In Flight USA Article Categories
In Flight USA Articles
Author George Leopold gives NASA Pioneer Gus Grissom His Due in Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom
By Mark Rhodes
Author George Leopold’s biography of Astronaut Gus Grisson, Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom (Purdue University Press) is a thoughtful and comprehensive attempt to not only tell the story of Grissom’s life but most notably put Grissom’s accomplishments in context and perspective as one of the original seven NASA astronauts. Grissom, who died tragically during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1, is a unique figure in NASA lore and history in that he was one of the few astronauts to not fully “tell his story” in the form of a memoir.
Mr. Leopold, who writes frequently about the space program, methodically traces the arc of Grissom’s rise from small town in Indiana to enlisting at the end of World War II as a teenager in the embryonic U.S. Air Force then studying engineering at Purdue before ultimately re-enlisting in Korea where he saw action in the skies (interestingly enough, unlike several of his future astronaut peers, Grissom never had an official kill, as he primarily functioned as a wingman). Post Korea, Grissom distinguished himself as one of the first rank of American test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base.
Everything changed in Grissom’s life in 1957 when Sputnik was launched into space throwing the Cold War into a very high gear overnight. Grissom competed with over 100 exceptional and accomplished candidates to be one of the “Mercury Seven” astronauts. This distinguished group of American test pilots was thrust into immediate celebrity status thanks to flattering, gushing profiles in Life Magazine. Grissom was particularly uncomfortable with this development, as the work the test pilots did was hardly public knowledge and was in many instances top secret. Grissom also didn’t possess a high degree of the natural swagger and charisma of his peers (particularly John Glenn who was preternaturally media savvy). Despite this, Grissom became the second American in space and was part of the first man-maneuvered space flight as one of the astronauts in the Gemini program.
Renovated Sky-Cafe Los Angeles
Merry Christmas from Remos
WACO Aircraft Newsletter
Bruce's Custom Covers Promotion
Beringer Aero Calendar 2017
Aviation History Channel Series
Contrails: Our Vanishing Past
By Steve Weaver
The magnificent Supermarine Spitfire, just before the eventful flight. (Courtesy Steve Wesaver)I watched as the Spitfire, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, gently touched the sod of the country it had fought for some 70 odd years ago. The roll out was straight, and the track was true and the beautiful craft had slowed to almost a taxi pace when suddenly the left wing went down. The big fighter slewed and started to go over. It poised with the tail high in the air, just at the tipping point, where an inch further would send it onto its back, then it settled back on the right main gear and the left wing tip, the tail still high above the ground. There was a collective moan from the watching crowd, mine probably one of the loudest.
Adventure Awaits Pilots in California’s South County
By Annamarie Buonocore
Introduction
J2 Cub at Wings of History Aviation Museum, San Martin. (Courtesy of Wings of History Aviation Museum) Perhaps one of the most overlooked parts of California is the Bay Area’s South County. Unless one is thinking about the pungent odor of garlic, South County is just another place travelers pass through between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. But for those who choose to stop, great treasures await. From fruit stands to two dynamic airports, this area, just miles outside of Silicon Valley that includes the south end of San Jose, Gilroy, and San Martin, offers great opportunities for aviation enthusiasts, pilots, and all who travel alongside of them.
Chief Exercises Resilience Through Mountain Climbing
By Senior Airman Solomon Cook, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
(This feature is part of the “Through Airmen’s Eyes” series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story).
Airmen reach the summit of Granite Peak in Montana after a three-day climb of more than 7,000 feet Aug. 30, 2016. (Courtesy photo)The four pillars of comprehensive airmen fitness are mental, physical, social, and spiritual. How Airmen choose to strengthen them is of their own desire, but one sergeant thinks a way to reinforce all of these concepts is found at the top of each American states’ highest point.
Most recently, Chief Master Sgt. Dean Werner, the emergency management program manager for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, led a hike Aug. 4-6, adding to his list of mountains climbed.
“I led a group of 10 Airmen to the summit of Granite Peak, Mont., which is considered the most difficult of the 50 state highpoints to conquer, except for Mount Denali, Alaska,” Werner said.
The climb consisted of 28 miles in three days, gaining more than 7,000 feet of elevation.
Above & Beyond: Boeing’s Centennial Traveling Exhibit
By Larry E. Nazimek
Entrance to Boeing’s “Above and Beyond” exhibit. As one walks through the entrance, the B & W Seaplane is the first thing they see. (Larry E. Nazimek)Boeing, whose headquarters is in Chicago, is celebrating its centennial, and their travelling exhibit, “Above & Beyond,” is making its rounds. We visited the exhibit as it opened in Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.
Marcellus Rolle, of Boeing’s Centennial Anniversary Communications Office, explained, “Boeing does business worldwide, so there are actually three of these exhibits: one for the U. S., one for Europe, and one for Asia, in the appropriate languages. This one is in English, with Spanish subtitles.”
The first thing one sees as he enters the exhibit, is a ¼-scale model of the B & W Seaplane, named after its designers, William Boeing and U. S. Navy Lt. Conrad Westervelt. Made of wood, metal, and fabric, it was the first Boeing product. Its first flight was on June 15, 1916, and its maximum speed was 75 mph.
Bruce Has You Covered
Skies to Stars: How Big is Big?
By Ed Downs
Even with a modest amateur telescope, one can see unimaginable distances and travel through nearly endless time. Distance numbers that are simply difficult to picture in a visual manner sometimes challenges even the pros. Units of measurement, like miles, kilometers, lunar units, astronomical units, light years, parsecs, kilo parsecs and many more are used to describe the vastness of our universe with modest success. Spacecraft have now reached planets as close as Mars, and as far away as Pluto, but what is the real relative distance being traveled to visit our closest planetary neighbors? Most classroom models of our tiny solar system show the planets as being equally spaced as they circle the sun. The fact is, if made to scale, some classroom models would take up several city blocks.
This writer was recently gifted a terrific book, The Total Skywatcher’s Manual, authored by Linda Shore and David Prosper, both representing the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. This is an absolutely “must have” book for any individual who wants to know more about all things astronomical, written in a fun and entertaining manner and filled with incredible illustrations. It is divided into multiple, short chapters of information, with “Chapter 110” teaching one how to construct a proportionally correct model of our solar system. This is a real revelation and great fun for both adults and kids. Follow along as The Total Skywatcher’s Manual gives you a perspective that is jaw dropping.
Engine Failure on Way to Museum
Jet Edge Reaches New Heights
Flying Club Giveaway
The Lost Squadron
Editorial: A New Pilot Certificate, With No Written Exam of Flight Test?
By Ed Down
Absolutely, existing pilots with a current Flight Review can now obtain a new pilot certificate by taking a short, web-based, instructional course and filling out a form on the FAA website. And yes, you too, can become a “Drone” Pilot! The long-awaited FAR 107 is now in play, and as an instructor for the weekend training experts at Aviation Seminars, I have just received a course update that enables “0” time “Drone Pilot” wannabe’s to attend a weekend course, take a written exam and, with a simple application, become qualified to operate a Drone commercially. As a currently certificated pilot, you can enter the commercial Drone market with ease.
It has been my intent to quickly undergo the web-based training course (which I did, very nicely done) and then apply for my Drone Pilot Certificate, yet another “notch in my log book.” Regrettably, while FAR 107 (this is the rule for commercial Drone operators) is up and running and the training and test are in place, the required FAA application forms will not be online until after Aug. 29, so this “Drone Pilot” wannabe is just going to have to wait. While seemingly not connected with big plane flying, it should be noted that FAR 107 commercial Drone operations in Class “G” airspace are permitted with no special permission from the FAA. Remember, about 85 percent of all public use airports are in Class “G” airspace. It should be noted that failure to understand how this new FAR works could end up with you receiving a fine of up to $27,500 in civil penalties if you fail to operate even a recreational drone incorrectly. Fines of up to $250,000 and three years in jail are possible if a drone is involved in something that turns out to be illegal. Yep, the fine print can hurt!
Renaissance Men
By David Brown
The dictionary Definition of a Renaissance Man is: A person who excels in various areas.
Luffwaffe Day at flying Heritage collection (FHC) at Paine Field, north of Seattle. In a cloud of oil smoke, with Bud Granley in the cockpit, the DB 601 of the Messerschmitt comes to life. (David Brown)This certainly applies to the father and son team of Bud and Ross Granley, who have both been successful in challenging careers as instructor pilots, fighter pilots, airline pilots and now fly together as Washington state-based Granley Airshows. Their displays range up and down the West Coast of the USA and into Canada.
Bud learned to fly on a Royal Canadian Air Cadet scholarship and started flying with the RCAF in 1956. He progressed through basic and advanced training in the T-6 and T-33. He flew Sabre jets at Baden-Baden in Germany for three years and was later an instructor and demonstration pilot on the T-6 at Red Deer, Alberta. Bud’s first chance to pilot a warbird was a P-40, and he has since gone on to fly many vintage aircraft. Bud retired from United Airlines in 1997 and continues flying T-6 displays together with the Fouga Magister jet and a number of warbirds.
Ross has had a career piloting jets in the RCAF, which has included flying with the Snowbirds for two seasons, and flying CF-5 and CF-18 fighters. On leaving the RCAF in 1997, Ross started flying for United Airlines and currently flies out of San Francisco.
China and the Flying Tigers
By Nina Jobe
The C-47is still painted up with Normandy D-Day white stripes and Buzz Buggy. The hope is to get the decals changed to CBI/CNAC in China - the new CBI/CNAC decals are already aboard for transport. (Barbara Bussler)The Chinese Theater in WWII is most famous for the Flying Tigers, a story that began with the formation of the “American Volunteer Group” or “AVG” in April of 1941, well before Pearl Harbor, under Claire Chennault through secret arrangements authorized by President Roosevelt. Pilots from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were permitted to resign from the military to head to China to train pilots for the Chinese Air Force under Chinese Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek. Incentivized by the lure of adventure and/or high pay (approximately three times what they made in the U.S.), the first group arrived in Burma in Nov. of 1941. Once the attack on Pearl Harbor had occurred, their motivation changed to patriotism against Japan.
Japan began their invasion of China in 1931 in the far Northeast section known as Manchuria and grew to full conflict by 1937, marked by the clash at the famous Marco Polo Bridge. Japanese occupation of eastern China left the only route for bringing food and military supplies, etc., to China via the Burma road into Kunming. Once Burma also fell to Japan, the only way left was by air transport from India over the Himalayas known as the “Hump”– initially by C47s (DC3s). China National Aviation Corp. (CNAC), in which Pan Am held a 45 percent ownership, pioneered the routes and was later joined by the U.S. Army Air Forces. This operation was later successfully copied as the pattern for the Berlin airlift.