Franks, John C., 1913-1966
Person
Dates
- Existence: 1913 - 1966
Biographical and Historical Information
John C. Franks was chief flight instructor for the Civilian Pilot Training Program during World War II at Purdue University from the Fall of 1942-1945. He began his instruction in 1942 at Purdue as part of this Civilian Pilot Training Program to teach civilians how to become pilots. Franks was born in Ridgway, Colorado and learned how to fly at Ryan Field in Oakland, California and Phoenix, Arizona. He was a flight instructor at South West Airways, Incorporated and also taught at Thunderbird Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Franks was certified as an instructor in primary, secondary, commercial, cross country, and instructor courses. He also held a Civil Aeronautics Administration examiner designation.
At Purdue, Franks trained American civilians and also individuals from Latin America sent to Purdue by the State Department to learn how to fly and repair aircraft. The new Latin American fliers also took courses in English, and in other aeronautical areas. Skilled instructors such as Franks trained hundreds of foreign and domestic student pilots during the school year, and approximately eighty during the summers. At this time, the Purdue Airport was referred to "one of the busiest departments in the University." Franks left Purdue in 1946 and became a corporate pilot for Schwitzer Corporation in Indianapolis and served as Chief Pilot until his death in 1966.
The United States' Civilian Pilot Training Program was begun in 1938. President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the program's plan to train 20,000 civilian pilots a year, so the country would be prepared for the number of military pilots that would be needed for the impending war. By 1939, the number of newly Army-trained pilots grew from about nine hundred to approximately eight thousand in 1940. The year 1941 saw 27,000 pilots trained, but it was deemed necessary to train many more, as the United States' involvement in World War II seemed imminent. The Army desperately needed help to train the number of pilots needed. The United States Army Air Forces drew fliers from the Civilian Pilot Training Program, from an additional network of civilian schools under contract to the United States Army Air Forces, as well as from their own training schools.
The Civilian Pilot Training Program CPTP) reached the point where it operated out of 1,132 colleges and universities and 1,460 flight schools. The program trained approximately 435,165 pilots from 1939-1944. Purdue University was one of the universities which ran a CPTP.
The United States' Civilian Pilot Training Program was begun in 1938. President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the program's plan to train 20,000 civilian pilots a year, so the country would be prepared for the number of military pilots that would be needed for the impending war. By 1939, the number of newly Army-trained pilots grew from about nine hundred to approximately eight thousand in 1940. The year 1941 saw 27,000 pilots trained, but it was deemed necessary to train many more, as the United States' involvement in World War II seemed imminent. The Army desperately needed help to train the number of pilots needed. The United States Army Air Forces drew fliers from the Civilian Pilot Training Program, from an additional network of civilian schools under contract to the United States Army Air Forces, as well as from their own training schools.
The Civilian Pilot Training Program CPTP) reached the point where it operated out of 1,132 colleges and universities and 1,460 flight schools. The program trained approximately 435,165 pilots from 1939-1944. Purdue University was one of the universities which ran a CPTP.
Citation
Sources:Strickland, Patricia. The Putt-Putt Air Force: The Story of the Civilian Pilot Training Program and the War Training Service (1939-1944). Washington D.C: Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Education Staff. Print.
Purdue Alumni Association. “Purdue Students Lead Nation.” Purdue Alumnus December 1940: 3. Print.
Purdue Alumni Association. “Purdue Honored As Pilot School.” Purdue Alumnus December 1941: 19. Print.
Purdue Alumni Association. “Airport Laboratory Being Enlarged.” Purdue Alumnus May 1941: 8. Print.
Purdue Alumni Association. “Starting Another Class In Civilian Aviation.” Purdue Alumnus April 1942: 11. Print.
Purdue University. Aviation At Purdue. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University. 1945.
Purdue University Directory. 1942-1943. p.19. Purdue University Directory. 1944-1945. p.34.
Citation
Purdue Alumni Association. “Purdue Honored As Pilot School.” Purdue Alumnus December 1941: 19.Citation
Purdue Alumni Association. “Airport Laboratory Being Enlarged.” Purdue Alumnus May 1941: 8.Citation
Purdue Alumni Association. “Starting Another Class In Civilian Aviation.” Purdue Alumnus April 1942: 11.Citation
Purdue University. Aviation At Purdue. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University. 1945.Citation
Purdue University Directory. 1942-1943. p.19.Citation
Purdue University Directory. 1944-1945. p.34.Citation
Strickland, Patricia. The Putt-Putt Air Force: The Story of the Civilian Pilot Training Program and the War Training Service (1939-1944). Washington D.C: Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Education Staff.Found in 1 Collection or Record:
John C. Franks papers on the Civilian Pilot Training Program
Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSP 171
Scope and Contents
The John C. Franks papers on the Civilian Pilot Training Program include twenty photographs of Franks and a number of unidentified flight students. The subjects of the photographs are the Purdue University Airport, flight students, and airplanes, including a Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio (WACO) aircraft, and a Howard DGA-18, which was a training aircraft. There is also a photograph of a World War II military fleet. Identifying information is included with the photographs. Along with the...
Dates:
1942 - 1946