operating expenses, especially insurance costs, were much lower than for a privately owned airport like Bloomsburg. Town council president, Nathan Krauss, not wanting to see the airport shut down, officially declared the town’s interest in retaining the airport.
Then, Circa 1940’s Naval Aviator Training Program at N13. Pre July 1943 it was V5 – post July 1943 it was the V12 program.
Grumman Avenger TBF -Torpedo Bomber Fighter visiting the Bloomsburg Airport in 1948.
economic health, pumping $2 million a year into the community & helping keep the college open during a time when many colleges closed for lack of students. In 1942, Fred Vietig, an ex-Army Air Corp member becomes owner of Columbia Aircraft Services (CAS), a repair shop that was established in the 30s. CAS also offers charter flights. Vietig became a sales agent for Piper Cub and Republic Seabee Aircraft Company. World War II in Europe ended on May 7, 1945 with the surrender of Nazi Germany and the next day, May 8, 1945, the town of Bloomsburg purchased the airport from Harry Magee. During the early post-war years, Andy Perugino, a former Army Air Corp flight instructor, succeeds Howard Ailor to become the new manager at the Bloomsburg airport and continued to promote private, commercial and instrument flight training to countless civilian student pilots under the provisions of the GI Bill.
The War Years
At the same time, Harvey Andruss of Bloomsburg State Teachers College, sensing that war was on the horizon, organized the Civil Aeronautics Authority’s Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPT) as part of the school’s curriculum. Working with Magee and the college, the Town Council entered an agreement to lease the airport with the option to purchase it at a later date. Soon after, the town subleased the airport to Sam Bigony. Bigony, along with the State Teachers College, held a CPT contract to train civilians for later placement in navy and army flying programs. Over one hundred students took ground school classes at the college and flight training at the airport. With the increasing need for more officers and pilots because of World War II, the college initiated two very significant aviation courses; the Navy V-5 which trained over 500 aviation cadets between 1943 and 1944, and the Navy-12 program, which from July 1943 to October 1945, trained more than 500 officer candidates.
General Aviation Soars Again
Along with an existing Civil Air Patrol squadron, the 9548th. Volunteer Reserve Air Training Squadron was established in Bloomsburg in 1949.
In 1957, the Bloomsburg airport celebrated its twenty- fifth anniversary. The current Bloomsburg Flying Club
These programs proved vital to Bloomsburg’s war time
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