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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Charles P. Giallanza

Born 1922, Western New York State.

Started flying in 1942, soloed Aug.1942 Hometown Airport. Attempted to enlist as a seaman in the U.S. Navy, but was rejected because of poor vision that summer. By chance, the navy recruiter. mentioned a new flight training program that was launched with more liberal vision minimums.

Enlisted in Army Air Corps Sept 1942 Boston, MA. Started flight and ground school training in the War Training Service (WTS) program that succeeded the former Civilian Pilot Training program (CPT) college flight training.

Summer of 1943, Air Corps contract school Danville, VA. Earned commercial and flight instructor tickets, Waco UPF 7s.

Sept.1943-Dec.1943 Completed USAAC Central Flight Instructors' School, Primary Flight Instructors school at Brooks and Randolph Fields, San Antonio, TX.

Jan.1944-August 1944 USAAC Glider Pilot Schools L-2, L-3,L-4, Waco CG 4A at Sheppard Field Wichita Falls, TX. Advanced school at Lubbock, TX, South Plains AFB. Graduated August 1944.

September to October 1944. Completed tactical flight and ground training, Glider Pilots, CG 4A. Laurinburg Maxton AFB.

November 1944-March 1945 Check out pilot/instructor in light planes. Courier Pilot 60th Training Wing, Pope Field, Laurinburg Maxton, and all.

February 1945-March 1945. Completed CG 13 training, then European Theater of Operations 9th Air Force, 313th Troop Carrier Command, 29th Sq, Achiet. France.

August 1945. WW II ended while I was enroute to the West Coast, US discharged Alliance Air Force Base Nov 1945.

Served as a general aviation Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and owned a couple light airplanes: Culver V, 2-place, Stinson 150 HP 4-place.

1960s. Worked at Lantana Aviation, Lantana, FL flight instruction class room ground school general charter Aviation. Delivered new Piper aircraft -- Piper Cherokees and dusters to Guatemala and Puerto Rico.

1966. Raleigh Durham Aviation taught/managed 5 ROTC ground and flight schools. Multi-engine charter.

1967. managed flight/ground school Shenandoah Air Transport, Roanoke, VA.

Served as pilot for a commuter airline....Washington National,.Dulles Internatinal, and Baltimore International Airports. Flew U.S. Mail night routes.

1970-2000. Owned Piper Apache, Piper Aztec, Bellanca. Chartered Aztec myself for an ad agency, Atlanta out of PDK for several years.

Airline Transport Rating, CFI .Glider. Advanced and Instrument ground Instructor Single and Multi.
TT 8000 hrs plus.

All the above summarizes a lifetime of flying.It has been good to me in so many ways that it would take a great portion of time to explain my love for the life experiences it has brought me. For example, how many guys included their aviation life into two honey moons?

The following is from the obituary for Charles J. Giallanza, 18 June 2002.

Charles J. Giallanza, age 79 of Snellville, GA died June 16, 2002. Mr. Giallanza was a World War II veteran and was a Flight Officer/glider pilot in the Army Air Corps. He was owner/operator of Giallanza Realty, Inc in Snellville for 28 years. He was a builder and built Country Comfort on Hwy. 78 in Loganville in the 1970s. He also published a newspaper/shopper in West Palm Beach Florida in the 1960s.

He was an Eagle Scout at the age of 15 and he played semi-pro football in Western New York. He also coached basketball and hockey. Mr. Giallanza was one of the oldest ranked pilots in America (8th in 1998 "Air Force Times"). He and his father Charles J. Giallanza established the Modem Cleaners and employed 30 people and covered all of Western New York.