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Posted By:
Dan Nickens
Date Posted:
Jul 8, 2020
Description:
No, I didn’t know Jack. Yesterday my friends Steve and Kathy took
care of that deficiency. I was invited over to their house on
Independence Day to meet Jack Hallet.
Jack was there to check out Kathy’s new SeaRey. He also has a
particular interest in a scale airplane Steve is building from scratch.
I was told beforehand that Jack was a World War II pilot. When Jack
arrived the first thing I noticed was his license plate. It says, “P-
38WWII”. The next observation was that he was both spry and
sharp. Definitely too young for his license plate. But, I didn’t know
Jack.
Date Taken:
July 4, 2020
Place Taken:
Love Field, 97FL, Florida
Owner:
Dan Nickens
File Name:
- Photo HTML
Full size - <img src="/show.php?splash=7eguKPTzuh">
Medium - <img src="/show.php?splash=7eguKPTzum">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=7eguKPTzus">
Category:
Kathy's SeaRey
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Read what others had to say:
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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Over the course of the afternoon I got to know a bit about Jack. He not only flew P-38s in WWII, he
also flew P-47s. Steve is currently building a ¾ scale flying replica of Jack's P-47, the Frigid Migit.
The project is well underway but Jack laughed that Steve needed to hurry. Jack is 99 years old,
turning 100 in a few months, and doesn't want to wait around another few decades to see it fly.
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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Jack knows airplanes. He has flown most World War II airplanes. He has also instructed in
jets. He has recently flown aerobatics with Kathy in her Zlin, at night: "I just loved when she did a
perfect loop around the full moon." And, he has flown with Steve in his Pitts. Recently he flew a L-
39 with Lorenzo Perez, the pilot who defected from Cuba in a Mig 23 back in 1991.
It's not just what Jack flew. It's his stories about flying them that sent chills down my back on
this suddenly special Independence Day. I cannot relate them with the realism and zeal he does,
but they are stories that illustrate how rare an airman he is.
Jack enlisted after Pearl Harbor. He joined the Army Air Corps against the wishes of his parents. His
older brother had been killed in a peacetime training accident when the instructor he was flying with
tried to turn back to the field after an engine failure. That didn't stop Jack from wanting to fly.
Jack completed his training, including flying a P-40 Warhawk. He was sure he was on his way to war
as a fighter pilot. When he got his orders, though, they had him assigned as an instructor pilot. He
went to his commanding officer and insisted there must have been a mistake. The officer said,
"What do your orders say?"
"I'm to report to Alabama as an instructor, but I'm a fighter pilot. There's been a
mistake."
"What do your orders say?"
"Instructor. But I've already flown a P-40."
"What do your orders say?"
"Instructor."
"Instructor it is then."
He went on to instruct students in a BT-13 Vultee Valiant, aka the Vultee Vibrator. It is the only
airplane Jack had anything bad to say about. He emphatically said he would not get in another one
no matter the circumstances.
Before the end of the war, however, he ended up in Europe flying a P-38. From what I gathered,
that was to be his favorite airplane of all time.
Jack's P-38 was used mainly for ground attack. With a 20mm cannon and four 50mm guns plus
bombs, it was a formidable attack machine. Jack flew one on D-Day in support of the invasion.
In the course of his combat missions, Jack almost got shot down by ground fire. He arrived over the
German airfield providing top cover while the rest of the flight beat up the field. When they left, and
the defenders were good and ready for him, it was Jack's turn. Despite knowing that it was going to
be ugly, he went in anyway.
German anti-aircraft fire smashed into his right engine and cockpit. He said his right eye went blind,
red with blood. He hurriedly shut down and feathered the blasted engine and exited the area.
Sometime during the emergency he said out loud, "Jesus Christ! I've been hit!"
His wingman joined up and asked him if he could keep the blasted machine in the air. Jack thought
he could, so they headed back towards their base.
It all seemed good when he finally lined up to land. He lowered the landing gear and got three
green lights. He made a text book landing, at least until the airplane flipped over.
Jack remembers waking up on the ground with a doctor in his face. He asked the doc, "Am I hurt
bad?" The doctor caustically replied, "I've been hurt worse shaving." Turns out that the blood in his
right eye was from plexiglass fragments hitting his forehead.
The airplane was a different story. He found out later that the wheel was missing from the shot-up
right side. When the wheel-less strut hit the perforated steel plank runway Jack's perfect landing
went "ass over end".
It wasn't long before Jack was back in combat. That's when he found out that his "private
exclamation" after being hit had been heard over the radio. He had inadvertently pushed the Push-
to-talk switch. Thereafter, while quietly droning along, his compatriots were fond of exclaiming
"Jesus Christ I've been hit!" in their snarkiest radio voices.
Jack also had experience with the P-38J variant fitted with a "Droopsnoop". The Droopsnoop
version had the normally solid nose and guns changed out for a plexiglass bombardier position fitted
with a Norden bomb sight. The idea was to fly a formation of P-38s armed with 2000 lb. bombs and
led by the Droopsnoop ship. The bombardier would remotely trigger all the bombs by broadcasting
on one of four radio frequencies.
That turned out to be problematic when, before launching on an attack, Jack suddenly felt the P-38
jump upright on its gear. Apparently, someone at the base transmitted on the frequency they
planned to use for bombing, causing all the planes to drop their bombs while waiting to takeoff. No
one ever admitted to being the transmitter
Eventually the Army Air Corps took the P-38s away from Jack's squadron. Turns out they were
more desperately needed in the Pacific. Instead Jack was issued a P-47. He got 55 minutes of
ground instruction before being sent into combat with it. Transitioning from a twin-engine, no p-
factor tricycle airplane to a big single-engine tail-dragger probably deserved a bit more than those
55 minutes of explanation.
On his first takeoff Jack might have been a bit disappointed in the performance. He said the P-47
kinda staggered into the air (not surprising factoring in a wing loading of over 50 pounds per square
foot). But, he got it in the air. That's when he spotted his fellow pilots crossing a footbridge leading
to the airfield. Well, what's a proper fighter pilot to do? He decided to buzz them.
When he dropped down low over the bridge he learned he could have used another 5 minutes of
transition training. The heavy single didn't climb like his P-38. It kinda staggered into the trees.
He managed to keep it in the air, though. And he put it back on the ground again back at the airfield
with most of the pieces still attached, plus a tree limb in the cowling. His flight career was salvaged
by maintenance guys who hid the airplane until new wings could be obtained. That's the reason his
"Frigid Migit" has olive drab paint on the fuselage but bright shiny wings!
Fortunately, Jack got another chance to fly in his beloved P-38s even if it was just to pick up parts at
a supply base. When he got to the big base, he was approached by a ground pounder infantry
Colonel that insisted he wanted to experience flying before the war was over. Since Jack was flying
a Droopsnoop P-38 he reluctantly agreed even though there was no way communicate with the
Colonel while in flight.
The colonel crawled into the droopsnoop and Jack gave it takeoff power. That seemed to go well
until the power just sorta fizzled out. He jammed on brakes and came to a stop just before running
off the end of the runway through the perimeter fence. He taxied back, ran the engines up to full
power, and found there was no problem.
He tried again with the same result, ending up perilously close to the fence again. Taxiing back he
remembered that he hadn't checked the throttle friction locks.
That was the problem. The next takeoff was normal and Jack showed the Colonel what a P-38 could
do, though he said he took it easy on him, being that it was his first flight. Upon returning to the
base Jack found out just what the Colonel thought of his flight, loudly, vitriolically, and in no
uncertain terms, about nearly killing him twice. Jack humbly agreed it was bad but managed to
sneak off base without being court marshalled.
Jack flew 104 combat missions, including participating in beating back the Germans at the Battle of
the Bulge. On one of the missions he engaged and downed a Bf109 fighter.
After the war Jack was retained by the new Air Force as a flight instructor. He managed to fly jets,
including the Cessna Tweety Bird. Jack said the Cessna was pretty benign unless it got into an
inverted flat spin. Instructors were required to demonstrate the dangerous maneuver to students as
part of the curriculum.
While Jack has an amazing aviation resume, his infectious smile, positive attitude, and zest for life
are the most impressive things about him. If he has suffered any diminution in mental capacity he
must have been an absolute genius when he was younger. He quoted names and places and
airplane specifications that I couldn't have recalled at half his age.
I can't imagine a more inspirational way to celebrate Independence Day than to be treated with a
few hours in the company of a real American hero.
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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Someone made a YouTube video simulation of a Jack Attack. When Jack saw it he pointed out that
he was NOT a "second LT." as indicated in the introduction! And he doesn't know what the iron sight
is on the upper left side of the cockpit. And that the squadron number isn't right.
And so forth.
Jeez.
Looks like if Jack can remember all those details the video producer should have been able to get it
right!
| | Attachments:
Frigid Midgit Attack
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John Dunlop - Jul 11,2020
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Well told! An honour for certain!
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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No disrespect is intended for the talented video producer. I'm sure I made more mistakes in telling Jack's stories. I just wanted to
emphasize my great respect for Jack's recollection of the events that are so rich with vivid details.
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Dennis Scearce - Jul 08,2020
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Wow. Thank you for sharing, Dan. What an honor it must have been to hang out with Jack.
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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It was a privilege, Dennis.
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Mark MacKinnon - Jul 08,2020
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I would never have guessed he was 99. Great story, Dan.
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Dan Nickens - Jul 08,2020
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I still can't believe it, Mark. He is an amazing person for any age.
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Don Maxwell - Jul 09,2020
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He's a dapper Jack, Dan. Thanks!
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Frank Carr - Jul 10,2020
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Terrific recollections of a real hero. Thanks for sharing Dan.
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Ken Leonard - Jul 11,2020
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Great story Dan and glad Jack is around to share his experiences. My dad, (WWII Aleutian Islands) would be 103 now.
Sadly, he never shared his experiences of those times with his kids. It’s good to hear them, warts and all, from the source.
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