Tag Archives: military service

The North American P-51D Mustang

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Joe Clark

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 | 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 | 3 Comments

Carrots and Night Flying

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Joe Clark

When I talk with my commercial pilot classes about radar, one of my favorite “extra point” test questions deals with carrots. None knew the story of British ace, John Cunningham. Cunningham was a Royal Air Force officer who went from … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General | Tagged beta-carotene, British ace John Cunningham, carrots, Carrots and Night Flying, fighter pilot, flying, military service, pilots, Royal Air Force, the British High Command, The Germans, the invention of radar, the most dangerous night fighter pilot of the RAF, World War II, “extra point” test questions | 1 Comment

We’re All In This Together

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Joe Clark

And, according to some of my old Navy pilot buddies, “None of us are getting out alive!” If there were a group of humans who possess an almost morbidly comedic viewpoint of death, it would be Navy carrier pilots. Only … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged all in fun, bravado, cats, deadly serious business, emergency tanker pilot, far out at sea, flying, getting out alive, Marines, military service, morbidly comedic viewpoint of death, moxie, naval aviators, Navy, Navy carrier pilots, old Navy pilot buddies, pilots, pre-destiny, professional pilots, We’re All In This Together, “checking out” | 1 Comment

Modern Day Heroes

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Joe Clark

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 | 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 | Comments Off

The Eve of Christmas Eve

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Joe Clark

We are beginning such a wonderful period. By now, most of us are in the process of forgetting our jobs, ignoring negative world events, focusing on family, and maybe thinking about the meaning of Christmas. I would hope we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged a sense of duty, a sense of honor and obligation, American minutemen, Christmas, focusing on family, Hanukkah, keeping the faith, Kwanzaa, living in peace, Marines, military members, military service, Navy, safety and security, standing united, The Eve of Christmas Eve, the meaning of Christmas, veterans, Vietnam, volunteer force, World War I, World War II | Comments Off

Heroes

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Joe Clark

My student and I finished our flight a little early and when we returned to the ramp, I saw an early model Cessna 210 sitting in front of the flight dispatch building. From afar, the airplane looked good. As I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General, Personal | Tagged a true American hero, aeronautical engineering, airplanes, an older gentleman, Cessna 210, Cessnas, Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket, Eastern Airlines, Edwards Air Force Base, flying, Hawker Siddeley, heroes, just another Cessna pilot, military service, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' (NACA), Navy, North American Aviation, pilots, professional pilots, Scott Crossfield, test pilot, the fastest human alive, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee for Science and Technology, the X-15, World War II | 4 Comments

Jimmy Stewart

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Joe Clark

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 | 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” | 1 Comment

Making the Ship Go Faster

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Joe Clark

As with any organization, pilots can have a rather active, funny, ingenious, and sometimes sophisticated sense of humor. Most times, however, we can just be juvenile, according to our wives. A tale told during my Navy days probably has an … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Flying | Tagged 1-wire, airplanes, breach of discipline, catshot, discipline, glideslope, immediate action procedures, LSOs (Landing Signal Officers), military service, Navy, Pilot Humor on a Dark and Stormy Night, pilots, radar intercept officer (RIO), rounddown, sense of humor, shipboard humor, single-engine operations, sophisticated sense of humor, spud locker, The Air Boss, the marshal stack, the proverbial dark and stormy night, the quickness of a naval aviator's mind, Tomcat, Zone 5 afterburner | 1 Comment

Thanksgiving 1983

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Joe Clark

As we wrap up this Thanksgiving, I cannot help but reflect back on Thanksgiving 1983. In 1983, I found myself stationed at NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and that Thanksgiving holiday was my first stationed overseas. There is nothing like an … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in General, Personal | Tagged airmen, call to service, civil service, duty stations, fellow citizens, friends, good holidays, hostile duty stations, Marines, military service, NAS Guantanamo Bay Cuba, sailors, soldiers, standing watch, stationed overseas, Thanksgiving 1983, vet, young warriors | Comments Off

Doing It Over

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Joe Clark

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 | 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 | Comments Off

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Tag Archives: military service

The North American P-51D Mustang

Carrots and Night Flying

We’re All In This Together

Modern Day Heroes

The Eve of Christmas Eve

Heroes

Jimmy Stewart

Making the Ship Go Faster

Thanksgiving 1983

Doing It Over

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