The Early Years -
Navy Air Ferry Service Squadron VRS-1
To facilitate the transportation of aircraft from the East Coast factories to the ships waiting on the West Coast, Aviation Service Units were set up acroos the country for refueling and maintenance. In 1943, the Petersburg VA airport was converted from an emergency landing strip to a Ferry Command, Air Delivery unit and designated VRS-1. When the workers arrived in Petersburg, the airport had one tree-lined runway, no roads, no lights, no buildings, no telephones and no restrooms. There was a hotel across from the airport on US ! called "The Blue Tar Tan" (it is still standing today)where the men stayed while working on the airport. Using equipment and Army prisoners from Fort Lee, the airport was up and running in just three months. The new airport had three barracks (UB40s), fuel storage, fueling trucks, maintenance facilities, a Red Cross canteen and restrooms. Pilots who flew in could stay at the Petersburg Hotel, where the management arranged dances that the local girls also attended. Pilots would fly in from Floyd Bennet Field (Brooklyn,NY), land at Petersburg, and then head weast. During the winter months they flew from Petersburg to Atlanta, Texas and then on to the West Coast so that the planes could be sent to the Pacific theater. They then made the return trip with battle worn planes for repair.
Interesting Notes:
The pilots were on average 19 years old coming out of training in Pensacola, Florida. The civilian pilots trained at Corpus Christi, Texas for an average of three months.
On average:
- Pilots flew 2-hour hops
- The trip from New York to California took 12.5 hours depending on the aircraft.
- The Grumman Duck took 24 hours to make the trip.
- The NE-1 Piper Cubs made the trip in 30 hours.
VRS-1
- Had more than 20 servicing and repair detachments all over the US, including Petersburg, VA.
- Delivered 46,000 planes
- Flew over 450,000 hours
- Carried 16,000 passengers
