The speculation and rumors will soon change because the big reveal is not too far distant. This video from Sandbox News/Airpower with Alex Hollings tells the story. The below video is 18:52 in length.
Jerry Dixon
Last week’s news had ex-Marine Corps Pilot, FASF news scout, and long-time member, Jerry Dixon (L), on the prowl for some appropriate memories for our WWII Yanks and Queen Elizabeth II’s last flight into the sunset. The video itself was created by “HISTORIC WINGS.“
He found the following short (8 min) video commemorating the B-17, The Rose of York, christened with that name to honor the extremely gracious and hospitable young Princess Elizabeth of York, her very first Royal Title. Here, below, is that memory in video form. This first image of the video will play in a separate window, one hosted by YouTube, itself. The second image will show the video right here on the FASF site.
Video in memory of the long reigning Queen of England, The Rose of York.
To see this film embedded right here, just click the following image. We strongly recommend you open the screen view to full size in order to properly enjoy the experience: 
Here below are some more photos of the Royal event with the 306th Bomb Group’s Rose of York saga: 
A grainy but nice close-up of the Rose of York nose art with the Princess and her father, the King. Two things are evident here – the nose art was very professionally done and the Princess was a very beautiful young lady at 18 years.
This photo was taken from the base tower of the entire ceremony as it took place in front of the hangar.
And, here’s another interesting twist in a 78-year-old WWII story: The return of the Rose of York in modern times. Rose of York lives on again:
Boeing KC-135R aerial refueling tanker at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, 9 September 2009.
The tanker recently was affixed with replica nose art to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the christening of the original Rose of York and the bravery and selfless service of all of her crew members, including her first Aircraft Commander and New Hampshire resident Joseph Couris.
In 1944 Joseph Couris was stationed at Thurleigh Royal Air Force Base near Bedford, England serving as a B-17 Aircraft Commander in the 306th Bombardment Group, 367th Bombardment Squadron of the U.S. Eighth Army Air Force. Tech. Sgt Stephens and Staff Sgt. Johnson of the NHANG, designed the new decal and all three unit members installed the nose art on the tanker. Photo: 157th Air Refueling Wing NHANG.
Close-up of new Rose of York’s artwork . . . not as complete and polished as the original. Photo by Fergal Goodman
First, many thanks to long-time FASF member and long-time President of the EAA’s well-known chapter in Las Cruces, NM, Wes Baker, for the idea to post this story!
Some of you who, like your Webmaster, grew up during WWII, believed we had a super weapon in the highly touted Norden Bombsight. We heard about it regularly in the mainstream press, and even heard glowing reports of its “pin-point” accuracy all through the war – right up to and including the two nuclear bombings in Japan of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
However, it seems we were propagandized, because things were not, in reality, quite the way they were described to us. Also, thanks to Maxwell Air Force Base, we have the following story. Here, with the text, you will see some photos of the device.
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. — The chief of staff reading list has been updated this year to provide Airmen a guide to further their education and expertise. This year the list includes several TED talks, including “The Strange Tale of the Norden Bombsight,” by Malcolm Gladwell, a Canadian journalist, author, and speaker.
The Norden Bombsight is on display at Air War College and Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall.
Photo of the famed NORDEN BOMBSIGHT of WWII – Photo supplied by Wes Baker
The bombsight, developed by Carl Norden, a Swiss engineer, was used by the U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces beginning in World War II until its retirement during the Vietnam War.
“I have not described to you a success story,” Gladwell said. “I’ve described to you the opposite of a success story. This is the problem of our infatuation with the things we make. We think that the things we make can solve our problems, but our problems are much more complex than that. The issue isn’t the accuracy of the bombs you have, it’s how you use the bombs you have and more importantly, whether you ought to use bombs at all.”
Norden Bombsight in the nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress
This proved to be true for Norden and his bombsight. On August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay used a Norden Bombsight to drop an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.
Diagram and Explanation of Bombsight’s Components
“The bomb missed its target by 800 feet, but of course, it didn’t matter, and that’s the greatest irony of all,” Gladwell said. “The air force’s $1.5 billion bombsight was used to drop its $3 billion bomb, which didn’t need a bombsight at all. No one told Carl Norden that his bombsight had been used over Hiroshima. He was a committed Christian. He thought he had designed something that would reduce the toll and suffering in war. It would have broken his heart.”
Please let us know if you have any particular knowledge or experience with the Norden Bombsight.
It was almost 40 years ago when the Williams AFB, Arizona Daedalian “Willie” Flight #82 began to give an award to each graduating class of new F-16 Fighter Pilots at Luke Air Force Base (LAFB) (near Phoenix) a highly and much cherished “Leadership” trophy.
NOTE: Click on any photographs to see them in full (high) resolution on a separate page.
The Training staff would vote for the student who displayed the greatest leadership qualities. When that LAFB F-16 VIPER training program was transferred to Holloman AFB (HAFB) near Alamogordo, NM, the pleasant duty of presenting each class’s Daedalian Leadership Award fell upon the El Paso, Texas Daedalians’ Flight 24.
The below 3:12 minute long video gives a glimpse of the F-16 Viper training program, which began at Luke AFB, AZ, and is now carried on at Holloman.
All members of El Paso Flight 24 are long-time FASF members, which is why the FASF posts each of those HAFB Viper Graduation Ceremonies right here, whenever possible.
This post’s headline above refers to the two amazing coincidences that took place at each of the last two graduations at Holloman: The most recent one was on August 20th, and before that, on May 21st of this year.
A few weeks ago the honored awardee of the Leadership prize was a new female fighter pilot, Captain Nicole L. “Clump” Palyok (Below) – – – Go to the end of the post to read Captain Palyok’s short biography.*
Captain Nicole Palyok’s 311th Tactical Fighter Squadron graduation program photo . . . (much enlarged)
Flight 24 had awarded that same achievement trophy to its very first female fighter pilot over five (5) years ago; Lt. Claire “Harry” Bieber. The now Captain Bieber is only the second part of the event’s coincidences. The most astounding component of the coincidences began with what actually took place last May when the top Leader graduate was Captain Mark “GEF3” Palyok. (Below)
Captain Mark Palyok’s 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron Graduation Program Photo
Were they brother and sister? No, rather a husband and wife. And, after their graduation, both will be stationed in Japan – – – and at the same location: Misawa Air Base.
Of course, the odds of this happening are beyond minuscule, but it did take place. And your webmaster was privileged to witness this amazing coincidence unfold.
The other astounding small-world coincidence concerning these two female Fighter Pilots is that your Webmaster sat next to Lt. Colonel Jim Hayward and his wife during the 311th TFS graduation dinner just four weeks ago.
When I mentioned to Colonel Hayward that there was only one other female that had been selected as a graduating squadron’s top leader – – – and that that award had been presented by me five years ago. The Colonel inquired about that female awardee’s name.
I said it was Claire Bieber.
He was quite surprised. Not only did he know her, but he said, “She was my ‘wingman’ in Afghanistan!“
The Colonel then went on to assert that she was the finest, a ‘wingman’ who was among the best pilots he’d experienced, one that he knew always “had his back” . . . in short, “She was great!”
So, without further ado, let’s see the characters involved in these two coincidences (follow the link above to see all about Capt. Bieber).
Last May 21st was when Captain Mark Palyok was awarded the Daedalian Leadership Trophy by long-time FASF member and current Daedalian Flight 24 Captain, Colonel Alan Fisher:
Col. Alan Fisher congratulates Capt. Mark Palyok on his achievements
L to R: Col. Bob Pitt, Col. Alan Fisher, Capt. Mark Palyok, Ric Lambart, and Col. Miles “Cowboy” Crowell
That evening, Col. Miles “Cowboy” Crowell, Daedalian, explained the Vietnam Era “River Rat” Award
Colonel Crowell congratulates Lt. David “Souper” Cooper, recipient of the River Rat Award
And now, let’s pick up the next Palyok event, Here, below, are the photos from that Graduation:
Colonel Fisher presents the Leadership Trophy to Captain Nicole “Clump” Palyok.
Colonel Fisher explains the significance of the award from the Daedalians to the audience as Capt. Palyok listens.
The evening’s graduates stand on stage at the end of the ceremonies. L to R above are Capt. Timothy Crain, Lt. William Tatum, Capt. Palyok, Capt. Phill Warden, Guest Speaker Major (Ret.) T. O. Hanford, Lt. Isaiah Butcher, Lt. Eliot Shapleigh, Capt. Nicholas Reisch, Lt. Austin Good, Lt. Connor Davis, and Lt. David Louthan.
The Graduates removed their Dress Uniform jackets to reveal their traditional “Party Shirts” in readiness for the celebratory session. L to R above are Lt. William Tatum, Lt. Isaiah Butcher, Capt. Nicholas Reisch, Capt Phill Warden, and our star for the evening, Capt. Nicole Palyok.
Ric Lambart, Col. Alan Fisher, Col. Mario Campos, Nicole Palyok, Colonels Bob Pitt, and “Cowboy” Crowell.
Chatting after the ceremonies are: L to R: Capt. Nicole Palyok, Colonels Bob Pitt and Mario Campos
During the award ceremonies, Col. “Cowboy” Crowell presented the “River Rat” award to Captain Timothy Crain.
* Nicole grew up in an Air Force family moving around her entire life. Her grandpa flew cargo in Vietnam, her dad flew the F-15C fighter, and her brother is a B-1 pilot stationed at Ellsworth SD right now.
So Nicole has 3 generations of pilots in the family which is “pretty awesome.”
She went to college at the University of Virginia where she got a BS in Biology. Originally she was Pre-Med while doing AFROTC, but after giving flying a try for a few hours in a Cessna she decided to apply for a pilot slot.
Nicole was commissioned and moved to Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, TX for Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). She stayed there after UPT as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP) and taught students how to fly the T-38 for 3 years in the 87th Flying Training Squadron.
That is where she met her husband, Mark Palyok, who was also a T-38 FAIP at the time. Her husband and Nicole moved to Holloman AFB last summer and both went through F-16 training at the same time, though he was two months ahead of his wife’s class. Mark is already out at Misawa AB, Japan, and she will be joining him there in October. They are “very excited to be flying the Viper and to have the opportunity to travel overseas too.”
Nicole remarked that it was “funny that we both ended up being selected for the (Leadership) award, It was quite an honor.”
Thanks, first to “Military News,” here are three videos about the next generation of jet fighters currently in the works . . . first with NATO, and then we’ll explore what the USAF has in the works. This first video is 10:08 in length.
Second: This time thanks to “Military Tech,” is a look at our own 6th Generation enterprise. Length: 9:14 SUGGESTION: For best quality, make sure to go to “full screen” on each video.
Third, thanks to “DAILY AVIATION,” we’ll see how an entire “generation” may actually be skipped! This last video is 11:17 long.
As a youngster of about 6, your webmaster’s father arranged to have him taken up for his first airplane ride at Curtiss-Wright Field north of Chicago, Illinois (it was also a Naval Reserve Training Station). That first airplane adventure hooked yours truly on becoming a pilot which I did, some 8 years later only a few miles from that old Curtiss Airport. At that time, WWII was in full swing (1944) and the old Curtiss Airport was now a hyper-busy all-Navy Flight Training Station (NAS).
But, back in 1935, that first airplane ride was on the civilian side of Curtiss Airport, and in a Stinson Reliant owned by American Airlines and sometimes used to give the public their first flying experience. This is a photo of that plane (an airplane built by the same family featured below):
American Airlines Stinson SR-9C “RELIANT”
And now, let’s explore an example of the vital role often played in early American aviation pioneering by the family of some of those intrepid pilots . . . both male and female. This Stinson Family Video is only 11:50 long. Suggest you watch this in full-expanded size on your screen:
The below short video is another feature video, 3:13 in length, about Katherine Stinson’s career: You might enjoy this video more if you also watch it full-size. 
As terror strikes Ukraine and its very survival as an independent nation rests in the balance, a steady flow of tragic news and suffering comes from this nation. The immense human suffering is certainly the worst news, but to those of us who love aviation and its history, the recent demise of the world’s largest airplane, the Ukrainian-built Antonov 225 is surely one of those pieces of tragic news, too. The AN-225 was most affectionately known as Mriya, which in Ukrainian means “dream.”
Thanks to Henry Tenby of JetFlix TV, who made the following video of Mriya several years ago at an airshow, we can appreciate just how huge this behemoth truly was. The ship, unfortunately, could not be quickly enough flown to safety because its engines had been removed for routine maintenance. We have included several other good videos of this giant transport jet, an aircraft that had been designed to carry the USSR’s large booster rockets.
Another excellent and comprehensive history of this giant of the skies is found at AeroTimeHub. The actual destruction of Mriya took place at the Hostomel Airport on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Lt. Commander Loree Draude
Loree Draude talks about her experiences as one of the first female pilots to be integrated into a carrier air wing. She served in the US Navy for 10 years, from 1989 to 1999 and left active duty as a Lt. Commander. Loree was one of the first female aviators to make the West Coast deployment of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln.
On Oct. 25, 1994, the then Lt. Draude flew her S-3B Viking (see below) aboard the Lincoln to begin her first six-month deployment as a Navy pilot. It was an important day for another reason, too.
USN Lockheed S-3B Viking Jet Fighter
That same day Lt. Kara Hultgreen, a female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, was killed trying to land on the Lincoln.
Hultgreen’s death reignited a firestorm of controversy over whether women should be allowed to fly high-performance combat aircraft so Draude inherited both the underlying resentment of high-performance Naval jet fighters.
From her early days in flight training, however, through to her assignment aboard the Lincoln, Draude experienced some institutional resistance to female pilots and some of the hostile atmosphere that obstructed the training and assignment of women to this highly specialized military combat role.
Commander Ward Caroll
The following YouTube video is of former USN Tomcat RIO and Naval Academy graduate, Novelist, Military.com Editor, Commander Ward Caroll, interviewing at length (43:12 long video), Loree Draude. We think you will find this interview by a fellow Naval retiree, an inciteful and highly fascinating experience. You will come away with a better understanding of what our earliest female combat pilots had to endure in order to succeed. Suggestion: View this video FULL SCREEN.
Kenneth W. Emery *
Ken William Emery was an early member of the FASF Board of Trustees and its official local Columbus, Historian.
The FASF has just learned that Ken died this past Wednesday, the 9th of February, at his Columbus, New Mexico home. He was 87.
Before retiring, Ken was a Cultural Resource Research Archaeologist. His avocation was US History.
Accordingly, he almost naturally spent countless hours thoroughly researching the operations of the US Army’s First Aero Squadron (FAS) during its campaign out of Columbus – and of its 11 young pilots’ lives.
By the time he had completed his studies, it was if Ken had become one of their closest friends, insofar as he knew so much detail about each of their lives . . . both in and out of the Army Signal Corps’ Air Service.
After retiring from Archeology, Ken and his wife, Sheila, regularly spent their summers living full-time in the Arizona wilderness near the old mining town of Globe, where they spent each day of the fire season manning a fire watch-tower in the Tonto National Forest for the USDA’s Forest Service. The couple had met while fellow undergraduate students at New Hampshire’s Plymouth State University. They also lived and worked in Syracuse, NY.
Sheila’s mother, Marjorie Thompson, had been an early American aviation pioneer and was a professional flight instructor before and during WWII. Sheila passed away in 2020.
Ken was always actively volunteering and helping in Columbus Village affairs and served on the Village Historic Preservation Commission. In addition to contributing articles to the First Aero Squadron’s early newsletter, the AERODROME, Ken also wrote stories for the New Mexico Desert Exposure monthly publication. Ken had completed all his post-graduate work in Archeology and only needed his oral exam to obtain his Ph.D. However, and typical of Ken, his love of the outdoors was so great, that instead of becoming a full-time academic, he chose to work for the US Forest Service.
The following is most of the surviving video (15 min) clip of Ken addressing the October 2014 Annual Convention of the League of WWI Aviation Historians at Monterrey, CA in which he described the exploits of the small handful of early US Army aviators that manned the indomitable Curtiss Jenny biplanes in a combat enterprise that lead directly to the development of the world’s greatest Airpower some 30 years later, during WWII.
Ken is survived by four grown children: Peter Emery of Farmington, NM; Holly Emery of San Jose, CA; Sasha Duffy of Santa FE, NM; and Andrew “Drew” Emery of Roslyn, WA. Ken and Sheila had 7 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
*Photo courtesy of long-time FASF member, FASF Photographer, Dave Clemmer.
The below video clip is 15 minutes long. It shows Ken addressing the Annual Convention of the League of WWI Aviation Historians in Monterrey CA in 2009.
Young USAF Jet Pilot Charlie Overstreet
An early member of the FASF, Charlie Overstreet, took his final flight two weeks ago from his home in El Paso, Texas. He was also an active member of the El Paso Daedalian Flight 24 and one of its former Captains. Charlie, over the past ten years, has also been one of our FASF Aviation News Reporters. He was a long-time docent at Santa Teresa’s, New Mexico’s War Eagles Air Museum (WEAM), and was an active member of its Board of Directors. Both the Daedalians, the WEAM, and the FASF will sorely miss Charlie’s positive personality and his incessant “can do” spirit. Here, below, is his Daedalian Flight’s Memorial headline honoring his long service (his wife of 61 years, Mayre Sue, is at the far right with Charlie at a Daedalian gathering):
Charles “Charlie” Overstreet passed away on February 3, 2022. He was born in 1937 to Charles and Zelma Overstreet. Charlie’s dad was a Coast Guard officer and his earliest memories were of being at Coast Guard Air Stations all around the country, watching airplanes with his dad and younger brother Lane Overstreet. This inspired a lifelong passion for aviation and patriotism.
Upon graduation from the University of Miami, Where he was a member of the AFROTC unit, Charlie was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the USAF.
He entered pilot training at Big Spring, Texas where he met his future wife Mayre Sue. They married in the summer of 1961 when he finished B-47 Stratojet bomber training and was assigned to Forbes AFB, Kansas. While in Kansas, Charlie and Mayre Sue had two sons. The oldest Charles Overstreet was born in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crises, Charlie had to take a couple of hours off a nuclear alert to be at the hospital. James Overstreet was born just before his dad left for B-52 Stratofortess bomber combat crew transition training at Castle AFB, California. In 1969 Charlie and his B-52 combat crew joined the conflict in Vietnam, where he flew 55 combat missions during Operation ArcLight. Upon returning from South East Asia, Charlie left active duty with the USAF.
In 1971 the US Customs Service Sky Marshal program hired Charlie and in 1972 he was promoted to a Special Agent/Pilot position in San Antonio, TX. He transferred to DEA in 1973 as one of the initial stand-up cadre. Within a couple of years, he helped stand up the air branch supporting sensitive counter narcotics’ operation, sometimes doing things with airplanes that are generally frowned upon today.
In 1985 he transferred to El Paso, retiring from DEA in 1994. Refusing to slow down, for 17 years Charlie taught as a substitute teacher at Coronado High School. After retiring from teaching Charlie became a volunteer at the War Eagles Air Museum, he just loved being around airplanes. Charlie enjoyed working with his colleagues on the War Eagle museum staff and as a docent for visiting students.
One of his most recent and passionate endeavors was honoring our Texas and New Mexico veterans through the organization and development of the Santa Teresa Veterans Memorial Park in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He enjoyed hunting, skeet/trap shooting, cigars, and traveling around the world with his family and friends. Charlie was a member of Safari Club International, The Order of the Daedalians, and the FASF.
Charlie 2nd from Right with his fellow Daedalians (L to R) Roger Nichols, Bob Pitt, Ric Lambart, and at far right, Mario Campos, all at Holloman AFB (HAFB), NM.
Charlie introduces WEAM CEO, Mike Epp at Daedalian Meeting just this past November 3, 2021
Charlie at Daedalian Meeting Podium this past November 2021
Charlie at Daedalian luncheon table with his wife, Marye Sue, and Colonel Alan Fisher at left.
Services were held at Martin Funeral Home, in El Paso, yesterday (Monday), February 14, 2022.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations for Charlie may be made to the Veterans Project-Santa Teresa Charitable Foundation, 2660 Airport Road #780, Santa Teresa NM 88008. We already miss you, Charlie.
