FLIGHT--the Human Aviation Adventure

Welcome Neil! For a maiden topic, you did splendidly and honor my conference with your wisdom. This is gonna be a big favorite of mine! Terry, we need a conference with Neil for its flight commander!!!

Blush*blush*blush

Since the Shuttle just landed, this bit of information might be of interest: When the shuttle comes in for a landing, it does so at a 22% descent angle. Normal commercial aircraft descend at a 2% descent angle. It also enters the Earth's atmosphere going Mach 25

...so much for the hood ornament.

this'll be neat! will need to do some rummaging for cool wallpaper for your new conference, neil! *HUGS*

Thanks Wolfmeister! Glad to have you here!

Neil, Wolfie can even help create custom buttons for your conference. (Think we have him snowed sufficiently yet? He has plenty of the real stuff on the ground where he lives!) I have loads of horizonta bar options but she can also custom make them, too.

*blush*

Poor Neil is doing the same trip we all did when you discover someone actually posts in somrthing you have created... He definitely needs a conference. Last plane I flew in was an L 1011 to Calidornia.

i couldn't even tell you the last plane i flew in...i think it was delta with 9 seats across (to germany)

Wolfie!!! I thought you HAD to pass air recon stuff. *gasp*

*lol* not in my field of work *grin* i have flown in a C-5 and a KC-10....

I feel I should take a moment here to introduce myself, and say why I've created this topic. I've had a love affair with flying and airplanes since I was little; my Dad served in the RCAF during the Second World War as an airframe mechanic with a BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) unit during the war, and then worked on Avro Lancaster bombers with another squadron post-war. He had a great love for airplanes, and he naturally transferred that passion and enthusiasm to me. Throughout my childhood (and even to this day), many of my birthday and Christmas presents consisted of Dinky-toy airplanes, plastic model kits, books, and posters of aircraft--I'm happily obsessed with them and make no apologies about it. Though I hesitate to use the word "expert", I am quite skilled at aircraft identification. I am also an avid aviation historian, focusing on the WW2 period, and am a member of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, as well as Warbirds Worldwide, although my membership in either is not currently active. I'm also a dedicated aviation photographer, photographing local airshows, airdisplays, and aircraft whenever I get the chance. And I still dabble with platic model airplanes when time and money permit. Why did I create this topic? Personally, I see life as an adventure, and flying is one of the most amazing parts of it. This topic is created for anyone out there who can't help but look up when an airplane flies overhead, regardless if it's a Cessna 150 or a 747; this is for anyone who has fallen in love with old biplanes after taking a hop in the front pit of a Stearman, Waco, or Tiger Moth, and for anyone who feel's a thrill go up their spine when they hear a P-51D Mustang's Merlin engine in full, glorious song at an airshow, or loves the friendly, nostalgic rumble of a DC-3's twin Pratt & Whitney radial's as they go over on a winter night hauling cargo to who-knows-where; for those of us who would almost be ready to trade in our grandmothers for a ride on the Shuttle or a flight with the Blue Angels; for everyone of us, all of us, who are still really just kid's inside and dream of flying, or has fulfilled those dreams and made flying their life and passion...

So, to get things started, here are My Top Ten Favourite Aircraft: 1. North American P-51D Mustang 2. Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX 3. De Havilland Mosquito 4. Ryan ST-A -- the prettiest airplane ever to have flown 5. North Anerican AT-6 Texan -- a ball of fun to fly! 6. Globe Temco Swift -- the MGB of General Aviation airplanes 7. Apollo-Saturn V -- not an airplane, I know, but has a more magnificent rocket or flying machine ever been built? 8. Douglas DC-3 -- the airplane that changed the world 9. Canadair CF-86 Mk. 6 Sabre Jet 10. Avro Lancaster -- my Dad's favourite, and one I helped to put back in the air

Sounds like you have tastes similar to mine. And are you also a pilot? You mentioned that the AT6 was fun to fly... *green with envy* Wolfie, just watching a C5 take off is a exercise in epathetic ooching. It looks like it'll never get airborne. What does it feel like from the inside?

There are so many great airplanes out there that my Top Ten is actually a fairly fluid thing, and is prone to some change, but the first five are pretty fixed. No, I'm not a pilot, despite trying desparately to become one. I was in the midst of flight training for my Private Pilot's Licence, when the medico's at Transport Canada decided that they didn't have enough info about a rare genetic disorder I suffer from, so they denied me my medical. I'm hoping to improve that situation sometime in the future to the point that they'll at least let me fly ultralights--I absolutely HATE being stuck on the ground! And yes, the T-6 is a ball of fun to fly as I had an opportunity to try it out before being grounded; the controls on the Six are very light (lighter than some of the fighters like the Mustang and Corsair, so I've been told), nicely balanced and quite responsive, and the joystick on the Texan seems to fall into the hand much more naturally that those dinky little yokes on a Cessna 152. If I could own a Warbird, the T-6 would be on my very short list as it looks, smells, sounds, and flies like the Heavy Iron, and you can take a friend along to enjoy the fun!!!

You will fly! I know you will. That much passion for airplanes has got to be rewarded in private license if not the governement's.

OK, YAPP IS DOING ODD THINGS AGAIN - WILL DELETE THE OUT OF SEQUENCE DOUBLE POSTS....

ok, the two duplicated messages have been deleted ... wouldn't you know it was something useless by me?!

well, in a C-5, the passenger seats are backwards compared to a conventional plane. when i came back from the desert, i really didn't care one way or the other. i was asleep! but, i will say that it was better than the KC10--more legroom, not as cold. and you wanna talk about empathetic ooching, you should watch a B-52. i don't know how those things fly!

Yup - wings flex Seriously! Um..have watched U2's do touches and goes. The sound like nothing else in the air when the fly.

I've attended many airshows over the years, and seeing the B-52 was always an awe-inspiring experience. With those long swept wings carrying eight smokey turbofans, and sounding like an entire airport taking off at once, the BUFF always impressed the hell out of me. The first time it showed up at the Hamilton show, just after a new 8000' runway had been installed, the '52 driver made several very low passes about 150 yards from where I stood as I helped put up snow fencing along the planned crowdline. As the '52 passed by, you could almost feel the air itself trying to get of the way of the big plane. After he landed and taxied to his static display spot, you could see that the outrigger landing gear out near the drooping wingtips was dangling far out over the grass on either side of the concrete. To see the hulking beast, a plane most likely older than me at that time in the late 1980's, was like staring at some prehistoric sky-beast from some bizarre Tolkien-esque fantasy. It was, and is, an imposingly ma nificent aircraft.

and it still out bomb modern aircraft!! those things can really move when the need arises!!

yepper--they didn't take them into Desert Storm for nothing. I'm just glad they were never used for their original purpose, or you and I and all the rest of us wouldn't be around to admire the ol' BUFF. I still enjoy seeing the ersatz B-52 segments in Stanley Kubrick's film, Dr. Strangelove.

AIR SHOW MEMORIES: Best Aerobatic Team: I know some of my countrymen will want to string me up for this, but my favourite military aerobatic team isn't the Canadian Armed Forces Snowbirds; it's the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, esp, when they were flying McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawks. What forever won me over to them was a manuver involving two A-4's: as one a/c approached from stage right in "dirty" configuration (gear, flaps, & hook down and flying a slow landing approach), the second aircraft was coming from the right in a parallel course going full-tilt boogie. Just as the second fast aircraft overtook the slower one, both aircraft pitched up into full, round loops. The dirty aircraft kept it's loop tight due to it's lower airspeed, while the second made a big soaring loop. But the really neat thing was they maintained the exact same position relative to one another as they went around their respective circles, and arrived at the bottom of their loops at the same time before neatly snapping away into sharp diverging turns. I wa seriously wowed. My second favourite team is the Italian Frecce Tricolori (Tri-coloured Arrows); their displays have tremendous style and pinache, and they're a thoroughly professional bunch of guys. The best civilian aerobatic team, hands down, are the Northern Lights. They are just plain fun, and the team is made up primarily of Canadian ex-Snowbird pilots. Favourite solo performers are Patty Wagstaff and Oscar Boesch, who can make a sailplane flight a true thing of beauty. Funniest Air Show Moment: The Truly Stealthy F-117 At the Hamilton Airshow in 1994, the weather was just left of dismal. Rain and low ceilings had plagued the show all weekend, and little if anything, got off the ground. By Sunday we were all desparate for something to happen, collectively projecting our wills at the clouds trying to burn them off, but to no avail. Then it was annonunced that the fabled Lockheed F-117 Stealth Fighter was inbound to the show, and was going to attempt a low pass over the field. That brightened our sagging spirits immensely, and all of us among the "Camera Crazies" pulled out our trusty Nikon's, Canon's, and Pentax's with the hopes of capturing the infamous Nighthawk on film. Even the show's commentator's had brightened up, and were happily rattling off the plane's vital statistics over the PA. Then, we could hear the approach of jet engines, and the announcer's gleefully proclaimed the Stealth's arrival. We stood, watched, and listened as the plane sailed overhead, completely lost to us by cloud. The whole area fell silent a we die-hard airplane fantics stood there looking up into the murk, and then at each other. Then the irony of what had just happened fell on us like a ton of bricks; the Stealth had finally lived up to it's name and had been "truly invisible" and we fell into side-splitting spasms of laughter. The show was a write-off, but that one moment of absurdity relieved a weekend of disappointment and tension. It still brings a smile to me as I write this... Most Memorable: The Big Bomber Formation Seeing an Avro Lancaster, a B-24 Liberator, two B-17's, and a B-29 all flying together. The noise of all those big piston engines working in close harmony was an experience unto itself... The De Havilland Mosquito Kermit Weeks brought his Mossie to Hamilton a couple of times. So sleek, so rare--a truly memorable airplane. The Worst Memory: Witnessing the fatal crash of an RAF Nimrod ASW aircraft into Lake Ontario at the Toronto International Airshow. Watching an aircraft dive into the earth is something I hope none of you witness. The awful, sick feeling of loss and helpless is overwhelming. I never want to see it happen again...

=Sorry to follow such so splendid a post as the one above with this, but it IS seasonal and perhaps appropriate...

That is an incredible picture! It's like a big fluffy egg.

Yup, and the pilot has his very own little one, too. Wonder why!

Hi guys. I'm no aerodynamicist, but I think I can explain the the small vapor cloud over the cockpit canopy, and the overall image in general. When an aircraft passes through Mach 1 (the speed of sound which is roughly 740 mph at sea level), acoustic and aerodynamic pressure waves form on every surface of the aircraft that is heading into the air in the direction of flight. The thing to remember is that these pressure, or shockwaves, are simply highly compressed currents of air being deflected off of the aircraft as it passes through the air, and it's the aircraft moving through the air so rapidly that compresses the air around it. As these regions of air on the aircraft's leading edges are dramatically compressed, it leaves larger areas of air over the portions of the airplane that are farther back from the leading edge (eg. areas over the middle of the wings and fuselage) in a region of lower air pressure. This sudden pressure change causes the temperature of the air in the areas of lower pressure to drop dramatically, making any water vapor in the air in that pocket of low air pressure to suddenly condense into a small, visible localized cloud of water vapour. These dramatic supersonic effects can only be seen when the aircraft involved is travelling at supersonic speeds through very humid air, such as found over costal regions, or in warm, humid weather further inland. But you needn't wait for a supersonic attack jet like an F/A-18 Hornet to see a such effects; watching large airliner's taking off from an airport on a hot, muggy or rainy day can produce a similar phenomenon. As an airplane wing moves through the air, it generates areas of low air pressure relative to the surrounding air, so again, water vapor trapped in the regions of low pressure condense out into visible clouds of water vapor, and you can see dramatic sheets of cloud-like vapor streaming off the top of the wing as the plane climbs out. As for the tiny cloud over the canopy, there would have been a shockwave streaming off the top of the canopy's leading edge, trapping air farther back in a low pressure zone, which condensed out the existing water vapor, producing the little cloud. The photo is not only remarkable for it's sheer drama, but also in it's clear demonstration of physics and aerodynamics. I'd like to thank my lady love, MarciaH, for graciously posting this pic; thanks Sweetie!

Here are some great aviation links: The grandaddy of all great aviation enthusisast's organizations, the Experimantal Aircraft Association: http://www.eaa.org/ The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum; my personal aviation touchstone: http://www.warplane.com/ If you're a die-hard P-51 Mustang fanatic, here are a couple sites you'll love: http://www.mustangops.com/ http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/ Want to fly a P-51? Here's how... http://www.stallion51.com/ Want to keep abreast of the UK Warbird Scene? Here's a good source... http://www.duxford.org/ and another..., http://www.warbirdsworldwide.com/ For those itinerant modellers out there like me who can't stop drooling over photos of much better models than our own, here's more punishment... http://www.hyperscale.com/ and finally for tonight, a link to the fabled Avro CF-105 Arrow, a great airplane that was thoughtlessly destroyed by politics... http://www.angelfire.com/ab/avroarrow/noframes.html There's much more to come folks, so stay tuned...

Neil, You should have been a teacher. How lucidly you explained the concept. HOw easy to see what was forming that private little poof over the pilot even before you got to it. Thank you for clarifying the mystery without losing any of the magic! If there is a steamier pklace on earth than here it probably doesnot nave planes on a regular basis. I have seen the effect you mention on takeoff from both inside the plane and outside so frequently that I had forgotten all about it. Those URLs you posted are splendid. More pictures to follow, and soon I will have you posting your own! Next is that spenndid little Ryan you like so much.

that picture is awesome! it was sent to me at work and i guess it made the rounds to others as well. there was another picture with it but i've since deleted it. thanks for the explanation!!

Wolfie, send them to me from now on. Please!!! Really curious about the other picture...

(marcia, i think i deleted it from my drive at work....i'll let you know next week!)

Ok, Wolfie, thanks!

Just figured out how to post images! Ha-ha! Now I can get to work!

Here's another pic for you Mustang fans, courtesy of the Smithsonian Air & Space/Jeff Ethell's pirep's page:

Oh Neil!!! Lovely stuff!

As the wife of a retired air traffic controler I am glad to see this site. I don't see any mention of the C-47. The warhorse. Some of them are still flying in places like the bush in Alaska because they are so dependable and can land where other can't. I really knew when the shuttle was back. It hit the earth's atmosphere over our house. It sounds like someone fire off two cannons in rapid succession when that happens. I'm glad they don't land late at night. I can watch the launches too just down at the end of the street. I like the night launches best. It lights up the sky like a sunrise and reflects in the lake. really beautiful.

Give us time - Neil is still learning how to post images... The C-47 was our intrastate highway for many years after I got here in Hawaii - they still fly and I can hear them even in my sleep. Love walking uphill to my seat!!! Neil, Lucy is a great friend of mine and therefore a great friend of yours by adoption. Bet SHE knows some stories!

Speaking of the next shuttle launch (and I am SO envious!) it is the early morning of the 19th, so be prepared to watch NASA tv!

Sorry 'bout the broken links; still learning the ropes on posting images. This and the previous two posts will be deleted when I find out how to do that; and I will hunt down a good useable pic of a Dakota.

Have you ever been to the Aviation Museum in Kissimmee, Florida or the yearly show in Lakeland?

'Fraid not Lucy, though I hope to sometime, and I'd love to see Kermit Weeks' "Fantasy of Flight Museum" at Polk City (I was lucky enough to see him fly his De Havilland Mosquito at a couple of airshows before he grounded it at Oshkosh). The one thing I'd like to do at Kisimmee is to take a hop in Stallion-51 Corp's two-seat P-51D Mustang--I'd almost sell off my relatives to do that!!!

Is the Lakeland Show the Valiant Air Command Airshow, or EAA's Sun 'n Fun?

Nope Neil, it won't post for some reason...how odd...

Thanks Marci, that's what I was trying for. This image comes from The DC-3 Aviation Museum (http://www.centercomp.com/dc3/) and is copyrighted by the DC-3 Aviation Museum and the Danish Dakota Friends

*Whew* Finally!!!

AIR FORCE ONE

I LOVE that pic Marci: thank you!!! I wonder what kind of tip vortices those things generate?

Texas Tornadoes???!!!

I LOVE that pic Marci: thank you!!! I wonder what kind of tip vortices those things generate?

For those of you not familiar with some of the aircraft on my Top Ten List, here is an illustrated version of it; and as pics of the P-51D Mustang and DC-3 have already been posted, I've added a couple more from my long list of Favourites: 1) Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX --image copyright The Spitfire Shop 2) De Havilland Mosquito B.35 --image courtesy Aero Space Museum Assoc. of Calgary/copyright Jim Koepnick 3) Ryan ST-R (Ryan ST-A replica) --image courtesy Moravia Inc. 4) McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk --image courtesy A-4 Skyhawk Association/copyright Planeworks 5) North American AT-6/SNJ Texan --image courtesy National Warplane Museum 6) De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth --image courtesy Scot Penna 7) Globe Temco GC-1B Swift --image courtesy Globe Temco Swift Home Page/copyright Brian Silcox 8) Apollo-Saturn V --image courtesy The Project Apollo Archive 9) Canadair CF-86 Mk.6 (CL-13B) Sabre Jet --image courtesy Canadian Department of National Defence 10) Avro Lancaster Mk. B.X --image courtesy Canadian Department of National Defence ...more to come!

Here's a pic of the Hawker FB.11 Sea Fury; the ultimate piston-engined fighter: --photo copyright Gordon Bains, "Silvered Wings" Airlife Publishing, UK

What a great image!!! I always wonder where the photographer was in shots like this. Wish it came with sound!

Lakeland's is the Sun & Fun. Great photos.

Here's a photo of a Convair 990, Marci. It was not a commercial success like the Boeing 707 or McDonnell-Douglas DC-8 as it was a smaller aircraft and had shorter range: --image courtesy of the Convair 990 Homepage

Been on that lovely sleek plane - very comfortable and a bit more plush than the others in the size range. Thank Dear - very nice, indeed.

Here are a couple of nice pics I found of the A-4 Skyhawk, these one's belonging to the Royal New Zealand Air Force: --images courtesy the RNZAF Photo Gallery

You are right - I'm gonna ask Terry if there is any way to post sound files which will not destroy our bandwidth or take too long to download. These pictures are magificent but mute. They need sound!!!

Here's a beautiful picture of a modified T-6 Texan known as a "Super 6". I will be making a post shortly giving my impressions of flying one of my all time favourite airplanes, the AT-6.

It's really cute - love shiney planes! But, the Ryan you named after me is still my favorite! Having hever heard a Ryan, my pride of place is a P-51 Mustang. If they were men, I'd be doomed!

I would like to be over in Tampa next week to see the flyovers. I don't think I could take the crowds though.

Hi guys! I felt it was time for some unabashed Canadian flag waving, and being a frosty-butt Canuck myself, what would be more appropo?!? Like the USAF�s �Thunderbirds�, the USN�s �Blue Angels�, and the RAF�s �Red Arrows�, Canada too has had a long tradition of aerobatic demonstration teams, from pre-WW2 to today�s CAF 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, �The Snowbirds�; so here is a short photo essay on some of the better known military aerobatic teams in Canada that some of you may be unfamiliar with: �The Goldilocks� operated out of what is currently CFB Moose Jaw in the early 1960�s, flying Havard Mk. IV�s (AT-6 Texans licence-built here): --the Goldilocks were made up of a group RCAF flight instructors whose intent was to parody the then well known RCAF jet display team, �The Goldenhawks�, and to demonstrate the rather unorthodox flying styles of their students The Goldenhawks were Canada�s Flight Demonstration Team in the 1960�s, flying the superb Canadair CF-86 Sabre Jet, which gives me an excuse to post more pics of my all-time favourite jet fighter! The Goldenhawks were formed in 1959, the golden anniversary of the First Powered Flight in Canada, and were finally disbanded in 1964. The Golden Centenairres performed across Canada during 1967, Canada�s confederation centennial year (anybody here go to Expo 67 in Montreal?), flying Canadair CT-114 �Tutor� jet trainers: Finally, today�s 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, �The Snowbirds� continue to perform across Canada, stll flying the now venerable Tutor, but still wow the crowds across North America:

That really takes skill. I don't know if this is Superbowl week or U.S. Airforce week in Tampa. They have opened McDill to the public. They have 18 different planes on display. F16 simulaters for the kids to get a feel of how it feels to fly a jet. Saturday at the Gasperilla parade they will have flyovers with fighters, bombers, and flyinging tanker. Sunday at the game the Thunderbirds will flyover followed by a Stealth Bomber. Ten years ago when Tampa had the Super Bowl Mcdill was locked down. It was a launching place for the planes going to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. I was sitting here praying for my son who was there.

Hi Lucy! I remember exactly where I was when I heard that the first strikes were being launched into Iraq that January night--I was browsing through the magazine racks at Lichtman's bookstore (now defunct), which had the store stereo system tuned to CBC Radio for classical music when the announcer broke in with the bulletin. I then hurried over to a nearby department store to the TV department to find people already crowded around the sets 3 & 4 deep watching the news of the war; and later I remember when the Iraq's launched missles into Israel and I was worried that the conflict might spread in size and effect--it was a worrisome time for everyone. I hope your son returned safe. I don't want to turn this site into a showcase for only military aircraft, as there are many wonderful civil types too, and I have several favourites in this area as well, especially aircraft that would be considered antiques today. For example... The Stinson Reliant SR-9, a radial-engined, high-wing, cabin monoplane of the 1930's that was as finely appointed as a Packard or Dusenberg automobile. And the Lockheed Electra 10... ..the Learjet of it's day

Not your average P-3 Orion I know and love as a Lockheed Electra... Great images, Neil. What a pleasure to wander amongst the clouds with you...!

Here's a contemporary of the Lockheed-10 Electra, the Beech D-18 Twin Beech, also known as the Twin Texan, Double-breasted Cub, Wichita Wobbler, and Bug-Smasher. In military parlance, it was the C-45 Expeditor, and a glass-nosed version, the AT-11 Kansan, trained bombadier's for the USAAF during WW2. Many of them went on to form the backbones of corporate business aviation departments, smaller regional feeder airlines, and courier services. Twin Beeches still fly today, but many more are slowly disappearing into the earth from whence they came; still, there's rarely a nicer sight in the air than that of a gleaming, polished, natural-metal Twin Beech with it's trusty Pratt & Whitney radials drumming out a tune from days gone by...

These planes are stunning. When they get to the geriatric stage they are sent to Hawaii to do air tours. I promised to take what an elderly Twin Beech looks like now! Again, Mahalo!

Neil, thanks for the session of Canadian flag-waving. Besides, I thought that the Royal Candian Air Force was legendary.

The RACF IS legendary as are the fine men whose uniform they wear. Bows to Neil with rapture - man in uniform is totally irresisible!

Study: Penguins Do Not Topple Watching Aircraft LONDON (Reuters) - Do penguins topple over when they peer into the sky watching planes and helicopters fly over? Finally, a full blown scientific study has come up with the answer. They may waddle away in fright but they do NOT lose their balance and topple over. Rumors of falling penguins have abounded since British plane and helicopter pilots returning from the 1982 Falklands War claimed their flights had toppled the earth-bound birds. To settle the issue, a favorite of cartoonists and penguin jokes, environmental research scientist Richard Stone spent five weeks watching helicopters fly over two King Penguin colonies in the Antarctic, studying their effect on more than 1,000 birds. "We saw birds moving away from the noise (of helicopters and planes)," he said. "Not a single bird fell over after 17 flights." "As it (the helicopter) approached, the birds went quiet," he said. "They didn't appear to turn around and look." Some birds waddled away from the helicopters. Others became quiet. A few minutes later, they waddled back. "We don't know if it's the noise or the visual aspect -- whether it looks like a potential predator," Stone said.

Ode To The P-38 Oh, Hedy Lamarr is a beautiful gal, and Madeleine Carroll is too, But you'll find if you query, a different theory amongst any bomber crew For the loveliest thing of which one could sing (this side of the pearly gates) Is no blonde or brunette of the Hollywood set - But an escort of P-38s. Yes, in the days that have passed, when the tables were massed with glasses of scotch and champagne, It's quite true that the sight was a thing of delight us, intent on feeling no pain. But no longer the same, nowadays is this game When we head north for Messina Straits Take the sparkling wine-every time, just make mine an escort of P-38s. Byron, Shelley and Keats ran a dozen dead heats Describing the views from the hills, of the valleys in May when the winds gently sway In the air it's a different story; We sweat out our track through the fighters and flak We're willing to split up the glory Well, they wouldn't reject us, so heaven protect us and, until all this shooting abates, Give us courage to fight 'em - one other small item - an escort of P-38s. --Pvt. L.S.C, From POW camp at Ploesti

Wow, Marci what a great post! Thank you so much! The '38 was an incredible airplane. Originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, it served in several roles during the War, including ground-attack, bomber escort, photo-reconnaisance, pathfinding, and radar-guided nightfighter. The Lightning was the only US fighter to be in production before the beginning of the War and on the last day of it. It was the first USAAF fighter to fly over Berlin on escort duty, although it's overall success in the ETO was mixed due to problems with the engine's turbo-superchargers and lack of an adequate cockpit heater for flying at altitude, but it proved to be a superb long-range fighter in the South Pacific. P-38's are very rare as Warbirds go; only six are currently flying in the world.

Chuckle. I heard about the penguin thing on a local science show. Another myth brought down to Earth...

I understood they liked to watch baseball games and stood along the third base line to do so! Smart Birds, indeed!

Since our worth creator is busy and I am using up a lot of his time talking, he showed this to me. Ever want to fly a MiG??? http://www.incredible-adventures.com/migs/faq.html

He is worthy. His worth, incalcuable to me!

And, if you are so rich you can buy out Bill Gates, here are some suggested ways to spend your excess: http://www.incredible-adventures.com/

These are from our over-worked and flu-fighting Neil for your aesthetic enjoyment: WHY YOU NEED AN AIRPLANE Richard Bach "A Gift of Wings"

"If you do not yet fly, perhaps you've felt that spirit of flight when you suddenly realize that you are the only one in the street who looks up to watch an airplane fly overhead, the only one who slows and sometimes even stops at an airport to watch the little iron birds come down to earth and to lift off again into thin air. If you act this way, it's possible that in flight you'll find much to learn of yourself and of the path of your life on this planet." Richard Bach "A Gift of Wings"

"Flight, to you, is a required essential tool in your mission of becoming a human being." Richard Bach "A Gift of Wings"

Now, for Neil's second wish from the Bottle Genie: (I want one too - or share his!) http://www-aero.meche.rpi.edu/Curriculum/TAVD/

Thanks for doing such a great job posting those pics and passages from my all-time favourite read, Marci! No one could have a better job than you!

*blush* My pleasure to accommodate you, Dear! It is not just anyone who creates a topic on Geo. Your wish is my command *Hugs*

Experimental NASA Plane Destroyed in Flight The first prototype of a revolutionary aircraft intended to shatter speed records was destroyed during its maiden flight on Saturday after a booster rocket carrying it aloft veered out of control and tumbled from the sky. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010602/sc/space_plane_dc_2.html

Get Well Soon, Neil!!! *Healing Hugs* SEARCH FOR CAUSE OF X-43A LAUNCH FAILURE NARROWS ------------------------------------------------ The board investigating last month's X-43A launch failure is continuing to meet at the Orbital Sciences Corp. facility where the Pegasus-derived booster rocket was built. NASA says the team has narrowed its inquiry mostly to the "booster vehicle control arena." http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0107/20x43a/

SOLAR-POWERED FLYING WING AIMS FOR RECORD ALTITUDE -------------------------------------------------- The sky is black 100,000 feet above ground, and you can clearly see the curvature of the Earth. The air is so thin it is incapable of supporting life. It is also incapable of supporting sustained horizontal flight of an aircraft-until now. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0107/19helios/

TICK TOCK TO KITTY HAWK Only 875 days, 21 hours and 13 minutes to go -- according to EAA's official "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" clock, unveiled yesterday at AirVenture 2001. The project -- to build a reproduction of the Wright 1903 Flyer, as historically accurate as possible -- is scheduled to culminate in the recreation of Orville and Wilbur's first flight 100 years to the minute after it was achieved, on December 17, 2003. Also yesterday, EAA officially announced that Ford Motor Company will sponsor the effort. Ken Hyde, who was commissioned to build the aircraft, said yesterday the program is two months ahead of schedule. "I think the Wright Brothers would be proud of us," he said. NOTE: AVweb's image gallery features pictures from the Countdown kickoff, at . AMELIA EARHART RIDES AGAIN While much of the world's fascination with Amelia Earhart lies in her disappearance, some would rather celebrate her accomplishments. To that end, Greg Herrick, president of Historic Aviation, purchased a 1927 AVRO Avian and recruited Amelia look-alike Carlene Mendieta from Sonoma, Calif., to recreate Earhart's famed 1928 solo flight across the United States. Her round-trip journey will begin in Rye, N.Y., reach its westernmost point in Glendale, Calif., and return to New York. Mendieta is a low-time pilot with about 300 hours, but has a fascination with vintage aircraft and says she's honored to be chosen to commemorate Earhart's famous transcontinental accomplishment. NOTE: Check out AVweb's pictures of the Avian and Mendieta at , and for more information about the flight, go to . AIRVENTURE ON SPEEDVISION ... BUT FOR HOW LONG? Speedvision is running prime-time coverage of AirVenture 2001 tonight, Saturday and Sunday (check your local listings), but for Speedvision, airplanes aren't the only thing flying high -- the rumors are, too. The FOX network is now working out the details of its acquisition of the cable channel and with FOX's current love of NASCAR, fears are that cuts will come to the 30-plus percent of Speedvision's programming currently devoted to aviation. The avfaithful are circulating a petition to secure their beloved pixels, but even the Speedvision representatives here at Oshkosh seemed less than secure about the possibilities. IN-FLIGHT WEATHER FOR THE REST OF US Datalink technology may finally be approaching affordability for GA pilots. Bendix/King recently began installing flight-information stations that will enable pilots to access weather data in the cockpit for a fraction of the cost now associated with such services. According to Gary Stuteville of Honeywell, the ground-based system can uplink much faster than satellite-based systems, giving pilots a more up-to-date picture of actual conditions. Eleven ground stations are up and running, with plans to cover the entire U.S. by early 2003. Text-based weather data will be free to pilots with Bendix/King equipment, while graphical weather will be available for about $50 to $100 per month. OWN YOUR OWN LOCKHEED SPY PLANE In 1939, Sidney Cotton flew sorties to gather information for countries that would one day be locked in war with Germany and Italy. The remarkable thing about Cotton's intelligence-gathering was that he did it blatantly, often right under the nose of the enemy. As the war drew near, Cotton spirited his Lockheed L-12 back to England, but this week, it's at Oshkosh. This is one piece of history that can be yours, if the price is right. Owner Steve Oliver is accepting offers on N12EJ, the oldest L-12 still flying. Take a look, give Oliver a call, and you can be the one to fly this extremely rare bird to OSH next year! NOTE: At you can find out more about the L-12, and you can see it in AVweb's image gallery at . CHECK OUT AVWEB'S COMPLETE COVERAGE: OSHflash is AVweb's daily summary of the all the news and events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001. For more on the sights, sounds and goings-on, including AVweb's exclusive RealAudio programming and one-of-a-kind image galleries, be sure to check out AVweb's EAA AirVenture 2001 Web site:

I don't know if I should put this here but the shuttle entered the atmosphere over us again last night. What a noise. I really enjoyed the cockpit shot with the pilot lining up over the approach lights while coming into the base.He handles that big glider beautifuly.

It was a magnificent landing, and what better place to put it than here. I have such respect for those who can thread needles (or black pinholes) with a ship of that size and weight. Thanks, Lucie. I wish I had been able to see it, as well.

Michael reall respects the pilots abilities since he is a glider pilot himself. He says there is no greater sense of freedom than when you are up there alone just gliding slowly back to earth.

So I have heard - listening to the silence... How magnificent it must be! In fact, I have not heard of one negative glider experience, and I have heard a bunch.

He started out skydiving. He did some of that when he was a forest fire fighter. I was so glad when he got out of that

Smoke jumper? Your men live exciting lives. I am sure your cuticles are in much better condition now that he has gotten out of that valuable service. They are doing it even as we speak in Washington State

Believe me I have slept a lot better these past few years since he got out of forest fire fighting.

Neil, Get better - we miss you! AVweb's Top Stories From AirVenture 2001: SMA: FLYING TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER... "The gasoline engine is dead, it just doesn't know it yet." SMA test pilot Peter Peirport's vision of the future would be grim, if he weren't pushing the latest alternative-engine solution. The idea goes something like this: Piston power with 30-percent fewer parts, turbo-assist, a 30- percent reduction in operating expense, less vibration and less noise, with increased reliability and single-lever operation ... burning Jet A fuel. Crazy, right? Well, the European-certified (as of April 20) SMA SR 305 engine is meant to prove otherwise. Pierport flew to OSH behind the powerplant in a modified Cessna 182, and while the statistics from his low-altitude trip were impressive, the nine-gallon-per-hour fuel burn was about 30 percent higher than the engine's high-altitude goal. But if the ads are true (and when aren't they?), this engine will produce 60-percent power at 25,000 feet and fly for 3,000 hours before recommended overhaul. ...LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT BAND... Though the engine is certified in Europe, its optimal installation is a work in progress. The engine tends to run hot, and when compared to, say, an IO-540, the SMA engine needs about four times the airflow -- which made for an interesting cowling on the 182 and may cause some extra cooling drag ... down low, anyway. Regardless, spewing gloom and doom for the future of 100LL, which it says will be removed from the market within 10 years, SMA sees a strong and growing worldwide demand for its engines. The demise of 100LL is one thing, but with fuel prices on the rise and worldwide availability on the decline, even U.S. manufacturers Maule and Cirrus are taking more than a casual look at using the powerplant. Both companies have 30 engines on order, with plans to develop a high-altitude cruiser if the market demand is found (abroad or here). In most other parts of the world, interest in the project is as high as their astronomical avgas prices. ...AND PACKING A ROYAL FLUSH SMA's train of financial and technological backers offering support to this engine reads like a who's who of European aviation. Even if the product is destined to suffer years of refinement from its current configuration, it's not likely to go away until it works. Everyone from government agencies to Airbus to Renault Sport and beyond are involved, at least to some degree. Aware that the program cannot be fully unleashed until a support system is in place, SMA is currently working to establish that network and keep development close to home. However, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is taking a front seat in U.S. support development. ERAU is acting as a technological test center for the engine's installation and maintenance and may announce official partnership on some level in the very near future. CASPA KEEPS 'EM COMING -- AIRSHOW CHALLENGE ROCKS THE HOUSE... For the third year, aviation buffs at EAA AirVenture were treated to a little rock 'n roll, airshow-style, with the Championship Air Show Pilots Association (CASPA) Challenge. Wednesday and yesterday, five of the sharpest pilots in the business did their dead-level best to outshine the others before a panel of decidedly green judges instructed to choose not the most technical or proficient, but the most exciting. The judges, including an occupational therapist, a newstalk radio host and several other media types, got to sit ringside on what seemed to be their own personal airshow. Pilots Mike Goulian, Greg Poe, Gene Soucy, Sean D. Tucker, and Matt Chapman were given three minutes in Thursday's beautiful blue Oshkosh sky to swing, snap and otherwise sway the judges into advancing them to the next round. The gyroscopics of Tucker, Chapman, Goulian and Poe pushed them into the "Challenge Round," a testosterone-filled four minutes featuring head-to-head flying, with two pilots in the air at once -- separated by 500 feet of sky. ...AS PILOTS DUEL FOR THE GOLD Survivors Tucker and Goulian made it to the final-round face-off, reminiscent of the gunfight at the OK Corral. The pilots sat in their planes idling back to back on the Oshkosh runway awaiting the signal from Chief Steward Clint McHenry. On his mark, throttles jammed forward, engines growled and props bit at the sky as two of the sport's best fairly screamed at the judges to "Watch me!" Four exhausting minutes later, Sean D. Tucker had returned as the winner and still champ, acing his third straight AirVenture CASPA win. After greeting Goulian with a sportsmanlike handshake and hug, Tucker walked to the stand to pick up his trophy, pumping his fist into the air and accepting congratulations and hugs. "I LOVE this show," he repeated several times to no one in particular. We love this show, too, Sean. You and the other CASPA champs give us one more reason to continue to look skyward. NOTE: To read about the CASPA Challenge's beginning, go to . And check out the images at . FATAL CRASH NEAR WITTMANN FIELD... One downside of hosting a huge fly-in is the sad fact that people occasionally die coming to it and leaving it. Such was the case yesterday, when a Glasair III coming in for a landing on Runway 9 went down a couple of miles from the airport. The 55-year-old pilot/sole occupant, was killed. The accident happened just after 1 p.m. ...AS EAA WORKS TO KEEP PILOTS SAFE... Many of the hundreds of forums open to AirVenture visitors stress pilot safety, from weather awareness to airplane maintenance. Yesterday, Bruce Edsten of the Louisville, Ky., FSDO told a packed house of aviators how to prevent their engine from becoming a boat anchor in flight. Over the past few years, Edsten has analyzed several hundred accidents, and has seen the same problems recur time after time. Most of the Lycoming/Continental engine failures can be lumped into one of a set of 10 reasons, says Edsten, and most are preventable. Number 10 on Edsten's list is major internal failure, caused by something such as metal fatigue. ...WITH REMINDERS OF WHAT MAKES ENGINES STOP Things going "clunk" in the night rarely happen, though, so don't get too worried about number 10. Lubrication leaks come in at number 9, and they are often caused by a pilot "oops" like not tightening the oil- filler cap. Next on the hit parade are: induction system blockage (bird nest), ignition problems (fouled spark plugs), miscellaneous maintenance ("What's this extra nut for?"), cylinder valve failure (improper leaning), fuel-system problems (moving the fuel switch to off), carb ice, and fuel contamination (water, jet A). The number one reason, accounting for 20 percent of all the engine-related accidents is ... fuel starvation/exhaustion, but you already knew that, of course. Let's all learn from the ones who bent metal before us, and be careful up there. WEEKS' BIRDS TAKE WING TO LAKELAND Aircraft collector Kermit Weeks recently made Sun 'n Fun officials an offer they couldn't refuse, an offer that will mean more to see for visitors to the Lakeland (Fla.) airport. The lease on the Weeks Air Museum at the Tamiami Airport near Miami, Fla., was up recently and Weeks had grown weary of subsidizing operations there. That left him with a problem and Sun 'n Fun officials with an opportunity. Weeks needed to find 20,000 square feet of storage space for the Miami portion of his collection, and the SnF museum is ... about 20,000 square feet. Weeks offered to fill the Lakeland museum with some great goodies and SnF accepted. "It's a great opportunity for them to create the museum they want," Weeks told AVweb at AirVenture yesterday. Eventually, he would like to consolidate all of his toys into one large Weeks Air Museum, but he's committed to leaving a portion of his collection in the SnF museum for up to eight years. Put the museum on your list of "must see" for SnF 2002. NOTE: For images to go with this story, visit our gallery at . For more about Kermit Weeks, see . HONORING THE PAST: FLYING TIGERS ARE SPECIAL GUESTS... It was 1941 and the U.S. was not yet in the war, but eager pilots were invited to join the storied American Volunteer Group, known as the "Flying Tigers," and fly combat missions in Asia. A few of those pilots, now in their 80s, have been honored guests this week at AirVenture 2001, during their 60th anniversary year. The fighter pilots were instrumental in protecting the Burma Road, a strategic supply route into China. The group racked up an impressive record of 286 downed Japanese planes while losing only 12 of their own. Dick Rossi, Robert "Catfish" Raine, and David "Tex" Hill are thrilling AirVenture audiences with accounts of their daring escapades. Only 44 of the 100 pilots and 200 ground personnel who served in the Flying Tigers are still alive. ...AND TUSKEGEE AIRMEN DISPLAY HISTORIC AIRCRAFT The Tuskegee Airmen also played an important role in World War II, and this year they brought to Oshkosh a newly restored AT-6 advanced trainer, believed to be the only surviving example of the original AT-6s flown by the Airmen during the war. Also on display by the group is a beautifully restored P-51C -- one of only two that are still flying. The aircraft is owned by Kermit (yes, the same one) and Teresa Weeks of Polk City, Fla., habitual aircraft collectors and operators of Fantasy of Flight. "This aircraft has undergone 16 years of restoration," Teresa told AVweb. "We're very happy to have it on display here at AirVenture 2001 to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, whose accomplishments are largely unrecognized compared to other groups." NOTE: Today's gallery includes pictures of the Tuskegee and Flying Tiger airplanes, at . CHECK OUT AVWEB'S COMPLETE COVERAGE: OSHflash is AVweb's daily summary of the all the news and events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001. For more on the sights, sounds and goings-on, including AVweb's exclusive RealAudio programming and one-of-a-kind image galleries, be sure to check out AVweb's EAA AirVenture 2001 Web site: _________________________ OSHTALK AUDIO PROGRAMMING "OSHtalk, Day Four: Splishing and splashing" OSHtalk moved from its usual spot beside the runway at OSH to the AirVenture seaplane base to learn more about using water as a runway and to talk with many of the pilots there. Guests included the president of the Seaplane Pilots Association, as well as builders of the SeaRey, a kit-built amphibian, and it manufacturers. Don't miss this "off-the-beaten-path" edition of OSHtalk. __________________________________________________ AirVenture Sponsor News and Special Offers AVweb has a small army of writers, editors and photographers in Oshkosh this week to bring you our exclusive coverage. We simply couldn't do it without the generous support of these fine companies: * AVIONICS WEST * AEROBATICSOURCE.COM * TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS * PAN AM FLIGHT ACADEMY * FLIGHTCOM * OMF AIRCRAFT * GARMIN INTERNATIONAL * PHILLIPS 66 * FLIGHT EXPLORER

X-Planes Part One: No. 1 through 15 Experimental aircraft have gone by many letters and names, but none have captured the public's imagination through the decades like the "X" planes. And many "X" planes have either been a part of, or made significant contributions to, the space program. Here we begin a roll call of the historic vehicles. http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagegallery/

I spoke to Neil last evening. He has been one sick guy! He is mending, though. So be patient, he shall return! *Hugs*

NASA Science News for August 15, 2001 The advanced space ships of tomorrow will be crafted from far-out materials with extraordinary resistance to the harsh environment of space. An experiment strapped to the outside of the ISS aims to put such materials through their paces. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15aug_1.htm?list89800

WHO WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER, AND IN WHAT YEAR? Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, but Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to accomplish the feat on May 18, 1953. After landing the F-86 Sabre, Cochran found out that the control tower had missed recording the flight. An hour later, she was back in the air to break the sound barrier again for the record. WHAT WAS THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PLANES EVER SHOT DOWN IN A SINGLE DAY BY A U.S. PILOT? Nine Japanese planes were shot down on October 24, 1944, by U.S. Navy pilot David McCampbell. In six months of combat, McCampbell became the Navy�s "Ace of Aces" and one of only two Navy pilots awarded the Medal of Honor for air-to-air combat. WHO WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO COMPLETE EARHART'S ROUTE? In 1964, Geraldine Mock was the first woman to successfully complete Earhart's round-the-world route. WHAT BECAME OF AMELIA EARHART AND HER COPILOT? In 1937, Earhart attempted with a copilot, Frederick J. Noonan, to fly around the world, but her plane was lost on the flight between New Guinea and Howland Island. In 1992, a search party reported finding remnants of Earhart's plane on Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island), Kiribati, but their claims were disputed by people who worked on Earhart's plane, and her fate remains a mystery.

January 5 7:20 PM ET Small Plane Crashes Into Building in Tampa, Fla. By Robert Green TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A small private plane piloted by a teenager crashed into an office high-rise in downtown Tampa late on Saturday afternoon after taking off from a nearby airport without clearance and then ignoring Coast Guard signals to land, officials said. Capt. Bill Wade of the Tampa Fire Department said there was no word yet of casualties from the aircraft, a four-seater, but he said no one was hurt in the building or on the ground. Jan 5, 2002 Small Plane Crashes in Mountain Area of Eastern Puerto Rico;at Least Five Killed The Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A small plane crashed in fog and rain Saturday in northeastern Puerto Rico, killing at least five people on board, including an infant, authorities said. The 12-seater smashed into a remote, rocky area near the Rio Grande, some 22 miles east of San Juan, said Oscar Sotomayor, acting operations director of the State Agency for Emergency Management. January 5 7:28 PM ET Small Plane Crashes Near Fullerton, Calif. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A small plane crashed early on Saturday afternoon into a vacant lot near the airport in Fullerton, California, killing at least one person, a Federal Aviation Administration employee told Reuters. At 12:59 PDT, the small, private plane crashed about three-fourths of a mile southwest of the Fullerton airport, said Jim Meloon, an FAA operations officer in Los Angeles. MSNBC is carrying headlines about a small place crash outside of Boulder, Colorado. More news as I find it.

WINGED ROCKET TO LAUNCH FROM CARRIER JET TODAY ---------------------------------------------- An air-launch Pegasus rocket will be dropped from the belly of an L-1011 jetliner off the coast of Central Florida at 3:26 p.m. EST (2026 GMT) today to carry NASA's HESSI satellite into space. We'll have complete live coverage: http://spaceflightnow.com/pegasus/hessi/status.html See a chart of launch events: http://spaceflightnow.com/pegasus/hessi/020203ascenttimeline.html

All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and their other announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported: (they saved the best for last so read them all!!) ***** On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants." ****** On landing the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have." ***** "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane." ****** "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride." ****** As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!" ****** After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted." ****** "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child ... pick your favorite." ****** "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines." ****** And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!" ****** Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault...it was the asphalt!" ****** Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal." ****** Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways." ****** A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now, sit back and relax - OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier; but, while I was talking, the flight attendant brought me a cup of coffee and spilled the hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach said, "That's nothing. He should see the back of mine!

I had only a vague idea of Jimmy Stewart's flying, but it goes something like this: In the 1940's, he was making movies, and had enough money to take flight instruction and buy his own plane. He even earned a commercial pilot license. In spring of 1941 (so before Pearl Harbor), he joined the Army Air Force. They thought he would be good as a publicity person; but they found what a good pilot he was, and he insisted on being a pilot. He took flight instruction, and gained experience for 4-engined aircraft. He then flew B-17's and B-24's. For the first year, he became a flight instructor and bombardier instructor. After that, he was moved to England. He flew 20 missions in B-24's; not just as pilot, but also as Wing Commander and later even as Division Commander with the rank of Colonel. He stayed in the Air National Guard until 1978 (or was it 1987), and retired from the Air Guard as Brigadier General. When I read all this, it gives special meaning to his role as Charles Lindbergh and his roles in "Strategic Air Command", "Flight of the Phoenix", etc. Some movie star!

The above Jimmy Stewart material comes with thanks from HFL. *Hugs*

Thanks for sharing Marcia - puts modern movie stars to shame.

You're right about that EsBee. The great movies stars make the modern ones seem like the spoiled over-paid children they really are. They don't make them like they used to *sigh* Glenn Ford was a Captain in the US Navy and I think Martha Raye was pretty high up in the ranks of one of the women's armed forces. I really enjoyed reading that.

Could enemy aircraft really hide behind a wind turbine? http://www.newscientist.com/exc/enews.jsp?id=ns99992207

Wasn't Glen Ford born in Canada? I'm not doubting that he was in the US Navy, but I recall reading somewhere that he was born in Canada. As for Jimmy Stewart. I share something in common with him. Like him, I am a native born Pennsylvanian. Mr. Stewart was born and grew up in Indiana, PA. His father, Alexander Stewart, owned a hardware store there.

Glenn Ford Vital Stats: Birth Name: Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford Born: May 1, 1916 Birth Place: Quebec, Ontario, Canada Nationality: Canadian The museum of James Stewart my informant visited was in Indiana, PA and he was kind enough to include several photos he took there. I will try to post a few!

Thanks, Marcia.

* Dozens killed at Ukraine air show * At least 78 people are killed in western Ukraine when a jet crashes into crowds, in what is the world's worst air show disaster. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_2155000/2155479.stm

* Hypersonic jet launch raises hopes * Scientists carry out what could be the first successful atmospheric test flight of a jet that flies at seven times the speed of sound. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/2160502.stm

Flying Rules Yea though I Fly Through the Valley of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil For I am at 80,000 Feet and Climbing! (Sign over the entrance to the old SR-71 operating base, Kadena, Japan) -------------------------------------------- You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3. (Paul F Crickmore - test pilot) ------------------------------------------- The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire. -------------------------------------------- Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky. (From an old carrier sailor) -------------------------------------------- If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe. -------------------------------------------- When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash. -------------------------------------------- What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up, the pilot dies. -------------------------------------------- Never trade luck for skill. -------------------------------------------- The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are "Why is it doing that?" "Where are we?" and "Oh Sh*t!" -------------------------------------------- Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers. -------------------------------------------- Progress in airline flying: now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant. -------------------------------------------- Airspeed, altitude and brains: Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight. -------------------------------------------- A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication. -------------------------------------------- I remember when sex was safe and flying was dangerous. -------------------------------------------- Humankind has a perfect record in aviation. We never left one up there! -------------------------------------------- Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries. -------------------------------------------- Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it. -------------------------------------------- When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten. -------------------------------------------- Just remember, if you crash because of weather, your funeral will be held on a sunny day. -------------------------------------------- Advice given to RAF pilots during WWII when a prang (crash) seems inevitable, endeavor to strike the softest, cheapest object in the vicinity as slow and gently as possible. -------------------------------------------- The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you. (Attributed to Max Stanley, Northrop test pilot) -------------------------------------------- A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its maximum. (Jon McBride, astronaut) -------------------------------------------- If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible. (Bob Hoover - renowned aerobatic and test pilot) -------------------------------------------- If an airplane is still in one piece, don't cheat on it! Ride the bastard down! (Ernest K Gann, author & aviator) -------------------------------------------- Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you. -------------------------------------------- There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime. (Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970) -------------------------------------------- What is the purpose of the propeller? The purpose of the propeller is to keep the pilot cool. You don't believe that? If the propeller stops, watch how the pilot starts to sweat. -------------------------------------------- The two best things in life are a good landing and a good bowel movement. The night carrier landing is one of the few opportunities in life where you get to experience both at the same time. (Author unknown, but surely someone who's been there) -------------------------------------------- If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to. -------------------------------------------- Basic Flying Rules: Try to stay in the middle of the air, do not go near the edges of it The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space it is much more difficult to fly there. -------------------------------------------- You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal

Thanksgiving Skies Thanksgiving is the biggest travel holiday of the year in the United States. If you find yourself on an airplane, look out the window. There are some strange things out there.... FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/22nov_thanksgivingskies.htm?list818205 The Science@NASA Podcast feed is available at http://science.nasa.gov/podcast.xml .