Free Republic

SAN DIEGO - A Korean immigrant who lost his wife, two children and mother-in-law when a Marine Corps jet slammed into the family's house said Tuesday he did not blame the pilot, who ejected and survived. "Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday's crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego's University City community. "He is one of our treasures for the country," Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure. "I don't blame him. I...

11/13/2008 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- An Air Force colonel who is a senior member of the Civil Air Patrol is scheduled to pilot the Space Shuttle Endeavour for mission STS-126 when it takes off Nov. 14 at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Col. Eric Boe, a NASA astronaut, will fly the shuttle in his first voyage into space as Endeavour supports the International Space Station. Endeavor will dock with the space station and deliver supplies to support its expanding needs, including a multipurpose logistics module. "I'm very excited to go into space and get the opportunity to...

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 7, 2008 – A little boy from Flagstaff, Ariz., touched the lives of Guardsmen at the 162nd Fighter Wing here last year when he visited the wing to be a fighter pilot for a day, and he continues to inspire unit members today. Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Reinhold, then a major, puts the 162nd Fighter Wing patch on 6-year-old Dominic Magne’s flight suit during the boy’s visit to the Arizona Air National Guard unit April 17, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Gabe Johnson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. At the age of...

Clark native Tim Lichardus hasn't had a place to call home for the last 12 years -- no apartment, no house, no timeshare. His job as a blimp crewman requires him to live out of a suitcase 11 months of the year. But the job is not without perks. There's no mortgage, no rent and no lawn. In addition, he's traveled to Jerusalem, Rio de Janeiro and China. But he isn't the one waving to worshippers, tourists and sports fans from a thousand feet in the air. He's on terra firma -- come rain, snow or heavy winds -- directing...

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is 2nd Lt. Howard C. Enoch Jr., US Army Air Forces, of Marion, KY. He will be buried on September 22 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Representatives from the Army met with Enoch's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate internment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. On March 19,...

Most of the patients in the labyrinthine Gudushauri Hospital on the eastern outskirts of Tbilisi are being treated for injuries suffered during the Russian invasion, with more than 600 people admitted in the past few days. But in one corridor, sealed off by eight black-clad guards armed with Kalashnikov rifles, there were two patients very different from the rest. Vyacheslav Markovich and Igor Zinov were not fleeing from the Russian attack, they were leading it. On 9 August, their planes were hit by anti-aircraft fire, forcing them to eject and parachute to the ground. Georgia claims to have destroyed 15...

A British soldier and jump instructor participating in a parachute competition in Germany got hung up on the landing gear of his jump aircraft, reportedly a Britten-Norman Islander, and was rescued by the only person left on the aircraft -- its pilot...

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Lt. Cmdr. Ralph C. Bisz, U.S. Navy, of Miami Shores, Fla. His funeral arrangements are being set by his family. On Aug. 4, 1967, Bisz took off in an A-4E Skyhawk from the USS Oriskany to bomb an enemy petroleum depot near Haiphong, Vietnam. As he neared the target, his aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile...

FALLON, Nev. (AP) -- Two fighter jets from the U.S. Navy's elite training school collided Friday over northern Nevada's high desert, killing one pilot and injuring two others who parachuted to safety. The pilot who died was based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., said Jeffery Wells, a spokesman at Fallon Naval Air Station. He was at the controls of an F/A-18C Hornet at the time of the crash.

FALLON, Nev. — A pilot was missing after two U.S. Navy jets flying a routine training mission collided Friday over northern Nevada's high desert about 50 miles east of the Fallon Naval Air Station. Two pilots safely ejected from an F-5 Tiger and were rescued, but the pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet was missing, said Zip Upham, public affairs officer for the base. The two aircraft collided about noon Friday near the town of Middlegate, some 110 miles east of Reno, Upham said. The cause of the crash was under investigation, he said. The pilots in the two-seater F-5 Tiger...

CARSON CITY, Nev., June 10, 2008 – Throughout his Air Force career, Nevada Air National Guard pilot Maj. Derek Routt has distinguished himself by emphasizing basic character traits such as integrity and work ethic. Air Force Maj. Derek Routt illustrates his enthusiasm for flying in an F-16 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in 2005 during a Red Flag Exercise with 64th Aggressor Squadron. Photo courtesy of Tyson V. Rininger, TVR Photography  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. They promise to be the same attributes Routt upholds this fall when he becomes the first National Guard pilot to take...

John McCain will be the third Fighter Jock and second Naval Aviator to occupy the WH in the last 28 years.

I hope this is ok to post here. I am trying to find some information for my husband on something we got when his father passed away a couple of years ago. It is clearly a blood chit from pictures I've seen online, but it doesn't really look just like the ones I can find online. It has only an American flag on it, with characters (beats me if they are Chinese or Korean, he flew over both during his career as a marine pilot). I would love to be able to translate it, as we plan to frame it...

U.S. Wary Of Small Boat Terrorism As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al Qaeda's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." While the United States...

The USAF Aircraft Commander of Hillary's C-17 that landed in Bosnia speaks about what all Hillary has said.

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 27 --The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today is calling for an independent investigation of an in-flight discharge of a pistol carried by an armed U.S. Airways pilot to prevent any whitewashing, cover-up or scapegoating in the incident. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said the incident is alarming because of allegations that the pilot may have been following strict Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules when the mishap occurred. Those rules came under fire today from the Airline Pilots Security Alliance (APSA), which represents thousands of commercial airline pilots. "We have a keen interest...

What's the take around here about the story of McCain being the pilot who started the Forrestal explosions/fire by wet-starting his jet on deck, and touching off the rocket of the A-4 behind him? Did he really get an immediate transfer off the ship even before it was under control? (Like they were afraid the surviving crew was going to basically kill him for this?) Is this something that is an urban legend or did it really occur and he has some or all of the blame for this happening?

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, March 21, 2008 – When Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White sits down at the controls of a Black Hawk helicopter, he looks just like any other pilot in his battalion. He wears the same flight suit, the same helmet and the same air of confidence – the only difference is that at the end of the day, his wrist might be a bit sore. Army Chief Warrant Officer Fred White, a Black Hawk pilot with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, demonstrates the preparations he makes before a flight...

PARKER, Ariz. - The pilot of an F-16C fighter jet that crashed in a rugged area of western Arizona was killed when his plane went down, Air Force officials confirmed Saturday. The student pilot was practicing air-to-air combat with another F-16 from Luke Air Force Base about noon Friday when his plane crashed, base spokeswoman Mary Jo May said. Aircraft from the Air Force, Marines, Civil Air Patrol and Arizona Department of Public Safety spent hours trying to find the wreckage, which was spotted late Friday in a remote area about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix. Rescuers could only reach...

3/14/2008 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron here crashed about 12:00 p.m. today south of Alamo Lake, Ariz. At the time of the accident, the F-16 was on an air-to-air student training mission. One pilot was on board. The status of the pilot is unknown at this time. A board of officers will be convened to investigate the accident. As soon as additional details become available, they will be provided.

At least 33 pilots in Canada, including some flying large commercial airliners, have complained about being flashed in the eyes by bright lights that could be lasers, officials said on Thursday. Canada's transport ministry said it is probing the complaints, which started in 2005, and had handed most of them over to the police. "All we know is that a bright light was shone into the cockpit. We don't know if it is in fact a laser and that's why when these reports happen, an investigation is started," said ministry spokeswoman Kirsten Goodnough.

BIALLA, Papua New Guinea (AP) - The Japanese fighter caught the American pilot from behind, riddling his plane with machine-gun rounds. The left engine burst into flames. It was time to bail out. He yanked on the release lever but the cockpit canopy only half- opened. He unbuckled his seat belt, rose to shake the canopy loose and was instantly sucked out. Swinging beneath his opened parachute, he plunged toward a Pacific island jungle of thick, towering eucalyptus trees, of crocodile rivers and headhunters, into enemy territory, and into an unimagined future as a hero, "Suara Auru," Chief Warrior, to...

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE Laughter filled the 33rd Fighter Wing hangar Wednesday afternoon during a memorial ceremony for F-15 pilot 1st Lt. Ali M. Jivanjee. Jivanjee, 26, died Feb. 20 in a midair collision with another 58th Fighter Squadron warplane. The accident is under investigation. “When I look at Ali, I see a very complex man,” said squadron commander Lt. Col. Todd Jaax. He described Jivanjee as a top-notch fighter pilot, a stellar officer, a terrific son and husband, as well as a devout Muslim who played a merciless game of poker. Jaax also suspected Jivanjee’s preference for frugal dates...

Will `Ace' McCain Flame Out Again? - Brief ArticleKelly Patricia O'Meara Over the years he's played many roles and worn many titles, including Navy aviator, prisoner of war, hero, congressman, U.S. senator, Washington insider, maverick outsider and, now, presidential candidate. But the one title of which few are aware is that of "service ace." John Sidney McCain III is known among many of his Vietnam flight buddies as "Ace" McCain. This title has not been bestowed upon McCain because he destroyed five enemy aircraft. On the contrary: It was five on our side -- in fact, five of his own....

FORT HOOD, Texas, Feb. 1, 2008 – A 1st Cavalry Division AH-64D Longbow Apache pilot got word that two of his friends, fellow pilots, were shot down during a fierce battle in Najaf, a city in Iraqi army control south of Baghdad, Jan. 28, 2007. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zachary Johnson (right), a pilot with 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, gets pinned with the Distinguished Flying Cross by Army Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., 1st Cavalry Division's commander, at the Fort Hood Catering and Conference Center on Jan. 28, 2008. Johnson, a Nampa, Idaho,...

Alexandria, VA, December 20, 2007- HAI is proud to announce this year’s Pilot of the Year Award recipient, Mr. Franz Ivanovich Levitskiy, Pilot/Instructor, UTair Aviation, Surgut, Russia. Levitskiy began his career in 1965 after graduating from Kremenchug Aviation School of Civil Aviation. Beginning as an M-4 co-pilot, he advanced to pilot instructor with Flight Instruction Team #2, Flight Directorate, UTair Aviation, JSc. UTair Aviation is a large, well-known, respected helicopter operation, accounting for 14 percent of the market share in Russia. The company primarily services oil and gas companies such as Surgutneftegaz, Gazprom, Roseneft, and Slavneft.Levitskiy was involved in the...

NEW DELHI: Facing a desperate shortage of trained local commanders, Indian carriers' hunt for them abroad is now taking them to places where people may know how to fly but not speak English. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week shot down the request of two foreign pilots for getting their commercial pilot licences validated in India. The reason — A Brazilian pilot being eyed by Jet Airways was not proficient in English and the other hired by a general aviation company did not have his papers in order. "A Brazilian pilot was to serve an Indian carrier...

Jim Doyle held a wooden frame displaying the numerous medals showing his service in World War II. Many would call him a hero, but that does not change his own perception. The Pearl Harbor survivor — who will join other survivors at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, on the footsteps of the Capitol Building to honor those who lost their lives more than 66 years ago — talked about the true heroes. "I don't think doing my duty makes me a hero," Doyle said. "I think the real heroes are the kids who got killed and never came back." Doyle...

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Maj. Robert G. Lapham, U.S. Air Force, of Marshall, Mich. He will be buried Friday in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Feb. 8, 1968, Lapham was flying the lead A-1G Skyraider in a flight of two in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The aircraft were alerted to join an airborne forward air controller to destroy enemy tanks that had overrun the...

SUFFOLK The helicopter flew low and fast over the parked cars at Peanut Fest, barely topping the nearby treeline before its nose pulled up in an almost vertical tilt. Rick Jackson watched the acrobatics Sunday from his nearby hangar. He figured the maneuvers were just part of a solo test run to check the wind. Then the helicopter flew closer, and Jackson grew alarmed. The rides had already begun. "You don't do that when you've got people aboard," said Jackson, a licensed pilot and helicopter owner. The police cut short the helicopter rides at Peanut Fest soon after and arrested...

Four-year-old girl dies in Grand Canyon death plunge10-10-2007, 17h34 PHOENIX, United States (AFP) Tourists view the Grand Canyon in Arizona, April 2007. A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday. (AFP) A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday. The Arizona girl was the second-youngest person to die from an accidental fall from the canyon rim, according to experts. The girl fell 450 feet (150 meters) about early Tuesday from Mather Point on the...

My wife handed me that part of the Sunday Virginian Pilot that I usually scan: the comics and the editorial page. I read the editorial page because it’s a useful guide. There are two kinds of guides that are useful: one who consistently point you in the right direction and one who consistently points you in the wrong direction. Both are equally useful once you figure out which is which. The Pilot is an infallible guide. If you read its advice and do the exact opposite, you are sure to get it right. The Pilot felt compelled to editorialize...on the...

Pilot: Item Would Have Been Confiscated By Employees Anyway Well, this is certainly embarrassing. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department is investigating a Mesa Airlines pilot who has been accused of taking a passenger's iPod while going through a security checkpoint at Jacksonville International Airport last week, police said. The sad part is he was caught on camera and admitted he'd done it to police... but reportedly said it would have been taken by airport employees, anyway, according to Atlanta WABTV Channel 2 News. The ugly little saga began ;ast Thursday, when a passenger reported to Transportation Security Administration agents...

Mystery 'pilot' cannot tell police his origin By Petra Krischok in Berlin Last Updated: 2:17am BST 12/07/2007 German police are trying to identify a man they believe to be British, who has a detailed knowledge of military planes but cannot tell them where he comes from. Karl has been named 'the pilot' The man, who calls himself Karl, has been cared for in a nursing home. He was found in a confused state in the city of Heidelberg three days ago. Echoing the case of the "piano man" in England, Karl is known as "the pilot" to staff because of...

GOLD HILL — Retired Air Force pilot Ron Schreck completed an N.C. aviation milestone for the Fourth of July: He touched down at all 109 public-use airports in the state in a day. Schreck took off just before midnight from Gold Hill Airpark, where he lives, and finished his feat in 19 hours and 51 minutes at 8:09 p.m. — plenty of time before any fireworks might have interfered with his flight plan. He said the idea sprouted from hangar talk after he noted the number of airports in a state Department of Transportation booklet. Schreck said he contacted Tom...

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Coast Guard has recovered the body of a pilot whose F-15 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise over the Pacific Ocean, officials said Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT The remains of Maj. Gregory D. Young, 34, of St. Helens, Ore., were found nearly 40 miles west of Cannon Beach in north Oregon, the Oregon Air National Guard said in a statement. "He was a very talented young man with many years of dedicated service to the protection of the freedoms we enjoy today," said Col. Steven Gregg, commander of the 142nd Fighter Wing stationed in Portland. The plane...

The pilot who was killed when his F-15A that crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Tillamook head Tuesday has been identified as Maj. Gregory D. Young, 34, St. Helens, Ore. Oregon Air National Guard identified Young in a news release this morning. "On behalf of the 142nd Fighter Wing. the Portland Air Base, and the Oregon Air National Guard, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family of our fallen Airman. He was a very talented young man with many years of dedicated service to the protection of the freedoms we enjoy today. He will be deeply missed by our...

Wellington - An official investigation found that the crash that killed crack New Zealand pilot John Borman, 60, occurred after he tried to repair his kitset amphibious plane with duct tape, it was reported on Sunday. Borman, who had represented New Zealand in formation flying competitions, died in 2005 when he crashed into Lake Taupo as he tried to take off after makeshift repairs to the plane, which he built himself. The aircraft had first been damaged when it hit the wake of a boat in a previous take-off attempt, according to an official report on the accident, published in...

DRACUT, Mass. (AP) _ The brother of an airline pilot killed when his hijacked plane was flown into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 terror attacks announced Tuesday that he's running for Congress. Air Force Lt. Col. James Ogonowski, 49, of Dracut, is the first Republican to announce his intention to run for the seat that will open when Democratic incumbent Martin Meehan takes over as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

PORT HURON, Mich. -- A Northwest Airlines pilot made a U-turn at a U.S.-Canada border crossing, then led deputies on a chase in his Hummer before being subdued and found to be holding cocaine, a sheriff's officer said Sunday. The 50-year-old pilot posted $10,000 bond Sunday but was being held until his blood alcohol level fell to a level considered sober, said St. Clair County sheriff's Lt. A.J. Foster. Walter L. Dinalko of St. Paul, Minn., apparently had a change of heart after driving onto the Blue Water Bridge toward Sarnia, Ontario, Saturday night, Foster said. Dinalko turned around three...

Chuck Chandler was born in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, but matured quickly in the skies over five continents as he piloted the nation?s largest cargo carrier aircraft into war zones in Europe and the Far East. Then, Chandler finished a second career in maintenance at Laughlin Air Force Base, and now as approaches his 87th birthday, is ready to share some of his stories from both callings.

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) - A fast-thinking pilot with passengers in cahoots fooled a hijacker by braking hard upon landing, then accelerating to knock the man down. When he fell, flight attendants threw boiling water in his face, and about 10 people pounced on him, Spanish officials said Friday.

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 16, 2007 – Army Warrant Officer 1 Derrick Rodriguez is literally in the clouds after graduating from the OH-58D flight course at the Army’s Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Ala., where he learned to fly the Kiowa Warrior helicopter. But being in the clouds is not what excites this 26-year-old. Army Warrant Officer 1 Derrick Rodriguez stands in front of his Kiowa Warrior following his graduation from the Army's Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Ala. America Supports You member Special Operations Warrior Foundation funded his attending college which led him to becoming an Army aviator. Courtesy...

U.S. Friendly Fire Video Leaked to Media A leaked video in which an American pilot is heard saying "I'm going to be sick," then "we're in jail, dude," after U.S. troops killed a British soldier during a friendly fire incident in Iraq was released by The Sun newspaper Tuesday. Lance Cpl. Matty Hull died when troops fired on his convoy in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on March 28, 2003. [...] The transcript printed in The Sun records the alleged exchange between the pilots after they realize what has happened. Pilot 1: "I'm going to be sick." Pilot 2:...

Dale Noyd, a former U.S. Air Force captain and outspoken conscientious objector of the Vietnam War, died this month in Seattle at the age of 73. The decorated fighter pilot spent time in both federal and military court defending his right to oppose the Vietnam War, a decision he embraced up until his death on Jan. 11 from emphysema, The New York Times said. Noyd first took his antiwar efforts in front of a federal court in 1967, before having to defend his beliefs over a military court martial. Charged with refusing to train a pilot to serve in Vietnam,...

The pilot of a Continental Airlines flight became ill after takeoff and was later pronounced dead after the plane made an emergency landing Saturday, a company spokeswoman said. The 210 passengers on the flight, which departed from Houston, were never in danger and the co-pilot landed the plane safely, Continental spokeswoman Macky Osorio said. The airline said only that the pilot suffered a "serious medical problem." Continental believes the pilot died of natural causes, Osorio said. The pilot's name was not released.

Pilot strays into restricted airspace over Bush ranch The Associated PressPublished: January 1, 2007 WASHINGTON: A small plane twice strayed into restricted airspace over President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, authorities said Monday. The violation was inadvertent, FAA spokeswoman Diane Stitaliere said. The propeller plane, a Maule M-7, wandered into restricted airspace above the ranch around 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday, prompting the scrambling of F-16 fighter jets, said Air Force Maj. April Cunningham, spokeswoman for the North American Aerospace Defence Command. The jets used flares to get the attention of the pilot, who landed and was interviewed...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., Nov. 2, 2006 -- When Michael Ogunjimi was in third grade, he won a regional essay contest with a submission titled “I Love Life and I Want to Live.” Michael Ogunjimi, 10, of Washington, D.C., joins Air Force Reserve Capt. Scott Clark, 756th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, to salute from the wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker Oct. 27. The 459th Air Refueling Wing and the District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Wing teamed up to host the "Pilot for a Day" program. "P4D" is a community outreach program that allows military and civilian...

A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe." The holidaymakers were about to take off back to Bristol Airport from Antalya, Turkey, when a strange sound came from the Airbus A321's engines. Then the captain announced: "I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air." The unnamed pilot walked off the aircraft, leaving the passengers in 38C heat without air conditioning. They were eventually told to leave the aircraft, retrieve their luggage and...

Remains of Indiana pilot killed in training mission in WWII are in the process of being identified. See weblink below. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060923/LOCAL/609230535