| Signatures for : Dauntless |
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name. |
| Name | Info |
Commander Harold L Buell
Click the name above to see prints signed by Commander Harold L Buell | Commander Harold L Buell
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Bill Christie
Click the name above to see prints signed by Captain Bill Christie | Captain Bill Christie
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Robert M Elder USN
Click the name above to see prints signed by Captain Robert M Elder USN
 | Died : 12 / 9 / 2008 |
| Captain Robert M Elder USN
Robert M. Elder was born in Saskatchewan, Canada on December 5, 1918. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle as a Naval ROTC student, where he majored in Aero Engineering. Elder commenced his flight training at Pensacola, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the USNR in May of 1941. In June, Elder was assigned to Bombing Squadron 3, the Mlack Panthers, who were at that time were equipped with Douglas Dauntless S1313-3 bombers, and were assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) based in San Diego. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Elder and his squadron mates from V13-3 would be soon be involved in the heat of battle in the Pacific. Elder flew numerous bombing missions during the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the Battle of Midway, V13-3 flying off the USS Yorktown, along with bombers from the USS Enterprise, sunk three Japanese aircraft carriers in a matter of minutes. This would prove to be the turning point in the War in the Pacific. Elder would later fly in both the Guadacanal and Easter Solomons campaigns. He was awarded two Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and received two Presidential Unit Citations. Following the War, Elder remained in the Navy. He was one of the first graduates from the Navy's test pilot training school in 1950. He was also one of the first Naval aviators to fly jet aircraft, and he participated in developmental flights on both the F8F Bearcat and the F7F Tigercat. On the former Elder carrier qualified the aircraft. In 1953 Elder returned to combat duty with VF-191 flying off the USS Orinskany. Subsequently he commanded Carrier Air Group 12, the USS Waccamaw, and the USS Coral Sea. Following the Korean War, Elder continued to fly. In 1957 Bob was assigned as Director of the Flight Test Division at the Navy's Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland. Here Bob personally conducted initial test flights on many of the Navy's new supersonic fighter aircraft including the F3 Demon, F-1 1 Tiger, the F-4 Phantom 11, the A-5 Vigilante, and the F8U-3 Crusader 11. Elder retired from the Navy in 1963. He then worked for the Northrop Corporation for 23 years, holding the positions of Chief Test Pilot, Director of Flight Operations, and Head of Flight Test and Evaluation. He was one of the driving forces behind the programs which evolved into the F/A- 18 Hornet. Bob also was founder of the Tailhook Association, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1964. During his amazing flying career, Bob Elder has flown more than 8,000 flight hours in 142 different types of aircraft. He has become carrier qualified in 35 different aircraft, and has made almost 1,000 carrier landings. Bob s also served as President of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He died 12th September 2008.
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Commander Harry A Fredrickson
Click the name above to see prints signed by Commander Harry A Fredrickson | Commander Harry A Fredrickson
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Ben Preston
Click the name above to see prints signed by Captain Ben Preston | Captain Ben Preston
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Commander Joe Riley
Click the name above to see prints signed by Commander Joe Riley | Commander Joe Riley
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Arthur J Schultz
Click the name above to see prints signed by Captain Arthur J Schultz | Captain Arthur J Schultz
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Lawrence G Traynor
Click the name above to see prints signed by Captain Lawrence G Traynor | Captain Lawrence G Traynor
Pacific Theater Dauntless pilot.
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Captain Stanley Swede Vejtasa USN
Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Captain Stanley Swede Vejtasa USN | Ace : 11.00 Victories |
| Captain Stanley Swede Vejtasa USN
Commissioned in August 1939, Swede Vejtasas first combat assignment was in May 1942 whilst flying the SBD Dauntless with VS-5 aboard the USS Yorktown during the Battle of the Coral Sea. here he participated in the attack on the Japanese carrier Shoho, and flew anti-torpedo plane patrol, claiming three Zeroes. Switching to fighters with VF-10 flying the F4F Wildcat aboard the USS Enterprise he took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz, where he notched up 7 air victories on one flight in October. In March 1943 he flight-tested the new F4U Corsair in the combat zone. His final tally for the war was 11 aerial victories.
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