Luncheon with aviation legends Oct. 26 Published Oct. 10, 2007 By Derek Kaufman 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Enlisted members here will have a rare opportunity to celebrate their aviation heritage Oct. 26, during a luncheon with some living legends. The "Muster Luncheon" at the Wright-Patterson Club invites current enlisted Airmen to meet with the celebrated "Flying Sergeants" during a reunion by the Army Air Corps Enlisted Pilots Association, said Senior Master Sgt. Mike Jervis, project officer and superintendent of Networks & Information Security with the 88th Communications Group. About 40 former sergeant pilots are expected to participate in reunion activities, which include tours of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the National Park Service Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center. Former enlisted pilots - including Brig. Gen. Edward Wenglar, Brig. Gen "Chuck" Yeager, long-time airshow performer Bob Hoover, and Carroll Shelby, designer of the Ford Mustang performance car which bears his name - will attend the luncheon. The enlisted pilots legacy dates back to 1912 when U.S. Army Corporal Vernon Burge, an airplane mechanic, was accepted into flight training, Jervis said. The enlisted aviator program really took off in 1941 when Congress authorized the enlisted pilot training program to meet World War II pilot production requirements. By late 1942, when the program ended 2,576 enlisted men are known to have earned their wings, flying virtually all types of Army Air Forces aircraft, according to a National Museum of the U.S. Air Force fact sheet. "Most of these Airmen are now in their 80s, and they have some incredible stories to share," Jervis said. "I encourage all enlisted members to consider signing up for the luncheon and celebrate their heritage with some bonafide legends." Seating for the luncheon is limited. For tickets and more information, Airmen should contact their unit first sergeant.