RWB Archive
Digitization Complete 303 months — 6/1939 through 7/1970
Complete career record: June 1939 through July 1970. 7,451 total flight hours.
2564
Flight Entries
5829:42
Total Flight Hours
2385
Landings
81
Aircraft Types

Time by Pilot Role

4880:14
First Pilot (Day)
1640:50
Acting Commander
166:05
Passenger / Observer
592:58
Instrument Time

Monthly Flight Activity

Jun 1939
23:25
Sep 1939
28:55
Oct 1939
25:00
Nov 1939
24:05
Dec 1939
0:00
Jan 1940
9:05
Feb 1940
20:10
Mar 1940
27:40
Apr 1940
33:15
May 1940
37:25
Jun 1940
47:10
Jul 1940
44:20
Aug 1940
41:45
Sep 1940
40:30
Oct 1940
118:40
Nov 1940
106:00
Dec 1940
33:50
Jan 1941
41:30
Feb 1941
94:20
Mar 1941
41:55
Apr 1941
13:20
May 1941
87:50
Jun 1941
179:50
Jul 1941
50:05
Aug 1941
52:45
Sep 1941
43:20
Oct 1941
91:10
Nov 1941
39:35
Dec 1941
75:15
Jan 1942
54:55
Feb 1942
35:45
Mar 1942
36:00
Apr 1942
39:30
May 1942
67:05
Jun 1942
91:15
Jul 1942
59:40
Aug 1942
1:10
Sep 1942
3:30
Oct 1942
3:35
Nov 1942
1:00
Dec 1942
40:25
Jan 1943
55:55
Feb 1943
16:30
Mar 1943
69:25
Apr 1943
36:00
May 1943
28:20
Jun 1943
22:15
Jul 1943
37:35
Aug 1943
21:20
Sep 1943
20:05
Oct 1943
18:40
Nov 1943
13:05
Dec 1943
12:00
Jan 1944
6:05
Feb 1944
17:15
Mar 1944
24:55
Apr 1944
23:55
May 1944
29:00
Jun 1944
12:30
Jul 1944
29:35
Aug 1944
58:55
Sep 1944
23:55
Oct 1944
31:35
Nov 1944
16:00
Dec 1944
17:00
Jan 1945
16:10
Feb 1945
33:30
Mar 1945
15:30
Apr 1945
0:00
Jun 1945
43:00
Jul 1945
38:55
Aug 1945
8:50
Sep 1945
33:55
Oct 1945
41:00
Jan 1946
58:00
Apr 1946
32:00
Jun 1946
4:00
Jul 1946
46:00
Oct 1946
50:00
Jan 1947
43:00
Apr 1947
85:00
Jul 1947
56:00
Aug 1947
27:00
Sep 1947
38:00
Oct 1947
37:00
Nov 1947
20:00
Dec 1947
21:00
Jan 1948
0:00
Feb 1948
23:00
Mar 1948
25:00
Apr 1948
24:00
May 1948
32:00
Jun 1948
25:00
Jul 1948
14:00
Aug 1948
13:00
Sep 1948
22:00
Oct 1948
14:00
Nov 1948
41:00
Dec 1948
22:00
Jan 1949
0:00
Feb 1949
0:00
Mar 1949
6:00
Apr 1949
5:00
May 1949
9:00
Jun 1949
2:00
Jul 1949
4:00
Aug 1949
17:00
Sep 1949
0:00
Oct 1949
0:00
Nov 1949
17:05
Dec 1949
4:10
Jan 1950
10:15
Feb 1950
7:10
Mar 1950
4:00
Apr 1950
5:50
May 1950
9:10
Jun 1950
5:10
Jul 1950
13:00
Aug 1950
4:35
Sep 1950
16:35
Oct 1950
11:00
Nov 1950
6:10
Dec 1950
10:55
Jan 1951
8:05
Feb 1951
4:00
Mar 1951
18:00
Apr 1951
2:10
May 1951
14:50
Jun 1951
5:05
Jul 1951
13:00
Aug 1951
16:15
Sep 1951
8:35
Oct 1951
7:00
Nov 1951
14:00
Dec 1951
6:00
Jan 1952
3:05
Feb 1952
2:45
Mar 1952
13:45
Apr 1952
0:00
May 1952
4:10
Jun 1952
7:10
Jul 1952
11:10
Aug 1952
7:25
Sep 1952
17:50
Oct 1952
15:10
Nov 1952
4:45
Dec 1952
11:00
Jan 1953
9:40
Feb 1953
6:25
Mar 1953
13:40
Apr 1953
4:00
May 1953
18:55
Jun 1953
27:00
Jul 1953
20:20
Aug 1953
8:15
Sep 1953
12:25
Oct 1953
15:40
Nov 1953
0:00
Dec 1953
31:40
Jan 1954
4:00
Feb 1954
14:45
Mar 1954
4:00
Apr 1954
18:45
May 1954
10:40
Jun 1954
21:10
Jul 1954
26:50
Aug 1954
3:20
Sep 1954
32:00
Oct 1954
4:45
Nov 1954
8:55
Dec 1954
1:15
Jan 1955
4:20
Feb 1955
10:05
Mar 1955
24:40
Apr 1955
11:15
May 1955
21:00
Jun 1955
25:40
Jul 1955
11:15
Aug 1955
22:10
Sep 1955
9:35
Oct 1955
12:20
Nov 1955
10:00
Dec 1955
5:05
Jan 1956
17:10
Feb 1956
4:00
Mar 1956
0:00
Apr 1956
14:10
May 1956
17:00
Jul 1956
2:05
Aug 1956
13:55
Sep 1956
7:10
Oct 1956
7:30
Dec 1956
18:05
Jan 1957
8:20
Feb 1957
4:10
Mar 1957
5:00
Apr 1957
16:00
May 1957
0:00
Jun 1957
0:00
Jul 1957
14:05
Aug 1957
2:15
Sep 1957
5:50
Oct 1957
0:00
Nov 1957
6:20
Dec 1957
36:55
Jan 1958
3:00
Feb 1958
4:15
Mar 1958
48:25
Apr 1958
0:00
May 1958
0:00
Jun 1958
10:45
Jul 1958
0:00
Aug 1958
0:00
Sep 1958
0:00
Oct 1958
10:30
Nov 1958
32:40
Dec 1958
1:15
Jan 1959
1:45
Feb 1959
0:00
Mar 1959
4:15
Oct 1960
21:00
Jan 1961
14:40
Apr 1961
57:25
Jul 1961
39:15
Oct 1961
32:30
Jan 1962
30:50
Apr 1962
29:45
Jul 1962
28:30
Oct 1962
40:20
Jan 1963
38:00
Apr 1963
30:20
Jul 1963
33:35
Oct 1963
19:40
Jan 1964
40:30
Apr 1964
31:20
Jul 1964
25:15
Apr 1965
31:35
Jun 1965
3:00
Jul 1965
22:25
Sep 1965
9:50
Jan 1966
48:05
Apr 1966
0:00
Jul 1966
0:00
Oct 1966
0:00
Jan 1968
15:48
Mar 1968
1:18
Apr 1968
0:00
May 1968
15:54
Jun 1968
2:00
Jul 1968
35:54
Aug 1968
5:00
Sep 1968
17:48
Oct 1968
35:18
Nov 1968
23:06
Dec 1968
14:12
Jan 1969
47:12
Mar 1969
29:12
Apr 1969
14:42
May 1969
39:30
Jun 1969
33:42
Jul 1969
26:30
Dec 1969
18:48
Jan 1970
34:06
Feb 1970
3:54
Mar 1970
0:00
Apr 1970
11:36
May 1970
15:24
Jun 1970
13:24
Jul 1970
10:54

Aircraft Flown

H-21B
H-21B
Workhorse — Helicopter/Transport
1
flights
0:15
hours
0
landings
Aircraft photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Click any aircraft to view its Wikipedia article.

Stations & Assignments

🇺🇸 Randolph Field
San Antonio, TX • 6/1939 – 6/1939
1
months
0
flights
23:25
hours
🇺🇸 Kelly Field
San Antonio, TX • 9/1939 – 12/1939
4
months
47
flights
78:00
hours
🇺🇸 France Field
Canal Zone, Panama • 12/1939 – 3/1942
36
months
653
flights
1331:30
hours
🇺🇸 Howard Field
Canal Zone, Panama • 12/1941 – 1/1942
2
months
35
flights
119:25
hours
🇺🇸 Rio Hato
Rio Hato, Panama • 1/1942 – 2/1942
2
months
24
flights
46:30
hours
🇺🇸 Guatemala City
Guatemala City, Guatemala • 4/1942 – 11/1942
10
months
64
flights
266:45
hours
🇺🇸 Geiger Field
Spokane, WA • 12/1942 – 12/1942
2
months
13
flights
40:25
hours
🇺🇸 Biggs Field
El Paso, TX • 1/1943 – 2/1943
3
months
24
flights
72:25
hours
🇺🇸 AAB Pueblo
Pueblo, CO • 3/1943 – 4/1943
3
months
36
flights
105:25
hours
🇬🇧 AAF 110 APO 557
Polebrook, England • 5/1943 – 3/1945
24
months
239
flights
529:10
hours
🇺🇸 AAF RS #2
Miami Beach, FL • 4/1945 – 4/1945
1
months
0
flights
0:00
hours
🇺🇸 Peterson Field
Colorado Springs, CO • 6/1945 – 7/1945
2
months
18
flights
81:55
hours
🇺🇸 Mitchel Field
Hempstead, NY • 8/1945 – 4/1946
7
months
43
flights
173:45
hours
🇺🇸 Berry Field
Nashville, TN • 6/1946 – 1/1949
26
months
341
flights
682:00
hours
🇺🇸 Bolling AFB
Washington, DC • 7/1949 – 6/1958
46
months
139
flights
369:10
hours
🇺🇸 Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece • 6/1952 – 11/1954
30
months
97
flights
382:25
hours
🇺🇸 McChord AFB
Tacoma, WA • 12/1954 – 11/1957
35
months
199
flights
323:40
hours
🇺🇸 Ent AFB
Colorado Springs, CO • 6/1958 – 7/1970
35
months
284
flights
621:06
hours
🇺🇸 Tyndall AFB
Panama City, FL • 7/1962 – 4/1965
10
months
180
flights
315:45
hours
🇺🇸 CINCSTRIKE APO NY 09271
MacDill AFB area / theater detachment • 6/1965 – 10/1966
7
months
66
flights
77:30
hours
🇺🇸 Seymour Johnson AFB
Goldsboro, NC • 1/1968 – 6/1968
5
months
10
flights
19:06
hours

Combat Missions

1943-10-09
(Combat) — B-17F, 8:15, Lt. Colonel at AAF 110 APO 634
1944-02-09
Combat Mission No. 80 — B-17G, 1:30, Lt. Col. at AAF 110 APO 634
1944-02-11
Combat Mission No. 80 — B-17G, 8:00, Lt. Col. at AAF 110 APO 634
1944-04-10
COMBAT MISSION NO. 105 — B-17G, 4:25, Lt. Col. at AAF 110 APO 557
1944-05-11
Combat — B-17G, 5:30, Lt Col at AAF 110 APO 557

Notable Connections

Capt. Clark Gable with the 8th Air Force in Britain, 1943
Capt. Clark Gable
351st Bomb Group, Polebrook • 1943
Hollywood’s biggest star served alongside Burns at the 351st from El Paso through Polebrook. Gable joined the group at Biggs Field in late December 1942 and flew five combat missions from Polebrook as an observer-gunner, filming footage for the documentary Combat America. His last combat mission was the September 1943 raid on Nantes, where he and Burns manned nose guns together in the sea haze over the Bay of Biscay.
“Gable and I, along with a lot of others, were in the Officers Club making merry. I was scheduled to fly at midnight to give a bombardier a go at a nighttime target. I was well into getting up to bombing altitude when I discovered that I had brought my gas mask along instead of the oxygen mask.” — Robert W. Burns, on New Year’s Eve 1942 at El Paso
“When we got down into the sea haze, both Gable and I went to the nose and each of us handled a gun, looking for any stray fighter who might find us.” — Robert W. Burns, on the Nantes mission, September 1943
Photo: The Illustrated London News, June 1943. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.