Emmett Smith "Cyclone" Davis (December 12, 1918 – November 3, 2015) was a career officer and pilot in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

, retiring as a colonel. He was an American and

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

fighter pilot in the Pacific of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and a jet fighter pilot with the Air Force in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Early years

Davis was born December 12, 1918, in

Roosevelt, Utah Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 6,747 at the 2020 census, an increase of 701 (11.6%) from the 6,046 counted in the 2010 census. The proper pronunciation of the city's name is based on how Pre ...

. He was the fifth of eight children. His family was poor and lived in a tent. His father had been in an infantry in Wyoming and had served with

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...

in the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. When Davis was in the 3rd grade his family moved to

Duchesne, Utah Duchesne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. History 18 September 1776 The Dominguez–Escalante Expedition came from the east where they crossed Blue Be ...

. His fourth grade teacher's husband had purchased an old Curtis Jenny mail plane. Emmett later said, "I used to go up and watch him fly that old airplane, and I guess that was really when I got struck with being an aviator". After his 7th grade year his family moved to

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. There he graduated from East High School. He later attended the University of Utah. In 1939, his family again moved, this time to

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

Military career

United States Army Air Corps

On April 5, 1940, Davis joined the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

. He attended Primary Flight Training School in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, training on a Stearman PT-13. In spite of his early dreams of being an aviator he encountered problems early in training. During an engine failure scenario the instructor disliked his choices and wanted to "wash him out". The chief instructor, however, decided to give him a second chance and began personally instructing him. He progressed and attended Basic Flight Training at

Randolph Field Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Bexar County, Texas, ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the United ...

. Later, during Advanced Flight Training at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-use airport, Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he ...

, Texas, Davis was intent on piloting multi-engine aircraft - specifically

B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

s. His flight instructor, however, told him, "No Davis you're a fighter pilot and that's where you want to be". Davis graduated with the Flying School Class of '40 G and commissioned as second lieutenant November 15, 1940. He elected to join a group to deliver P-36s to

Wheeler Army Airfield Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. It is a National H ...

, Hawaii in February 1941 aboard the USS ''Enterprise'' (CV-6). Having only 17 hours of flight experience and no carrier experience and while 100 miles from shore Davis was the second plane on the flight deck (immediately behind the commander) to take off the deck of the ''Enterprise'' to ''Wheeler Field''.

Nickname: Cyclone

While stationed at Wheeler Field, Oahu, Hawaii the pilots would engage in mock dogfights. One of Davis' signature maneuvers was a tight, climbing spiral with a hammerhead that would put him on the pursuers tail. Other pilots began referring to the maneuver as "the cyclone" and eventually referred to Davis as ''Cyclone'' Davis. Davis embraced the nickname and used it throughout the remainder of his life almost to the exclusion of his first name. Throughout World War II whenever Davis commanded a fighter group it was known as ''Cyclone's Flying Circus''. One of "Cyclone"'s peers,

Gabby Gabreski Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski (born Franciszek Stanisław Gabryszewski; January 28, 1919 – January 31, 2002) was a Polish-American career pilot in the United States Air Force who retired as a colonel after 26 years of military service. He wa ...

who could beat the other pilots and even the commander (and later became one of the leading aces of WW II) could not beat "Cyclone" and later wrote of him: "he was in a class by himself."

World War II

35th Fighter Squadron

Davis took command of the

35th Fighter Squadron The 35th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 8th Operations Group, stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. The squadron operates the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority m ...

, a

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

unit, on 7 March 1943. In the summer of 1943 Davis was able to get his squadron reequipped with the superior Curtiss P-40N Warhawk.

8th Fighter Group

Davis assumed command of the

8th Fighter Group 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * "008", a fictional 00 Agent of MI6 * '' 008: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * ''Explosivo 008'', a 1940 Argentine crime film * Tyrrell 008, a Formula One car * Balls 8, NASA NB-52B mothersh ...

January 18, 1944. In early March 1944 he began converting the P-40s of the 35th and 36th Fighter Squadrons to P-38s with twin engines and longer range to match what was then being flown by the

80th Fighter Squadron The 80th Fighter Squadron (traditionally nicknamed the "Headhunters", and since 1971 also the "Juvats") is a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 8th Operations Group of ...

. Davis was recalled to the States at the end of June 1944 but returned in late May 1945 to resume command through December of that year.

Bendix Trophy

Davis competed in the 1951 Bendix Trophy Transcontinental Air Race – jet class. He flew an

F-84 The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...

E from

Muroc Field Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Edwa ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Notwithstanding an in-flight failure resulting in cockpit depressurization, Davis succeeded at finishing second behind Colonel Keith K. Compton

Military ranks

Davis' rank promotions:

Military awards

Davis' military decorations and awards include:

Retirement

Emmett Smith Davis retired from the Air force in 1962 and moved to

Palos Verdes, California The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...

, where he worked for

Hughes Aircraft Company The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of the Hughes Tool Company. The company produced the Hughes H-4 Hercules air ...

. In 1972 he and his family moved to

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California, on its western border with Ventura County. Upon its incorporation in 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks We ...

, and finally in 2005 to

Highland, Utah Highland is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is approximately south of Salt Lake City and is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 census, the population was 19,348, a nearly 25% inc ...

.Emmett Davis Obituary - Lindon, UT , Deseret News
Retrieved 2018-09-07.

Legacy

In 2016, he was inducted in the

Utah Aviation Hall of Fame The Utah Aviation Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to honor and recognize individuals in the State of Utah who have contributed significantly to Utah aviation. These people have distinguished themselves through major contributions in advancin ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Articles

My-West: Larger Than Life – Cyclone Davis
(June 19, 2011)
KSL: Utah Pearl Harbor survivors share their stories
(December 7, 2011)
The Salt Lake Tribune: Emmett 'Cyclone' Davis, Utahn who flew from Pearl Harbor through Korean War, dies at 96
(November 4, 2015)
Deseret News Obituaries: Colonel Emmett Smith "Cyclone" Davis
(November 6, 2015)

(December 2, 2015)

(December 7, 2012)
The University of Utah Veterans Day Commemoration 2005: EMMETT "CYCLONE" DAVIS
(2005)

Interviews

Air & Space: A Fighter Pilot at Pearl Harbor
(interview May 2015, published December 2015)
KUED: Utah World War II Stories: Emmett "Cyclone" Davis
(February 1, 2006)

Miscellaneous

Utah Aviation Hall of Fame
(May 2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Emmett Smith 1918 births 2015 deaths American World War II flying aces Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Air Force colonels People from Roosevelt, Utah People from Duchesne, Utah People from Palos Verdes, California People from Westlake Village, California People from Highland, Utah American Korean War pilots Military personnel from California