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Testimony of Pilot (8) Neil Armstrong – Research Pilot
Testimony of Pilot# 8 I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the Moon, but flying in a completely new medium. The pictures above do not represent the common perspective of Neil Armstrong the astronaut and first man to step on the moon. Rather using our characterization of harnessing the sky, they and this post provides a testimony of pilot – Korean War Navy fighter pilot and a NACA/NASA research pilot – related to exploring the hypersonic flight regime existing above Mach 5 and the study of the possibilities of flying a winged vehicle outside [...]
Testimony of Pilot (7): Frederick Trapnell – Test Pilot at War
Testimony of Pilot #7 Aeroplane testing . . . demands for satisfactory results the highest training. It occupies no special place by virtue of this—it merely comes into line with the rest of engineering. Now, one can learn to fly in a month . . . but an engineer’s training requires years. It is evidently necessary, therefore, that engineers—men with scientific training and trained to observe accurately, to criticize fairly, to think logically—should become pilots, in order that the development of aeroplanes may proceed at the rate at which it must proceed if we are to hold that place in the air to which we lay [...]
Testimony of Pilot (6): Charles Lindbergh – THE Flight
Testimony of Pilot #6 An experienced aviator through his own eyes seeing and telling another aviator’s story of a dark and stormy night over the ocean most certainly more than qualifies for a “this is no s…t” testimony. With more night flying and night carrier landings than I ever needed, the selection from Dan Hampton’s THE Flight really strikes home and is spot on for this series. THE Flight Chapter Six – Excerpts THE EMPIRE OF THE NIGHT by Dan Hampton … THE LAST GATE is closing behind me. I’ve reached the point where real navigation must begin. … as Slim stares out at [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Chapter One – Of Dragons and Ghosts
Testimony of Pilot #5 And like no other sculpture in the history of art, the dead engine and dead airframe come to life at the touch of a human hand, and join their life with the pilot’s own. When you believe in something as true as the sky you’re bound to find a few friends. Richard Bach Corsair II Dusk Delivery by Peter Chilelli With the four previous articles this concludes the first chapter of a new series for Remembered Sky. Testimony of Pilot is intended as anthology of TINS, memorable quotes, and story-telling art. Dedicated to Max – Navy flyer, Champ, great husband/father/grandfather, unforgettable friend, [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Sightings – American Dragons
Testimony of Pilot #4 Sometimes no matter whether the words of a Hemingway or any author, no matter how skilled, the complete essence of story just can’t be captured as well as on the artist canvas. Sometimes the event itself precludes the photograph, or in combat aviation particularly, I think the dynamics sometimes prevent complete recall of the pilot in sufficient detail. But with only minor information the imagination and talent of the artist can bring that story to life or indeed stand by itself as the telling. Peter Chilelli used that talent to recreate my memories of that first [...]
Testimony of Pilot: “I Am a Dragon, America the Beautiful Like You Will Never Know”
Testimony of Pilot#3 From AIRSHIPS; Testimony of Pilot by Barry Hannah … Through Lilian I got the word that Quadberry was out of Annapolis and now flying jets off the Bonhomme Richard, an aircraft carrier headed for Vietnam. He telegrammed her that he would set down at the Jackson airport at ten o’clock one night. So Lilian and I were out there waiting. It was a familiar place to her. She was a stewardess and her loops were mainly in the South. She wore a beige raincoat, had red sandals on her feet; I was in a black turtleneck and corduroy jacket, [...]
Testimony of Pilot: “I’ll Remember”
Testimony of Pilot #2 by Richard L. Newhafer I remember the things of the past four years. They are as much a part of me now and forever as my very soul. The years of my life may be many or may be few, but I’ll remember . . . VF-6 Hellcat on the USS Hancock The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Richard L. Newhafer for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron SIX (VF-6), [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Of the Telling of TINS and the Avoidance of Lawyers
Testimony of Pilot #1 You love a lot of things if you live around them, but there isn’t any woman and there isn’t any horse, nor any before nor any after, that is as lovely as a great airplane, and men who love them are faithful to them even though they leave them for others. A man has only one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely plane he loses it to, there his heart will ever be. Ernest Hemingway Spitfire by Barrie Clark This Ernest Hemingway quote is from an article he wrote for Collier’s [...]
1942- The Year of the Aircraft Carrier; (Part 11+) – “Why Is China’s Navy Studying the Battle of Guadalcanal?”
Blown Slick Series #13 Part 11+ The National Interest magazine recently published Why Is China’s Navy Studying the Battle of Guadalcanal? by Lyle J. Goldstein a research professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. The following provides key excerpts and points. The original article can be found here. China’s military has not had much combat experience in recent decades, and this is recognized among Chinese military leaders as a potentially serious problem. The reasons for this scarcity of battlefield know-how are obvious and might even be praise-worthy. It has been nearly [...]
TOPGUN – Book Recommendation (2)
Highest recommendation for Dan Pedersen’s (CAPT. USN, Ret) just released book TOPGUN; An American Story … we sent our people out there not trained for dogfighting. We sent the aircraft out there not equipped for dogfighting… and we got into nose-nose combat situations where neither the guy flying the airplane nor the airplane itself had ever fired a missile. Further, based on the expected nature of air war and our technical developments to intercept bombers at long range, we have lost expertise and continuity in ‘being dogfighters’ … there is a need to establish a fighter weapons school to reverse this trend [...]
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Testimony of Pilot (8) Neil Armstrong – Research Pilot
Testimony of Pilot# 8 I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the Moon, but flying in a completely new medium. The pictures above do not represent the common perspective of Neil Armstrong the astronaut and first man to step on the moon. Rather using our characterization of harnessing the sky, they and this post provides a testimony of pilot – Korean War Navy fighter pilot and a NACA/NASA research pilot – related to exploring the hypersonic flight regime existing above Mach 5 and the study of the possibilities of flying a winged vehicle outside [...]
Testimony of Pilot (7): Frederick Trapnell – Test Pilot at War
Testimony of Pilot #7 Aeroplane testing . . . demands for satisfactory results the highest training. It occupies no special place by virtue of this—it merely comes into line with the rest of engineering. Now, one can learn to fly in a month . . . but an engineer’s training requires years. It is evidently necessary, therefore, that engineers—men with scientific training and trained to observe accurately, to criticize fairly, to think logically—should become pilots, in order that the development of aeroplanes may proceed at the rate at which it must proceed if we are to hold that place in the air to which we lay [...]
Testimony of Pilot (6): Charles Lindbergh – THE Flight
Testimony of Pilot #6 An experienced aviator through his own eyes seeing and telling another aviator’s story of a dark and stormy night over the ocean most certainly more than qualifies for a “this is no s…t” testimony. With more night flying and night carrier landings than I ever needed, the selection from Dan Hampton’s THE Flight really strikes home and is spot on for this series. THE Flight Chapter Six – Excerpts THE EMPIRE OF THE NIGHT by Dan Hampton … THE LAST GATE is closing behind me. I’ve reached the point where real navigation must begin. … as Slim stares out at [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Chapter One – Of Dragons and Ghosts
Testimony of Pilot #5 And like no other sculpture in the history of art, the dead engine and dead airframe come to life at the touch of a human hand, and join their life with the pilot’s own. When you believe in something as true as the sky you’re bound to find a few friends. Richard Bach Corsair II Dusk Delivery by Peter Chilelli With the four previous articles this concludes the first chapter of a new series for Remembered Sky. Testimony of Pilot is intended as anthology of TINS, memorable quotes, and story-telling art. Dedicated to Max – Navy flyer, Champ, great husband/father/grandfather, unforgettable friend, [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Sightings – American Dragons
Testimony of Pilot #4 Sometimes no matter whether the words of a Hemingway or any author, no matter how skilled, the complete essence of story just can’t be captured as well as on the artist canvas. Sometimes the event itself precludes the photograph, or in combat aviation particularly, I think the dynamics sometimes prevent complete recall of the pilot in sufficient detail. But with only minor information the imagination and talent of the artist can bring that story to life or indeed stand by itself as the telling. Peter Chilelli used that talent to recreate my memories of that first [...]
Testimony of Pilot: “I Am a Dragon, America the Beautiful Like You Will Never Know”
Testimony of Pilot#3 From AIRSHIPS; Testimony of Pilot by Barry Hannah … Through Lilian I got the word that Quadberry was out of Annapolis and now flying jets off the Bonhomme Richard, an aircraft carrier headed for Vietnam. He telegrammed her that he would set down at the Jackson airport at ten o’clock one night. So Lilian and I were out there waiting. It was a familiar place to her. She was a stewardess and her loops were mainly in the South. She wore a beige raincoat, had red sandals on her feet; I was in a black turtleneck and corduroy jacket, [...]
Testimony of Pilot: “I’ll Remember”
Testimony of Pilot #2 by Richard L. Newhafer I remember the things of the past four years. They are as much a part of me now and forever as my very soul. The years of my life may be many or may be few, but I’ll remember . . . VF-6 Hellcat on the USS Hancock The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Richard L. Newhafer for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron SIX (VF-6), [...]
Testimony of Pilot: Of the Telling of TINS and the Avoidance of Lawyers
Testimony of Pilot #1 You love a lot of things if you live around them, but there isn’t any woman and there isn’t any horse, nor any before nor any after, that is as lovely as a great airplane, and men who love them are faithful to them even though they leave them for others. A man has only one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely plane he loses it to, there his heart will ever be. Ernest Hemingway Spitfire by Barrie Clark This Ernest Hemingway quote is from an article he wrote for Collier’s [...]
1942- The Year of the Aircraft Carrier; (Part 11+) – “Why Is China’s Navy Studying the Battle of Guadalcanal?”
Blown Slick Series #13 Part 11+ The National Interest magazine recently published Why Is China’s Navy Studying the Battle of Guadalcanal? by Lyle J. Goldstein a research professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. The following provides key excerpts and points. The original article can be found here. China’s military has not had much combat experience in recent decades, and this is recognized among Chinese military leaders as a potentially serious problem. The reasons for this scarcity of battlefield know-how are obvious and might even be praise-worthy. It has been nearly [...]
TOPGUN – Book Recommendation (2)
Highest recommendation for Dan Pedersen’s (CAPT. USN, Ret) just released book TOPGUN; An American Story … we sent our people out there not trained for dogfighting. We sent the aircraft out there not equipped for dogfighting… and we got into nose-nose combat situations where neither the guy flying the airplane nor the airplane itself had ever fired a missile. Further, based on the expected nature of air war and our technical developments to intercept bombers at long range, we have lost expertise and continuity in ‘being dogfighters’ … there is a need to establish a fighter weapons school to reverse this trend [...]