Vernon Lee Burge | |
|---|---|
 Vernon Burge | |
| Born | November 29, 1888 |
| Died | September 6, 1971 (aged 82) |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service | Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps.svg){kind=small} Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps U.S. Army Air Service U.S. Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1907–1942 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands | 6th Bombardment Group |
Vernon Lee Burge (November 29, 1888 – September 6, 1971) was an aviation pioneer. He was the first American enlisted man to be certified as a military pilot.[1] After ten years as an enlisted man, Burge was commissioned during World War I and served the next 25 years as an officer.[2]
- ^ "Cpl. Vernon L. Burge". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Cpl. Vernon L. Burge became the first enlisted pilot three years after the Army bought its first airplane. He was Lt. Benjamin Foulois' mechanic on Signal Corps airplane No. 1 at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, in 1910, and Lt. Frank Lahm taught him to fly in the Philippines two years later. ...
- ^ "Vernon L. Burge". Early Aviators. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
Col. Vernon L. Burge, USAF retired, died September 6, 1971. He was the last surviving member of the historic 1st Aviation Detachment of the U.S. Army. He made his first solo flight in the Philippines March 1, 1912, becoming the first enlisted man to become a pilot in the Army. He retired in 1945, with the rank of colonel, after 38 years in the military service. ...