Duane Cole – Plane & Pilot Magazine | Aviation

The relatively low-horsepower, red-and-cream, clipped-wing Taylorcraft glides slowly down the flight line. It wasn’t the flashiest airplane flying that day, and it wasn’t the fastest, but the pilot sitting at the controls was perhaps one the greatest in the world when it came to energy management. That pilot’s name was emblazoned on the side and only readable because the aircraft flying by was inverted: Duane Cole. 

For Cole, born in 1914 in Toulon Township, Illinois, flying was a family affair. Both he and his three brothers all earned their pilot certificates, with Cole taking his first flying lesson in 1937 on Christmas Day. Only three hours of flight time later, his instructor turned him loose to solo. By 1938, Cole held a private pilot’s license, by 1939, he had a commercial certificate, and by 1940, he was a CFI.

Also in 1940 Cole started down a path that would shape the rest of his life. In his first airshow, he flew a deadstick act in a Piper J-3 Cub, as well as an aerobatic act in a Fleet. For the next 15 years, he made a living teaching aerobatics to pilots with the Civilian Pilot Training Program, U.S. Army Air Force Cadets, and the Royal Air Force. Aerobatics were an integral part of dogfighting, and lessons with Cole likely saved pilots more than a few times during World War II.

But even after the war ended, aerobatics continued to hold a place in…

Source www.planeandpilotmag.com