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Tag Archives: Navy
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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Comments Off on The St. Augustine Sub Hunters
Low Levels
This week, one of the subjects for my commercial class was airspace and as always, I made mention of the military training routes on the sectional charts. When I was flying in the Navy, we routinely referred to the routes … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Personal
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Tagged 910 feet per second, a couple of guys on a boat fishing, airspace, airspeed, almost as fast as a speeding bullet, altitude, Cedar Key, changing elevations, Corsair, discipline, Florida, flying, flying in the Navy, flying on VR-1002, Flying the routes at 150 to 200 feet, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, looked like deer staring into headlights, Low Levels, memories, military airplanes, military service, military training routes, mountains, Navy, nine miles a minute, out West, pilots, professional pilots, rock outcroppings, roll the jet upside down, sailors, speeds of 540 knots, Star Wars, the Gulf of Mexico, Weapons School
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Memorial Day
Today is a day set aside for remembering and giving thanks to the women and men who have served and died in our military so that we may live the lives we live. I could have been one of those, … Continue reading →
Posted in History, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a lucky one, a new generation, a three-day weekend, Air Force, Army, ask yourself serious questions, Coast Guardsmen, discipline, doing the job, independence, keeping the faith, Korea, Marines, Memorial Day, memories, military service, Navy, paid the ultimate price for the freedom, paying homage to squadron mates not as lucky, Pearl Harbor, questioning why, remembering and giving thanks to those who served and died in our military, sailors, soldiers, standing guard for us, that we may sleep peacefully this night and every night, the force protecting America, the pointy end of the spear, Veterans Day, Vietnam, World War I, World War II
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2 Comments
The Big Hole in the Ground
Today is the first day of class and as with all first days of class, some things can be unpredictable. Like what I may use to illustrate my lessons and where my mind might go in the process. Today, it … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged a dangerous place to fly, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170B, Cessnas, discipline, first day of class, flying, friends, Grand Canyon National Park airport, inexperienced pilots, judgment, military service, mountains, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, special air traffic rules, taildraggers, The Big Hole in the Ground, the Grand Canyon
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2 Comments
Cruising
We have the ability today to stay in contact immediately with anyone around the globe. Facebook is a case in point. As I was thinking of a topic for tonight’s blog, I stopped in on Facebook to check in and … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A-7E Corsair, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, at sea, Cruising, discipline, Facebook, flying, flying around the boat, friends, helicopter pilots, judgment, landing signal officer (LSO), memories, military service, Navy, nighttime operations, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, pilots, professional pilots, rescue swimmers, sailors, tactical jet aviators, the deck was pitching and rolling, the guy who bought the beer at the last port of call, “ball call”, “getting aboard”, “Roger ball!”, “We’re going to the ship!”
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4 Comments
Sealord and the Atlantic
It is the day after Mother’s Day and for her treat, I take Ardis to dinner at the Reef Restaurant on the beach. As is always the case, whenever I look out to sea, my mind wanders back a couple … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged 2 v 1 Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM), ACM was much more subjective, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bombs are better, discipline, disliked rushing or hurrying, dropping bombs, flight training, Florida, flying, I gave him the thumbs up, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, learning to fly Corsairs, memories, military service, my mind wanders back a couple of decades, NAS Cecil, NAS Cecil Field, Navy, out of the chocks, pilots, professional pilots, sailors, Sealord and the Atlantic, student pilots, the disembodied voice inside my helmet, the final knock-it-off of the day, the O-Club, training aircraft, “a hung ordinance approach”, “Sealord”
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1 Comment
A Lesson in Ricochets
One day, the weapons instructors introduced us to the technique of firing live rounds. Now this is a little different from going down to the rifle range and learning to shoot; what we were going to do was learn how … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged A Lesson in Ricochets, airspeed, altitude, Cuba, discipline, experienced instructors, firing live rounds, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, guns pattern, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, learning to shoot, live fire exercises, Marines, memories, military service, Navy, never overfly the target, pilots, professional pilots, pushing 540 knots, sailors, salty lieutenants and lieutenant commanders, student pilots, TA-4J Skyhawk, the weapons instructors, tracer rounds, tracers ricocheting in all directions
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4 Comments
Flying at (Density) Altitude
I am a Florida boy who learned to fly at mean sea level. As such, I do not care for a couple of things. The first is cold, the second is high density altitude. Many pilots do not understand the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, discipline, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, memories, military service, mountains, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, training aircraft
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9 Comments
Books About the Men and the Mission
Over the last couple of days of writing about General Doolittle and his raid, many who know me have stopped and talked specifically about the men and the mission. To each, I have recommended a couple of books. The first … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History, Reading
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Tagged Air Force, airplanes, aviation in America, Bob Considine, Books About the Men and the Mission, Carroll V. Glines, discipline, Doolittle’s Raid, Florida, flying, friends, General Doolittle, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again, instrument flying, Jimmy Doolittle’s autobiography, judgment, memories, military service, Navy, Pearl Harbor, Phyllis Thaxter, pilots, professional pilots, Spencer Tracy, Ted W. Lawson, the first raid against Japan, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Van Johnson, World War II
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3 Comments
The Doolittle Goblets
Few know the story of the Doolittle Goblets. In 1959, the city of Tucson, AZ gave a wonderful gift to the men who flew the first mission against the Japanese mainland on April 18, 1942. The gift? A set of … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, Flying, History
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Tagged A set of 80 sterling silver goblets, Air Force, airplanes, Colonel Richard E. Cole, discipline, Florida, flying, friends, gunner of aircraft No. 7., inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Hite, Major Edward Joseph Saylor, Major Thomas C. Griffin, military service, Navy, Pearl Harbor, pilots, professional pilots, Staff Sergeant David J. Thatcher, the Air Force Academy, The Doolittle Goblets, the “Goblet Ceremony”, Tucson AZ, World War II, “Hennessey Very Special”
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4 Comments
