Ployer Peter Hill

Ployer Peter Hill

Infobox Military Person
name=Ployer Peter Hill
lived=October 24, 1894 - October 30 1935
caption=
nickname=Pete
placeofbirth=Newburyport, Massachusetts
placeofdeath= Wright Field, Ohio
allegiance=USA
branch=U.S. Army Air Forces
rank=Major

Ployer Peter Hill, the namesake of Hill Air Force Base in Utah, was known as an extremely capable and meticulous pilot, and an officer and gentleman of truly great distinction. In an exemplary aviation career that spanned eighteen years, Hill piloted nearly 60 of the Army Air Corps' newest and best aircraft, testing and evaluating their capabilities for service.

Pete Hill was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on October 24, 1894 and attended grammar school and high school in his hometown. In 1916 he graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

The following year he enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps. In 1918 he received flight instruction at the School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell University, the Aviation Concentration Camp at Camp Dix in Dallas, Texas, and at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. Hill then accepted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the regular Army and served as a flying instructor before receiving instruction as a bombardment pilot.

In 1919 Hill served in the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps in Washington, D.C., then in 1920 was ordered to duty with the American Army of Occupation in Germany, where he served as the Engineer Officer of the Air Service Flying Station in Weissenthurm. In 1922 he was assigned to duty with the 12th Aero Squadron stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, then transferred back to Chanute Field for instruction in aerial photography. After completing the course he stayed on as a student instructor.

In 1924 he returned to duty in Washington, D.C., in the Training and War Plans Division under the Chief of the Air Service. In 1925 he was ordered to duty at Mitchell Field, New York, where he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 14th Photo Section, a job he held until 1929. He then served as the Commanding Officer of the 6th Photo Section at Nichols Field in Manila.

In 1932 he returned to the United States and was assigned to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, where he served as a test pilot and Assistant Chief of Planes and Engines in the Maintenance Unit. In 1935 he was assigned as the Chief of the Flying Branch of the Material Division at Wright Field, with the temporary rank of Major. His duties involved the flight test and evaluation of numerous new military aircraft designs at various contractors' plants, including the Consolidated P-30, the Martin B-10 and B-12, and many others.

On October 30, 1935 Ployer Peter Hill died as a result of injuries received from the crash of the Boeing experimental aircraft Model 299 at Wright Field. This aircraft was the prototype of what would later become the famous B-17 Flying Fortress of World War II. Major Hill was buried in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on November 3, 1935.

In 1939 the U.S. War Department named the site of the Ogden Air Depot "Hill Field" in honor of Major Ployer Peter Hill. In 1948, Hill Field was renamed Hill Air Force Base.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hill (surname) — Family name name = Hill imagesize= caption= pronunciation = meaning = a person who lived on a hill region = origin = English related names = Hyll footnotes = [ [http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/names files.html 1990 Census Name Files ] ]… …   Wikipedia

  • Hill Air Force Base — Infobox Airport name = Hill Air Force Base nativename = Part of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) nativename a = nativename r = image width = 250 caption = Hill AFB, Utah, 4 October 1997 image2 width = 200 caption2 = Location of Hill Air Force… …   Wikipedia

  • Base de la Fuerza Aérea Hill — Hill Air Force Base Parte del Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) Hil …   Wikipedia Español

  • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress — B 17 redirects here. For other uses, see B17 (disambiguation). B 17 Flying Fortress Boeing B 17E …   Wikipedia

  • B-17 Flying Fortress — Infobox Aircraft name= B 17 Flying Fortress caption= This TB 17G was assigned various USAAF training commands type= Strategic bomber national origin = United States manufacturer= Boeing first flight= 28 July 1935cite web |url=… …   Wikipedia

  • List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, pre-1950 — This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. For more exhaustive lists, see the [http://www.baaa acro.com/ Aircraft Crash Record Office] or the [http …   Wikipedia

  • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress — B 17 Flying Fortress B 17E …   Википедия

  • Боинг B-17 «Летающая крепость» — B 17 Flying Fortress B 17G 30 DL ВВС США на боевом курсе. Тип стратегический бомбардировщик Производитель Боинг Главный конструктор Edward C. Wells E. Gifford Emery Пер …   Википедия

  • Classification Aarne-Thompson — La classification Aarne Thompson, relevant des sciences du folklore, est une classification des contes populaires en contes types. Commencée par le Finlandais Antti Aarne, elle sera par la suite complétée par l Américain Stith Thompson. Sommaire… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • 1811 in music — Events * None listed Classical Music *Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Trio No. 7 (the Archduke ); Singspiel Die Ruinen von Athen ( The ruins of Athens ) *William Crotch Palestine (oratorio) with libretto by Reginald Heber *Johann Nepomuk Hummel 12… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”