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Category Archives: Aviation History
A Near Miss of Potentially Grave Proportions
Editorial note—this blog is more appropriate for seasoned aviators rather than the casual reader. My apologies; I promise to return to a more relaxed writing style tomorrow. ————————— This morning, a Lufthansa Airbus 340 with 286 passengers onboard almost collided … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a breakdown in communications, A Near Miss of Potentially Grave Proportions, a pilot deviation, a runway incursion of incredible magnitude, Air Traffic Controllers, airline pilots, crossed the hold short line, Egypt Air Boeing 777, EgyptAir 986, heavy airliner, intersection of taxiway Juliet and runway 22R, JFK International Airport, KLM 4805, Lufthansa Airbus 340, Lufthansa Flight 411, overheated brakes, Pan Am 1736, Port Authority technicians, rejected takeoff, rejected the takeoff, runway 22R, taxied clear of the runway at taxiway Hotel, taxiway Bravo, the arrogance of the captain, two Boeing 747s collided in the fog at Tenerife, “Cancel takeoff! Cancel takeoff plans”, “No! Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!” the aircraft in extremis, “Takeoff clearance canceled”
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6 Comments
Queen of the Skydivers
Georgia Ann Thompson was a very slight girl born in Oxford, NC on April 8, 1893. At birth, she weighed only three pounds and the nickname “Tiny” would stick to her for life. She was a different kind of young … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History
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Tagged a grandmotherly persona, Broadwick’s World Famous Aeronauts, Charles Broadwick, Georgia Ann Thompson, Glenn Martin, Griffith Park in Los Angeles, I’ve Got a Secret, manually deployed the canopy, Oxford NC, parachuting from a hot air balloon, paratroopers, Queen of the Skydivers, reserve parachute, the first person to ever free-fall, the first woman to parachute from an airplane, the jump school at Fort Benning GA, the nickname “Tiny”, the US Army
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Happy Birthday Southwest!
Today is Southwest Airlines’ 40th birthday. The airline traces its first lineage all the way back to the 1967 incorporation of Air Southwest Co., by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. However, the name change and first flight of Southwest Airlines … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Life in General
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Tagged Air Southwest Co., Air Tran Airways, airplanes, ATA Airlines, Braniff, cabin announcements, Continental Airlines, Dallas, flying, Happy Birthday Southwest!, Herb Kelleher, Houston, judgment, Morris Air, Muse Air, pilots’ public announcements, Rollin King, San Antonio, serving only Texas, Southwest Airlines’ 40th birthday, the Southwest family, Trans-Texas
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“Like a Sack of Potatoes”
When Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic Ocean in May of 1927, he ignited the imaginations of many. One enthralled by the idea of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic was Amy Phipps Guest. Amy Phipps was … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged a suitable girl with “the right image”, a ticker-tape parade, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Amelia Earhart, Amy Phipps Guest, barnstormers, Captain Hilton H. Railey, Charles Lindbergh, copilot Louis Gordon, discipline, England, flying, Frederick Edward Guest, Friendship Trepassey Harbor Newfoundland Burry Port in Wales, instrument flying, Lockheed Vega, New York City, Pilot Wilmer Stultz, President Calvin Coolidge, publishers, the Atlantic Ocean, the Fokker F.VIIbb/3m, “Like a Sack of Potatoes”, “Maybe someday I’ll try it alone.”, “Would you like to fly the Atlantic?”
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5 Comments
The Blue Angels First Performance
On this day in 1946 at NAS Jacksonville, LCDR Butch Voris pushed the throttle forward on his blue and gold Grumman F-6 Hellcat to start his takeoff roll. The other pilots on his team, in their individual Hellcats, also pushed … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged Air Force the Thunderbirds, airspeed, altitude, and LCDR Lloyd Barnard, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz, combat veterans of the Pacific war, discipline, F/A-18 Hornets, Florida, flying, Grumman F-6 Hellcat, judgment, LCDR Butch Voris, low-flying maneuvers in tight formations, LT Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, LT Mel Cassidy, memories, NAS Jacksonville, professional pilots, sailors, taildraggers, the Army Air Corps, The Blue Angels, The Blue Angels First Performance, the team’s first airshow at NAS Jacksonville, the United States Navy, World War II
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1 Comment
Sad Day for the Bomber Boys
Monday, June 13, 2011, will remain a sad day for the warbird community. A vintage warrior made her final landing in a cornfield near Chicago. After the landing, all seven aboard the airplane were able to make good their escapes, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a $3.5 million restoration, a loss of a national treasure, a sad day for the warbird community, Air Force, airplanes, airshows in Canada transatlantic crossing to visit England, airspeed, altitude, an engine fire, Aurora Municipal Airport, B-17G, discipline, Don Brooks, engine failures, England, flying, Framlingham England, judgment, last landing in an Illinois cornfield, Liberty Belle, military service, Monday June 13 2011, Pratt & Whitney, professional pilots, Sad Day for the Bomber Boys, Sugar Grove Illinois, taildraggers, the 390th Bomb Group, the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association, The Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum Kissimmee Florida, the Liberty Foundation, The United States Army Air Corps, World War II
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3 Comments
Dreams of Waco UPF-7s
A very long time ago, my best friend, Paul, rather jinxed me. He introduced me to one of the airplanes I have always wanted to fly, rebuild, own, and showcase: the Waco UPF-7. (Found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRT7fstFxs.) The UPF-7 is a … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged 220 horsepower Continental radial engine, a loop, a training airplane, a wingover, airplanes, barnstormers, barrel roll, Dreams of Waco UPF-7s, flight training, flying, flying in the cooler air, friends, little wind, memories, my best friend, no turbulence, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, PT-14, rebuilding a classic airplane, the barnstorming era, The best time to fly, the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), The Great Depression, The United States Army Air Corps, the Waco UPF-7, Waco Aircraft Company of Troy OH
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The St. Augustine Sub Hunters
Ardis and I were driving to meet friends for dinner in St. Augustine last night. Whenever we drive down US 1, just south of the airport and north of the Ancient City, I would always slow a little to look … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a sense of the Apocalypse, airplanes, chasing Russian submarines, chasing submarines for the US Navy, driving down US 1, flying, friends, Grumman, interesting subjects for photographers, metal salvage, military service, Navy, S-2 Tracker graveyard, St. Augustine residents, the ancient city, the high seas, the oldest city in North America, The St. Augustine Sub Hunters, tourists
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The Luscombe
After the war, another little airplane that had quite the following was the Luscombe. It came in a variety of flavors; the 8A and 8F were very popular. When the airplane came out, it was powered by the typical engine … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, flight training, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, World War II
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3 Comments
100,000 Airplanes
Which aircraft manufacturing company first reached the milestone of 100,000 aircraft manufactured? What company was most likely to do this? Boeing, perhaps? Mooney? Lockheed? Piper? No. The company was Clyde’s. Clyde Cessna. Cessna was a Kansas farmer who was the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History
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Tagged 100000 Airplanes, airplanes, Boeing, Cessna 140, Cessna 150, Cessna 170, Cessna 172, Cessna 180, Cessna 182, Cessna 185, Cessna 210, Cessna 320, Cessna 340, Cessna 402, Cessna 421, Cessna Model A, Cessnas, Clyde Cessna, first aircraft company to reach 100000 delivered, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, learning to fly, Lockheed, memories, Mooney, pilots, Piper, professional pilots, Sky King!, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft, US Flight Instructors Association, Wichita KS
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2 Comments
