Charles Young was born in Argonia, Kansas in 1914. While in his senior year at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, Charles and two friends purchased an old OX-5.

After taking just six lessons, Charles proceeded to teach his two partners to fly and together the threesome started a barn storming campaign that went through Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle.

In 1936, Charles entered the U. S. Army Air Corps and set an Air Force record for least amount fight time with an instructor before soloing: fifty-five minutes.

After completing his training, he was assigned to an attack squadron flying Nothrop A-17As.

After two years of active duty, Charles entered the reserves and joined American Airlines in 1939, where he met Virginia Farrel, then an American stewardess. They were married in June 1940.

Based in Fort Worth, Charles flew the line for two and a half years (and had made Captain) before being recalled to active military duty in May of 1942.

First assigned to organizational and training duties in the Troop Carrier Command, Charles was eventually sent to England.

On June 6, 1944, Charles (then one of the youngest Colonels in the Army Air Force) led the 50th Troop Carrier Wing into Normandy.

Additional wartime missions took Charles to southern France, Holland, the small town of Bastogne and to the Rhine river valley.

Following the war, Charles returned to American and eventually logged more than 27,500 flight hours.

He held position of Assistant Supervisor of Flight for more than five years.

Charles flew American's Military Airlift Command charter flights and the short lived Pacific service.

He was involved in a combined American, military and FAA study to develop advanced capabilities for blind landing procedures.

Additionally, Charles worked with NASA on their Space Shuttle carrier project.

He retired from American on August 9, 1974 as Captain on the Boeing 747. Charles served American Airlines for thirty-five years.

During his retirement, Charles explored his interest in history and artwork. In 1955, with the help of his son, Charles authored Into the Valley: The Untold Story of USAAF Troop Carrier in World War 11.

A self-taught artist, Young's work has been shown in a number of exhibitions.

The pieces shown here largely represent aircraft from American Airlines early history.

Captain Young passed in the spring of 2001.