Atlantis and Mir Author: Barry Fetzer It’s probably just me (although I’d feel better if I knew others are as nuts as I am), but why is it I like round numbers so much? It may be my “manageable OCD” (manageable, depending on the eye of the beholder I suppose), enhanced, a bit, by my…
The Berlin Airlift Author: Barry Fetzer Actions by the Soviet Union today in 1948 became the impetus for one of the largest, aviation-centric logistical efforts ever undertaken: the Berlin Airlift. Only two days after the Soviets closed all surface access to west Berlin, in what turned out to be a vain attempt to gain concessions…
Firsts in Flight Author: Barry Fetzer It’s easy to forget how many “firsts” the Soviet Space Program had. They “beat the pants” (and the skirts) off of us until all their firsts were pretty much forever buried by America’s first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong, who coasted along to become the “toast of…
James Elms Swett Author: Barry Fetzer “Time,” it is said, “cures all ills.” Time, also, unless we take care to ensure it doesn’t, erases history. New history is created over time, burying the older history. Generations come and go and the experiences—the history—that meant so much to past generations, means increasingly less to succeeding generations. …
Memphis Bell Author: Bryan R. Swopes Submitted by: Barry Fetzer Completing twenty-five combat missions. Most of us wouldn’t bet on those odds. But we might bet on the odds at the casinos. According to Casinofreak.com, “The average payout percentage for slot machines in Las Vegas is around 85 cents per dollar earned.” Flying B-17’s in…
5–6 June 1944 (D-Day -1) Author: Bryan R. Swopes Submitted by: Barry Fetzer Will we ever see it again, almost 1500 aircraft stretching for over 300 miles delivering troops to battle? It must have been a sight to behold…or at least to hear since it occurred on the evening of D-Day minus 1. Can you…
Southern Cross Author: Bryan R. Swopes Submitted by: Barry Fetzer Where has May gone? It has “flown away” with June dawning its first day. And then before we know it, June will be gone. Try to enjoy the moments, for they rapidly fly away. Can you imagine making a flight across the vastness of the…
Aviation History Author: Barry R. Fetzer Today’s historical aviation vignette comes from my memories of tracking an arc (verses a straight line) to a Non-Directional Beacon, one of the best methods (we found, at least, flying multi-mission CH-46 helicopters in the Marines) to get to where we were intending to go. Of course, this low-tech…