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Colonel Lou Martin, USAF (ret.) Lou
Martin was born and raised in a small Midwest farming town in northern Wisconsin. He was the ninth of ten children of hard
working German, Scotch and Irish parents. He was thirteen years old when the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor and along
with other young men his age, he contributed to America's victory to the extent his young years would allow. Before the
war ended he collected scap metal, delivered Western Union Telegrams, worked as a railroad labourer and in a defense plant
in Chicago.
A memorable event during the war years
when, as a fourteen year old, he delivered telegrams to families informing them that their loved ones were killed in action
or taken prisoner. He recalls that after being the bearer of such sad tidings he would leave lamenting family members with
tears in his eyes. He was working in Detroit, Michigan when the war with Japan ended and he recalls the victory celebrations
with clarity. When in Detroit, at the age of seventeen, he obtained a private pilot's license.
In 1948 the air force was once again
seeking aviation candidates, but it appeared he would not qualify as he did not possess the minimum educational requirement
of two years of college. However, the air force stated they would accept young men for pilot training if they could successfully
pass a two-year college equivalency exam. Along with eleven other young men from the Midwest, he reported to Chanute AFB to
be evaluated for acceptance for pilot training. Four of the twelve successfully completed the qualification requirements with
two graduating a year and a half later as air force pilots.
He spent the next twenty-two years
as an air force pilot, retiring in 1970 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He flew a variety of aircraft, including large
four-engine transports and single-engine jet fighters. A vigorous self-study program when a member of the air force allowed
him to obtain a BS degree in Military Science from the University of Maryland.
From 1970 to 1975, he flew as a captain
for Japan Domestic Airlines in Tokyo, Japan. His flying experiences in Japan were unique, as he flew a Japanese manufactured
YS-11 turbo-jet transport with Japanese copilots and Japanese flight attendants. His years with Japan Airlines included flying
with senior Japanese instructor pilots who had participated in the attack on Peal Harbor, December 7, 1941 and with former
members of Kamikaze squadrons.
From 1976 to 1979, he flew as a captain
for an air charter company in Tehran, Iran. On many of his flights in the Middle East, he transported the Shah's twin
sister, his youngest brother, and high ranking government and military officers. Flights ranged from transporting high ranking
Iranian VIPs to oil company roughnecks. He was caught up in the revolution that overthrow the Shah and made a hasty exit from
Iran when his life was in danger.
After returning to the US he worked
as a Falcon Fan Jet instructor in Napa, California, before accepting a position in 1980 as an air carrier inspector with the
FAA in New York. In 1983, he transferred to the FAA office in Minneapolis with duties as a DC-9, B-727, and B-747 pilot examiner.
From 1992 to 1996, he was attached
to the US Consulate Office in Frankfurt, Germany, where he served as the FAA Operations Unit Supervisor for the European International
Field Office. In this position he worked closely with foreign aviation authorities and made two trips to Moscow, assisting
Russian airlines in operating DC-10s and B-757s.
To round out his vast aviation
experiences, he became an active warbird pilot with the Planes of Fame Air Museum, where he flew restored World War Two aircraft.
Lou Martin retired from professional flying in January 1999 with a total of 19,000 accident-free flight hours. However, he
still flies his single engine Cessna and gliders with the Minnesota Soaring Club. Colonel Lou Martin is the author of Close
Encounters With the Pilot's Grim Reaper and Wings Over Persia.
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