Commentary

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Upon being released from the Air Force in the latter part of 1952, I went back to the non-scheduled airline where I had been working before the Air Force had called me back for the Korean fiasco. I was soon flying passenger runs in C-46s […]

Last week, we left our intrepid band of GA pilots in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where they all had landed safely in VFR conditions, after a few changes of flight plans to accommodate the weather. The group spent the night there and by 5:30 the next morning they were up checking the weather in […]

A half-dozen GA aircraft took off from Quebec City last week for the first leg of a 10-week round-the world adventure. The pilots, who are flying on an escorted trip organized by Air Journey, will visit 22 countries on five continents, logging more than 24,000 nautical miles. “This is a dream come true!” said Thierry […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] It was not very long after the contact with the Air Force [at the end of Chapter 7] that I was holding a piece of paper saying, “You have been called to active duty.” I took the notice to the airline president. “Don’t worry about […]

I read with great interest and dismay Mr. Bertorelli’s opinion piece (AVwebinsider, Apr. 1) about the recent near-midair-collision with an aircraft involved with an F-16 in the Gladden MOA (Podcast, Mar. 31). I also read the follow-up with retired Lt. Col. Fred Clifton and listened to his interview (Podcast, Apr. 4). I preface my comments […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Jeanne, our son, dog and baggage arrived back in Miami just as our tenants were moving out of our home. I checked in with National Airlines and was welcomed as “… someone with the right qualifications; nice to have someone current in DC-4s, also qualified […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] In California it was nice to meet my wife and to see — for the first time — my young son, even though he yelled when he saw me, a stranger to his eyes. There was also a German shepherd pup named “Rebel.” How did […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Operations sent for me and I soon found myself on the way from Okinawa to Tokyo with a load of passengers. From there we flew to Manila where we took aboard a pilot from India who was familiar with the “Hump” (Himalayan Mountains) and had […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] The news broadcasts and newsprint was not what I had seen and heard when covering the large expanse of the Pacific and its battlefields. The field commanders put out news slanted to benefit their positions. The civilian news reporters were obviously censored. Those that did […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] At Hickam Field, Honolulu, I was a part of a small unit flying westward to the new war fronts, as we battled against the enemy to reclaim the vast section of the world it had conquered. Our assignment, in a nutshell, was to fly cargo […]