Cleo Francis Pineau
| Cleo Francis Pineau | |
|---|---|
|
Cleo Francis Pineau, 1918 | |
| Born |
23 July 1893 Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA |
| Died |
29 May 1972 Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Wildwood Cemetery | Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch | Royal Air Force (United Kingdom) |
| Years of service | 1917 - 1918 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
Royal Air Force |
| Battles/wars |
 World War I |
| Awards | British Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Other work | Sparked civil aviation in Pennsylvania; became executive in steel industry |
Lieutenant Cleo Francis Pineau was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.[1] He later became an executive in the steel industry.
Early life
Pineau was the son of Thomas L. and Adele Gstalder Pineau.[1] He was a restless youth, and dropped out of school in sixth grade.[2] He was a motorcycle racer before World War I.[1] He raced Flying Merkel and Indian Motorcycles, once defeating Barney Oldfield. He also rode in the "Globe of Death" motordrome as a vaudeville performer.[2]
World War I
He joined the Royal Flying Corps in December 1917,[3] and trained at the Curtis Aviation School in Buffalo, New York.[2] He was assigned to 210 Squadron on 2 June 1918. Between 6 September and 8 October 1918, he used a Sopwith Camel to destroy four Fokker D.VIIs and drive down two others. Following his sixth win, he was shot down by a Fokker Triplane near Roulers and fell into captivity as a prisoner of war.[3]
Postwar
Pineau went back to motorcycle racing in the 1920s, winning many world motordrome records.[4] Pineau did not leave aviation behind. He was instrumental in founding the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, and fostered it through his connections in the aviation community, including a friendship with Wiley Post.[2][4]
He began the Radiant Steel company in 1927 or 1928, as a spinoff from Darling Valve and Manufacturing Company. By 1948, he was its president; he served in this capacity until he retired in 1969. He died in 1972.[4][5]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/pineau.php Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Williamsport: Boomtown on the Susquehanna. pp. 100–102.
- 1 2 Above the Trenches: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920.
- 1 2 3 http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/32777-cleo-f-pineau-former-radiant-steel-head-dies.html Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ↑ http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/526275.html?nav=20 Retrieved 18 February 2010.
Bibliography
- Above the Trenches: a Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the British Empire Air Forces 1915-1920. Christopher F. Shores, Norman L. R. Franks, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1990. ISBN 0-948817-19-4, ISBN 978-0-948817-19-9.
- Williamsport: Boomtown on the Susquehanna. Robin Van Auken, Louis E Hunsinger. Arcadia Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7385-2438-7, ISBN 978-0-7385-2438-2.