B1 Bomber

The B1 is a very popular attraction at the large aviation museum at Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, SD.

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Phantom II

Here is a great picture of a F4 Phantom II from Navy Fighter Squadron one five one (VF-151) that has just launched from the USS Midway (CVA-41).

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USS Independence (CVA-62) 1965

Once upon a time - December, 1965 - I found myself right in the middle - literally - of a flight deck fire.

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Tomcat Launch

Here is a great picture of an F-14 Tomcat from Navy Fighter Squadron Forty-One being launched from the USS-Nimitz (CVN-68) by one of it’s waste catapults.

There were a number of Naval Aircraft that had their angle of attack manipulated to enhance their lift capabilities when being launched from carriers. The Tomcat was one of them. The nose landing gear was deflated causing it to go nearly flat. It was referred to as the “kneel position”.

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F14-A Tomcat

Here I am, once again on the flight deck with a VF-41 aircraft in the background. It's my second tour of duty with the Black Aces and this time I'm working on the flight deck again as the squadron's maintenance coordinator. That's me in the back row, third from the right. That motley looking collection of Chief Petty Officers was hard to round up for any picture. The year is 1978 and we are on the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) getting ready to head on out to Rota Spain and other lovely ports of call in the Mediterranean Sea area.

FastEagle

F4-B

This is a picture of the Officers and Men of Navy Fighter Squadron VF-41. Somewhere in behind all the sailors is a F4-B Phantom II fighter bomber. I'm in there somewhere. We are on the flight deck of the USS Independence (CVA-62) off the coast of Viet-Nam and getting ready to leave Yankee Station for a long awaited port visit to Yokosuka, Japan. The year is 1965. Guess what the call sign is for VF-41? Fast Eagle!

I was the airframes flight deck troubleshooter. Changed a lot of tires on that flight deck. Wheel/tire assembly - 125 lbs - axle jack and jack handle - 65 lbs - tool pouch strapped on my side - 40 lbs - roll the wheel/tire assembly into a 30kt wind carrying the jack and tool pouch. Needless to say, at 5'10" and 165#, I was FIT!

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Fort Rucker

If you find yourself meandering around in the southeast corner of Alabama near Ozark you might want to take a little trip out to Fort Rucker. The Aviation Museum is well worth a little trip off your normal path. Here are just a few of the many pictures we took while visiting the buildings and grounds.

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