Above Video is 9 minutes long.  Turn up your sound/speakers and, if using Firefox Browser, next click on “Watch on YouTube.” (This video shows directly on FASF site’s page if Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s new “EDGE” or Google’s Chrome browsers are used rather than Firefox, so there is no need to click a second time in order to go to YouTube.)

“We shall never forget the courage of those who defended our freedoms.  The human cost of war is incalculable.  May the peoples of the world learn to solve their problems peacefully.”  Major Frederic Arnold, Retired US Army Air Corp Fighter Pilot WWII.

At 94, Maj. Fredric Arnold (ret.), Sole Surviving Member of his WWII P-38 Class of 42J Group, is Sculpting A Monumental Bronze Sculpture in Memory of the more than 88,000 WWII US Airman Killed in Action.

UPDATE: Major Arnold finished his sculpture! It was unveiled at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum on August 6, 2016. Click here to visit the Major Arnold’s  own project website to see the finished sculpture and watch the movie on the homepage to more fully understand the significance of this monument.

Artist’s Statement

Ever since my early childhood, I’ve been an artist.  Fine art. Commercial art. You name it.  This project, however, is special.  It is my magnum opus… The most challenging from an artistic point of view, but more importantly, the most meaningful to me.  I put my heart and soul into this work.

The narrative below describes the overall origins of this sculpture.  Bear in mind, however, it is comprised of twelve individual figures.  Each figure has its own story and its own meaning.  I hope you’ll also take the time to read each of the twelve stories posted under the “Gallery” menu heading.

Here is the background behind this work of art:  Of fourteen original members of my original group of Class 42-J P-38 fighter pilots, only two survived six months of combat: Jim Hagenback and me. Much of our survival was due to luck. Years later, we vowed to each other that whoever was left standing would do something to honor the twelve. Lest We Forget: The Mission stemmed from our deep gratitude to the twelve original members of our Group that didn’t survive to live their lives in peace.

At 94, I am the last man standing of my original group.  Completing the sculpture in August, 2016 fulfilled my oath to honor my comrades. To my knowledge, I am the only commercial artist to live through combat as a US WWII fighter pilot in the North African theater of operation. Turning to my art, the idea of the sculpture grew out of an intense memory of the quiet bravery of my comrades attending a mission briefing as we recommitted to executing the day’s mission, even while flanked by the memory of our fellow pilots killed in recent combat.

Although the sculpture began as a testament to the twelve pilots in my squadron, the scope of the work has grown. Now the twelve individuals figures are dedicated to the memory of the more than 88,000 U.S. aviators who gave their lives during WWII.  I am honored that three former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former Senator have endorsed the deep meaning of my sculpture.

Arrangements have been made to loan Lest We Forget: The Mission to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans for exhibition on their 6-acre campus.  The sculpture depicts twelve fighter pilots during a mission briefing.  The lighter colored spirits of aviators already killed in action look over the shoulders of those still alive.  All are destined to die.  Please view the Gallery pages on this website to see images of the life size figures completed in clay.

Over the last four years, the figures were cast in bronze and are now on display in Denver.  My family and I paid to complete this project.  We are hopeful the public will see the value in my work and help us offset the project costs through tax-deductible donations.  If you have an interest in helping with this project, please visit our Donate Page.

I invite you to watch the videos on this site to hear about the history and significance of my project.

Thank you for your interest and support,

Major Fredric Arnold (Ret.), Artist/Sculptor

All photos on this site by Jafe Parsons, unless otherwise stated

This story was suggested by FASF Aviation News Scout, James Purcell, of Detroit, MI.

USAF B1 Lancer Bombers have again flown near the demarcation border between North and South Korea in a strategic demonstration by the United States of its air superiority according to Military.com and the Associated Press in a release today.  Here is the Military.com story.

Above is short 1:10 long video clip of the USAF Rockwell B-1 Lancer swing-wing (wings change fore and aft position during flight in order to increase flight envelope performance and stability) bomber strutting its stuff out of Mildenhall Air Base in the UK. Both below photos below are courtesy of the USAF.

B-1 Lancer Bomber seen from below in 90 degree sharp right banked climbing maneuver

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer departs after refueling from a USAF KC-135 Stratotanker from the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron over Southwest Asia during a mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, July 23, 2015.

Colonel Larry Broadwell, Beale Air Force Base Commander, above, is interviewed about yesterday’s fatal crash of FAS (1st Recon Squadron) U-2 “Dragon Lady” 32 miles Northwest of Beale AFB, North of Sacramento, CA.  One pilot was killed and the other seriously injured.  Their names will not be released before next of kin are first properly notified. Video is 1:01 in length.

Above video features active FASF member and FASF Advisor, former First Aero Squadron Commanding Officer at Beale Air Force Base until 2013, LT COL Chi Chi (Steve) Rodriguez. Video is 8:00 min duration.

Beale identifies U-2 pilot killed in crash

DATELINE: September 22, 2016 – – – Beale AFB, CA

Lieutenant Colonel Ira S. Eadie, USAF

NEWS STORY FOLLOWS BELOW

DATELINE: Sept. 20, 2016

A pilot from Beale Air Force Base (BAFB) was killed and a second was injured Tuesday after a U-2 spy plane, one of the most famous aircraft of the Cold War era, crashed Tuesday morning near the Sutter Buttes.  As soon at the FASF learns the names of those involved, it will add them to this story.

The pilots, participating in a normal training mission, ejected from the especially designed two-seater version of the aircraft before it plunged into grassy hills in Sutter County, which is the country immediately North of Sacramento and directly west of Beale AFB, which is in Yuba County.

Above map courtesy of the Los Angles Times

The crash set off a 250-acre wildfire. Fire crews sped to put out the blaze as search and rescue teams searched for the pilots in remote terrain.

A local and airborne crop duster pilot saw the accident take place and immediately reported it to authorities.

“We are still working to make access to the patients to (determine) how we are going to get them out of the area they are in,” said Sutter County Fire Chief John Shalowitz early Tuesday afternoon. The Air Force confirmed shortly afterward that one pilot was dead.

Shalowitz said 20 engine units responded to fight the fire, which was set off in hot conditions with a 20 mph breeze. Near the crash site, a smoldering wing, fuselage and tail of the aircraft were visible. The fire was fully extinguished later yesterday afternoon.

Crash site after flames extinguished by Sutter County Fire Department. U-2 Tail, part of right wing and engine are seen.

“The incident is currently under investigation,” said the statement from the Air Force’s 9th Reconnaissance Wing, of which the First Aero Squadron is a vital part. “Additional details will be provided as they become available.”

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, at the Pentagon in Washington,  posted on Facebook that he was “deeply saddened” by the death of the pilot. “We offer our deepest condolences to the Airman’s family and to all who are mourning this tremendous loss,” he said.

The aircraft was assigned to the 1st Aero (Reconnaissance) Squadron, part of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, where U-2 fleet is based and its 33 planes are deployed to military detachments around the world. Over 1,000 personnel work on the U-2 program at the base near Marysville, CA. As most of this story’s readers know, the First Aero Squadron out of Beale AFB is the same unit that flew its reconnaissance missions out of Columbus, NM a century ago in pursuit of Pancho Villa, after his raid on Columbus March 9, 1916.

The U-2, a sleek black jet known as the “Dragon Lady,” became known for an international incident in 1960 when American Capt. Francis Garry Powers (who was working for the CIA at the time) was shot down and taken prisoner after flying surveillance aircraft over the former Soviet Union. The U-2 also gained fame for uncovering secretive Soviet launch site in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.  Before the U-2 had been shot down, President Eisenhower had repeatedly denied we were overflying Russian airspace with a spy plane, so the incident was a major international embarrassment for the Administration.

Since that time, the U-2 spy craft has continued to play a critical military role, collecting imagery and electronic measurements on surveillance flights targeting terrorist networks in the Middle East.

The actual new U-2 Airplane is some 33% larger than its early Cold War predecessor, and has a much more powerful engine, so can take much heavier payloads on its missions, which go as high as it’s officially published service ceiling of 70,000′, but it is well known by aviation authorities that it can go above this publicized lower altitude, which is nevertheless still almost into outer space.  It’s high altitude operations require its pilots to wear suits almost identical to those worn by astronauts.

While the military says the cost of a U-2 is classified, the military information site Global Security.org puts the price tag of the current model U-2 at $400 million. In 2012, the Air Force said it had spent $1.7 billion over eight years to modernize the aircraft with new flight and surveillance technology.  The maker of the U-2 is Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

The Air Force has long planned to replace the U-2, normally flown with one pilot, with unmanned RQ Global Hawks, remotely controlled aircraft first deployed by Air Force in 2001. The Global Hawks are also stationed at Beale, from which they fly thousands of miles, sometimes on the other side of the world, to pinpoint human targets for armed Predator and Reaper drones.

The U-2, celebrated in the recently released (2015) movie “Bridge of Spies,” (previously featured in this FASF Website)  has been a point of pride for the Beale Community, with the longstanding program also seen as an important economic resource for the region. This Spring, area Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa offered a budget amendment to keep the U-2 operating at Beale through 2017.

“We want to make sure it stays there. . . It’s important for Northern California with the number of people employed at Beale Air Force Base,” LaMalfa said in a May interview with KNCO radio in Grass Valley.

Col. Larry Broadwell, Commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale, gave tribute to the U-2 program at a press conference at the base Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon. He described the day as an emotional one.

“I would match the safety and maintenance records of a U-2 with any other aircraft the Air Force flies. In fact, we are going to continue flying U-2 missions around the world and around the clock,” said Broadwell. He said Air Force officials were reaching out to family members of the pilots, who were not identified.

It was not the first time that a Beale U-2 has crashed in Northern California. Pilot Randy Roby‘s U-2 spy plane fell from the sky in 1996, crashing into a parking lot next to the Mercury-Register newspaper in Oroville. Roby ejected from the plane but was found dead in his seat at the end of the parachute. Geraldine Marie “Jerri” Vering, 49, of Oroville, a customer who had just finished renewing a subscription at newspaper offices, was killed on the ground.

The last fatal accident involving a U-2 pilot took place in 2005, when one of the aircraft crashed near an air base in United Arab Emirates. That accident killed Maj. Duane Dively, a pilot from Beale Air Force Base who was deployed to the Middle East. He was returning from a mission flying over Afghanistan when he crashed.

More recently, the Air Force had expensive U-2 mishaps in both 2014 and 2015. Those so-called “class A” mishaps are accidents that cause more than $2 million in damage or cause a permanent injury to an airman. One class A mishap took place in each of those years, according to records kept by the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) in New Mexico.

Those two accidents broke a five-year run in which the U-2 aircraft did not experience any serious mishaps.

Keith Wright, a public affairs officer for Air Force Safety Center, said Tuesday’s accident would trigger an investigation seeking to identify “the root cause” of the crash. The board is expected to consist of officers from Beale Air Force Base and from the Air Force Safety Center, which oversees all inspection and safety functions for the Air Force.

The above story was put together from data and other specific details revealed in various news releases from the Sacramento Bee; the UK’s News Now Aviation Accident Department; Military.com.; Los Angeles Times; and from the Public Affairs Office at Beale Air Force Base, home of the present day First Aero (Recon) Squadron.

These dedicated Aircraft Restoration Experts have assured we’ll always be able to recall our history by preserving these airplanes AND their unique and memorable Starting Sounds.

The WWII Vintage airplanes seen in this remarkable 4:52 composite video were found by FASF Member and Retired USAF and Airline Pilot, Virg Hemphill. 

Thanks to the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), to which many FASF members belong, we have this unique 6 minute video of the world’s most popular home built airplane being flown in formation over the festivities at Oshkosh for this year’s annual AirVenture – the world’s largest airshow.  Special thanks also to Paul “Rosie” Rosales, long time EAA member and organizer of the special formation flight and the video coverage shown above.

Here, from the EAA’s regular Internet News Post is the full description:

Ride Along With 34 RVs Over OSH16

“Carl Brownd, EAA (member number 606429), call sign “Jawbone,” shared this video of the giant formation of RVs that flew over EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2016. The video, uploaded by YouTube user George Ford, features footage shot from several aircraft in the gigantic 34-ship formation, including some from a number of GoPro cameras mounted on Brownd’s airplane. We’re grateful to all involved for sharing this unique perspective, and especially for this tremendous display that helped us celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Van’s RV-6.”

VAN’S Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation is located near Portland, OR in the town of Aurora.  Your webmaster highly recommends membership in our sister aviation organization, the EAA, particularly since so many local EAA chapter members are such active volunteer contributors to your FASF.  The closest EAA Chapters to the FASF National Headquarters in Columbus, NM, are in Las Cruces, NM (Chapter 555) and even closer to Columbus, in Santa Teresa, NM (Chapter 1570).  Both Chapter Presidents, Wesley Baker (555) and John Keithly (1570) are active FASF members.  The EAA Worldwide Chapter Network Manager at EAA Headquarter in Oshkosh, WI, is also a long time active member of the FASF, Brett Hahn.

You can locate the EAA chapter nearest to you home quite easily by just going to this EAA Chapter Finder Link.

“Mr. 747” of Boeing Aircraft Dead at 95.

A younger Joe Sutter stands by the engine cowling of his creation, the Boeing 747

Joe Sutter, the father of the first operational Jumbo Jet, the man who led development of Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet, has passed away yesterday, August 30, 2016, at the age of 95.

Ensign Joe Sutter, U.S. Naval Officer in WWII

Boeing’s commercial aircraft boss Ray Conner said Joe was “an inspiration” not just to Boeing but “to the entire aerospace industry”.

The 747, which ushered in the long-haul travel era, first flew in 1969 before making its commercial debut in 1970.

To see today’s Boeing manufacturing process, far more automated than it was 47 years ago, please visit this FASF story from last July in which you’ll see the dramatic birth of the beautiful new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  Just click here.  And be sure to turn up your sound!

Roll out of Boeing’s first Jumbo Jet, the 747-121, in 1970,  is presented in this poster, along with its creator, Joe Sutter.

It only lost its status as the biggest passenger aircraft in 2007 with the launch of the Airbus A380.

Sutter was in charge of the Boeing engineering team that developed the 747 in the mid-1960s.

                                                     Joe Sutter in the front office of a current 747 model

The growing worldwide demand for air travel during the 1960s led to the development of this new giant of the skies, the 747, the world’s first “Jumbo Jet.” Merely recalling the early days of the 747 program “brings sweat to the palms of my hands,” Boeing’s then-president, William Allen, said years after the giant aircraft had been developed. Requiring the company to risk much of its net worth, the development of the world’s largest passenger aircraft was a formidable undertaking. It is taller than a six-story building, had seating for 374 passengers (up to 550 in some configurations), a takeoff weight of more than 300 tons (or ten fully-loaded 18 wheel trucks), and enough fuel in its tanks to power a small automobile around the globe 36 times. The 747 is one the most recognizable aircraft in the world and represents a milestone in the evolution of aviation design.

                                                      Sutter stands in front of one of his famous Jumbo Jets

Sutter and his team became known as “the Incredibles” for producing the world’s largest jet transport in just 29 months.  When one considers the staggering degree of internal complexity in the Jumbo’s design, and that it was a pioneering first, the feat is all that much more remarkable.  Even more astounding is how the plane so quickly proved to be incredibly reliable and profitable for its purchasers.

An artist’s depiction of the “Father of the 747”

In 2011, on his 90th birthday, Boeing’s building number 40-87, in Everett, WA, the main engineering building for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Division, was renamed the Joe Sutter building.

At the time of this photo of the Boeing Factory, home to 30,000 workers, was known as the world’s largest building.

With supersonic aircraft on the drawing board in Europe and the U.S., the 747 was initially expected to be used more as a freighter than as a passenger airliner.  But history would write quite a different story.

September 30, 1968, Boeing held its roll out-ceremony for the 747, with a bevy of Flight Attendants from its customers

The First Aero Squadron had many of its own firsts, as you know, but one of them for which it is not often enough given full credit, is for the way it successfully helped re-launch American Civil Aviation, after a dozen years of national apathy and decline, which, in turn led to America’s Airline Industry taking front and center stage in the world of commercial aviation – a position it has never relinquished to this day.

  Sutter was interviewed on his new 747 Jumbo Jet for its customer, Germany’s Lufthansa.

Bill Boeing, Jr. and Joe Sutter in 2010

University of Washington honored graduates, Joe Sutter ’43 and Bonnie Dunbar ’71 & ’75

Two Pioneers: (Photo at Left) Dunbar is one of the world’s most experienced female astronauts, with 50 days in space covering 20.4 million miles on five shuttle flights. Sutter, known as “the father of the Boeing 747,” invented the concept of the “wide body” aircraft and served on the presidential commission that investigated the Challenger explosion. They were photographed at Seattle, Washington’s Museum of Flight, where Dunbar is now the President and CEO. Photo by Kathy Sauber.

Joe Sutter Autographs his book, “747: Creating the World’s First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation“

Karlene Petitt*, Airline Pilot of Boeing’s 747 and Airbus A330, had an interesting conversation with Sutter at a party. When I told Joe that I was now flying an Airbus, the outspoken and blunt Engineer said, “Airplanes are supposed to do what the pilot tells them not the other way around. The difference between Boeing and Airbus is the Airbus tells the pilot what to do. That’s wrong!  The pilot should tell the plane what to do. And you can tell those Airbus people I said that. What are they going to do to me anyway? I’m ninety years old!”

* About Karlene Petitt:  Married for 31 years, she is mother of 3 daughters, and the grandmother of Kadence, Miles, Khoyn, Carter, Ellis and Anthony.  A pilot for 8 airlines, 7 type ratings, 2 Masters Degrees, and her 1st novel, Flight For Control, is now published!  She recently closed one chapter of her career, flying the 747-400 with Northwest Airlines, and has opened the next three chapters…

• She is now flying the Airbus A330 for a major airline.
• Her writing career has taken off
• She’s working on her PhD Degree
  

  Karlene at controls – She interviewed Joe Sutter at 90 in 2011 – His remarkable quote is up above in orange type.

  Story credit to FASF News Scout and Technical Consultant, Eric Lambart, Portland, OR, Karlene Petitt, the BBC, the Seattle Times, the University of Washington, Boeing Aircraft, AP, Aviation Week, The Museum of Flight, and numerous other news media.

P-38 Lightning in flight without camouflage paint scheme

Another shot of the veritable speed demon in full camouflage

P-38 In Flight With Typical Wartime Paint Scheme of Olive Drab – – – But Reconnaissance Version Had Unique Blue Hue.

17 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the P-38 Lightning.

From Michigan FASF Aviation News Reporter, Jim Purcell

1) The P-38 was the first fighter to fly faster than 400 mph.

2) It was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout the entire American involvement in WWII.

3) The P-38 was nicknamed the ‘fork-tailed devil’ by the German Luftwaffe, and ‘two planes, one pilot’ by Japanese fighter pilots.

4) The P-38 was exceptionally quiet for a fighter, due to its exhaust being muffled by turbo-superchargers.

5) The aircraft used nose-mounted guns, unlike most other US fighters. This meant that the P-38 had better useful gun range than other aircraft with wing-mounted guns having crisscross trajectories.

6) The P-38s guns were so effective, they could reliably hit targets at up to 1,000 yards. Most other fighters were only effective at 100-250 yards.

7) The P-38 had counter-rotating engines to overcome left-turning tendencies caused by its 1,000-hp engines.

8) The engine rotation could be reversed by simply changing the firing order of the spark plugs.

9) The engines rotated outward from the cockpit. This made the platform more stable for shooting the guns. However, if the pilot lost an engine, the remaining operating engine was so powerful that it could uncontrollably roll the aircraft upside down.

10) The P-38 was the first American fighter to extensively use stainless steel and flush-mounted rivets.

11) In 1939, one of the first P-38 prototype aircraft set a speed record from California to New York in 7 hours and 2 minutes.  However, it crashed short of its intended airport due to carburetor icing.

12) The first active service P-38s were used as reconnaissance aircraft in April 1942 by the RAAF (Australia) 8th Photographic Squadron.

13) The P-38 quickly saw battle, downing two Japanese flying boats in August 1942 off the Aleutian Islands chain.

14) The cockpit windows couldn’t be opened in flight, because they caused buffeting on the tailplane. This made the cockpit very hot in the Pacific theater. Pilots often flew in just shorts, tennis shoes and a parachute.

15) Charles Lindbergh (at right above in flight gear with side-arm on belt) was a key figure in improving the performance of the P-38.  Working as a civilian contractor in the South Pacific, he developed throttle settings and engine leaning techniques that significantly increased the range of the aircraft.

16) The P-38 flew over 130,000 sorties in the European theater, and downed over 1,800 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific theater.

17) In total, over 10,000 P-38s were produced during the war, making it one of the most successful fighters and interceptors of its time.

Thanks, Jim, for the otherwise obscure factoids on the amazing Lockheed P-38 trail blazing fighter. But for those of you who might enjoy some excellent additional information on this famous WWII fighter, here are three relevant videos of varying length for your edification. Please don’t forget to turn your sound/volume up to hear these following films. The first film below, “P-38 Lightning Movie,” has a relatively low natural volume, so suggest your turn your volume control up above its normal setting, but then put it back to normal for the other two videos.

P-38 Lightning Movie – Hi Res Color Post War Film – :24 minutes long.

How to Fly The Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter Plane – – – – -:35 long.

WWII Training Film by Fighter’s Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft.  A wartime film on flight characteristics of advanced Lockheed design of a revolutionary twin engine long range fighter plane directed at training the fighter pilots assigned to fly the aircraft.

Great Planes – Lockheed P-38 Lightning – – – :54 long.

Produced by the Discovery Channel.

This 6:20 long video begins with the fabled T-6 Texan Team cavorting through the sky to the majestic musical score of one of the 18th Century’s more memorable German classical composers, Johann Pachebel, whose widely popular “Pachebel Canon” provides the background for this aerial ballet of turning and twisting propeller driven airplanes.  While not a musical piece designed for ballet, the religious theme nevertheless beautifully supports the video, as you will see.

Enjoy!

Like what you’re doing for right now for a living?

And, are you fortunate enough – and young enough – and physically fit enough – for something possibly better?

Either way, we invite you to check out this fun-filled and cleverly done short 7 + minute video below to see if you’d like to add this profession to your career possibilities.  And, unlike when some of us FASF members took this unforgettable training, it’s now open to BOTH men and women!

For those of us who’ve “been there and done that,” it’s more than just a nostalgic look back in time, but also a reminder of how lucky we once were to have had this very same job – and to have experienced this same tough yet exciting “OJT” (On The Job) training – and to have successfully completed that exhilarating learning exposure without “washing out” before graduation.

Although the equipment we used might have been a bit older – and slower – the result was the same: extreme job satisfaction.  How great it was to be paid, but to not even think of the money we received, but more about how much fun it was to do what they paid us so well to do!

A reminder, below, of how lucky we were – – – and, if qualified, how lucky YOU still can be!

Some of you, like this reporter, will be touched by nostalgia at the beginning of this short video, because it was taken during the same period when a number of us FASF members had our own unique experiences going through flight training with the Air Force – or Navy.  And to think of how a few select FASF members actually experienced this elite training to be professional aviators during the WWI era!

Workers in America. Do they like their work?  How about you? Click on above photo of Chrysler Bldg. for 7:59  Video.

Some of you viewers might quickly realize that this is the graduation video for a class that just obtained their USAF Wings for the first time.  The similar Class video of several weeks ago, on the other hand, depicted the experiences of a group of pilots who had already received their coveted silver wings – and were graduating from advanced specialized training in the F-16 front-line fighter.

These are the young men and women who have just won their silver USAF Wings at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

PUZZLERS for this post:

1. Some of you may wonder why the students in the above video were throwing their fellow classmates into the Kiddy pool.  Anyone like to explain this ritual?  Just type your remarks inside the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of this page – and let’s see who gets it right first, or;
2. How about the appearance, several times during the video of the twin jet engined small transport aircraft?  Any suggestions or ideas about what this was doing in the undergraduate flight training video? And/or;
3. What was the USAF Student pilot doing landing on a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier?

For some of you more curious followers of these pages, we’ve included more details about this current Primary (as it used to be called) or Undergraduate Training Aircraft, the T6A Texan II, which you can see in the superbly done 4:28 long video just below.  It’s now our military’s main stay undergraduate trainer – and, in its fighting configuration – also being used by other nations, such as our neighbor to the South, Mexico.  Additionally, it’s also being put to work by some of our NATO allies for flight training and combat purposes in Europe and the Mideast, as well.  Anyone like to comment on:

    4. Why it’s called the Texan II?

5. And, is there the implied TEXAN I?

Later, we’ll provide you with some click-linked videos to let you see that first TEXAN, an airplane with its own rich history as a first line Advanced training craft ship for both the USAF and the US Navy during – and well after WWII.  A plane so legendary that it is still regularly seen performing in almost any major Airshow – even today.  But first we’re going to include some other interesting and entertaining videos, one about the Texan II (4:27 in length), immediately down below, too.

4:27 Beechcraft Promo video of the T6 Combat Versions now in service – By Major General Craig Franklin, USAF Retired

Here, below, is another excellent Beechcraft promotional video of this same workhorse in action – Our own FASF Advisor, Patty Wagstaff, world famous champion aerobatics performer is also an advisor to Beechcraft Corporation’s Official Demonstration Team for this versatile airplane.  Like to know more about this new multi-task Turbo-Prop (“Jet Prop”) machine?  Then click right here to get her specifications.

              Above is early Beechcraft promotional 1:53 video for its new T-6 Texan combat variants.

The above (6:57 long) video by Beech Demo Pilot, Russ Smith, provides another fine insight into this new Texan’s wide-ranging capabilities.

Below is a short (2:30) video clip of an Air Force Flight Instructor at an Airshow, describing the cockpit features and some other characteristics of the T-6A Texan II.

And now some video shorts of the above Texan’s predecessor, the original T-6 Texan.  The first Texans were built by North American Aviation, the same manufacturer of the famous P and F-51 “Mustang” front line fighters of WWII.  The original T-6, when used by the Canadians as their Primary Trainer, was affectionately dubbed the T-6 “Harvard,” rather than “Texan.”  The U.S. Navy called its T-6, the SNJ.

Immediately below is a clip of some of these highly popular and ubiquitous Texans, the first taken at the Reno Air Race Classic.  The Texan has its very own class in these renown speed contests, restricted exclusively to its own T-6 model series.  This below video is four and a half minutes long.

As you can see, these original Texans sat on a conventional retractable landing gear, rather than the more popular or modern tricycle type gear, with which the new Texan II’s are fitted.

The new gear, as you have observed, has the steering wheel under the nose.  This meant that the pilots in the T-6 Texans of old could not see straight ahead over the nose of the plane while taxiing, so “S” turning was necessary, in order to just safely see what was up ahead.

Additionally:  The conventional gear was far more difficult when on the ground, because it was comparatively unstable – which is to say that it was highly prone to doing dangerous “ground loops,” because of the inherent proclivity of the tail wheel to want to change places with the nose of the airplane.  These so-called ground loops were an infrequent but real hazard, when the plane would suddenly spin around when landing, often tipping over onto the outside wing, frequently doing it serious damage, though fortunately rarely proving injurious to the pilot or passenger.

From first hand experience, it’s fair to say that most military pilots who had the pleasure of training in these fabled Texans will never forget the thrills they had in mastering their special characteristics – and of doing some of their very first serious aerobatics in them.  And it’s equally fair to claim that today’s young military men and women student pilots are having a similarly exiting adventure learning to fly in the latest version of this famous military trainer.

And, above, is a 14:44 length video of an Aerobatic venture in a Texan at Kissimmee, Florida airport.  The passenger, up in the old Navy Texan for the 6th time, is receiving coaching throughout the flight from the instructor in the rear seat.  You’ll hear both of them speaking on the intercom.  The aircraft has been specially equipped with cameras mounted on both the vertical tail fin, and the wings, as well as inside the front cockpit, which will give you an excellent view of the aircraft as it progresses through various aerobatic maneuvers, such as aileron and barrel rolls, loops, a Cuban Eight and an Immelman vertical turn.  Each of these aerobatic maneuvers is considered basic, and is learned by all military aviators in their early flight training. All the while you will hear the instructor advising his front cockpit student, as the student attempts the various maneuvers with the SNJ/T6 through the flight.  The third voice you hear in the background is the Tower Controller providing flight and local traffic information to the two pilots.  The instructor pilot performs the final landing.  The normal engine and wind noise have been judiciously filtered out during this flight, which makes it substantially easier to hear the men speaking to one another.  The plane is otherwise quite noisy, so this filtering is quite helpful to the viewer.

The above 10:53 long video is from a segment of “THE AVIATORS,” * the popular film seen on PBS TV and abroad.  It is about young Kurtis being introduced to and instructed in the T6 Texan, a ship from the same T-6 stable at Florida’s Kissimmee Airport from which the previous video was also made.

And now, let’s wind this up with a young lady in her father’s Texan, up for her first ride.  We put her here because it’s a delight to watch her gung ho and upbeat spirit, where she clearly enjoys her very first Texan adventure.  The video’s 4:33 long.

• Kurtis takes you back in time to see what it was like for young WWII pilots to fly in the legendary fighter, the P-51 Mustang. But first he has to earn his wings in a T-6.
• About “The Aviators”: With 10 million US viewers weekly on PBS and millions more in over 100 countries plus online, The Aviators is an award-winning, worldwide aviation phenomenon.

  The Aviators airs weekly across the US on PBS, several times a week in Canada on Travel+Escape, and overseas on Discovery. The show is also available online on iTunes, Hulu, and Amazon, in addition to the show’s official website at TheAviators.TV

  ALL SEASONS NOW AVAILABLE on iTUNES at http://iTunes.Theaviators.TV

  Released on Nov 14, 2012

AIRVENTURE 2016

Each and every year, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), puts on America’s greatest and by far the world’s largest Airshow – one that lasts for an entire week in the otherwise relatively mid-sized Wisconsin town of some 67,000 residents.  The colorfully quaint, bucolic,  and friendly Midwestern town sits on Lake Winnebago, some 15 or so miles due West of Lake Michigan.  And each year in late July, the area swells by more than 600,000 additional visitors, there to experience the exiting and fun-filled extravaganza of everything from hot air balloons and vintage airplanes to the latest supersonic armed forces fighter and jumbo jets.

Many of our FASF members are and have long been extremely active members of the International EAA community, and one of our local area (Las Cruces, NM) members, Brett Hahn  did such a fine job promoting the highly successful El Paso/Santa Teresa public passenger-riding demonstration of the vintage EAA Ford Tri-Motor ship last year, that he was hired by the EAA International Headquarters to head up their Chapter Department.

Here, below, is a short (31 second) video clip of this year’s featured events.

Below, the final day’s 4:51 wrap up video, exhibiting some video highlights of AirVenture 2016:

If you’d enjoy seeing more of this huge airshow, then simply click on this text/sentence to go the EAA’s official AirVenture 2016 website to get your fill!