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Tag Archives: World War II
Bert Stiles
Yesterday I wrote about the bomber bases in England, left crumbling today 66 years after the end of World War II. Mentioned in the blog, was the loss of talent resulting from the deaths of many. Specifically, I said I … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, History, Writing
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Tagged 505th Fighter Squadron, a feature writer, a writer ahead of his time, B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, Bassingbourn England, Bert Stiles, captured, dogfight, Estes Park, exceptional writing, flying the B-17 into combat, Hanover Germany, Hitler’s war effort, killed in action, missing, P-28s, P-47s, P-51D, P-51s, Serenade to the Big Bird, Tar Heel, the 91st Bomb Group, The Eighth Air Force, the Royal Air Force, The Saturday Evening Post, US Army Air Corps, V-1 buzz bombs, V-2 rockets, W.W. Norton & Co., World War II, World War II bases, wounded
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Happy Birthday John Glenn
Today, war hero, space hero, and Democratic Senator, John H. Glenn, turns 90 years-old. Glenn holds several distinctions for the life he has led. He was the first American to orbit the earth. To date, he is the oldest person … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation History, History, Life in General
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Tagged 59 combat missions in the South Pacific, 63 combat missions over Korea, a Marine Corps pilot, a national hero, a personal friend of the President Kennedy, a ticker-tape parade in New York, and 8.4 seconds, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Democratic Senator, flew in both the Mercury and Shuttle Program, Happy Birthday John Glenn, jet fighters, John H. Glenn, Marines, Navy’s Test Pilot School at Patuxent River MD, orbit the earth three times, space hero, the F-4U Corsair, the famous ball-player Ted Williams, the first American to orbit the earth, the Mercury program, the oldest person to fly in space, the third Mercury mission, the Vought F8U-1 Crusader, transcontinental speed record of 3 hours 23 minutes, war hero, World War II
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2 Comments
The Anniversary of Military Aviation
Monday was the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence and today is the 99th anniversary of rated Army pilots. This day in 1912, Lieutenants Thomas D. Milling and Henry H. Arnold became the first and second United States military aviators … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, History
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Tagged 1LT Roy Kirtland, 99th anniversary of the birth of military aviation, Anniversary of Military Aviation, Arthur L. Welsh, Captain Arthur S. Cowan, Captain Charles D. Chandler, Cliff Turpin, College Park MD, Declaration of Independence, flight training with the Wright Brothers, flying airplanes was very dangerous, Lieutenant Henry H. Arnold, Lieutenant Thomas D. Milling, Orville Wright, Simms Station OH, the 15th Calvary, the Aeronautical Division US Signal Corps, the Air Force, the Army Air Corps, the Army’s first flight school, the Commanding General of the US Army Air Forces, the first and second United States military aviators, the Signal Corps, World War II
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2 Comments
Flying, Biplanes, and Museums
This morning when I got up, I began trying to catch up on some of my reading. One of the emails I read came from AOPA_ePilot@aopa.org and the lead article, titled, “Plane Jane makes last flight,” made me reflect on … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a 1929 Fleet biplane, a birdcage of flying wires and anti-drag wires, AOPA_ePilot@aopa.org, barnstormers, Charles Lindbergh, emails, Ernest K. Gann, flying, Flying Biplanes and Museums, Gene Breiner, maintaining older planes in flying condition a retired FAA maintenance inspector, museum artifacts, open cockpit biplanes, qualified pilots and mechanics, rare antique airplanes, Richard Bach, Sarah Brown, Smithsonian, struts, the secret, training aircraft, two wings, working on antique airplanes, World War II, “Plane Jane makes last flight”, “the peculiarly sensual delight” of flying an open cockpit biplane an open cockpit, “You haven’t flown until you’ve flown a double-winger.”
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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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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
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 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
The World’s First Flight Attendant
In 1930, Ellen Church was a newly licensed pilot who wanted to fly. She went to Boeing Air Transport, the predecessor to United Airlines, and applied, even though she knew her chances of flying as a pilot were not good. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, History
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Tagged Army Nurse Corps the Air Medal, Boeing Air Transport, Cresco IA, Ellen Church, Ellen Church Field, Ford Tri-motor, Iowa, passengers fearful of flying, reassuring frightened passengers, scared and airsick passengers, Steve Stimpson of BAT, stewards, the fledgling airline industry, the very first flight attendant in the world, The World’s First Flight Attendant, United Airlines, World War II
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4 Comments
The Aeronca Champ
The Aeronca Champ is one of the most classic of airplanes from the 1940s. As with most of the old airplanes from that era, the Champ was able to fly based on a very fine balance between large wing area … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged a near-perfect landing, a very honest-flying airplane, adverse yaw, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Continental C-65 engine, discipline, engine failures, first solo, flight training, flying, flying at very slow airspeeds, generous wing area, how to use rudders, inexperienced pilots, judgment, keep the stick back, learning to fly, Mr. Piper’s J-3 Cub, neophyte pilots, pilots, professional pilots, sitting in the backseat, slow flight, stalls, student pilots, taildraggers, the 7AC, The Aeronca Champ, the counterpart to the 11AC Chief, the most classic of airplanes from the 1940s, training aircraft, very well balanced controls, World War II, “purist pilots”
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3 Comments
