Antique & Vintage Photographs

This is a silver gelatin photograph that is unmounted and is 8 x 10 inches (206x253mm).

It shows a three-panel press composite of Philippine Army Air Corps flying cadets marking a first solo flight. At top left, a pilot in a leather flying helmet and goggles raises his hand from the cockpit of his aircraft. At top right, three men in khaki uniforms lift the helmeted pilot from the side of a biplane, whose fuselage carries partly visible lettering beginning 'PT'. At bottom, a group of cadets in side caps stands on an airfield while water is poured from a box and sprayed from a pipe over a kneeling cadet wearing an armband with a winged propeller emblem.

The reverse has a typed Spanish caption in blue reading 'Islas Filipinas, Aviacion Militar, Pilotos. Diversas escenas tomadas con motivo del primer vuelo solo, realizado por un cadete de aviacion del ejercito Filipino, acto que en ese pais reviste especial importancia para los mismos. Arriba izquierda vemos al piloto saludando a sus camaradas antes de levantar vuelo tripulando solo su maquina; a la derecha, luego de aterrizar, es tomado en los brazos de sus camaradas que lo sacan de su maquina y abajo recibe el clasico "Baño dodo", celebrando su primer vuelo solo. RE'. This translates as 'Philippine Islands, Military Aviation, Pilots. Various scenes taken on the occasion of the first solo flight made by an aviation cadet of the Filipino army, an event of special importance to them in that country. Top left we see the pilot greeting his comrades before taking off flying his machine alone; on the right, after landing, he is taken in the arms of his comrades who lift him from his machine, and below he receives the classic "Dodo bath", celebrating his first solo flight.' The first line is struck through in green, and a word is typed over with x's. A small piece of paper partly covers some of the Spanish text. A pasted typed label reads '15185 Associated Press Photo From New York. Caution: Use Credit. Big Day for Filipino Airmen. The day of the first solo flight means as much to the airmen of the Philippine Army Air Corps as to embryo fliers the world over. Top, left, a Filipino flying cadet waves from the cockpit of his plane as he prepares to take off on his first solo flight. Top, right, the flight completed successfully, the pilot is seized by his colleagues and carried from his plane. Bottom, laughingly kneeling, the soloist is given the traditional "Dodo Bath" in celebration of his first flight. Associated Press Photo 11/16/40 WDA 120P Man. A List Calif Nons LB Mex Baires 43'. Beneath the label is a partly covered Associated Press stamp beginning 'Note to Editors: Under each..' and including the words 'Associated Press Photo' and 'This picture..'. There is a circular purple stamp that appears to read 'Archivo, E. E. Haynes Lda., S.A.'. There is also a purple date stamp, printed in reverse, that appears to read '14 DIC 1940'.