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Tag Archives: Air Force
Manned Spaceflight Turns 50
Fifty years ago today, the Soviet Space Program launched Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into a singular orbit around the Earth in their spacecraft, Vostok 1. The space race was on and Russia was in the lead, having flown an orbital … Continue reading →
Posted in History, Life in General
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Tagged a dangerous dose of possible nuclear annihilation, advancements in artificial limbs, Air Force, airplanes, Alan Shepard, computers, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Cuba, enhanced radial tires for cars, Florida, Freedom 7, going back to the moon and on to Mars, improved baby foods, improved water purification, infrared ear thermometers, landing on the moon first, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), Manned Spaceflight Turns 50, Marines, military service, Navy, new technologies, President John F. Kennedy, Sputnik, Tang, Teflon, tempur foam (think Tempurpedic beds), the Soviet Space Program, Vostok 1
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1 Comment
Unbridled Student Excitement for Flying
Nothing is better than sitting in the office and having a student drop by to talk about flying their first aerobatic flight. When they become so excited they have a hard time containing their enthusiasm, it truly is an amazing … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a combat veteran of the Middle East, aerobatic flight, Air Force, air show airplanes, airplanes, Beechcraft Bonanza, commission in the Air Force, connecting to my own youth, discipline, enthusiasm for flying, eternally grateful, F-16 Fighting Falcon, first solo, flight training, Florida, flying, flying in the military, formation flying, friends, going vertical, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, military service, pilots, professional pilots, pulling 6g’s, slow rolling, student pilots, Sun ’N Fun, taildraggers, tailwheel flying, talking about flying, training aircraft, Unbridled Student Excitement for Flying
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2 Comments
Able Dogs and Spads
Today, in 1945, the XBT2D-1 flew for the first time. It was another of the great designs by Ed Heinemann, the designer of many aircraft produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. As with many of the aircraft Heinemann created, … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged A-1E, A-1H, A-1J, Air Force, airplanes, Bernie Fisher, big four-bladed props, carrier-borne aircraft, discipline, Douglas Aircraft Company, Ed Heinemann, feet dry, feet wet, flying, ground troops, Helldiver, judgment, Korea, military service, Navy, Navy pilots, pilots, professional pilots, Spad pilots, taildraggers, TBM Avenger, the A-1 Skyraider, The Able Dogs and Spads, the cold war, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the deck of a carrier, the Sandy, the XBT2D-1, Vietnam, World War II, Wright R-3350, “sand blower” route
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6 Comments
Look Ma! No Propellers!
Today, the jet age truly turns 65 years old. It was born when the prototype XP-84 Thunderjet flew for the first time at Muroc Army Airfield on this day in 1946. Current jets are far more powerful than the first … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Life in General
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Tagged aerial refueling, Air Force, airplanes, Alexander Kartveli, control reversal, Edwards Air Force Base, escort, flying, ground support, interdiction, J-35-GE-15 engines, jet age, Korea, Korean War, Look Ma! No Propellers!, military service, Muroc Army Airfield, National Security Act of 1947, P-47 Thunderbolt, Republic Aviation Corporation, the Air Force demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, the United States Air Force, World War II, wrinkling fuselage skins, XP-84 Thunderjet
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The World’s First Supersonic Ejection
In 1955, George Smith was 31 years old, unmarried, stood 6’1” and weighed 220 pounds. It was a Saturday morning just like today. He was off work and on his way to the grocery store, but he stopped by his … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying
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Tagged 675 knots, 777 miles per hour, 8000 pounds of aerodynamic force, aeromedical doctors, Air Force, deceleration of 40g, F-100A, first supersonic ejection, FL 350, hospitalized for months, Los Angeles International, Mach 1, Mach 1.05, Mach 1.05 Ejection, North American Aviation Inc., rate of descent was 1140 feet per second, Super Sabre, surviving a supersonic ejection, The World's First Supersonic Ejection, wrong position for an ejection
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The 1940s
My friend, Mike, sent me an email featuring a PowerPoint presentation about the 1940s. Coincidentally, I spent time earlier in the day researching some of the great airplanes of the period. I came away thinking about the airplanes and the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged Air Force, airliners, airplanes, altitude, Chuck Yeager, discipline, Douglas DC-7, flying, humanitarian roles, judgment, Lockheed Constellation, Mach, military service, offensive and defensive weapons of war, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, Royal Air Force, The 1940s, the airline industry, the Korean conflict, The World's Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw, United States Air Force, World War II
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5 Comments
The North American P-51D Mustang
One airplane which has always mesmerized me was the North American P-51D Mustang. Truly, the airplane and the pilots who flew her into combat were in a class of their own. When I started flying in 1971, I came across … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged .50 caliber Browning machine guns, Air Force, air shows, airplanes, Eighth Air Force, flying, grueling missions, incredibly higher return than Wall Street, inexperienced pilots, judgment, long range bomber escort, military service, Mustangs for sale, Packard V-1650-7, pilots, professional pilots, race pilots, taildraggers, the National Championship Air Races in Reno, The North American P-51D Mustang, torque rolls, Trade A Plane, World War II
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3 Comments
Modern Day Heroes
When people might ask about heroes, a few names always come to mind. They are names from the era of naval aviation just preceding my time. A couple of those names somewhat go together; James Bond Stockdale and Douglas Hegdahl. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Couple of My Heroes, Air Force, airplanes, captivity, commitment to God, discipline, Douglas Hegdahl, flying, Hanoi Hilton, Hornet pilots, In Love and War, James Bond Stockdale, judgment, military service, Navy, Navy attack pilot, Navy North Island, required reading, Richard A. Stratton, SERE School, Sybil Stockdale, the North Vietnamese, USS Canberra
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Jimmy Stewart
Jimmy Stewart, born James Maitland Stewart in Indiana, Pennsylvania on May 20, 1908, was one of the most beloved movie actors of the Twentieth Century. Stewart was a gentle man who also happened to be an excellent piano player. Moreover … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged 453rd Bombardment Squadron, 703rd, a natural born leader, acting, Air Force, airplanes, B-24 Liberators, building model airplanes, Captain Andy Low, Hollywood, Hollywood star, James Maitland Stewart, Jimmy Stewart, judgment, military service, Old Buckenham, pilots, Princeton, Revolutionary War, War Between the States, World War II, “Old Buc”
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1 Comment
Doing It Over
Yesterday was Veteran’s Day and I wrote about being in the service and what it all means. I made mention of second guessing myself, as everyone who ever enlisted has likely done. There is a lot to go into that … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a long time, Air Force, being content, commitment, decades, Doing It Over, flight training, flying jets, getting old, important lessons of perspective, Marines, military service, Navy, perspective, regrets, ten years, Veteran’s Day
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