Sitting on the pitching deck of the USS Hornet, with 11 other B-25s ahead of me and four more behind, I watched as the lead B-25, piloted by Col. Jimmy Doolittle, began its short run across the sea-soaked deck planking. For a brief moment, I recalled seeing the same pilot 10 years earlier at the controls of a red and white Gee Bee racer as it zoomed around the pylons at the Cleveland Air Races. That was when I knew I wanted to be a pilot.
Earning my wings
As a kid, I lived about 20 miles south of Cleveland. My friends and I spent our summers fishing and swimming. But when the air racers were in town, we would hike up there to the airfield, crawl under the fence, and go out and rub those airplanes. It was an amazing time in aviation, seeing the likes of Doolittle, Matty Laird, and Roscoe Turner. Doolittle was flying that Gee Bee only 20 to 30 feet off the ground around those pylons with Rosco Turner hot on his heels. Watching him fly an airplane that looked no more than a barrel with short stubby wings, I was in awe of his flying skills and from then on never stopped dreaming of flying. That dream was realized when I was commissioned October 4, 1940 and rated as pilot.
I was assigned to Lowry near Denver as part of the 37th Bombardment Squadron. We had Douglas B-18 Bolos, twin-engine bombers that we used to train new bombardiers. As we trained the first class of bombardiers, I was a co-pilot with not much to do. I was naive and didn’t focus on the war brewing overseas. But I wondered why we were training all these bombardiers. We would take them up and play on the Lowry bombing range day and night, getting these people qualified on the new Norden bombsight.
This story is from the July - August 2023 edition of Flight Journal.
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This story is from the July - August 2023 edition of Flight Journal.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Keeping 'em Flying!- The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics
The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics. Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, the fighters, bombers, and trainers that defended freedom continue to enthrall and inspire audiences at airshows, thanks to generations of warbird pilots, maintainers, restoration specialists and collectors. In our September, 2022 issue we introduced you to the young warbird pilots, maintainers and restorers who are already beginning to displace more "experienced" warbird fliers and fixers.
The Corsair Maker- Bringing the Vought Corsair to the fleet was a daunting challenge that spanned nearly three years.
When the first production Corsairs exited the Stratford factory in June 1942, Guyton, as seen here, was tapped to manage the flight and production test program. Armament was improved to six wing-mounted .50s, displacing the wing fuel tanks now placed forward of the cockpit which necessarily was moved rearward by 32 inches. Overall length was increased, armor plate added, landing, arresting and tail gear improved, aileron control enhanced, and a new version of the R2800 engine was incorporated. But those significant improvements unearthed numerous idiosyncrasies that would take an extended period to make the Corsair acceptable for carrier operations
STARFIRES Over Korea
F-94 pilots tangle with MiGs
Training Mission
BY THE TIME THIS TRAINING SCENE WAS RECORDED in Canne, Italy, in July 1944, Allied Yugoslavian airmen had several years of experience working side by side with the RAF.
KC-46A PEGASUS
Next generation aerial refueler
"SATAN'S ANGELS" ACE - Tales from a P-38 pilot in the South Pacific
\"AS A KID GROWING UP on the bow of my father's tugboat, hauling oil from Seattle to Alaska, I had a lot of time on my hands.
WACO YKC - Stunning and Ultra Rare Golden Age Cabin Flier
BETWEEN THE IMPLEMENTATION of the Air Commerce Act of 1926 and December 31, 1948, all U.S. registered flying machines sported an N-number, much as they do today, the \"N\" being an internationally recognized identifier for the United States. During that period, however, an additional letter-identifier followed the \"N.\" Depending on their category, they were registered in the NC (Commercial), NG (Glider), NL (Limited), NR (Restricted, usually meaning race airplanes), NS (State government), and, finally, NX (experimental).
BADER'S HURRICANES
Double amputee fighter ace Douglas Bader and his Battle of Britain Hurricanes
Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
ZERO MYTH, MYSTERY, AND FACT
A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters
