Frank Glasgow Tinker
American flying ace
Died when: 29 years 334 days (358 months)Star Sign: Cancer
Frank Glasgow Tinker (July 14, 1909 – June 13, 1939) was an American volunteer fighter pilot for the Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española ("Air Forces of the Spanish Republic";
FARE), during the Spanish Civil War.Tinker was credited officially with shooting down eight enemy aircraft and was the highest-scoring American air ace of the war.
However, Tinker's logbook suggests that he claimed 19 victories, which would make him the sixth-highest scoring pilot in FARE.That relatively few of his claims were officially recognized was due to the complex system of verifying air kills used by FARE and the financial incentive paid to mercenaries: many victories were not verifiable because the downed aircraft crashed in an enemy-held area and/or an incentive would not have to be paid.
In addition, Tinker and other pilots from Escuadrilla La Calle ("La Calle's Squadron"), also known as 1ª Escuadrilla de Chatos (1st Chato Squadron"), shared a number of joint kills against Junkers Ju 52 bombers.
He reported narrowly avoiding death at both the hands of enemy aviators and malfunctioning equipment.He left a detailed record of his experiences as a fighter pilot for the Republicans in his memoir Some Still Live, published by Funk & Wagnalls Co in New York, 1938 and recently republished by The Clapton Press, London.
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American flying ace