In the 1943-45 log book of Don McBride, William D. Warren listed his address as: October 24, 2000 -- Your CNAC Web Editor, Tom Moore, received the following e-mail message from Linda Nielsen, the daughter of CNAC Captain Robert Heilig. "I saw that you were trying to locate my mother, Lee Heilig. She passed on in July of '99. I just happened to be looking at your site because my husband and I are leaving for China today. One of our stops will be Kunming, which I believe is the airport my father, Bob Heilig, flew into from Calcutta. Your site is most interesting. I hope to spend a little more time on it when I get back. Sincerely, Linda Nielsen" November 19, 2000 "Thank you for such an interesting website. My father-in-law, Robert B. Heilig, who passed away in 1984, was a CNAC pilot for nine months in 1943 - 1944. He became a close friend of Don McBride who flew 524 missions as a CNAC pilot between Oct. 1943 and Oct. 1945. Both were from Nebraska (Bob from Lincoln, Don from Orchard) although they did not know each other until serving in CNAC. After the war the families became very close and enjoyed frequent get-togethers. Last Thursday (Nov. 16) Don was our guest at dinner and we had a wonderful time reviewing your website and discussing his numerous experiences in the CNAC. He brought pictures of my wife and her family when they attended the Flying Tiger reunion in Formosa in 1964 (one month before our wedding). Don is a great story-teller and has a wealth of knowledge concerning CNAC and its members. He is doing very well and gets around without difficulty, although his wife Terry passed away 6 months ago. His five children, who are all successful in various fields, keep close track of their father. The attached article appeared in our daily newspaper as a Veterans Day piece. If you would like a copy, which includes a nice picture, I would be happy to send one to you. (The article can be seen on Don's page) Best regards, and thank you for your good work!! Fred Youngscap April 17, 2007 Dear Tom, Here are some photos of my dad, Bob Heilig, and a little more information about him.  Bob Heilig - 1941 Test pilot for Martin Bomber  Bob Heilig and wife, Lee 1944  left to right on the camels Bill Baird, Bob Heilig and Bob Prescott Before he joined CNAC, my father was an Army Air Corps flight instructor and worked as a test pilot for Martin Bomber. After he came home, he was a test pilot for Boeing in Seattle. Then he operated an airport and had a crop dusting business in Nebraska for several years. He continued to teach flying throughout his life. He was a member of the Nebraska Civil Air Patrol and flew for a large Nebraska bank. His brother, Bill Heilig, was prominent in Nebraska aviation. The airport in Scottsbluff, NE is named for him. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Nebraska_Regional_Airport ) Many thanks for keeping the CNAC history alive! My two sisters and one of my daughters are going to attend the reunion this year. We look forward to meeting you. Hope you are fully recovered by now! Sincerely, Linda Heilig Nielsen May 11, 2022  Hi Tom, I found this ensign among some of my father's memorabilia. Was it worn or just given to CNAC pilots? (it would be worn on the uniform - (more wings, etc.) We also have a photo of my father shaking hands with Chaing Kei Shek. That must have been at a CNAC reunion. Any info about that reunion would be appreciated. Was it in Taiwan? (probably) What year was it? (1964???) Linda Heilig Nielsen  or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor know. Thanks! |