Jun 12 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2708 -

Sale 2708 - Lot 210

Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
(WORLD WAR TWO.) Fred C. Nelson. The Flying Instructor's Manual (Claire Chennault's own signed copy). [3], 138 mimeograph leaves. 4to, original limp cloth with Air Corps emblem on front board, minor wear and staining; minimal foxing to contents; inscribed "Claire L. Chennault 3/28/29" on front free endpaper. [San Antonio, TX?]: Air Corps Training Center, circa 1926-1928

Additional Details

The author Fred C. Nelson (1894-1991) served as a World War One aviator, and then as an air corps instructor. The Air Corps Training Center was established in 1926. One in OCLC (Museum of Flight near Seattle), and none traced at auction.

While this manual is scarce in its own right, it is of particular interest for its provenance. Claire Lee Chennault (1893-1958) was a veteran Army pilot who commanded the First American Volunteer Group, a.k.a. the Flying Tigers, who fought alongside the Republic of China against the Japanese in the early years of World War Two.