San Francisco’s annual Fleet Week air show wouldn’t be the same without Sean Tucker, a living legend in the airshow and aerobatic flying communities. He’s been flying airshows worldwide since the mid 1970’s, has won numerous aerobatic competitions, and has flown more than 1,275 performances at more than 525 airshows in front of more than 135 million fans (and counting).
Remembering The Heritage Flight Performance Flown in Indiana Featuring Vlado and the Raptor
Vlado Lenoch will always be remembered as a great pilot, airshow performer, and loyal friend. During EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, Heritage Flights and warbirds paid many a tribute to Vlado.
Remembering his precision and skill…
This awesome video was shot during a Heritage Flight performance at America’s Freedom Fest at Goshen Municipal Airport in Goshen, Indiana on July 1st 2017. Vlado was flying the P-51D-25-NA Mustang, CN 122-31945 and AF serial number 44-72086, Baby Duck. Painted to resemble Captain Herbert G. Kolb’s 44-13157, a 353rd Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group Mustang flown out of Raydon in England with the 8th Air Force, both Baby Duck and Vlado performed Heritage Flights with a variety of other warbirds and current Air Force combat aircraft.
Thanks as always to our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos for uploading this awesome example of Vlado’s showmanship and the raw power of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
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Spirit Airlines Flight Delayed By Naked Passenger Who Took The Phrase “Bare Fare” Too Literally
The service might be minimalist but clothing is still mandatory.
Spirit Airlines is known for cheap fares and pay-as-you-go pricing in an effort to allow more people to fly at a price point that they can afford. They are also home of the self-proclaimed “Bare Fare”. It’s a slogan that they might want to think about changing after yesterday. Spirit flight 359 from Las Vegas McCarran to Oakland International Airport was delayed on Saturday, July 29th for a pretty, uhh…unique reason.
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the delay was due to a rather unique reason. A passenger decided to take off his clothes and then approach a flight attendant. Once the incident was taken care of by airport personnel, the passengers continued on their way. FlightRadar24.com shows that the departure was only delayed for about 40 minutes. Light winds aloft led the flight to arrive just about 15 minutes late. No word on whether passengers received any compensation for the peep show. Spirit Airlines has not mentioned the incident on social media either.
Spirit airlines has a fleet of modern Airbus A319, A320, and A321 aircraft. They were also the launch customer for Airbus’s new A320NEO aircraft in the United States.
These Videos Of The B-29 “Doc” Took Decades To Make And It Was Worth It!
It was a banner week for avgeeks at Oshkosh!
Now that there are two operational B-29 Superfortresses in the world again, any opportunity to see them both flying together is a special event. The first time it happened was this week at EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh. The two rare warbirds flew together several times during the week, and all who witnessed it said it was not only awesome but emotional for many of them. Doc is Boeing Wichita-built B-29A-70-BW Doc (CN 10804, AF serial number 44-69972). Fifi is B-29A-60-BN Fifi (CN 11547, AF serial number 44-62070). The two aircraft were both recovered from Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake but returned to flight decades apart. The wait was worth it! Enjoy these two fantastic videos uploaded by DocsFriends.
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Fifi in flight shot from Doc during their first flight together at Oshkosh.
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Watch a P-51 Fly Formation Loops with a P-40 for a Photo Shoot
As an aviation photographer, sometimes I get to do some pretty cool assignments. As an avgeek, I’ve always wanted to fly the mighty P-51 Mustang, and last fall I was given the chance on a unique photo shoot over South Florida that was, different, from the “normal” P-51 experience.
Ultra-rare Formation Of America’s Bomber Fleet At Oshkosh Wows Crowd And Sends Message
It was a textbook day at the 2017 AirVenture in Oshkosh on the second to last day of the show. The weather was beautiful, the crowds were plentiful and the flying was spectacular. One of the most impressive flyovers of the day was a super-rare three ship formation of all three of America’s strategic bombers. The Boeing B-52 BUFF, Rockwell B-1 Bone, and Northrup B-2 Spirit dominated the skies in a single pass. The formation was led by the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. After the ‘modern’ pass of our nation’s current bombers, the only actively flying B-29s flew in a tight formation followed by the B-25.
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More than just a simple flyover.
While the primary purpose of the formation was not propaganda, world events made it impossible to ignore the fact that three of America’s most powerful weapons were on display just 24 hours after Kim Jong Un launched his most powerful nuclear-capable missile yet from North Korea. Un launched and ICBM technically capable of striking almost anywhere in the United States, including Oshkosh, Wisconsin at 6,308 statute miles from Pyongyang.
In addition to the flyover in Oshkosh, President Trump also ordered B-1 flyovers over the South Korean Peninsula as a show of force in response to the illegal missile launch. Two supersonic B-1 bombers were escorted by Korean fighter jets on Sunday.
The “Secret” Arrival During The Afternoon Airshow At Oshkosh Doesn’t Stay Secret For Long
Every day in the airshow schedule at EAA AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh there is a slot for a “secret” arrival. On Friday 7/28/2017 the arrival was a section of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighters. These particular Raptors made the trip from Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) near Panama City in the Florida panhandle. Tyndall was one of the first places F-22s began prowling the skies, and the 325th Fighter Wing (FW) is tasked with training Raptor pilots to fly these air superiority fighters. The F-22s they sent to Oshkosh for static display (sigh) are assigned to the 43rd Fighter Squadron (FS). Enjoy the sights and sounds of Raptors over Oshkosh uploaded by our good friends at AirshowstuffVideos.
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Where Did THAT Come From? Blue Angels Sneak Pass Stuns Crowd
The Blue Angels are known for their fantastic stunts, precision flying, and professionalism. But they are also known for a sneaky, sneaky maneuver that always stuns the crowd.
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Their performance typically includes a low pass near stage center by Blue Angels #5. In the pass, the F/A-18 conducts a powerful, yet graceful flyby in full view of the crowd. While the jet is loud, it is fully anticipated by the crowd. But just as the fighter completes the low pass, the real fun begins. In a sneak maneuver, the other solo flies from behind the crowd at a high rate of speed. So loud that the roar of the engines only becomes audible right as the jet zooms over the crowd and goes vertical to join the rest of the formation.
The crowd is usually stunned and this video is no different. Check out the video provided by AirShowStuff.com. We also invite you to see our other stories from Oshkosh’s AirVenture 2017:
Four Ship Honors Fallen Airshow Pilot
Final Days For Delta and United Airlines Boeing 747-400 Passenger Fleets
At one time, the Boeing 747 was the epitome of luxury travel. With a two story cabin, an exclusive lounge, two-wide aisles and plenty of space to stretch out, the Queen of the Skies was far and away the most sought after jet to fly for transcontinental and intercontinental travel.
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Why are they going away?
Times have changed. The Boeing 747 was once one of the few aircraft that could fly across the furthest points of the Pacific non-stop. Routes like Hong Kong to Chicago O’Hare would not have been possible without the Boeing 747-400. Airlines have fallen out of love with the four-engined jumbo jet in recent years though. Airlines have chosen to replace four engined aircraft with more efficient two engine aircraft like the Boeing 777, Airbus A350, and Boeing 787. The latest aircraft offer better economics both from a fuel efficiency standpoint as well as a right-sizing to match customer demand. About 15 years ago, the trend started towards more frequent flights to midsize markets. Passengers who used to have to connect in major hubs began to have direct access to domestic and international markets. This trend has continued and made large aircraft less desirable for all but a few trunk international routes. Customers have spoken and chosen frequency and convenience over size.
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When will the last Boeing 747 fly in US skies?
That’s actually an interesting question. The Boeing 747-400 and -8i are still flying with a number of international airlines across the globe. Many of these airlines have daily 747 flights to major US hubs like LAX, SFO, ORD, and JFK. Atlas Air also has a few passenger configured 747-400 aircraft the perform military and unscheduled charters. We’ll definitely continue to see the double-decker queen of the skies in the US for at least a few more years. Airlines across the globe are retiring their four-holers at a brisk pace though too. The days for seeing a US scheduled airline are numbered though. Delta and United Airlines are retiring their 747-400 fleets in the upcoming months. United recently subbed a 747-400 on a route between SFO and ORD. They dubbed it the final 747 domestic flight. They’ll continue to operate the Boeing 747-400 fleet to Asia out of the SFO hub for a few more months. Delta also has an upcoming domestic 747-400 flight between Atlanta and Detroit. While the date for the final United and Delta 747 flights haven’t been set, we’re expected them to be fully retired by the end of this year.
Airshow Photo Review: Duxford Flying Legends Show Is a Site To Behold
For the World War II warbird enthusiast, Duxford’s annual Flying Legends air show is a must see. Located in Cambridgeshire, England at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, this show is one of three the museum hosts each year. The Flying Legends Airshow is typically held in early July. While the museum itself boasts an impressive permanent collection of aircraft, it is the paved runway and especially grass landing strip that makes this location and air show unique. As a RAF base and later an Eighth Air Force facility during the war, Duxford also provides a historical setting.
As a Yank visiting a strange land where many of the locals actually speak something close to English, this was my time attending an air show outside of the states. As such, while it had some similarities to American air shows, there was a different feel as well. First of all, there was the expected preponderance of British WWII aircraft. Previously, I have only seen one or two RAF planes at shows, namely the glorious Spitfire. On this occasion there were at least nine Spitfires, several Hurricanes as well as the world’s sole flying Blenheim. Additionally there were other era aircraft from the continent, such as: a Spanish built Me-109, a couple of C-47s, and the sole flying B-17 in Europe.
The weather cooperated, for the most part, as there was no rain during the show though it was often overcast. Still the sun would breakout offering some nice light for photographing the aircraft. The grass landing strip offered a great backdrop for the planes when on static display or coming in for a landing. Each morning, before the show, attendees were given access to the flight line for a closer look at the planes as well as photography. Additionally, reenactors, posing as WWII service personnel and civilians, stood with the aircraft offering a human element when photographing the scene.
The only non-WWII era planes to perform belonged to the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, aka the Red Arrows. Again, this was a first for me, as the Arrows flew nine ship formations with their BAE Hawks. One nice touch was the use of red, white and blue smoke during their show. These different colors provided a nice visual accent. It’s surprising the American Thunderbirds and Blue Angels don’t also use a similar red, white and blue smoke system.
Mustangs had a rough weekend, with two P-51s sustaining some damage. The P-51B “Berlin Express” had its Malcolm hood disintegrate during flight though the pilot was unhurt and able to land without further incident. During the final flight of the show, the P-51D “Miss Velma” was forced to make a wheels up landing in a nearby field due to engine failure. Fortunately the pilot was not injured, and the plane should be repairable.
Located just ten miles away from Duxford is the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. Situated on land donated by Cambridge University, the cemetery contains the remains of 3,812 Americans who perished during the war plus 5,127 individuals who are memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing. The cemetery is a powerful reminder of the cost paid by these young men.
All in all, my experience at the show, museum and cemetery was a wonderful time. Should you get the chance to visit Duxford, I highly recommend it.
Watch: This Top Gun Took Place Long Before Viper and Iceman
The film “Operation Top Gun” is not about the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, or at least not the version of it that the big screen film dramatized during the 1980s. This film details the 4th Annual United States Navy Aerial Weapons Meet. Produced by Ryan Aeronautical Company (makers of the Firebee series of drones), the film is a look at the naval fighters and attack aircraft of the Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) back in 1959. The Fleet Air Gunnery Unit Pacific (FAGUPAC) hosted the competition at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma in Arizona. Other competition was centered on the Pacific Missile Test Range (PMTC) at NAS Point Mugu in California. Audio quality is lacking so turn it way up or off. Uploaded by San Diego Air and Space Museum. A link to a different version with better audio but blurry visuals is below.
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The film stars the Douglas F4D / F-6A Skyrays (all weather fighters), McDonnell F3H / F-3 Demons (all weather fighters), Douglas A4D / A-4B Skyhawks (light attack jets), Douglas A3D / A-3B Skywarriors (heavy attack), Vought F8U / F-8 Crusaders (day fighters) and Douglas AD-7 / A-1J Skyraiders (light attack props). Also appearing in the film are North American FJ-4 Fury target tugs, Ryan KDA-1 / BQM-34 Firebee drones, Lockheed DP-2H Neptune drone controllers, and Douglas DB-26B Invader drone controllers.
The A-4s appearing in the film are from VMA-224 Fighting Bengals, VA-46 Clansmen, VA-12 Flying Ubangis, and VA-56 Champions. The A-1s in the film are from VA-115 Arabs. A-3s appearing are from VAH-11 Checkertails, VAH-7 Peacemakers, and VAH-8 Fireballers. The F3Hs are from VF-121 Pacemakers. Skyrays in the film are from VFAW-3 Blue Nemesis, FAGU, and VMF(AW)-513 Flying Nightmares. The F-8 Crusaders are from FAGU, VF-84 Jolly Rogers, VF-121 Pacemakers, VMF(AW)-235 Death Angels, and VMFA-232 Red Devils. The FJ Furies are from VC-7 Tallyhoers and VA-126 Bandits. The DP-2H Neptune and DB-26B Invader drone controllers are from VC-3. And last but not least, Sikorsky SH-34 Sea Bat drone recovery helos make an appearance in the film.
Bonus video: This is the same film with better audio quality but lower quality visuals. Unfortunately there isn’t a version that has both decent audio and visuals. Uploaded by Periscope Films.
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Marine Test Pilot, Russian and Italian Launch to International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An American Marine Top Gun test pilot, a Russian biochemist, and an Italian Special Forces parachutist lifted off on Friday a top a Russian Soyuz rocket beginning a voyage to rendezvous and dock with International Space Station.
Nearly six hours later, the crew of three successfully docked to the Russian Rasvet module on the Earth facing side of the space station at 5:54 p.m. EDT — seven minutes earlier than planned.
NASA astronaut Randy J. Bresnik, Russian Soyuz commander Sergey Ryazanskiy, and Europe’s Paolo Nespoli, all three space veterans, will be busy with a multitude of science experiments; the arrival and undocking of several unmanned cargo crafts; and spacewalking as they prepare the orbital outpost for new hardware.
Launched from the historic launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:41 a.m. EDT (9:41 p.m. local), Friday’s lift-off occurred from the same pad Russia’s Sputnik 1 launched from sixty years ago this October. That successful satellite launch in 1957 heralded the dawn of the space age.
As the Soyuz soared skyward into the darkening skies of sunset, a 400-foot golden flame pushed the rocket higher as it traveled eastward. Nearly nine minutes later, a strong jolt was felt by the crew as their Soyuz spacecraft separated from the rocket’s third stage upon reaching orbit 125 miles above.
The two astronauts and one cosmonaut will join three current station crew members as they live and work aboard the orbiting laboratory until mid-December. Bresnik, Ryazanskiy, and Nespoli are scheduled to undock and land hours later in central Kazakhstan.
Bresnik, a veteran on one previous space flight to the station, is poised to become the first United States Marine to command the International Space Station in September. During his career in the Marines, Bresnik — whose pilot call sign was “Komrade” — learned to pilot the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet jets. He even graduated from Naval Fighter Weapons School, also known as Top Gun. Today, he has logged over 6,050 hours in 81 types of both military and civilian aircraft.
“The ‘Komrade’ was my fighter pilot call sign from back in the early ’90’s when I started flying F-18’s,” Bresnik said during a training break from the Johnson Space Center. “Typically you get a call sign from something to do with your name or something you do that’s stupid. I didn’t do anything stupid enough when I got to the F-18’s, so they said ‘Bresnik, hmmm’, then some more experienced guy said, ‘Hmmm, Bresnik. Sounds like Brezhnev. OK, Komrade Brezhnev’.”
Bresnik’s first voyage to the station gave the former Marine a new perspective of life in Earth orbit.
“Space is such a unique experience to where you’re seeing the curvature of the Earth everytime you look out the window, and you’re feeling things in your body you’ve never felt before in zero gravity,” Bresnik explained. “(Zero G) is an assault on the senses I think — we all agree — the first time you do it.”
As Bresnik and his crew work 255 miles above the planet, they will use the lack of gravity as the foundation for nearly 125 science and engineering experiments currently operating or will begin running soon in the space laboratories throughout the station. Even the crew members themselves will serve as a test platform as to how gravity effects the human body during long term spaceflight.
“The neat part about the science going on on the space station, we’ve been up there for sixteen years continuously manning the space station,” Bresnik added. “Over 2300 experiments that have gone on during that time frame and it doesn’t matter what crew is there, the science keeps going.”
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
Four-Ship Heritage Flight Over AirVenture 2017 Honors Vlado
On Thursday 7/27/2017, the United States Air Force (USAF) Heritage Flight took to the skies over EAA AirVenture 2017 at Oshkosh to honor our history, heritage, veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
In the lead was a Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II from the 61st Fighter Squadron (FS) of the 56th Fighter Wing (FW) based at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona. On lead’s left wing was P-51D-25NA (44-73420 / N151AM) flown by Andrew McKenna. On lead’s right wing was P-51D-25NA Bald Eagle (44-73029 / N51JB) flown by Jim Beasley. In trail was a Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 74th FS of the famed 23rd Fighter Group (FG) Flying Tigers based at Moody AFB in Georgia.
The Heritage Flight also flew a missing man formation in honor of the late Vlado Lenoch, a regular Heritage Flight pilot, who died along with his passenger Bethany Root twelve days before the performance. Thanks to our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos for uploading this content.
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The Day F-4 Phantoms Departed Texas For The Final Time. Miss Them Yet?
They Were Just Passin’ Through But They’re Still Fondly Remembered
During November of 2016, a pair of McDonnell Douglas QF-4E Phantom IIs flew into Alliance Airport in Fort Worth to perform a flyby at nearby Texas Motor Speedway. These two jets were the very last military Phabulous Phantoms to grace Texas skies. Over the years the United States Air Force (USAF) based F-4C, F-4D, F-4E, and RF-4C Phantom IIs at a few Air Force Bases (AFBs) in Texas including Bergstrom AFB near Austin. The Navy and Marines flew the F-4B, F-4J, F-4N, and F-4S variants of the Phab 4 out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Dallas near Mountain Creek Lake in Grand Prairie for many years. The Collings Foundation also bases the only privately owned F-4D out of Ellington Field near Houston. Enjoy these gorgeous HD videos posted by Gotyacovered Photography of the arrival, startup and taxi, and departure of these two QF-4Es.
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The two jets were both built as F-4E-60-MC model Phantom IIs. Except for a couple of differences their service lives were remarkably similar. 74-1043 (CN4825), the gray jet in the video, began service with the 57th Fighter Weapons Wings (FWW) at Nellis AFB in Nevada during the late 1970s. In 1979 the jet went to the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) Rocketeers of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) and remained there for a decade. The distinctive gray camouflage paint on 043 was applied by the 704th TFS Outlaws of the 924th Tactical Fighter Group (TFG) Air Force Reserve (AFRES) based at Bergstrom AFB. After only a couple of years she was retired to the boneyard where the jet languished for 17 years but was resurrected for conversion to QF-4E drone AF338.
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The second aircraft, 74-0643 (CN 4794) wearing the wraparound gray/green camouflage paint, served in the same squadrons as 74-1043 to begin with but flew with the 335th TFS Chiefs for the majority of its time with the 4th TFW. 643 also received that gorgeous gray on gray camouflage paint job at the 704th TFS while based at Bergstrom. But for a short time right before being retired to the same boneyard at AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group) as 043, the jet returned to the 4th TFW. 643 also spent about 18 years in storage before being brought back to serve as QF-4E drone AF354 with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATRS) out of Holloman AFB in New Mexico. This departure video was shot from the front cockpit looking over the nose of the Rhino.
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Iceland Is The New Cool Place To Go Thanks To Ultra Low Cost Airlines
Iceland blew up on the travel radar last year, becoming the new “it” place to travel, whether you’re looking for a great spot to climb some icebergs, or if you’d just like to laze around in the Blue Lagoon. Whatever your fancy, you can now afford it, thanks to a bevy of low cost airlines who jumped on the Iceland bandwagon, and began offering ultra-reduced fares to this hot spot.
So, who should you consider if you’re planning an Iceland getaway this year (or next)? There are two main airlines most seasoned travelers will name:
WOW Air
This airline has more recently come onto the scene, founded in 2011. They first flew only within Europe, but then expanded their reach to travelers departing the United States. Now, they have more than 30 destinations over North America, Europe and Asia, and they’ve approximated they’ll carry 3 million passengers this year. As far as their fleet, its all Airbus, with three A320s, 11 A321s and three A330s. If you’re flying to or from North American destinations, you’ll be on the A321 (except for the routes to California, which monopolizes all three of the A330s). They boast that they have the youngest fleet in Iceland with the lowest emissions.
Their fares are low, low, low, like $100 from the United States to Iceland, if you can catch a special deal (something that’s almost unheard of on a domestic flight, let alone an international one). However, remember that, with low prices come little perks. While the cheap tickets are enough to please some passengers, others have been filling the forums with tales of dirty and damaged aircraft and poor service.
WOW Air offers three different types of fares: basic, plus and biz.
Icelandair
Icelandair is more of a staple, and they’re not as budget as WOW Air, but they still offer very lucrative deals. Their history stretches back to 1937, and the name Icelandair has absorbed several other Icelandic airlines during its long existence. Today, they currently have 40 destinations across North America and Europe.
Almost the entire Icelandair fleet is made up of Boeing 757 jets, along with just a few 767s. Many of them have been recently renovated, for a better consumer experience. They’re also one of the many airlines signed up to receive a Boeing 737 MAX when the aircraft is available. If you’ve checked out their social media recently, you’ll also see that they just came out with some spiffy new livery, that they’ve named Hekla Aurora, and which is really just a giant image of the northern lights.
They offer three different types of fares: economy, economy comfort and Saga.
The Blue Angels Crush Their Arrival To AirVenture 2017
On 7/26/2017 just as the National Anthem was concluding, the United States Navy Precision Flight Demonstration Team, better known as the Blue Angels, arrived for their performances at EAA AirVenture 2017. Listen for the lead calling maneuvers and each pilot calling when he breaks for the landing. FYI the tail numbers are often changed week to week and sometimes day to day in order to keep the best birds in the air for performances. That’s why some of their Hornets are two seaters when the Blues arrive for a performance or conduct practices but are usually single seaters for performances. Thanks as always to our good friends at Airshowstuff for uploading both of these clips.
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Our second clip was captured during the twilight display put on by the Rockwell Boeing B-1B Lancer on 7/26/2017. The Bone makes three passes over the crowd at Oshkosh and all are flown with burners blazing and full vapor blooms. This jet is flown by the 28th Bomb Squadron of the 7th Operations Group, United States Air Force (USAF) out of Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) near Abilene in Texas. Be sure and turn those speakers up to get the full auditory effect!
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Profiles In Aviation: Karl Richter Was An Unstoppable THUD Pilot Who Loved Flying And His Fellow Airmen
Karl Wendell Richter was born on October 4th 1942 in Holly, Michigan. Karl was the youngest of Ludwig Richter’s three children. By all accounts Karl was an all-around standout at Holly High School. He lettered in football, ran track, and played varsity basketball. He was also class president for four years. But Karl was, by his own admission, not a scholarly student. Karl’s prospects for a college education seemed slim. One of things he enjoyed immensely was aviation. His older sister Betty May helped him pursue his interest in aviation and by the time Karl was getting ready to graduate from high school he was an experienced pilot.
From High School to Colorado Springs
Because Karl wasn’t looking forward to more school at a regular college, Betty May talked him into applying for admission to the Air Force Academy. Although Karl figured he probably wouldn’t be accepted, he completed the admissions process anyway. To Karl’s great surprise two Michigan Congressmen made him their primary appointee to the Academy. Just nine days after graduating from Holly High School, Karl Richter became a cadet in Squadron 8. Karl didn’t magically become a better student at the Air Force Academy, but the word is he excelled at sports. He enjoyed intramurals such as rugby, football, soccer, and boxing. Karl graduated from the Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on June 3rd 1964.
Becoming a THUD Pilot
Karl’s pilot training wasn’t anything unusual for Air Force pilots in those days. He spent 53 weeks at Craig Air Force Base (AFB) in Alabama completing his Undergraduate Pilot Training. From there Karl went to Nellis AFB in Nevada for 26 weeks to complete the Combat Crew Replacement Training syllabus for the Republic F-105D Thunderchief. It was normal, even expected, for a pilot having just completed a little bit more than a year and half of intensive training to take some leave at that point, but Karl decided instead to ferry a replacement F-105D over to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) in Thailand. Karl then became the newest member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW).
No Time for Ground Pounding
Four days after arriving in Thailand Karl flew his first mission over North Vietnam. Karl was one of those pilots who wanted to be in the air whenever possible. He quickly became an excellent Thud pilot despite his lack of previous experience in the cockpit. He would fly anything he could, anytime he could. He once turned down a trip to the exotic destinations of Hong Kong and Bangkok only to spend his leave flying combat forward air controller (FAC) missions in Cessna O-1E Bird Dogs instead.
MiG Killer
Karl bagged a MiG-17 on September 21st 1966. He was flying as an element leader designated Ford 03 near Haiphong in North Vietnam sniffing for surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. When Karl found a SAM site he was getting ready to clobber it when he spied a section of MiG-17s making a firing pass on another Thud in the lead element. Karl maneuvered into firing position and employed his 20 millimeter M61A1 Vulcan cannon to saw a wing off of one of the MiGs forcing the pilot to eject from his stricken jet and the other to bolt for home. Karl was 23 years old when he shot down his MiG, making him the youngest American pilot ever to down a MiG. Richter went to Saigon to receive congratulations and decorations, but he wanted to fly.
Racking Up the Missions
There was simply no stopping him. He quickly piled up his first 90 missions, which usually meant that he would fly another ten “soft” missions and rotate back to the world. But not Karl. Karl wanted another 100. He had to glad-hand a bit and do some politicking. Meanwhile, Karl was winning medals for his extraordinary bravery and initiative in the air. He led a Wild Weasel (defense suppression) mission on April 20th 1967 that resulted in the destruction or distraction of a large number of enemy SAM and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) crews. This allowed the strike force with whom Richter was working to eliminate an important railroad target even though Richter’s group experienced intense enemy fire and dealt with weather that hindered navigation. Because he had already received the Silver Star, was awarded the Air Force Cross for his skill and heroism that day. And those next 100 missions? He got them too.
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BREAKING: Marine Corps Grounds All KC-130T Hercules Tankers After Mississippi Crash
Fat Albert, the Blue Angels Lockheed Martin C-130T Hercules support airlifter and performer, has been grounded along with all 12 operational Marine Corps KC-130T tankers. The decision by the Marine Corps was reportedly made out of “an abundance of caution” during the investigation of the Marine Corps VMGR-452 KC-130T (BuNo 165000) that crashed earlier this month in Mississippi killing 16. The Blues decided to ground Fat Albert because the investigation is being conducted into the crash of the tanker model (KC-130T) of the same basic airframe as Fat Albert (C-130T). There have been no other C-130 Hercules groundings announced by Lockheed Martin or the military as of this time. Here’s short video of Fat Albert in action posted by DoD News & Videos
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The KC-130T is the oldest model of the Hercules still operational with the Marines, averaging nearly 25 years of service. Only the Marine Reserve squadron VMGR-452 still flies the KC-130T- the same squadron that was flying the KC-130T that crashed in Mississippi. Many of the Marine Corps and Navy Hercules tanker variants are the much newer KC-130J models. The groundings are, at least at this point, the result of caution resulting from no clear cause of the Mississippi KC-130T crash having been determined. The grounding of Fat Albert was initially announced by the Experimental Aircraft Association via Airshowstuff. The KC-130T groundings were reported by Defense News.
WATCH: This F-15 Eagle Footage Proves Fighter Pilot is the Coolest Job in the World
The “Fighting Cocks” Have a Half Dozen Raytheon Awards in Their Trophy Case
The United States Air Force USAF) 18th Operations Group is based at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa in Japan. One of the commands in the Group is the 67th Fighter Squadron (FS) Fighting Cocks. The Fighting Cocks fly the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15C and F-15D Eagle air superiority fighter. The 67th FS won the Raytheon Trophy for air-to-air excellence for the sixth time in their storied history in 2013, making them the only squadron in the Air Force to be so awarded six times. Thanks go to YouTuber Snizzler for uploading this awesomely entertaining HD video of the Fighting Cocks in action while winning their sixth Raytheon Trophy.
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Warfighters All
The 67th has been an active squadron since January of 1941. They first flew Seversky P-35A fighters. When in 1941 war broke out in the Pacific the 67th flew Curtiss P-36 Hawks and then Bell P-400 and P-39 Airacobras before becoming a Lockheed P-38 Lightning outfit. When the war ended they flew North American P-51D Mustangs and Republic P-47N Thunderbolts until equipping with Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jets. The 67th traded their P-80s for P-51Ds when the Korean War began and flew them until they received their North American F-86 Sabre Jets in early 1953.
Went to WestPac and Liked It So Much They Stayed
The Fighting Cocks began flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre in 1957, followed by the Republic F-105 Thunderchief in 1962 and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in 1968. After flying Phabulous Phantoms for 11 years, they were one of the first squadrons to fly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in 1979. The 67th has been based out of Kadena for 35 years. One of their most influential commanders was Brigadier General Robinson “Robbie” Risner, who was an ace during the Korean War and commanded them when flying F-105s during Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam. Risner retired in 1976 and passed away in October of 2013. There is a tribute to Risner in the video.
Pristine Mustangs And Current Military Jets Wow In Their Arrival At Oshkosh
A dual Heritage Flight arrival took place at AirVenture 2017 on July 25th 2017. The fist Heritage Flight was a section of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs from the 61st Fighter Squadron (FS) of the 56th Fighter Wing (FW) based at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona were escorted to the landing break by the P-51D-25NA Bald Eagle (44-73029 / N51JB) owned by Jim Beasley. The second Heritage Flight was composed of a section of Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the 74th FS of the famed 23rd Fighter Group (FG) Flying Tigers based at Moody AFB in Georgia was escorted to the landing break by a second P-51D-25NA (44-73420 / N151AM) owned by Andrew McKenna. Thanks as always to our good friends at Airshowstuff for uploading the video.
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FYI the F-35As and A-10Cs were all adorned with tributes to the recently departed Vlado Lenoch on their nosegear doors (F-35As) or boarding ladder doors (A-10Cs). The pilots were wearing tribute patches as well. Vlado often flew the Heritage Flight displays with these Air Force pilots. Classy move!