In the 1943-45 log book of Don McBride, Ralph listed his address as: William A. Dudding 1614 4th Ave. So. Minneapolis, Minn. From the 1960-1962 CNAC Mailing List: Dudding, William A. p Middle East Airlines Beirut, Lebanon From the 1964 CNAC Mailing List: Dudding, Wm A. Middle East Airlines Beirut, Lebanon From the 2/18/64 CNAC Mailing List: William A. Dudding Middle East Airlines Beirut, Lebanon From the 2/1/65 CNAC Mailing List: William A. Dudding Middle East Airlines Beirut, Lebanon From the 1976 CNAC Mailing List: Lost and Strayed Dudding, William January 4, 2006 Hi Tom, Bill Dudding flew with CNAC until after WWII. Then he switched to fly a DC-3 for the Lutheran World Federation Church group. After the communist takeover the group had no money to pay him. In lieu of his salary he accepted the Douglas in payment. Then he flew for CAT out of Taipeh and leased the DC-3 to them. On one trip over Japan he had a USAF officer as passenger. Whenever we come to a strange airport we do a practice procedure and letdown. The officer reported him as lost and a liar. Dudding had told him he owned the aircraft. That's all I know of Billy. Happy New Year. CED February 19, 2014 Yes, Tom, I remember Bill Dudding as his copilot when I first joined CNAC & always remembered & appreciated the generous way he let me- the single-engine- wet- behind the ears greenhorn-- fly. About 25 years after WW2, during a lay-over in Anchorage, Alaska (when I was flying for Japan Airlines) I ran into to Bill who was also also on a lay-over, flying for a Beirut airline. He told me he was married, showed me a photo of a lovely Japanese woman; and my vague memory says he they had a son, and It was a happy marriage. After a half-our conversation his pick-up to the airport arrived. It was that last time I saw him. I was sorry to hear (several (?) months later that he died in an A/C crash in the Middle-East area. On one of my first CNAC night flights over the Hump in moonlight, Bill was at the controls on a direct route from Dinjan to Kunming. (An airway to the South was longer but the mountain peaks were lower which was safer if an engine failed.) I plastered my head against the side window of the C-47 and said, "Wow, what a sight, we're skimming the tops of clouds." Bill said, "Look again." My second look proved the white stuff weren't clouds after all; the gorgeous white we skimmed was snow on the tops of mountains. My next glance was directed at the oil pressure, temperature, rpm of both engines, and the wonderful noise on both sides. Regards, Felix. February 20, 2014 Hi Tom; This is a quicky on Dudding. I forgot I have a date with a bunch of Pan Am guys for lunch at Danbury, Conn. From there I will go on to visit my daughter Hannah who lives near there. I will return here on Sunday 23rd. Dudding was not too long with us in CNAC. then vamoosed. When I came to Lebanon in Jan. '55, I was one of few Americans around there. I soon learned that Hank Lambert was flying for ARAMCO out of Dhahran, Sauddi Arabai. It was not long after that "Indian" Jim Moore showed up with wife Ann. He was with some Lebanese building a hotel in Beirut!! Then came Maupin with a couple C-46s to start a Co. out of Kuwait. Then came to Beirut was Bill Dudding to fly for Mid. East Airlines. Jim Moore organized several get together for our group of CNAK. I was surprised as to the large group of us!! I may have some pictures of us that I will send later. Dudding left MEA and wound up with some guy from Omman. They had a DC-6. Dudding would be in and out of Beirut on various trips. I returned to the states by '62 and joined FAA. In time I returned to Lebanon with the FAA. One day Dudding showed up at our office. He asked if I would give him a rating as F/E on the DC-6? He failed on the first try. I had mercy on him and gave Bill his license!! I then heard that he kept his wife in Lebanon while he flew out of Oman. Then I heard he was now flying the old DC-6 all over the place with THREE engines. The 4th had been feathered for some time. Lucky for him that the DC-6 was foreign registered, not FAA. I would have grounded him. Then late in 74? I think it was; I heard he had taken off from Salalah, Oman, with a load of passengers, still flying with the one engine out! He failed to clear a ridge of hills and crashed, killing all on board. I did not go to investigate the accident, since it was not an "N" registered plane; even though an American was flying it. I don't remember his wife's name at this point?? She and one child left for the States. I guess Dudding must be buried in the sand dunes of Oman?? I am not certain of a lot of dates and times Tom? When I return from my visit to Conn. I'll try to send some pictures of us CNAK in Lebanon!!! Take care; Pete Received this message August 27, 2014 Never met William Dudding but met his child in Athens, Greece during the summer of 1972. Having just completed graduate school, I was on an overseas vacation while awaiting orders to report for active duty in the Air Force. His child was a girl, a beautiful girl named Diane. Not sure whether he had a son, but don’t remember Diane ever mentioning that she had a brother. I also remember Diane telling me her mother was Chinese, not Japanese. We stayed in touch after my return home and she came to visit me in San Antonio, Texas over the next Thanksgiving Holiday (I was stationed at Kelly AFB at the time). Shortly after that, I was sent to undergraduate navigator training and then to Clark AB, Republic of the Philippines. While overseas, I failed to keep in contact (a failure I’ve regretted ever since), but I did finally reach her after I returned to the States. At that time, she informed me that she had lost her father in an aircraft accident and also indicated that she was then married. Have no idea where she is now, but hope she is well and happy.  or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor, Tom Moore, know. Thanks! |