In the 1943-45 log book of Don McBride, Bill gave his address as: William C. or G.(?) Odom 235 Traumble Rd. Manhasset, L.I. N.Y. All I know right now is that Homer "Andy" Anderson remembers Bill. November 6, 2001 "Hi Tom, Bill Odom, as far as I can recall, came to CNAC about the same time as Jim Tate around Oct. '44. He never flew with me, and I don't know where he stayed while in Calcutta. I did see him once in awhile at one or the other hotel bars. And I believe Bill returned to the States after the war. Odom then went to work for a corporate company that sold the new invention of ball point pens. I think the name of the millionaire was Reynolds? He then got Reynolds to buy a surplus C-87 (converted B-24) with single rudder. He and his boss set out to break the "around the world" record in 1948. I know this because they got stuck in Calcutta and he phoned me at my apartment. I went out to the airport (DumDum) and met he and Reynolds. They were rather dejected that the trip seemed doomed! However, Reynolds kept passing out his ball-point pens as souvenirs! I don't recall if it was on this trip or later; but Bill and Reynolds said they were going to locate a mountain somewhere in northwestern China that was higher than Everest. Odom had told his boss that he had seen it when he used to fly the "Hump"!! Where they actually flew to in the C-87, I am not certain. This story of the hig mountain was then written up in some well know magazine and gave facts, figures and location. I remember reading the article and realized it had to be a hoax; I guess mainly to promote the Reynold's pens. If there were such a mountain, a lot of us CNAC guys would have hit it! The highest mountain in China is Minigongka? at 25,800ft. After all that, Bill Odom opened a restraunt on route 46 at the north end of Teterboro Airport, New Jersey. I visited the place once and Bill was not there. There were photos of himself in CNAC uniform; also photos of the C-87 and the high mountain etc. The restraunt lasted awhile and then he sold out, I believe. The next time I heard of Bill; he had a P-47 and had been competing in the national air races out west. In one of these races he rolled the P-47 into a firey ball and was killed. I don't recall what date that was. I do remember reading about it in the news. That's the best I can do for you Tom. All the Best, Pete (Goutiere) June 2, 2003 "Bill Odom did not fly a P-47 into a fire ball, as this web indicates. Odom had a customized P-51 Mustang, painted a deep green, with the musical staff for "Begin the Beguine" painted along the fuselage. I know, because I was a CAP Cadet assigned to guard it during the night. I'll never forget the horror of seeing him not return as he flew around the pylons and out of sight. The next thing we saw was a large plume of black smoke, and later learned he had flown his plane into a high speed stall from which he could not recover because of his low altitude. Sadly, he flew it into a house in Brookpark, Ohio. Things like that you never forget. rick-canyon@juno.com From another source: Sadly, the legendary annual Cleveland air races were cancelled after the 1949 event, in part, because the highly touted "Beguine," a radically altered P-51C owned by Jacqueline Cochran and flown by Bill Odom, veered off the race course and smashed into a nearby home, killing its two unsuspecting occupants and the pilot.  It was not until 1964 that unlimited pylon racing made a comeback at a remote desert site near Reno, Nevada, due to the determination of enthusiast Bill Stead. February 18, 2005 Hi Tom........ Thanks for your prompt reply. I have quite a bit of info on Odom. Some mine and some from others and the web. I was in Japan at Yokota AB when he flew there on two occasions. I worked on his airnav equipment. When he landed there on his second trip, I was the first one to greet him to Japan. He radioed ahead that he needed his radio compass repaired. Here's a pix of Odom (and me) when he landed.  Capt. Martin, Bill Odom and myself, Bill DeAngelis (Photos Courtesy of Bill DeAngelis)   July 24, 2007 Hello, I saw an article in August Air & Space about the "Waikiki Beach" Bonanza. It reminded me of the 49 Cleveland Air Race. I hold a commercial pilot certificate earned on the GI Bill 1948. I was in Cleveland and saw the whole crash of Bill in his P 51, went to the home and photographed the crash cite. Very sad day, it ended the Cleveland Air Races .The Beautiful P 51 called Begin the Beguine. It was one of the high lights of the show. During the race Bill was doing a great job of flying the plane and was turning on the pylon near the Show. He saw that he was going to cut inside the pylon that would have disqualified him. He made a sharp right turn to clear the pylon and as he cleared it he made a sharp left turn around the pylon and went into a sickening high speed wing over stall; to the right and crashed straight down into a housing project of one family homes. two shots of plane and one of hole which plane made with foam being poured into it. I have several other crash scene shots. Sorry about this tragedy, but information about it is short. Pictures to follow. (see below) Ralph Pyle M. Photog. Cr CPP 1309 Clearview Drive Richmond, IN 47374 765 962 5722  Begin the Beguine Jacqolyn Cockerin owner Bill Odom Pilot Cleveland Air Race 1949, Pyle Photos    or if you would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor know. Thanks! |