 June 1941; produced the bulk of the WWII pilot force, then was strangled by the postwar college-degree requirement until one man — Wesson — was the only Cadet pilot graduate in 1961.