Chicago has two memorable stories, stories that seem to be very much unrelated, but . . . once again, Virg Hemphill reminds us on this MEMORIAL DAY, to stop and reflect about our nation’s amazing history. Here are those two Chicago stories. Both unique – – – and both the amazing truth.
STORY NUMBER ONE
Many Years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Caponewasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was Capone’s lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well.. Not only was the money big, but Eddiegot special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.
Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.
And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddieeven tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.
He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al”Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. But he testified, anyway.
Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.The poem read:
“The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”
STORY NUMBER TWO
World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare.
He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrierLexingtonin the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American-fleet.
The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber’s blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.
Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hareand his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A Year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His hometown would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O’Hare airport inChicagois named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
So, the next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O’Harewas “Easy Eddie’s” son.
Official USN Photo of young Lieutenant Butch O’Harein cockpit of his Navy Fighter
Editor’s Note: I was blessed to have been a guest among the official delegation at the actual Name Commissioning of O’Hare Airport back in 1949. My father, a Navy vet himself, had known young Eddie O’Hare during the early war years, and was the Navy official at the event, so he (thankfully) took his son along for the historic occasion. It was then that I first heard this amazing story, although related to me in a less dramatic form. The official story, as told to the assembled crowd at the occasion, made no mention whatsoever about the hero’s father. Of course, Chicago O’Hare field went on to become the world’s busiest airport and remains a major hub for much of the continental – and international – air traffic in the nation.
Once again, Virg Hemphill (at left), an Air Force veteran Pilot himself, suggests we take a few moments this weekend to stop and remember those who helped us enjoy the freedoms we tend to take so much for granted.
While this national holiday weekend we affectionately call, MEMORIAL DAY, often involves wonderful family and friend time outdoors, and also possibly joining other loved ones to watch main street downtown parades, or great sporting events, such as the INDY 500,*Virg thinks – and we at the FASF agree – that we should still find or make just a few minutes (his selected video below is precisely5:34 minutes) to reflect; to remember those young men and women who gave so much that we might enjoy our unparalleled and so widely envied American liberties.
* Remember: Eddie Rickenbacher, great American Fighter Pilot and WWI Ace, started his career racing cars, including at Indianapolis (he later became the famous “500” racetrack’s owner). And who was it that gave him his first airplane ride? None other than Glenn Curtiss, himself once the holder the world’s speed record on a motorcycle that he himself built. Here, below, is a short video (3:53) taken at the Curtiss Museum, of their replica of the Curtiss V-8 engined motorcycle that he rode to such world fame.
Glenn was born in Hammondsport, NY, in 1878. Curtiss was gifted with insatiable curiosity, mechanical ability and great ambition. As his remarkable achievements began to accumulate, this soon became evident. By the time he reached his teens, bicycles and speed had become a near-obsession with the young speed demon.
He was a champion bicycle racer for years, but soon began to progress into designing and building his own motorized machines. By 1902, Curtiss, with three employees, was manufacturing his own motorcycles under the trade name, “Hercules“.
In a measured-mile run at Ormond Beach, Florida, on Jan. 23, 1907, Curtiss’ V8 powered motorcycle was officially clocked at 136.3 mph. On that day, and for years afterward, Glenn Curtiss carried the title, “Fastest Man on Earth“. The engine used in his record-setting motorcycle served as a prototype for what would later be used in the Curtiss Jenny airplanes, the very aircraft that lifted the First Aero Squadron into the skies over Mexico in 1916.
Thanks again to our Aviation News Scout, Virg Hemphill (L), for this memorable video. This short 5:07 minute talk from the stage by former First AeroSR-71 Blackbird pilot, Brian Shul, entitled “LA Speed Check” is a real laugh generating piece of jet pilot “hangar talk” – – – one that brings laughs from pilot audiences each and every time. While the talk is meant for a pilot audience, that fact doesn’t very much diminish the laughs generated each time the Major share’s his short story with non-pilots . . . Without further ado, let’s have his words bring some humorous guffaws back into being.
Maj. Brian Shul stands in front of his SR-71 Blackbird in his regular space suit. Shulwas an injured POW in Vietnam.
One of our Advisors was also a famous Blackbird pilot, as well as a Commander of the First Aero Squadron: General Patrick J. Halloran.
Yesterday, at the El Paso Club in downtown El Paso, Texas, FASF Airfield Site Chairman, Bill Madden,of Las Cruces, NM, gave a special Power Point Presentation to the General Frank Nichols Daedalian Fight 24 monthly meeting. Almost 100% of the Flight are long time active FASF members. Bill and his Airfield Site team have worked for years with their metal detectors and GPS gear scanning the Airfield in order to determine the correct place on the Field to erect our replicated 1916 Jenny Flight Line and its hangar facilities. Without his team’s tireless efforts we’d have no idea of precisely where to locate the old Flight Line. Click on any photo below to see it in full resolution/size.
Former US Military Pilots, L to R: Col. Norman Rice, Roger Springstead, Jerry Dixon, Col. Bob Pitt, and meeting’s Speaker, Bill Madden, FASF Airfield Site Chairman, choosing their meals for the luncheon event.
Bill Madden opens his presentation with a slide showing his motorized glider in front of his Las Cruces NM Hangar.
Screen has photo of (L to R) Mark Drexler, Bill Madden, and Fritz Wagoner, the 1916 Army Airfield Archeological Team, with their metal detecting gear in hand, posing right on the FAS 1916 historic Airfield.
Bill explains how the team has marked all of their findings on the Airfield Site’s Satellite Map. Artifacts are identified and color-coded based upon the type of remnant discovered. The patterns will help determine the correct location for the replication of the old 1916 Airfield’s Flight Line (hangars and repair facilities).
Bill talks about the type of maintenance equipment the Army’s First Aero Squadron had to accomplish their work. The 4 wheel-drive truck shown has an engine hoist on its rear bed. The FAS mechanics above are seen hoisting one of the Jenny’s Curtiss built OX-5 V-8 cylinder engines.
Billwound up his presentation showing him airborne in his powered single seat glider. He has owned and flown a number of general aviation class airplanes over the years and has actually personally built some of them. Beside being a professional engineer, Billis a licensed FAA Air-frame and Power Plant Mechanic. Billbelongs to and has been an officer of the Las Cruces, NM EAA Chapter 555, and has also belonged to the famous EAA chapter 1, at the Flabob Airport in California.
After the meeting, Billtalked about his work with FASF Aviation News Scout and former USAF and Airline Pilot, Virg Hemphill at left.
Above, L to R, are Bill, Daedaliansand FASF members, Ric Lambart,and Colonel Bob Pitt, who have just awarded Madden with his gift from the Flight, in appreciation for his having shared his time and expertise with them.
Here, thanks to FASF Aviation News Scout, Virg Hemphill (L), are two fun to watch video clips of the Czech Red Bull pilots showing off their dare-devil spirit in hair-raising stunts using their newest high poweredZivkoEdge 540 aerobatic planes. These first two videos will show you the views from both inside and outside the aircraft. The third and last video will show you the Edge doing competitive maneuvers.
L to R above: Jan Rudzinskyj (left wing); Stanislav Cejka (leader), Miroslav Krejci (right wing); and Jan Tvrdik (slot).
Maximum discipline, focus, confidence and teamwork skills are the very essence of the success of the Flying Bull’s Aerobatic Team. The pilots are often referred to as “aerial acrobats” and they cavort across the sky as though acting as a single entity, showing off routines that no other group in the world has yet proven capable of matching. The below video is 2:32 long.
Below, is another exciting video clip of one of the Czech team members, Peter Besenyei, flying through a narrow canyon and under a number of bridges that span it.
Flying The Corinth Canal
Hungarian pilot Peter Besenyei gets an amazing opportunity to do some flying in the Corinth Canal in Greece and he takes full advantage of it. We’re not sure how the Red Bull Air Racing team managed to get permission to fly the canal but it makes for an awesome flying video that any pilot, or anyone, for that matter, should enjoy watching. This clip is 2:13 long.
The below video demonstrates competitive aerobatics by the Zivko Edge 540 and is 5:17 long.
Thanks to our Aviation News Scout, Virg Hemphill (at left), we bring you this little known story first posted by Mr. Norm Goyer of Aircraft Market Place, but we have added the photos and additional historical information of interest. Before finding this story, Virg and your editor had only heard of the several mainland Japanese launched balloons which had made it all the way to Oregon, but not this relatively obscure event.
September 9, 1942, the I-25 B1 type Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline. The B1 type was the most numerous class of Japanese submarines. They were fast, long-ranged, and carried a seaplane behind watertight doors, which could be launched on a forward catapult.
Above: The only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States during WWII was this submarine based “Glen.”
Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and aircraft that might attack our country. Dawn was approaching; the first rays of the sun were flickering off the periscopes lens. Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire. If this test run were successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack the eastern end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Japanese Navy had a large number of I-400 submarines under construction. Each capable of carrying three aircraft. Pilot Chief Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and his crewman Petty Officer Shoji Okuda were making last minute checks of their charts making sure they matched those of the submarine’s navigator.
September 9, 1942: Nebraska forestry student Keith V. Johnsonwas on duty atop a forest fire lookout tower between Gold’s Beach and Brookings, Oregon. Keith had memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long distance bombers and those of our own aircraft. He felt confident that he could spot and identify, friend or foe, almost immediately. It was cold on the coast this September morning , and quiet. The residents of the area were still in bed or preparing to head for work. Lumber was a large part of the industry in Brookings, just a few miles north of the California Oregon state lines.
The Glen carried 2 incendiary 176 pound bombs and a crew of two.
Aboard the submarine the Captain’s voice boomed over the PA system, “Prepare to surface, aircrew report to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal” During training runs several subs were lost when hangar door were opened too soon and sea water rushed into the hangars and sank the boat with all hands lost. You could hear the change of sound as the bow of the I-25 broke from the depths, nosed over for its run on the surface.
A loud bell signaled the “All Clear.” The crew assigned to the single engine Yokosuki E14Ys float equipped observation and light attack aircraft sprang into action. They rolled the plane out its hangar built next to the conning tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and several 176 pound incendiary bombs were attached to the hard points under the wings.
This was a small two place float plane with a nine cylinder 340 hp radial engine. It was full daylight when the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on the catapult. Warrant Officer Fujita started the engine, let it warm up, checked the magnetos and oil pressure. There was a slight breeze blowing and the seas were calm. A perfect day to attack the United States of America. When the gauges were in the green the pilot signaled and the catapult launched the aircraft. After a short climb to altitude the pilot turned on a heading for the Oregon coast.
The Glen was launched via catapult from a I-125 class submarine
Johnson was sweeping the horizon but could see nothing, he went back to his duties as a forestry agent which was searching for any signs of a forest fire. The morning moved on. Every few minutes he would scan low, medium and high but nothing caught his eye.
The small Japanese float plane had climbed to several thousand feet of altitude for better visibility and to get above the coastal fog. The pilot had calculated land fall in a few minutes and right on schedule he could see the breakers flashing white as they hit the Oregon shores.
Johnson was about to put his binoculars down when something flashed in the sun just above the fog bank. It was unusual because in the past all air traffic had been flying up and down the coast, not aiming into the coast.
The pilot of the aircraft checked his course and alerted his observer to be on the lookout for a fire tower which was on the edge of the wooded area where they were supposed to drop their bombs. These airplanes carried very little fuel and all flights were in and out without any loitering. The plane reached the shore line and the pilot made a course correction 20 degrees to the north. The huge trees were easy to spot and certainly easy to hit with the bombs. The fog was very wispy by this time.
Warrant Officer Fujita is shown with his Yokosuka E14Y (Glen) float plane prior to his flight
Johnson watched in awe as the small floatplane with a red meat ball on the wings flew overhead, the plane was not a bomber and there was no way that it could have flown across the Pacific, Johnson could not understand what was happening. He locked onto the plane and followed it as it headed inland.
The pilot activated the release locks so that when he could pickled the bombs they would release. His instructions were simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees and circle once to see if they had started any fires and then head back to the submarine.
Johnson could see the two bombs under the wing of the plane and knew that they would be dropped. He grabbed his communications radio and called the Forest Fire Headquarters informing them of what he was watching unfold.
The bombs tumbled from the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the pilot circled once and spotted fire around the impact point. He executed an 180 degree turn and headed back to the submarine. There was no air activity, the skies were clear. The small float plane lined up with the surfaced submarine and landed gently on the ocean, then taxied to the sub.
A long boom swungout from the stern. His crewman caught the cable and hooked it into the pickup attached to the roll over cage between the cockpits. The plane was swung onto the deck, The plane’s crew folded the wings and tail, pushed it into its hangar and secured the water tight doors. The I-25 submerged and headed back to Japan. Destroyer USS Patterson sank I-25 off the New Hebrides on 3 September 1943, almost exactly one year after the Oregon bombing.
This event ,which caused no damage, marked the only time during World War II that an enemy plane had dropped bombs on the United States mainland. What the Japanese did not count on was coastal fog, mist and heavy doses of rain, which made the forests so wet they simply would not catch fire.
This Memorial Plaque is located in Brookings, Oregon at the site of the 1942 bombing
FIFTY YEARS LATER
(UPDATE October 2, 2015:)
Fifty years later the Japanese pilot, who survived the war, would return to Oregon to help dedicate a historical plaque (see above colored image) at the exact spot where his two bombs had impacted. The elderly pilot then donated his ceremonial sword as a gesture of peace and closure of the bombing of Oregon in 1942.
Thanks to David Kiernan, who sent in the following additional information about this incident. This is from historynet.com
Japanese Warrant Officer Pilot Nobuo Fujita . . . . Click on image to see full size.
After returning to I-25, Fujitawas more determined than ever to drop the four remaining incendiary bombs carried aboard the submarine. Captain Tagami shared his enthusiasm. He advised his pilot, we’ll make the next one a night attack, Fujita, for the Americans will be expecting another sunrise one. True to his word, Tagami surfaced I-25 after midnight on September 29,1942, about 50 miles west of Cape Blanco.
This time the entire west coast of Oregon, except for the Cape Blanco lighthouse, was blacked out. Fujita’sfloatplane was catapulted into the darkness, and the pilot flew east beyond the Cape Blanco lighthouse for about half an hour before dropping the two incendiary bombs. Again Fujitawas satisfied with the attack, as he observed two explosions of red fire in the forest below. In order to avoid detection, Fujita cut the Glen’s engine after passing the coastline and glided down to 1,000 feet before starting it again well out at sea, west of Cape Blanco. After some difficulty, Fujitalocated I-25 by an oil slick caused by a leak, and his plane was hoisted aboard.
Meanwhile, below in Oregon, a work crew of forest rangers was remodeling for winter occupation the Grassy Knob lookout station about seven miles east of Port Orford. At 5:22 a.m. they reported to ranger headquarters at Gold Beach the presence of an unidentified aircraft. Noise from the aircraft was described as like a Model T with a rod out. A fire-fighting patrol was sent out from Grassy Knob after daylight on September 29, but it found neither smoke nor any bomb debris during a fruitless two-day search. Neither of the incendiary bombs dropped by Fujita on his second attack has ever been found.
Bad weather and heavy seas precluded a final bombing attack with the remaining two bombs. Captain Tagami canceled the third mission, having decided to spend the rest of his patrol time in attacks on shipping. On October 11, I-25 fired her last torpedo and returned to Yokosuka, where Fujitadiscovered he was something of a national hero.
How significant were these two bombing attacks on Oregon? They were only times in history that America has been bombed from the air. For the Japanese, they were clearly a major propaganda victory, one that made banner headlines on the home front and to some extent evened the score for the April 18, 1942, Jimmy Doolittle raid on Tokyo, itself a retaliatory raid in return for the Pearl Harbor attack.
From a military standpoint, however, the bombing raids were virtually meaningless, because no serious fires were started or significant collateral damage inflicted. Likewise, although some public apprehension was caused by the attacks, no widespread panic developed on the U.S. West Coast, at least partially due to heavy press censorship. The raids were not repeated, because aircraft-carrying submarines gradually disappeared into the increasing category of obsolete weapons. Only one more Japanese submarine, I-12, operated off the West Coast during the remainder of the war. I-25 was sunk less than a year later by USS Patterson (DD-392) off the New Hebrides Islands on September 3, 1943.
Warrant Flying Officer Fujita continued reconnaissance flying until 1944, when he returned to Japan to train kamikaze pilots. His crewman, Petty Officer Okuda, was later killed in the South Pacific. After the war, Fujitaopened a successful metal products sales business in Japan. Forestry student Johnson later became a U.S. Navy Captain and on January 24, 1974, held a luncheon reunion with Fujita in Tokyo. Executive officer Tatsuo Tsukudo of I-25 retired from the IJN as a vice admiral.
Most people think the only attack on United States soil during WWII happened on December 7, 1941—Pearl Harbor. Actually, the U.S. was hit again, less than a year later … to much less drastic effect.
In September 1942, a Japanese navy pilot named Nobuo Fujita dropped firebombs over a forested area near the small town of Brookings, Oregon. By dropping incendiary devices and starting massive forest fires, the Japanese believed they could divert U.S. resources and potentially cause panic.
Luckily, the plan didn’t work. Despite being spotted by a fire lookout, Fujita managed to drop two bombs—but due to light winds, rain, and speedy firefighters, the fires were quickly contained. The pilot eventually returned home, but what he had tried to do never left him.
In 1962, Fujita came back to Brookings to make amends, toting a family heirloom—a 400-year-old Samurai sword to (see – and click on – below photo) give to the town. If they refused to forgive him, the pilot intended to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) with it. “I was quite sure that once in Brookings I would be beaten up, people would throw eggs at me and shout insults at me,” he later admitted.
1961 – Fujita in Brookings, OR with his family’s heirloom Samurai Sword – his gift to the city he’d bombed in WWII
To Fujita’s surprise, the people of Brookings welcomed him with large crowds, a special reception, and a key to the city.
He later returned the favor, footing the bill for three Oregonian teenagers to visit Japan. He also gave $1000 to the local library to purchase books for children to learn about his country, hoping that understanding each other would prevent more wars from happening. Fujita made another three visits to Oregon throughout his lifetime, even planting trees on the spot where he dropped the bombs.
Shortly before his death in 1997, the town of Brookings made their onetime attacker an honorary citizen. The following year, his daughter visited the town to honor her father’s last request: to have some of his ashes buried at the bomb site.
MORE
Fujitadropped both bombs, but nothing much happened. The forest fires never started. America won the war, and by 1962 – in the interests of improving Japanese-American relations – the Jaycees in Brookings invited Fujita to come to the United States and to be grand marshal of the town`s annual Azalea Festival. (I just realized that this may be starting to sound like some kind of satire; believe me, it isn`t.)
At the 1962 Azalea Festival, Nobuo Fujita presented to his American hosts the samurai sword he had carried on his bombing missions; he told the people of Brookings that turning over the sword represented “the final gesture of my surrender.“
Fujita, it turns out, is still alive. He is 76 years old, and works here in Japan as a manager at a factory that manufactures copper wires. With the assistance of the person who is helping me out on this trip, Chieko Kuriki, I prepared a list of questions for Fujita (he speaks only Japanese; I speak only English). I had been totally unaware that bombs had ever been dropped on our mainland. Graciously, Fujita agreed to answer.
“The purpose of my mission was to cause a big fire in the forest which would discourage American citizens to fight with Japan,“ he said. “To make them feel anxiety-therefore to make them feel (as if they should) stop fighting with us sooner.“
Fujita said that his mission was strictly a result of a military directive: “Personally, I didn`t hate Americans.“ But when his superiors told him to drop the bombs on Oregon, “It is natural for me to obey.“
Question: All this time later, after all this history, does Fujita regret what he did?
“I don`t regret,“ he said. “It was an order. If I had been killed, I wouldn`t have had any regret, either. In fact, I didn`t think I could return alive from the mission.“
Would he do it again?
“I don`t think Japan will fight with America again.“
And what went through his mind on those two missions-as he was approaching the West Coast of the United States, what was he thinking about?
“While I was flying over the sea, I was thinking only this: not to be shot down before I flew over the land. Otherwise, my mission was going to be a total failure. If (the plane made it) over the land, I thought, it would cause at least a small fire or something.
“While flying, I saw the sun rising from the mountains. It was so huge, so wonderfully gorgeous. I was knocked down by the sight. It was probably only for five minutes. I was flying, and watching at the same time if any plane would come to attack me. But I couldn`t ignore the sun. The rising sun made the mountains first in red, then later orange with yellowish tone. The whole scene was so impressive. I`ll never forget it.“
He said that the bombings of Oregon were not planned as the first step in a series of attacks on the U.S. “It was a mission assigned to me. We had six bombs prepared. So the mission was going to continue until we used up all the bombs.“ He said he was selected for the attack because “I was a very good pilot.“ After the first two missions failed, the project was called off. Then, in 1962, the town of Brookings invited him to its Azalea Festival,
“I was simply surprised and couldn`t figure out why they wanted to invite me. They wrote me that after the war U.S. and Japan must become friends.“
So he came back to America. “I`ll never forget my visit,“ he said.
“I flew over the forest by small airplane.“ That`s right-the people of Brookings flew him over the same wooded areas he had unsuccessfully bombed.
“The pilot offered me to fly, so I flew.“
Here`s where the story really gets good. During that 1962 trip to Brookings, Fujita promised that someday he would finance a trip to Japan for several Brookings youngsters. But the company he owned at the time went bankrupt, and Fujita became totally broke. Still, for more than 20 years he worked his way back up the Japanese corporate structure, saving every yen so that he would not default on his promise to the citizens of Brookings. “I (was) not famous,“ he said. “I don`t talk a lot about my background. If (people in Japan) ask, I will say yes. But I don`t tell them first.“
By 1985, Fujitahad saved enough money. Three teenagers from Brookings-Robyn Soifeth, 17; Lisa Phelps, 16; and Sarah Cortell, 17-visited Japan as the guests of the pilot who had once tried to bomb their small town.
“It was a short visit,“ Fujitasaid. “But at the (Tokyo) airport, on the day they returned to Brookings, they cried. I felt like crying, too. Please write this: As long as I am fine, I`ll take care of anyone from Brookings if they visit Japan.They are indeed very, very good people.“
Thanks again to our number one Aviation News Scout, Virg Hemphill (L), we are once again able to bring you another fascinating video (14:23 long) about the First Aero’s famous spy plane: the SR-71 Blackbird.
Buz Carpenter
Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Docent, Col. Buz Carpenter (R), a former SR-71 Pilot himself, gives a us an intriguing tour of his favorite plane, the world’s fastest jet. Since 1976, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird has held the world record for the fastest ‘air-breathing manned aircraft’ with a recorded speed of 1,905.81 knots (2,193.2 mph; 3,529.6 km/h). That works out to a staggering 36.55 miles/58.83 km per minute.
And here below is a 4:25 long video about the Blackbird, with one of our FASF Advisors, and former First Aero Squadron Commander, Major General Patrick Halloran (see his photo below both videos), describing some of his own experiences as a member of the small elite group of pilots priviliged to fly the world’s fastest jet. General Halloranis the second Blackbird pilot you see being interviewed.
And, below is a 20:00 long video of a SR-71 Cockpit Checkout by former pilot, Richard Graham.
Once again, from our ever alert Aviation News Scout, Virg Hemphill, comes another great video post regarding Naval Aviator in training – – – when they are ready for their first attempts to land a fast moving jet on the mother ship – and Aircraft Carrier.
Virg and I were USAF jet pilots, so we didn’t have to endure this experience, in fact we not so jokingly used to refer to all Navy landings aboard ship as either good or bad “controlled crashes.” That’s because, as you can see, there’s simply no such thing on an Aircraft Carrier as a “smooth” landing.
The arresting gear that so suddenly jerks your hurling machine to a sudden stop, simply cannot provide a “smooth” end of flight experience. In fact, when you stop to think about the Navy shipboard landing process, if the pilots were not tightly constrained by a strong shoulder and seat harness, they’d likely be gravely injured or even killed by the sudden stop – as would they be had their plane hit a brick wall. Of course the jets are purposely designed to be exceptionally strong, enough to safely take the sudden stops involved with every Carrier landing.
Without further ado, here’s “The Day of the Tests.” It is 6:52 long.
When Air Force model aircraft are re-designed for Navy Carrier Service, they must be especially reinforced to be able to withstand the extreme landing forces they’ll have to endure. The result is, of course, that the USN version of the jet will be considerably heavier because of the extra weight of the reinforcement metals involved.
As you can see in this video, there’s a tendency for understandably nervous new pilots to come in too high – – – and to thereby miss the arresting cable altogether. One pilot even forgets to put his tail hook down.
One of the most difficult parts of the new carrier landing technique is for the fledgling pilots to remember to immediately put on full power the instant they touch the deck.
This must be done to be sure that, should the pilot not snag the arresting cable, they’ll have sufficient power to “go around” or make another attempt to land. Missing the arresting cable is called a “bolter.” Doing this sudden application of power upon touching down is an unnatural or non-instinctive procedure, yet critically necesary. If it’s not done with precise timing, they risk rolling straight off the Carrier’s deck and into the ocean.
Your editor spent three years in the Navy before switching to the Air Force and found this videos’ pilots’ reference to the “Boat” as startling. When I served in the Navy, one never used the term “boat” for a large ship, such as an aircraft carrier, so the acceptable language has certainly changed in the past fifty years! We were literally scolded, if we referred to our ship as a boat!
Thanks again to our Aviation Scout, Virg Hemphill, for finding this outstanding video segment of the US Navy Flight Demonstration Team busily practicing their maneuvers. This is excellent video footage taken both inside their jets as well as of them from the outside. This video is only 3:43 in length, and little descriptive text is required, since the film speaks for itself. But this does show why it’s easy to become enthusiastic about flying these high performance Fighters.
Don’t hesitate to click your browser into Full-Screen Mode in order to get the best vantage of the cavorting jet fighters. And remember to turn on your sound also. You might wonder, if you’re not a pilot, why the Naval Aviator seen here is grimacing so often: It’s because he is tightening his stomach muscles in order to prevent himself from “blacking out” from the high “G” forces (“g” is for gravity). The aircraft you see here are the Blue Angel’s new McDonnell-Douglas manufactured F-18 Hornets.
