The recent threads about Jeff Hawke brought to mind another individual cut from the same mold, that being Gregory Board. Board is probably best remembered for his role in providing three B-17s for The War Lover in 1961. Board was a “Vice-President” of American Compressed Steel Corporation and its subsidiary, Aero American, that sold the three B-17s to Columbia Pictures through John Crewdson. Board also ran his own company, Aero Associates, from Ryan Field near Tucson, Arizona. In 1965, Board hired Hawke to try and deliver twenty B-26 Invaders to Portugal for use in its African colonial wars. This, despite a U.N. embargo against arms sales to Portugal. Hawke actually did deliver seven Invaders before the U.S. shut the operation down, resulting in the arrest of Hawke and the attempted arrest of Board, who fled the U.S. with, allegedly, most of the money from the deal. In the subsequent trial of Hawke, he thinly claimed CIA involvement but was acquited anyway. Board is reportedly still alive and kicking in Austrailia somewhere.
It is interesting to read accounts of these activities by Board and Hawke buddy (and aviation author) Martin Caidin because his stories and the documented stories are usually quite different. I think Martin Caidin based the main character in his book Anytime, Anywhere on a compilation of Board and Hawke. All three were “larger than life” characters, at least in their own eyes. I doubt that there is much room for such aviation “characters” any more.
The best documented account of Hawke, Board, and the Invaders is in Foreign Invaders by Dan Hagedorn and Leif Hellstom. I’ve also pulled a number of articles from the Tucson paper about Board and his activities; it makes for interesting reading.
By: stangman - 30th November 2007 at 01:29
[QUOTE=Septic;443650]
The recent threads about Jeff Hawke brought to mind another individual cut from the same mold, that being Gregory Board. Board is probably best remembered for his role in providing three B-17s for The War Lover in 1961.
Check out Martin Caidins book ‘Everything but the flak’ which tells the story of the ferry flight for the movie. Great book but very difficult to find these days.
Septic.
try this
By: Gregsco-pilot - 30th November 2007 at 01:22
Where is he now?
Greg Board left Arizona and moved with family to Jamaica. He took a DC-3 with him, and then sold that in Florida. The following year he purchased a small ship in England and sailed it across the Atlantic to Jamacia where he set up an inter island shipping service. His “captain” tried to steal the vessel, which was later arrested in Miami, and sold. After 18 months in Jamacia, the family went to Sydney, Austalia, where, eventually Greg commenced flying again. He built up a small airline based on 3 x P166 Piaggios carrying goods, but predominately one day old breeding chickens. He then purchased a Grumman Mallard that was used in a TV series called “Baileys Bird” – which strangely enough had a following in Germany. The show was filmed in Penang, Malaysia.
Eventually the Mallard (N121SP) ended up in Florida and was converted for an operator there. Greg continued with a few businesses, and finally built and fully registered a Murphy Rebel. (VH-DOD) He became the agent for same, and then sold the business.
This was a man who shot down a Zero while flying a Brewster Buffalo in Malaysia during World War II. He escaped from Singapore and became a test pilot for the Australian built Boomerangs. (He was 22 years old). He was Chief Pilot for Middle East Airways after the war. And yes, he also worked part time for the US Government whilst in the middle east, arriving in the US about 1958-9 and received citizenship very quickly. He also did work for the State department which included terrain mapping Radar in Cuba. So, to suggest the CIA was involved in the sales of arms to foreign powers (As John Hawke did) is an understatement.
If you had had the pleasure of flying with this talented and focused man, who was better at crash landing than anyone I knew, you would have sat next to some one who really was larger than life in the volitaile, dangerous days of unreliable aviation.
He passed away in June 2007. The Air could not claim him.
By: crazymainer - 23rd August 2004 at 04:32
Hi All,
In another Caidin other book Ragwing and Heavy Metal their is a whole chapter on the War Lovers flight along with the recovery of the JU-52 and some other great storys.
I had the chance to meet Martin at one of the TICO airshows all I can say is what a story teller, I wished I had my tape recorder with me.
Cheers
By: T J Johansen - 23rd August 2004 at 01:19
to dismiss them as unsavory ‘characters’ is to say they are no longer relevant and their methods were madness. Possibly so, but the planes you see before you at Legends are there because these guys, way back when, gave a damn about them.
Mark
Amen to that, brother…. As I mentioned in another tread, I wish I had met Jeff Hawke, and some of these other guys too. My use of the word “character” is not meant to dismiss them.
T J
By: Corsair166b - 23rd August 2004 at 01:06
I would’nt want to live in a world where ‘characters’ like Board, Caidin and Hawke DID’NT exist…and thank god SOME of them still do. The alternatives make me itch.
I found ‘Everything but the Flak’ for $40 at Oshkosh last year and have’nt looked back since…one of the best buys I’ve ever made and my brother, who borrowed it over the holidays last year, LOVED the book and now understands the interest in warbirds from Caidin’s (and even my) perspective. Granted, most of the things they did back THEN aren’t done now….but these guys laid the groundwork for what is the warbird movement nowadays…to dismiss them as unsavory ‘characters’ is to say they are no longer relevant and their methods were madness. Possibly so, but the planes you see before you at Legends are there because these guys, way back when, gave a damn about them.
Mark
By: T J Johansen - 22nd August 2004 at 23:32
Methinks flying partner Duane Egli equally fits in here somewhere.
Try a google search. Some very interesting references to various third world African countries.
Mark
I have noticed this. Now there’s an equally interesting character. Is ex-Mustang driver Lynn Florey one of his pilots??? Seem to remember Connie Edwards or one of the Texas warbird guys mentioned that they were buddies.
T J Johansen
By: aerovin - 22nd August 2004 at 23:26
Great book, but the line between fiction and non-fiction is, shall we say, difficult to discern.
By: Mark12 - 22nd August 2004 at 23:23
Methinks flying partner Duane Egli equally fits in here somewhere.
Try a google search. Some very interesting references to various third world African countries.
Mark
By: Septic - 22nd August 2004 at 23:19
[QUOTE=aerovin]The recent threads about Jeff Hawke brought to mind another individual cut from the same mold, that being Gregory Board. Board is probably best remembered for his role in providing three B-17s for The War Lover in 1961.
Check out Martin Caidins book ‘Everything but the flak’ which tells the story of the ferry flight for the movie. Great book but very difficult to find these days.
Septic.
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August 22, 2004 at 11:10 pm