THE BRIEFING ROOM
B-29 Combat Missions takes the reader through every Superfortress crew position, bringing to life what it was like to fly and fight in the advanced bomber that was credited with bringing World War II to a conclusion earlier than predicted. First-hand accounts from crewmembers are coupled with archive and commissioned photos of items of memorabilia, […]
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.
