Military
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Born in Lynchburg in 1913, Col. Vincent W. “Squeek” Burnett learned to fly at age 16. By the mid-1930s, he was one of America’s renowned aerobatic pilots and a member of the Flying Aces Air Circus. He performed such signature maneuvers as the Square Loop, Beer Bottle Loop, and Inverted Ribbon Cut. During World War II, Burnett served as technical advisor to Brig. Gen. James H. Doolittle and a demonstration pilot of the difficult to fly Martin B-26 Marauder bomber, nicknamed the “Widow-Maker.” He successfully taught pilots to fly the B-26, which played an important role in America’s World War II air effort. Burnett later retired to his nearby Lakemont farm and died in 1989.
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