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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Patrick R. Farrell

George Farrell was born in Silverton Oregon on July 26, 1919. Before he was three years old, his family moved to Van Nuys, California, right in the middle of what was becoming a center of America's aviation industry. One of George's earliest memories of airplanes was looking up in the skies over the San Fernando Valley and watching the filming of the dogfight scenes for the landmark 1927 film, Wings.
When he was old enough to ride his bike across Van Nuys Blvd, George was drawn to Van Nuys airport. He was fascinated by the action and excitement of the world he found there. He had to become a part of it, and he did. His first real job was at Van Nuys airport working for Paul Mantz. He learned to rebuild WW I aircraft engines which were then used in motion picture aircraft. He then went to work for Tex Rankin's Flight Service. While he worked at Van Nuys, he also learned to fly. (He earned flying time by doing odd jobs around the airport.) He soloed at age 16 in a Gypsy Moth.
At the start of WW II, George followed Rankin to Tulare, California. He worked as a mechanic at Rankin's flight school where they trained pilots for the military. Then it was back to Los Angeles. George went to work at Lockheed on the P-38 line. (His crew installed the left engines.)
In 1944 it was time to join the Navy. George was an aircraft hydraulic systems specialist in Photo Reconnaissance Squadron VD-5. This squadron flew many different types of aircraft. George worked on PB4Y's (the Navy version of the B-24 Liberator) and F6F's. He spent 18 months in the Pacific, primarily on Guam and Iwo Jima.
After the war, it was back to Lockheed. This time he worked on the Constellation assembly line. He weighed and balanced the aircraft as they came off the assembly line. He also worked at Douglas in Santa Monica. There he was on the flight line doing final checks, compass swings and first engine run-ups on brand new A-20's, C-53's and C-54's.
George ended his working days as an assembly line supervisor for Northrop, working on drones, T-38's and subassemblies for Boeing. But that didn't end his love affair with aircraft. In retirement, he resurrected several junked aircraft and brought them back to life. He rebuilt a Piper Clipper, three Aeronca Champions and a Taylorcraft. George continued to fly into his 60's, mostly out of the airport in Santa Paula, California.
Now, even though he no longer flies or works on real aircraft, he busies himself by scratch-building beautiful radio-controlled model airplanes. He just finished a C-47. He has never lost his love of aircraft, and he never will.