Aviation History: On This Day and Tomorrow Too Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com, Lonestar Flight Museum, Wikipedia.com, Marine Corps University For we aviation heritage aficionados, July is a big month for aviation history. But it doesn’t take much digging at all to find aviation history everywhere we look, January through December. Still, July is…
Airmail Took Some Time Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: National Postal Museum, History.com, pbs.org While few of us send letters anymore, we may still hear complaints about the cost of first-class postage going up. In fact, some of you may be unaware that the price for a first-class stamp just over a week ago on…
On this day in aviation history: the Moon! Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com We cannot and should not allow today’s major aviation history event to go by unnoticed. With less computer power than a modern, mid-sized car, today in 1969, like all of you alive at the time were too, I was glued (as…
A July 17th “Fourfer” Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com July 17th was an epic day in aviation history that includes at least two massive aviation tragedies and two positive aviation events. I like to focus on the positive (my call sign when I was on active duty was “Sunny” because of my alleged “sunny”…
How far we’ve come: Mariner 4 Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com What were you doing and where were you in 1965? Some of us were kids (I was 12). Some of us weren’t even a glimmer in our old man’s eye. Some of us were adults, already making a difference in our world. In…
Today in Aviation History: The USS Vincennes Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: Wikipedia, The Fog of War: USS Vincennes Tragedy Aviation history includes some wonderful moments of success, joy, grit, and triumph, all events we should celebrate. Unfortunately, like life, aviation history also includes tragedies, horrible mistakes, overconfidence, and incomprehensible sadness. And if we’re to…
On This Day in Aviation History: Amelia’s Disappearance Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com Perhaps there is no lingering aviation mystery greater than that of Amelia Earhart and her navigator’s, Fred Noonan, disappearance 87 years ago today. My mom was to be 9-years-old at the end of July in 1937 and she loved Amelia Earhart. …
The Berlin Airlift Begins Contributor: Barry Fetzer Sources: History.com Our car temperature gauge showed 102 degrees driving through Southern Pines this afternoon. I doubt the Germans had to deal with these kinds of temperatures back in 1948 but it WAS summertime when the airlift started. Thank God for America and England for stepping up…