AIR LIFTS IN ANTARCTIC

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29335, 14 October 1960, Page 7

AIR LIFTS IN ANTARCTIC

Unit’s Commander Arriving The commander of the United States Air Force 63rd Troop Carrier Wing (Brigadier-General Andrew B. Cannon) will arrive at Harewood Airport on Saturday. The aerial resupply of United States stations in the Antarctic is one of the tasks of the wing under General Cannon’s command. As a Military Air Transport Service aircraft commander he has completed 10,000 accidentfree flying hours and altogether has flown four million ' hours. He has commanded transport wings in Alaska, the Pacific, India and the United States. As a pilot he has registered more than 20,000 hours.

Becoming interested in flying in 1927 he took his first lessons

in World War I surplus aircraft and began commercial flying in 1932 and joined the Air Force in 1941. After serving with various sections of Air Transport Command he was assigned as commander of the Bengal wing in the China-Burma-India theatre, which was engaged in flying war material over the famous “hump” to China. Within 14 months the wing flew over 37,000 trips and General Cannon personally flew more than 120 combat missions. Returning to the United States after the war he left the Air Force and became superintendent of -maintenance for Capital Airlines. During this period he remained on the active reserve and his war-time experience was used during the Berlin airlift in 1949. Recalled to active duty in 1951 he was commander of the 1700th Air Transport Group and in 1955 he was transferred to the Pacific as commander of the 1052:id wing, stationed at Honolulu, where he was responsible for the movement of air cargo throughout the Pacific. In 1958 he was appointed to his present position as commander of the 63rd Troop Carrier winff Last year he was in command of the first provisional support squadron at Puerto Rico during Operation “Big Slam” which was the largest peace-time lift ever accomplished by the United States Air Force.