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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Jennifer Axtman

We would like to honor our grandfather, Sidney G. Brown, by engraving his name on The National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor. Please allow us to tell you about him.
Sidney G. Brown enlisted in the Army Air Corps on January 16, 1942 as a private. He was sent to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Biloxi, Mississippi, and several other locations over the years. While in Mississippi, he attended Air Mechanic's School and later became an instructor. He earned his Second Lieutenant commission and his Wings in the Fall of 1944. He flew several aircraft including: the PT-22, a private plane, in Jackson, MS; the BT-13, a basic plane, in Nashville, TN; the AT-6, and advanced plane, in Dothan, AL; the P-40, the War Hawk, in Texas; and the P-47, the Thunderbird, out of Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. He became a Flight Instructor in 1945 and thoroughly enjoyed it. He flew with young pilots who were completing their final training flight prior to earning their wings. Shortly after, he was sent to California in preparation of being sent overseas. However, the U.S. dropped the bomb and as he said, "things cooled, so I didn't get to go overseas". Following his enlistment in the Air Force, he was a member of the Air Force Reserve for about ten years, stationed out of Sioux City, Iowa until his retirement. Even after retiring, his love of flying continued. Throughout the years, he has enjoyed watching planes (commercial, private, and specialty) take off and land at our local airport in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In addition, he enjoys attending air shows held at Joe Foss Air Field and any specialty flights that come our way.
Growing up, we have enjoyed hearing our Grandpa tell (and retell) stories of his training experiences and flying adventures. Here is one of our favorites:
Grandpa was a flight instructor and was taking a trainee out to earn his wings. The trainee was doing really well until they did a "stall out" and the plane began spiraling towards the ground. The young man blanked out and wasn't pulling out of the spiral. Finally, our Grandpa said something to him and he came to... just in time to pull up, skimming the trees! Rather than deny this fine young man his wings, our Grandpa told him to go back up there and do it again. This continued all afternoon until the trainee was completely comfortable with the maneuver and had earned his wings!
We are proud of our Grandpa's involvement in the field of aviation and cannot think of a better way to honor his achievements. We love you, Grandpa!