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Spiros Steve Pisanos - Aircrew Details - Aviation Directory

Spiros Steve Pisanos



Colonel Steve Pisanos.

Name : Spiros Steve Pisanos
Born : 10th November 1919
Died : 6th June 2016
Air Victories : 10.00

Born Nov. 10, 1919, in the Athens suburb of Kolonos, Spiros Nicholas 'Steve' Pisanos, the son of a subway motorman, arrived in America in April 1938 as a crew member on a Greek merchant tramp steamer. Arriving in Baltimore speaking no English, he worked in a bakery and hotels to earn money for flying lessons at Floyd Bennett Field. In August 1940, he settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, and continued flying lessons at Westfield Airport. He earned a private pilot's license and, though still a Greek national, in October 1941 he joined the British Royal Air Force sponsored by the Clayton Knight Committee in New York City. Pisanos began his military flight training at Polaris Flight Academy in Glendale. Upon graduation, Pilot Officer Pisanos was transferred to England where he completed RAF Officers Training School at Cosford, England, and OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Old Sarum Aerodrome in Salisbury. Pisanos was posted to the 268 Fighter Squadron at Snailwell Aerodrome in Newmarket flying P-51A's. He later transferred to the 71 Eagle Squadron, one of three Eagle squadrons in the RAF, comprised of just 244 American volunteers flying Spitfires at Debden RAF Aerodrome. When the USAAF 4th Fighter Group absorbed the American members of the Eagle Squadrons in September and October 1942, Pisanos was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Flying his first mission in his P-47 'Miss Plainfield' out of Debden Aerodrome with the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, Lt. Pisanos, 'The Flying Greek,' scored his first shootdown on May 21, 1943, when he targeted a German FW-190 over Ghent, Belgium. By Jan. 1, 1944, he had become an ace with five confirmed downings. On March 5, 1944, he obtained his 10th shootdown and while returning from that B-17 escort mission to Limoges and Bordeaux, France, Pisanos experienced engine failure in his P-51B and crash-landed south of Le Havre. For six months he evaded the Germans and fought with the French Resistance and the American OSS, sabotaging the German war machine in occupied France. Lt. Pisanos returned to England on Sept. 2, 1944, following the liberation of Paris. Because of his exposure and knowledge of the French Resistance operations, Pisanos was prohibited from flying additional combat missions because the Air Force could not risk him being captured. Upon returning to the United States, Capt. Pisanos was assigned to the Flight Test Division at Wright Field, Ohio. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School and served as a test pilot at Wright Field and Muroc Lake, California, testing the YP-80 jet aircraft, America's first operational jet. During his Air Force career, Pisanos graduated from the University of Maryland, attended the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. Pisanos also served tours of duty in Vietnam (1967-68) and with NORAD before retiring from the USAF with the rank of colonel in in December 1973. Colonel Steve Pisanos died on 6th June 2016.

Known Service Details :

Squadron

Rank

Start of Service

End of Service

Known Dates

Aircraft

Airframes

Notes

334th Fighter Squadron

October 1942

5th May 1944

27945
EN783
36798

Joined French Resistance.

4th Fighter Group

October 1942

5th May 1944

21st May 1944

Thunderbolt
Spitfire
Mustang

36798
EN783
27945

Joined French Resistance.

No.71 Sqn RAF

unknown

24th October 1942

Spitfire

EN783

No.268 Sqn RAF

unknown

unknown

Mustang

Artwork signed by this Pilot or Aircrew



Devastating Thunder by Brian Bateman. (P)


Greek 'Fire by Brian Bateman. (P)


Victory for White Two by Brian Bateman.


Greek Victory by Brian Bateman.


Victory for Red Section by Brian Bateman.


Eagle Force by Robert Taylor.


Opening Sky by Robert Taylor. (AP)


Mustang Mayhem by Nicolas Trudgian.


Bringing the Peacemaker Home by Robert Taylor.

Days of Thunder by Richard Taylor. (AP)

Wounded Warrior by Richard Taylor. (AP)


Devastating Thunder by Brian Bateman.


Eagles on the Rampage by Robert Taylor.

Artwork with companion print(s) signed by this Pilot or Aircrew


Air Combat Paintings Volume VI by Robert Taylor.

Photos Submitted Through Our Directory



Colonel Steve Pisanos.

Aircraft Type :
Fw190
Aircraft Type :
Fw190
Aircraft Type :
Me109
Aircraft Type :
Me109
Aircraft Type :
Me109
Aircraft Type :
Me109
Aircraft Type :
Me109



Pilots or Aircrew :
Spiros Steve Pisanos
Historical Notes :
05-05-1944 - Flown on a bomber escort mission where Steve Pisanos claimed two Me109s and two probable Me109s before suffering engine failure and belly landing the aircraft.
Pilots or Aircrew :
Spiros Steve Pisanos
Historical Notes :
21-05-1942 - Joined No.610 Sqn.
15-07-1942 - Joined No.308 Sqn
24-07-1942 - Joined No.309 Sqn
01-10-1942 - Joined 334 Fighter Squadron (USAF) with code XR-K.
12-08-1942 - Joined No.71 Sqn with code XR-K.
03-11-1943 - Joined No.66 Sqn.
15-11-1943 - Joined No.340 Sqn with code GW-W.
07-12-1943 - Damaged on operations.
02-05-1945 - Damaged in belly landing near Felton, Northumberland after engine failure on take off.
30-05-1945 - Struck off.
Pilots or Aircrew :
Spiros Steve Pisanos
Historical Notes :
21-05-1944 - Flown by Steve Pisanos.

Known Victory Claims :

Date

Rank

Squadron

Claimed

Location

Time

Aircraft Flown

Notes

21/05/1942

No.71 Sqn RAF

Fw190
details

21/05/1943

334th Fighter Squadron

Fw190
details

Ghent

Thunderbolt

12/08/1943

334th Fighter Squadron

Me109
details

29/01/1944

334th Fighter Squadron


details

29/01/1944

334th Fighter Squadron


details

05/05/1944

334th Fighter Squadron

Me109
details

36798 Mustang

05/05/1944

334th Fighter Squadron

Me109
details

36798 Mustang

05/05/1944

334th Fighter Squadron

Me109
details

36798 Mustang

Probable victory.

05/05/1944

334th Fighter Squadron

Me109
details

36798 Mustang

Probable victory

Known Individual Aircraft :

Type

Serial

Codes

First Flew

Squadron History

Aircrew History

History Notes

Engine

Factory

Mustang B

36798

QP-D

-

details

details

details

Spitfire Vb

EN783

XR-K
GW-W

-

details

details

details

Merlin 45

Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory

Thunderbolt

27945

QP-D

-

details

details

details




Aircraft for : Spiros Steve Pisanos
A list of all aircraft associated with Spiros Steve Pisanos. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
AircraftInfo

Mustang



Click the name above to see prints featuring Mustang aircraft.

Manufacturer : North American

Mustang

The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace.

Spitfire



Click the name above to see prints featuring Spitfire aircraft.

Manufacturer : Supermarine
Production Began : 1936
Retired : 1948
Number Built : 20351

Spitfire

Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954.

Thunderbolt



Click the name above to see prints featuring Thunderbolt aircraft.

Production Began : 1943
Number Built : 15683

Thunderbolt

Alexander Kartveli was a engineer with Seversky Aircraft who designed the P-35, which first flew in 1937. With Republic Aviation Kartveli supervised the development of the P-43 Lancer. Neither of these aircraft were produced in large numbers, and neither was quite successful. However, the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, also nicknamed the Jug, was quite a different story. The Jug was the jewel in Kartvelis design crown, and went on to become one of the most produced fighter aircraft of all time with 15,683 being manufactured. The P-47 was the largest and heaviest single seat fighter of WW II. The P-47 immediately demonstrated its excellent combat qualities, including speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, heavy fire power, and the ability to take a lot of punishment. With a wingspan of more than 40 feet and a weight of 19,400 pounds, this large aircraft was designed around the powerful 2000 HP Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. The first P-47 prototype flew in May of 1941, and the primary variant the P-47D went into service in 1943 with units of the U.S. Armys Eighth Air Force. The Jug had a maximum speed in excess of 400 MPH, a service ceiling in excess of 42,000 feet, and was heavily armed with either six or eight heavy caliber machine guns. With its ability to carry up to a 2,500 pound bomb load, the Jug saw lots of use in ground attack roles. Until the introduction of the N model, the P-47 lacked the long range required for fighter escort missions which were most often relegated to P-51 Mustangs or P-38 Lightnings. In his outstanding painting entitled Bridge Busting Jugs, noted aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts Eighth Air Force Jugs in a ground attack mission in the Alps in June of 1944. The top P-47 ace was Francis Gabreski who had flown with the 56th Fighter Group, the first unit to be equipped with the P-47. In August of 1943 Gabreski attained his first aerial combat victory (over an Fw-190) and by years end he had reached ace status with 8 confirmed victories. As Commander of the 61st Squadron, Gabreski continued to chalk up victory after victory, and on seven different occasions he achieved two victories during the same mission. However, in July of 1944 Gabreski damaged the prop on his Jug during a low level attack on an airfield near Coblenz. Forced to make a crash landing, he was captured and remained a prisoner of war until Wars end in 1945. Following the War Gabreski returned to military service with the Air Forces 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea. Flying the F-86 Sabre Jet, Gabreski attained 6.5 more aerial victories in 1951 and 1952 becoming an ace in two different wars



Squadrons for : Spiros Steve Pisanos
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Spiros Steve Pisanos. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

334th Fighter Squadron

Country : US

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 334th Fighter Squadron
334th Fighter Squadron

Full profile not yet available.

4th Fighter Group

Country : US
The Eagles. Stationed at Debden.

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of 4th Fighter Group
4th Fighter Group

The Eagles. Stationed at Debden.

No.268 Sqn RAF

Country : UK
Founded : August 1918
Fate : Disbanded 31st March 1946

Adjidaumo - Tail in the air

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.268 Sqn RAF

No.268 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.

No.71 Sqn RAF

Country : UK
Founded : 27th March 1917
Fate : Disbanded 31st May 1957
Eagle

First from the eyries

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.71 Sqn RAF

No.71 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.




Last edited : 11:21, June 2, 2017
Last editor : kc

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