Oliver Colin LeBoutillier

Oliver Colin LeBoutillier
Nickname	Boots
Born	25 May 1895 Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Died	12 May 1983 (aged 87) Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Allegiance	USA
Service/branch	Aviation
Years of service	1916 - 1918
Rank	Captain
Unit	No. 209 Squadron RAF
Other work	Skywriter, stunt flyer, air racer, instructor, member of Civil Aeronautics Corporation

Captain Oliver Colin LeBoutillier (May 24, 1894 – May 12, 1983) was a World War I aviator who witnessed the death of Manfred von Richthofen. He was a vigorous proponent of Captain Roy Brown as the victor over Richthofen.^[1][2]

Early life

He was born on May 24, 1895 to an English father and Canadian mother in Montclair, New Jersey.^[3]

World War I

He trained at the Wright School in Mineola, New York. He then crossed into Canada and joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 21 August 1916. By April 1917, as a Sub-Lieutenant, he joined the No. 9 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service to pilot a Sopwith Triplane. Between 25 May and 29 July 1917, he scored four victories by driving enemy planes down out of control.^[4]

On April 1, 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps were combined into the Royal Air Force and 9 Naval became No. 209 Squadron RAF.^[5]

During a squadron dogfight on April 21, 1918 in the Somme River valley, LeBoutillier Robert Foster, and Merrill Samuel Taylor shot down an Albatros two-seater^[6] and sparked a running dogfight during which Captain Roy Brown claimed the downing of Manfred von Richthofen. LeBoutillier claimed to have witnessed Brown's tracer bullets penetrating Richthofen's cockpit. Immediately after the crash, Oliver flew over the crashed triplane of von Richthofen.^[7][8]

He finished the war with ten aerial kills; one shared aircraft captured, three destroyed (including two shared), and six 'out of control' (one of which was shared). He had over 600 hours flying time in his log book by the end of the war.^[9]

Upon his return to the USA, LeBoutillier became a skywriter, and later an official of the Skywriting Corporation of America. He also became a barnstormer and piloted aircraft for eighteen movies, including: Hell's Angels and Wings. As a flight instructor he gave Amelia Earhart her first instruction in a twin-engined aircraft. He became a Civil Aviation Authority inspector in charge of Colorado and Wyoming. He died on May 12, 1983 in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[10]

Reference

American Aces of World War 1 Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84176-375-6, 9781841763750.

Sources of information

1. ^ (Fresno Bee, 13 July 1973) http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/37259-brownie-did.html Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
2. ^ (Las Vegas News Journal", 25 October 1970) http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/31574-american-pilot-recalls-day-red-baron-shot-down.html Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
3. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/leboutillier.php Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
4. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/leboutillier.php Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
5. ^ American Aces of World War 1. p. 29. 
6. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/leboutillier.php Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
7. ^ (Fresno Bee, 13 July 1973) http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/37259-brownie-did.html Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
8. ^ (Las Vegas News Journal", 25 October 1970) http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/31574-american-pilot-recalls-day-red-baron-shot-down.html Retrieved on 9 April 2010.
9. ^ American Aces of World War 1. p. 30. 
10. ^ American Aces of World War 1. p. 30. 

Persondata
Name	Leboutillier, Oliver Colin
Alternative names
Short description	American World War I flying ace
Date of birth	May 24, 1894
Place of birth	New Jersey
Date of death	May 12, 1983
Place of death	Las Vegas, Nevada