In Flight USA Article Categories

 In Flight USA Articles

Featured Annamarie Buonocore Featured Annamarie Buonocore

Crash Landing at Kimbolton, England – 1944 After a Bombing Raid Over Germany – in His Own Words

By Barbara Title

Byrd “Bert” Ryland in uniform. (Courtesy Barbara Title)“Our target that day was Hanover, Germany. Right after the bombs, we received three close hits that not only knocked out number four engine and caught number three engine on fire but also injured my co-pilot in the right leg, and my bombardier was also wounded in the upper leg. We went from 27,000 feet to approximately 5,000 feet in a spin. As we got it under control at 5,000 feet, the fire went out on number three, and we were able to feather it. By throwing out most of our equipment, we were able to maintain altitude across the North Sea. The crew took care of the wounded, and the co-pilot stayed in his seat to help me control the aircraft.

When the crew inspected the aircraft prior to trying to land my ball turret, gunner told me that the left main gear was partially hanging down and was holding on by hydraulic lines only. I couldn’t get any indication of gear condition, so the engineer tried to crank it down. It still didn’t come down, and I elected to land it in that condition, as I couldn’t have gone around after an approach and sure as hell didn’t want to bail out when I might have been able to save it. I made a good landing as far as it goes until I lost control of speed.

Read More
Featured Annamarie Buonocore Featured Annamarie Buonocore

Journey to Recovery

By Senior Airman Kyle Johnson, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs

(This feature is part of the “Through Airmen’s Eyes” series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story).

Senior Master Sgt. Janet Lemmons, the 176th Force Support Squadron sustainment and services superintendent, holds up a note her son Tommy wrote to her and his stepfather, Tom, when he was younger. She found the note among a pile of old receipts when she was looking to trade in some diamond earrings after his death. Lemmons tells everyone the note is a thousand times better than diamonds and she keeps it at her desk. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kyle Johnson)Then-Tech. Sgt. Janet Lemmons realized she couldn’t breathe in the hospital room. It was as if there wasn’t enough space for her family’s grief and the air collectively. She had to get out.

Lemmons stepped into the elevator that would take her someplace where she could breathe, but the cold steel walls provided no comfort as they sealed her in. She took several deep breaths as the elevator descended. The doors opened on friends and family, and they all knew exactly what had happened as soon as they saw her.

Her oldest son, Tommy, was dead.

Lemmons stepped out into a surreal world where nothing was as it should be and didn’t feel like it ever would be.

“How am I going to laugh again?” said Lemmons, now a senior master sergeant and the sustainment services superintendent for the 176th Force Support Squadron. “What is life going to be like? How am I going to eat again? How is anything ever going to be enjoyable again?”

Read More
A Look Back at Wonder Woman's Iconic Invisible Plane at 75 Years Old
Featured Annamarie Buonocore Featured Annamarie Buonocore

A Look Back at Wonder Woman's Iconic Invisible Plane at 75 Years Old

By Mark Rhodes

Wonder Woman, AKA Princess Diana of Paradise Island, created by William Moulton Marston, is without a doubt the most famous and influential female superhero in comics history. The past year 2016 saw her celebrate her 75th anniversary, and 2017 will see her come to cinematic life in a live-action feature starring Gail Gadot set during World War I. Wonder Woman’s iconic status today overshadows in some ways her origins, which were connected to early feminist thought that foreshadowed the women’s movement of the mid to late 20th century.  

So it was with Wonder Woman’s Invisible Plane. The Invisible Plane made its first appearance in Sensation Comics # 1 in 1942. This creation was the handiwork of Princess Diana as a youth on Paradise Island. The idea being that the Plane could fly undetected at high speeds without necessarily having to engage in combat unless absolutely necessary (a theme of the early Wonder Woman stories set during World War II was the collateral damage of male-oriented military conflict). Of course this notion foreshadowed late 20th to early 21st century stealth aircraft. 

Besides being invisible, the plane could travel at more than 2,000 mph and was able to be activated and summoned by Wonder Woman’s tiara where she would board it or exit it from a rope ladder. As Wonder Woman’s narrative advanced in the comics, the plane evolved into an ever more sophisticated mode of transportation, being able to fly into space with minimal effort. Reflecting advancements in aviation in general, the plane evolved into a jet in the 1950s.   

Read More
Featured Annamarie Buonocore Featured Annamarie Buonocore

Editorial: New Third Class Medical Provisions

By Ed Downs

It is now official, as of May 1, 2017, the FAR’s will contain provisions that allow an individual to exercise the privileges of a private pilot without the need for a third class medical certificate. But, let me quickly add, there are a number of conditions and caveats in the new rule. Those looking for specific details must review the “Final Rule,” www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/final_rule_faa_2016_9157.pdf, and Advisory Circular 68-1, www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory Circular/AC_68-1.pdf. These two fun-filled documents total 112 pages of legal language that needs to be read several times in order to get a full grasp on what is going on.

It had been the intent of this writer to summarize this final ruling, but space will simply not allow this. Instead, allow the opinions of this writer to set the stage and then take a look at the FAQ’s that are included directly from Advisory Circular 68-1. This is probably the fastest way to get some idea of what this ruling entails.

Read More