http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pilot/ en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:47:34 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411905/posts As a former SR-71 pilot, and a professional keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is "How fast would that SR-71 fly?" I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend. It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's proclivity for speed, but there really isn’t one number to give, as the jet would always give you a little more speed if you wanted it to. It was common to see 35 miles a minute. Because we flew a programmed Mach number on most missions, and never wanted to harm the plane in any... Brian Shul, Retired SR-71 Pilot via Plane and Pilot Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411905/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:47:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405209/posts By TIMOTHY LOGUE, tlogue@delcotimes.com RADNOR — Luther H. Smith, a World War II pilot who flew 133 combat missions over Europe as a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, died Wednesday morning at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was 89. A longtime resident of Villanova, Smith dropped out of the University of Iowa in 1942 to join the U.S. Army Air Corps. “Before World War II began in 1941, black Americans were not accepted in military aviation and I wanted to be a military aviator,” he told the Daily Times in a 2007 interview. “We performed much better than anyone thought... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405209/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:39:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397543/posts <p>WAUKGAN -- A historic World War II F6F-3 Hellcat fighter plane was raised from Lake Michigan on Monday and was greeted by the CEO who financed the operation, the grandson of the pilot and the son of the man who built the airplane to challenge Japanese Zeros.</p> LakeCount News Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397543/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 13:52:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370555/posts Mystery deepens over what distracted pilots on plane that overshot by 150 miles The mystery of the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles has deepened after the first officer insisted that he and the pilot were not asleep or arguing. By Philip Sherwell in New York Published: 6:39PM BST 24 Oct 2009 The mystery of the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles has deepened after the first officer insisted that he and the pilot were not asleep or arguing. Pilots on the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles will not say... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370555/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:59:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370305/posts In a strongly worded internal memo, Air France has warned its pilots to be more vigilant about safety procedures and upbraided those blaming flight equipment for the crash of Flight 447 into the Atlantic in June. No one knows what caused the accident, which killed all 228 people aboard and was Air France's deadliest crash. Pilots' unions said Saturday the company is trying to distance itself from blame — and shift attention to the possibility of human error — as the investigation drags on. "Enough Scandals and False Debates about Flight Security!" reads the memo, sent to pilots Tuesday and... Google/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370305/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:46:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370294/posts (CNN) -- The co-pilot of a Northwest Airlines flight that overshot the Minneapolis, Minnesota, airport by 150 miles says he and the pilot weren't asleep and they weren't arguing. However, Richard I. Cole, who spoke to CNN affiliate KGW-TV from his Salem, Oregon, home, wouldn't say much more Friday. He said an investigation will reveal what took place. After repeatedly saying he couldn't talk about the case, Cole said that contrary to media reports, "Nobody was asleep in the cockpit. No arguments took place. "But other than that, I cannot tell you anything that went on because we're having hearings... CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370294/posts#comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:30:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2366267/posts A FIGHTER pilot who appeared in the 1986 hit movie Top Gun has been appointed as the highest-ranking US military commander in Asia and the Pacific. Admiral Robert F Willard took control of the US Pacific Command after a ceremony in Hawaii yesterday. Defence Secretary Robert Gates presided over the proceedings during a stop en route to meetings in Japan and South Korea. Willard succeeds Admiral Timothy Keating, who is retiring. The F-14 fighter pilot spent the last two years heading the US Pacific Fleet. During that time, Willard outlined a new US maritime strategy at the Australian Navy Sea... The Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2366267/posts#comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:42:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364373/posts WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 – Coast Guard searchers today found crash debris believed to belong to a missing Air Force pilot’s F-16 jet that collided yesterday with another F-16 near the South Carolina coast during a night-training exercise, an Air Force spokesman said today. “The Coast Guard has found some debris in the ocean that is apparently from our missing F-16,” Robert Sexton, chief of public affairs at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., said during a telephone interview with American Forces Press Service. Shaw Air Force Base is the home of the 20th Fighter Wing, to which the... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364373/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:51:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361932/posts MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — The dark blue captain’s hat, with its golden oak-leaf clusters, sits atop a bookcase in Bryan Lawlor’s home, out of reach of the children. The uniform their father wears still displays the four stripes of a commercial airline captain, but the hat stays home. The rules forbid that extra display of authority, now that Mr. Lawlor has been downgraded to first officer. He is now in the co-pilot’s seat in the 50-seat commuter jets he flies, not for any failure in skill. He wears his captain’s stripes, he explains, to make that point. But with air travel... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361932/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:26:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2356342/posts CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Oct. 6, 2009 – Maj. Anthony Meador is near the end of his third tour in Iraq as an Army aviator. Army Maj. Anthony Meador inspects a maintenance panel near the wheel of a Black Hawk helicopter. Meador is wrapping up his third tour in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Neil Gussman  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Having served in Baghdad in 2004 and at Joint Base Balad in 2007, he now commands Company C, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, a Fort Wainwright, Alaska, unit attached here to 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment,... Face of Defence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2356342/posts#comment Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:20:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2350315/posts See link for story... AP (via BAYNEWS9) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2350315/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:27:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348301/posts MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - World War II pilot Bernerd Harding feels he has finally completed his mission—65 years after his B-24, nicknamed Georgette, was shot down over Germany. Harding, now 90, flew Friday from Laconia to Manchester aboard the Witchcraft—the last B-24 still flying. Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348301/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:00:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2345936/posts A hero pilot who saved the lives of 152 people by landing a stricken passenger jet at Heathrow airport is facing joining the dole queue - because he has a crash on his CV. Captain Peter Burkill, 44, was commended for his actions while safely bring down a Boeing 777 after both engines failed two miles short of the runway. The British Airways pilot, fought to keep the plane in the air, narrowly avoiding houses and also flying over the Prime Minister's motorcade which was on a nearby road at the time of the accident in January last year. Despite... Daily Mail (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2345936/posts#comment Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:14:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334393/posts MIAMI — Flying a Boeing 727 around the world might sound like a dream. But pilots for a Florida air cargo company claim their job is a nightmare that includes no sick pay, shrinking wages and no place to use the bathroom on flights but a plastic bag. Sixty-two pilots and flight engineers for Fort Lauderdale-based Amerijet International Inc. went on strike on Aug. 27. Among their demands is flushable toilets on board. Their union has been trying to negotiate a new contract the past five years. Its Florida workers say they're suffering. On the picket line in heavy rain... The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334393/posts#comment Tue, 8 Sep 2009 06:04:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2322225/posts View of the fighter plane’s cockpit with human remains still resting inside. A group of divers, who found a downed WWII British fighter plane within relative shallow waters off the North African coast, can now confirm the existence of human remains inside the cockpit of the Curtis P40. The group are still seeking to discuss the find with the British Government and Ministry of Defence with the intention of arranging the recovery of the plane from the sea and the repatriation of the remains of the pilot who was presumably shot down during a mission. At a difficult time for... chronicle.gi http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2322225/posts#comment Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:23:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302376/posts 7/27/2009 - COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) -- Iraqi air force 2nd Lt. Omar AlNuaimi became the first Iraqi to complete the Air Force Aviation Leadership Program upon his graduation from aviation training July 24 here after three years of training. The Iraqi airman earned his pilots wings with his fellow student pilots of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 09-12. "It feels great (to graduate)," Lieutenant AlNuaimi said. "Since the Iraqi air force was founded and until this moment, we haven't had students who have graduated from the U.S. It's been great and wonderful to be trained and get... http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123160542 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302376/posts#comment Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:22:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297011/posts WASHINGTON, July 20, 2009 – The commander of U.S. Air Forces Central expressed condolences to the families and friends of two Air Force officers killed early July 18 in the crash of an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was flying in support of coalition operations in eastern Afghanistan. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and loved ones … and to the airmen and the joint and coalition team members who called them friends and will miss their fellow warriors," Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North said. Air Force Capt. Thomas J. Gramith, 27, of Eagan, Minn.,... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297011/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:07:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293604/posts Former Boeing instructor pilot Anthony Keyter has filed a federal civil lawsuit against Boeing, alleging that the Chicago-based aerospace company plotted to murder him. Boeing test pilot Anthony Keyter says that Boeing plotted to kill him. The lawsuit indicates that Keyter lives in Gig Harbor and that he is representing himself. The suit, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court of Western Washington, charges that Boeing plotted to kill Keyter after Keyter filed another civil complaint against President George W. Bush. "President Bush, via his agents, contacted high level executives of The Boeing Company and initiated a criminal plot to... Seattle P.I. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293604/posts#comment Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:46:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281327/posts CLACKAMAS -- They came by ones and twos Friday, quietly slipping into the pews at New Hope Community Church. They smiled at the words honoring a man whose faith made him an inspiration and whose exploits in three wars made him a hero. And when the last mournful drone of the bagpipes faded, they said goodbye to Col. Kenneth L. Reusser of Milwaukie, the most decorated U.S. Marine Corps aviator in history. "He was the finest gentleman I've ever met," said Harley Wedel of Fairview, a fellow Korean War veteran. "I'm really going to miss him." Reusser flew an amazing... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281327/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:23:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277852/posts An F-16 pilot missing after his jet crashed overnight during training at Hill Air Force Base was killed, according to a friend of the pilot's family in Candler, N.C. Hill officials would not release the pilot's name or confirm his death, but Bill Jamison confirmed that Capt. George Bryan Houghton, 28, of Candler, was killed during a nighttime exercise over the Utah Test and Training Range in the massive, rugged and remote west desert around 10:25 p.m. Monday. Col. Scott Dennis, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, said the pilot's body was recovered near Wendover after a seven-hour search. Houghton,... Salt Lake Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277852/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:55:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277577/posts TOOELE, Utah — Military officials are trying to locate the pilot of an F-16 that crashed at the Utah Test and Training Range west of Salt Lake City. Base's 388th Fighter Wing, crashed late Monday night while on a routine training mission. FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277577/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:52:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2274560/posts By ADAM GOLDMAN and VICTOR EPSTEIN Associated Press Writers NEWARK, N.J. -- The pilot of a Continental Airlines flight from Brussels to Newark died over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, but the jet landed safely with two co-pilots at the controls. Flight 61 touched down on-time just before noon at Newark Liberty International Airport, authorities said. The Boeing 777 was carrying 247 passengers, said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Houston-based airline. Passengers weren't told of the pilot's death in flight. During the flight, an announcement was made asking if any doctors were aboard and several passengers approached the cockpit.... Miami Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2274560/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:03:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2264484/posts It's still a mystery as to what a pilot reported seeing last week as he flew his Continental Express aircraft over Liberty County, Texas. However, the "Houston Chronicle" reports information is being exchanged by the FAA, the county sheriff's department and the FBI. Arkansas matters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2264484/posts#comment Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:04:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251919/posts ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., May 15, 2009 – As acrobatic aircraft buzzed overhead as part of the run-up to the annual air show here this weekend, Air Force Lt. Col. Derek Routt paid more notice to the parked, baby-blue and white business jets on the ground -- aircraft used by the nation’s elected and military leaders. Air Force Lt. Col. Derek Routt, “Thunderbird No. 7,” looks across the flight line on Andrews Air Force Base, Md., May 14, 2009, before an upcoming air show. Routt is a Nevada Air National Guard member in his first season as operations... Face of Defence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251919/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 23:30:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249660/posts The captain of a commuter plane that crashed Feb. 12 near Buffalo, N.Y., had flunked numerous flight tests during his career and was never adequately taught how to respond to the emergency that led to the airplane’s fatal descent, according to people close to the investigation, The Wall Street Journal reports. All 49 people aboard were killed, as well as one person in a house below, when the plane crashed just a few miles short of the Buffalo airport en route from Newark, N.J. The Bombardier Q400 turboprop in the crash, which will be the subject of a National Transportation... Wall Street Journal Blogs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249660/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 23:56:30 GMT