Digitization Progress
249 months scanned — 6/1939 through 3/1959
Estimated ~300 months of total career flight records (Pilot rating Nov 1939 through retirement 1970).
Currently 67% digitized. NEW: Added Jun 1939–May 1941 (cadet training + Canal Zone operations).
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Flight Entries
4342:16
Total Flight Hours
1845
Landings
67
Aircraft Types
Recent Additions
Batch 7 — Feb 2026
June 1939 – July 1940
Cadet training period & first operational assignment
12 months
165 flights
Pilot rating: Nov 28, 1939
Batch 6 — Feb 2026
August 1940 – May 1941
Panama Canal Zone operations
15 months
286 flights
International ops: Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua
Time by Pilot Role
3469:00
First Pilot (Day)
49:35
First Pilot (Night)
1040:45
Co-Pilot
166:05
Passenger / Observer
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
0:27
Sep 1947
0:38
Oct 1947
0:37
Nov 1947
0:20
Dec 1947
0:21
Jan 1948
0:00
Feb 1948
0:23
Mar 1948
0:25
Apr 1948
24:00
May 1948
0:32
Jun 1948
0:25
Jul 1948
0:14
Aug 1948
0:13
Sep 1948
22:00
Oct 1948
0:14
Nov 1948
14:27
Dec 1948
0:22
Jan 1949
0:00
Feb 1949
0:00
Mar 1949
4:00
Apr 1949
0:05
May 1949
0:09
Jun 1949
0:02
Jul 1949
4:00
Aug 1949
0:17
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
3:45
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
12:00
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
13:20
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
25:40
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
3:15
Feb 1954
14:45
Mar 1954
4:00
Apr 1954
18:45
May 1954
9:25
Jun 1954
21:10
Jul 1954
26:50
Aug 1954
3:20
Sep 1954
32:00
Oct 1954
4:45
Nov 1954
7:30
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
29:35
Jan 1958
3:00
Feb 1958
3:00
Mar 1958
43:05
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
Aircraft Flown
67 aircraft types documented across the archive. New additions from 1939-1941 batches include early Canal Zone aircraft: B-17B (early Flying Fortress variant), B-18/B-18A (Bolo), O-47A (observation), A-17 (attack), and various utility/training types from the pre-war era.
TB-25D
Mitchell (Trainer) — Trainer/Medium Bomber
26
flights
90:15
hours
40
landings
TB-25J
Mitchell (Trainer) — Trainer/Medium Bomber
11
flights
48:15
hours
21
landings
TB-17F
Flying Fortress (Trainer) — Trainer/Heavy Bomber
6
flights
21:35
hours
8
landings
Stations & Assignments
🇺🇸 Randolph Field
San Antonio, TX • 1939/06 - 1939/06
1
months0
flights23:25
hours🇺🇸 Kelly Field
San Antonio, TX • 1939/09 - 1939/12
4
months47
flights78:00
hours🇵🇦 France Field
Canal Zone, Panama • 1939/12 - 1942/03
36
months653
flights1331:30
hours🇵🇦 Howard Field
Canal Zone, Panama • 1941/12 - 1942/01
2
months35
flights119:25
hours🇵🇦 Rio Hato
Rio Hato, Panama • 1942/01 - 1942/02
2
months24
flights46:30
hours🇬🇹 Guatemala City
Guatemala City, Guatemala • 1942/04 - 1942/11
10
months64
flights266:45
hours🇺🇸 Geiger Field
Spokane, WA • 1942/12 - 1942/12
2
months13
flights40:25
hours🇺🇸 Biggs Field
El Paso, TX • 1943/01 - 1943/02
3
months24
flights72:25
hours🇺🇸 AAB Pueblo
Pueblo, CO • 1943/03 - 1943/04
3
months36
flights105:25
hours🇬🇧 Polebrook, England
Polebrook, England • 1943/05 - 1945/03
24
months239
flights529:10
hours🇺🇸 AAF RS #2
Miami Beach, FL • 1945/04 - 1945/04
1
months0
flights0:00
hours🇺🇸 Peterson Field
Colorado Springs, CO • 1945/06 - 1945/07
2
months18
flights81:55
hours🇺🇸 Mitchel Field
Hempstead, NY • 1945/08 - 1946/04
7
months43
flights173:45
hours🇺🇸 Berry Field
Nashville, TN • 1946/06 - 1949/01
26
months341
flights349:38
hours🇺🇸 Bolling AFB
Washington, DC • 1949/07 - 1958/06
46
months140
flights352:27
hours🇺🇸 Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece • 1952/06 - 1954/11
30
months97
flights382:25
hours🇺🇸 McChord AFB
Tacoma, WA • 1954/12 - 1957/11
35
months199
flights323:40
hours🇺🇸 Ent AFB
Colorado Springs, CO • 1958/06 - 1959/03
10
months48
flights61:10
hoursCombat Missions
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
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.
Scan Batches
2026-02-17 — 20 pages
Batch 1: Feb 1944 through Sep 1945 (includes Sep 1945 supplemental)
File:
20260217112209705.pdf2026-02-18 — 17 pages
Batch 2: Jan 1944 and Apr 1943 through Dec 1943 (includes Sep 1943 supplemental)
File:
20260218132307938.pdf2026-02-18 — 10 pages
Batch 3: Jan 1943 through Mar 1943 (includes Mar 1943 supplemental)
File:
20260218132840742.pdf