Fighter pilots are the elite of the elite. It can take years of training to produce a fighter pilot and even longer to produce a plane that is worthy of their skills. Yet a dogfight can last only minutes. Discover what it felt like to be a fighter pilot during World War II, flying some […]
The Seafire took the reputation of its land-based forebear, the Spitfire, to sea as an interceptor par excellence. Such a specialized role was unique to the Royal Navy; the American and Japanese navies expected more range and versatility from their carrier fighters. After a resurgent British fleet returned to the Pacific in 1945, however, and […]
With brakes on and hands on the throttle the pilots slowly increase the RPMs. The radios crackle as clearance for take-off is given and slowly the first fighter begins to roll. The dam is broken. As the first aircraft bites into the wind and rises from the ground the second aircraft is close behind, and […]
My first Smithsonian Guest Speaker engagement aboard the Celebrity Cruise ship Constellation. The cruise started in Barcelona with a trans-Atlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale.
Another great cruise aboard the Celebrity Cruise Ship Century from San Diego to Hawaii! I gave five aviation history presentations starting with the first aviators to ever fly to Hawaii and ending with the story of the Apollo moon landings and the astronauts safe return splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
