Robin Olds - Ace Fighter Pilot

Christina Olds, Director of the Pacific Coast Air Museum at the Sonoma County Airport, presented a biography of her father, Robin Olds, a fighter pilot in World War II and in the Vietnam War.

 

Kristina presented a detailed and compassionate review of her father's experiences both in the Army and in the Air Force over the span of his entire adult life. She is the co-author of a biography of her father, Robin Olds,–Fighter Pilot  The Memoirs Of Legendary Ace Robert Olds.

She offered commentary on his life starting with his birth focusing on the importance of flying and leadership that were to become the hallmarks of his military career. He attempted to enlist at age 17, but was sent home and reprimanded firmly by his father. He entered West Point and graduated after 3 years in an accelerated program in the class of 1943. While at West Point he was an All-American football player. He trained in the P38 fighter and ultimately was flying P 51 Mustangs. One of his classmates named Scat was not able to take pilot training because of color blindness. All of Robin's planes that he flew were named Scat , so his friend would be flying with him, with numbers ranging from 1-27. He flew hundreds of combat missions in the 2nd world war, including flights over the beaches in Normandy on D-Day.

 

Following the end of the war he returned to the States and married Ella Raines, an actress in Hollywood in 1947. He served in the Pentagon for approximately 5 years. He had attained the rank of Major at age 22 and was a full Colonel by the end of the 2nd world war. With his Pentagon assignment, he was to be promoted to General, but did some shenanigans that caused his commanding officer to rip up the paperwork, letting him stay at the rank of Colonel. As a General he would not be able to fly combat missions.

 

He was engaged in the Vietnam War and led several squadrons including the Wolfpack which continues to exist to this date. He is credited with downing 4 MIGs, but probably was responsible for more than that which were not reported because it would adversely affect his opportunity to continue to fly combat missions.

 

He ultimately was stationed at the Air Force Academy starting in 1967 and remained there until his retirement. In 2000 he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame. He is the only American to be in the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Aviation Hall of Fame.

 

He had a great sense of humor and a greater disdain for regimentation, authority, and routine paperwork. On his death he was cremated and the bulk of his ashes reside at the Air Force Academy in his grave. Ashes were also scattered at Steamboat Springs in Colorado where he loved to ski, and the branches of a tree in Normandy, France. In a final serendipitous occurrence, the plastic bag with which his daughter had carried his ashes to France was blown from her hand and flew back over the beaches of Normandy.

 

Robin was a truly amazing American. There are negotiations for movie rights for his biography, but to date there appeared to be no actors that are as large in life as Robin was to play his role.