The Hunt for Jimmie Browne by Robert L. Willett

Author:Robert L. Willett [Willett, Robert L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, World War II, Aviation
ISBN: 9781640122833
Google: 5ta-DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Published: 2020-01-01T00:57:34+00:00

14

China Beckons

It was at the 2009 CNAC convention in San Francisco that CNAC board member Eve Coulson and I began to talk about a trip to China. A number of years before, the association had organized a China tour, and Eve and I felt that it was time to go back. Donna and I talked to several other members during our four days in San Francisco and found a number who asked to be included if a trip were to be planned.

Donna had been the manager of a travel agency in Florida in previous years, so we decided to check into possible itineraries, costs, timing, and the many details that would be required. We also had a real advantage in Diego Kusak, son of Steve Kusak, a CNAC pilot during the war years. Diego lived in Kunming and had been promoting CNAC in local venues ever since he moved there several years earlier. He not only offered to help in the planning but offered a number of suggestions on places to visit and where we might get some free hotel stays.

So in the fall of 2009 we started our preparations. We polled the association members and found twenty who tentatively committed to make the trip, which gave us enough confidence to start the real planning. First, we wanted to make the trip meaningful to the CNAC membership, so we deviated from the usual route and focused on Yunnan Province, where Kunming, with so much CNAC history, was located.

In early 2010 we perfected our plan and had seventeen signed up with departure in October of that year. Our itinerary began in Hong Kong, then on to Kunming, Lushui, Pianma, Dali, and home from Shanghai. It was a wonderful time for us, and we got to see much of the country where some of our relatives spent the war years. The bus ride from Lushui to Pianma really gave us a feeling for the rugged Himalayas, even though the route passed only through the foothills.

We opted to fly into Hong Kong and spend a few days before heading for Kunming, where Diego found a hotel that would host us for several days. He also persuaded a number of eateries who were interested enough in our CNAC history to feed us—no charge.

Hong Kong had changed drastically since our last visit, but one landmark that looked familiar was the old Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. We were invited to go to the top of the hotel, where we could stand on the heliport and look out at the new structures visible in all directions. It was magnificent! The visit was a real treat, thanks to Peter DeKantzow, son of a CNAC pilot, who lives in Hong Kong.

After the short flight to Kunming, we found Diego and our hotel, where we were treated like royalty. In our group was probably the main reason we were treated so well, the CNAC pilot Moon Fun Chin, already famous in China. He had joined CNAC in 1935 as a mechanic and was one of the first Chinese pilots to make captain.

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