Good morning fellow ECAHF’ers. Happy Leap Year in two days! Speaking of leaping, we’re going to leap between yesterday’s aviation history and today’s aviation history in our “Tuesday Twofer”. First, today’s aviation history. Being the very first at something in our great, big country is a goal many might pursue. But few achieve it. But […]
Tuesday Twofer: Yesterday and Today Read More »
On January 11th in 1935, according to History.com, “In the first flight of its kind, American aviatrix Amelia Earhart departed Wheeler Field in Honolulu, Hawaii, on a solo flight to North America. Hawaiian commercial interests offered a $10,000 award to whoever accomplished the flight first. The next day, after traveling 2,400 miles in 18 hours,
Amelia Earhart: Hawaii to California Read More »
By: Barry Fetzer, ECAHF Historian Hello, fellow ECAHF’ers. Have you ever been lost? Those of us older than 50 probably can relate to that sinking feeling (no pun intended regarding the below article) when you begin to realize you have no idea where you are. Perhaps in the era of cell phones and GPS, that
On November 29, 1929, American explorer and US Navy Admiral Richard Byrd makes an epic flight to the South Pole. “He, along with his three companions”, according to History.com, “made the first flight (of a human being—feathered “Byrds”…or birds—don’t count) over the South Pole, flying from their base on the Ross Ice Shelf to the
Celebrating a Trailblazer in Aviation: Admiral Richard Byrd Read More »
Good Friday morning fellow ECAHF’ers. It’s easy to forget how many “firsts” the Soviet Space Program had. They “beat the pants” (and the skirts) off of us until all their firsts were pretty much forever buried by America’s first steps on the moon by Neil Armstrong, who coasted along to become the “toast of the
Good morning fellow ECAHF’ers. “Time,” it is said, “cures all ills.” Time, also, unless we take care to ensure it doesn’t, erases history. New history is created over time, burying the older history. Generations come and go and the experiences—the history—that meant so much to past generations, means increasingly less to succeeding generations. Why? One
Tomorrow in Aviation History: the birth of a WWII Fighter Ace Read More »
Good Saturday morning fellow ECAHF’ers. Completing twenty-five combat missions. Most of us wouldn’t bet on those odds. But we might bet on the odds at the casinos. According to Casinofreak.com, “The average payout percentage for slot machines in Las Vegas is around 85 cents per dollar earned.” Flying B-17’s in combat over Europe in the
Good Monday afternoon fellow ECAHF’ers. Will we ever see it again, almost 1500 aircraft stretching for over 300 miles delivering troops to battle? It must have been a sight to behold…or at least to hear since it occurred on the evening of D-Day minus 1. Can you imagine the exhilaration those under the boot of
5 June, 1944 D-Day Minus One Read More »
Good Saturday morning fellow ECAHF’ers. I hope you had a memorable Memorial Day holiday. I’m taking a moment to express gratitude that I still, physically, walk this earth. So many of our fellow warriors do not. Amongst those who gave their lives in ultimate service to America, I’m remembering my son-in-law’s fellow soldiers and friends