M.303  First Officer Gilbert Sheppard Tobin 

flag usa

  b. 27 Feb 1914, Newark, N.J. 30 Aug 1940 to 29 Aug 1941 

 

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https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/aviation-history/

  ATAM    

 

Father: Clarence E Tobin (d. 1958), mother Alberta [Klump]

Ed. High School; Navigation Course

m. Meriel [Miller], 4 children

prev. Commercial Flying and 'Petroleum Business' - he ran a service station.

In 1937, he was warned by a mysterious telephone caller that he would "get the works", after he cut his price to 12.5 cents a gallon when the prevailing price locally was 15.9 cents. The hoses were slashed on four of his gas pumps, but he renewed them. He protested he was willing to work with other dealers and "couldn't understand the cause of the attacks."

prev. exp. 597 hrs

Address in 1940: 64 Pease Ave, Verona, NJ


Postings: 1FPP, 6FPP

Grounded for 1 week in Aug 1941 for "Disobedience of orders"

4 accidents, 2 his fault:

- 23 Oct 1940, he "broke" a Hurricane after getting lost and choosing an unsuitable field to land;

- 13 Mar 1941, overshot in a Spitfire, partly due to oil on the windscreen but "this does not clear pilot from responsibility"

- 25 May 1941, commended for a successful forced landing after engine failure in a Whitley;

- 13 Jul 1941, force-landed a Fairchild after engine failure.

"Keen pilot. Had usual navigation difficulties experienced by American pilots at first."

"Proved himself a very capable pilot and navigator. When he wanted to he could work extremely well but he has a bombastic manner which often leads to difficulty and unpleasantness."


Served with RAF Ferry Command from September 1941. "I liked England all right, but I got sick of eating cabbage", he said. "Its' all right for the English, who seem to be used to eating very little, but for Americans it's tough."

ata gilbert tobin

More at https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/aviation-history

Later moved to Montreal and ran an Air Transport Service.

d. 17 Aug 1977 - Montreal


 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):download grey

 

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