I’m Heading West Again…
Oshkosh bound! Why do I want to attend an event where you have to walk miles just to see the headlining acts? Or, withstand heat, chill, wind, thunderstorms, and a few other surprises thrown in by Mother Nature over...
Tagged: MIG-21
Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Five
PART 5: Supplemental Notes Further Reading: Donald E. Auten’s Roger Ball! The Odyssey of John Monroe “Hawk” Smith, Navy Fighter Pilot, tells the story of an influential figure in Topgun and the Navy fighter community and provide additional information...
Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part Two
PART 2: Topgun’s Early Years: the Foundation (Navy Fighter Weapons School F-5E Tiger II gets close for a photo.) When considering why Topgun flourished, much credit must go to the enduring culture established by the earliest instructors and handed...
Topgun in the Mid-1980s: Building on the Legacy – Part One
(F-5F, F-5E, and A-4 provided a wide range of threats to challenge Navy fighter pilots and RIOs.) Have you ever wondered how the Navy’s Topgun program became a world-renowned center of excellence in the serious business of air combat?...
Draken International
Draken International is a company on the rise. They provide contract air services for military use and are based at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland Florida. In simple terms, they can perform any mission that military aircraft...
Hawaii’s Military Aviation Heritage on Display
The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located aboard Ford Island, at Pearl Harbor. Within its’ pair of hangars and ramp area, a wide-ranging collection of aircraft and artifacts presents aviation heritage with a mainly military, decidedly Hawaiian flavor...
Colombians Attend Red Flag for the first time ever!!
Red Flag 12-4 is in the books and from all reports it was an overwhelming success. Planning for each Red Flag exercise starts many months in advance. In the case of the visiting Colombian Air Force that process started...
Colonel (Ret.) Gaillard “Evil” Peck – Bio
Colonel Gail Peck was born at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the 1st son of Air Corps Lt Gaillard and Lois Peck. He was raised in the military attending school in occupied Japan and the...
A Visit to Valiant Air Command
Vacations are to unwind and relax; nothing can relax me more than being in the company of great people and historic aircraft. This is why I always perform an online search for any museums and airfields in the area...
Thunder Over Michigan 2011 – Preview
Thunder over Michigan is the best “themed” airshow in the country as well as one of the biggest. Most airshows follow a pattern of “try to get airplanes” so people will come and watch it (hence raising money for...
