Clifford Shirley Reitzel was my Primary Flight School instructor in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1943. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. I recall visiting at his home and met his mother, with whom he lived. They brought out a large scrap book collection of Reitzel's exploits as a barn stormer and exhibition pilot. I think he also did some crop dusting. He told me of being a "wing walker" and had done some parachute jumping wearing bat man like wings.
He crashed in 1947 about four years after instructing me and died ten years after the crash. I wonder if he was still flying at the Cape Girardeau flying school. I doubt if he would have been flying PT-23's as we did in 1943 because that would be an expensive plane in which to take civilian flying lessons. In the year that he crashed I was teaching flying at the Bolton Airport, Bolton, Massachusetts. We did have a PT-19, but most of our instructions were given in Aeronca 7AC's, Cessna's or Taylorcraft.
Nobody used his first name. He was known as Shirley Reitzel.
He crashed in 1947 about four years after instructing me and died ten years after the crash. I wonder if he was still flying at the Cape Girardeau flying school. I doubt if he would have been flying PT-23's as we did in 1943 because that would be an expensive plane in which to take civilian flying lessons. In the year that he crashed I was teaching flying at the Bolton Airport, Bolton, Massachusetts. We did have a PT-19, but most of our instructions were given in Aeronca 7AC's, Cessna's or Taylorcraft.
Nobody used his first name. He was known as Shirley Reitzel.