Navy Hellcat pilot
Posted on 08/24/2025 8:02:36 AM PDT by DFG
Navy Hellcat pilot
Nothing can top the opportunity those WW2 pilots got. A lot died but what an adventure they had.
Rest In Peace, Donald McPherson.
How much you want to bet McPherson as letter carrier wasn’t stealing US Treasury checks from the mail, or Grandma’s annual red envelope Christmas cards to all her grandchildren with a $50 bill inside.
Hand salute.
Rest in peace, sir.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_aces_from_the_United_States
A very long list. And because they needed to have shot down three enemy aircraft (minimum) to become an ace, it shows the scale of the air war.
I am very happy to read this ace pilot lived to age 103. That was the same age my mother lived to in relatively good health. She was very weak physically after age 99. I am trying very hard to make it to 103 but only if I can stay active till the end. Don’t want to live bedridden.
5 is the minimum to be an ace.
Eddie Rickenbacker was the top US ace in WW1 with 26.
Richard Bong was the top US ace in WW2 with 40.
Joseph McConnell was the top US ace in the Korean War with 16.
Charles DeBellevue was the top US ace in the Vietnam War with 6.
bookmark
Served Well ACE!
Salute.
.
Fascinating Count Down FRiend.
6560 Sorties in 4 months? That’s 54.67 sorties a day. I suspect this is not correct information.
“A lot died but what an adventure they had.“
And then he came home to be a letter carrier. He’d perhaps had had enough adrenaline rushes to last his life time. I wonder if he ever flew again as a civilian? Many such pilots never went near a cockpit again in civilian life.
6560 is the number of sorties by VF-83 in that 4 month period. Don’t know how many planes or pilots in VF-83 at that time. They were flying multiple sorties per day.
Also flight journal magazine article called Wingman to the Aces, by John Dejanovich in 2012 Flight journal magazine
A man with honor gave it his all R.I.P. .
Do you have any evidence at all that Donald McPherson was a thief? If not, your insinuation is completely contemptible.
Five enemy aircraft shot down.
Sortie is one aircraft launched one time. 55/day is very busy, but this was a very busy time for US Naval Aviation.
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