One small step...

Forty-five years ago today, July 20, 1969, I watched astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land and walk on the moon, as astronaut Michael Collins orbited the space capsule above. My family, with my grandmother, all crowded into the family room to watch the astounding historic images on TV. My grandmother, who at the time was 87 years old, was perhaps the most stunned of all of us watching the event. She noted that in her lifetime, as a little girl, she read by candlelight, as did Julius Caesar, but she also lived long enough to see Americans walk on the moon. That has stayed with me ever since. A day to remember and celebrate American engineering and technology, and use our vision and innovation for the quests and challenges to come.

Aerial Acrobats!

I know, I know, it is already July 19! The summer is zooming, but not so fast as to miss out on some great aerial entertainment. I refer, of course, to "The Flying Circus Airshow", at The Flying Circus Aerodrome, in Bealeton, Va. Held every Sunday from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., the show features skilled feats and stunts with Stearman open cockpit aircraft, and more. The events recall the Barnstormers of a century ago, and offer viewers a lively way to step back into history and experience the thrills of that then-new technology, aviation. For those who want a close up and personal adventure, open cockpit rides are also available. Happily, the Airshow continues through October, so for those of you who may miss it this summer, September and October provide great flying, and viewing, weather. Blue skies!

Roll of the Dice

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of D Day, it is worth noting that today marks the 47th anniversary of the 1967 war between Israel and the Arab states. Israel determined the outcome early with a pre-emptive massive air strike against the Egyptian air force, partly due to a difference in time zones. For more on this, see Michael C. Dunn's entry in the Editor's Blog, Middle East Institute.

"We Don't Need No Stinking Airpower!"

In an early post, I mentioned the fact that both then Air Commodore Arthur Harris and Major General Bernard Montgomery were posted to Palestine during 1938-1939, in the midst of the Arab Revolt. In his memoir, "Bomber Offensive," Harris recounts his first meeting with "Monty" to discuss military strategy for dealing with the rebels. "Aircraft, aircraft? This is no job for aircraft. It's a job for policemen," he decreed to Harris. Conceding that it was a task more suited to police, Harris averred that owing to the will and fierceness of the rebels, and the insufficient numbers and arms of the police, the situation called for the use of all assets, including aircraft. He proposed that any aircraft Monty did not want for his operations be diverted to those British officers who did, realizing that they saved the lives of ground forces.

Fairly speedily, Monty came around to the utility of aircraft in joint operations against the rebels, and Harris noted, "I always pride myself that Monty, who is only too willing to learn anything new and learns at speed, got his first real understanding of air co-operation from me, during his ...term of office in Palestine in 1939." In true Monty fashion, this little vignette does not appear in his own autobiography, "The Memoirs of Field-Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, K.G."

Best wishes for a happy Mothers Day to all the Moms in aerospace and aviation!

Stargazing in New Mexico

As you are making plans for summer vacation, why not head for New Mexico? Not only is it one of my all time favorite states, but there is one more lure to attract visitors in addition to its rich multicultural and historical setting. Chaco Culture National Historical Park has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), making it a premier site for stargazing. Located northwest of the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area, it is accessible by dirt roads, but the rugged trek is well worth it.

ANZAC Day Greetings 2014

Happy ANZAC Day to all of our RAAF and RNZAF forces! Hard to believe we are coming up on the century mark for Gallipoli: the keystone event that marked the nations of Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey.

Tribute to Two Skylab Pioneers

Two colorful personalities associated with the 1970s Skylab program died this month within a day of each other. Former astronaut, retired Air Force Colonel and Korean War veteran William R. Pogue, 84, on March 3; and Jack A. Kinsler, 94,on March 4, whose engineering resourcefulness saved the spacecraft. Pogue piloted the Skylab spacecraft in 1973 and 1974, in a then record-setting flight of 84 days. During that time he circled the earth 1,214 times, for a total of 34.5 million miles. He walked in space for several hours over Thanksgiving and Christmas, an event that presaged the multitudinous walks in later space shuttle missions. Pogue and his colleagues, Commander Gerald P. Carr and Scientist Edward G. Gibson, found themselves deluged with daily tasks of maintaining the spacecraft and managing the numerous experiments onboard. Halfway through the mission, they staged a work strike, to protest the lack of time that Pogue wanted to reflect upon their experience, themselves, and the wonder of space. NASA officials built in some "down time" for the crew, which has become standard for space missions.

He became a consultant upon retiring from the Air Force in 1975, and also spoke at hundreds of schools and civic groups. In 1985 he wrote a children's book about space, "How Do You Go To The Bathroom in Space?" based on one of the most common question asked of NASA astronauts.

Jack A. Kinzler was known as NASA's  troubleshooter who applied ordinary items to vexing engineering problems: an American tinkerer in the best sense. His most critical contribution was his development of a collapsible umbrella, made with fishing rods, that deployed outside the spacecraft to protect the damaged Skylab from solar heat and radiation. The device worked, and ensured a safe and comfortable environment for the astronauts. His ingenuity saved the spacecraft and allowed it to be used continuously from 1973 to its end in 1979.

For the Girls: Free Flights for Fun

One of my personal goals for this blog is to reintroduce and reinvigorate aviation's sense of adventure, romance, and yes, fun, in my postings. To that end, today's Washington Post's KidsPost features an article on upcoming free flights for girls and women, by Women Fly It Forward, this Friday, Mar. 7, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, Mar. 8, 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Frederick Municipal Airport, 310 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD. Just go to womenflyitforward.blogspot.com and click on the register page to reserve your flight.

What About the Prospects for Aerospace Engineers, Aviation Technicians and Mechanics?

Meanwhile, the GAO found that while there is likely to be increased hires for aerospace engineers from now through 2022, hires for mechanics and technicians would either increase only slightly, or remain static. You can read the details here.

Outlook for Commercial Pilot Hires to 2020s

The Government Accountability Office recently released a study examining the hiring prospects for commercial airline pilots from 2014 through the mid-2020s. Drawing on data from industry, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other government and academic sources, the analysts found that commercial aviation hiring estimates range from 1900 to 4500 pilots, with airline transport pilot certification, per year through the next decade. For the full study, click here. The study cautioned that various factors such as the expense of pilot training, overall economic conditions, etc. could alter this outlook.

Before Arthur Harris Became Bomber Harris

Some 70 years after World War II, the name Arthur ("Bomber") Harris often evokes negative reactions to his tenure as head of the RAF Bomber Command, and his engineering of the strategic population bombing of Dresden, Germany. But few recall that prior to this role, Harris served several stints in the Middle East, during which he developed his strategy of civilian bombing, that he applied so forcefully in World War II. The first was in Iraq in the 1920s (about which a further blog post to come), the second as Air Operations Commander, Palestine, July 1938 - July 1939. He arrived in the midst of the Arab Revolt, a bloody and costly three year nationalist uprising of the Palestinians in protest against the growing number of Jewish immigrants to Palestine, and British administration of the country under the League of Nations mandate. Armed bands of Arab guerrillas would scatter from surrounding villages, making it nearly impossible for British ground forces to round them up and arrest them. Harris devised a method to counter this by using RAF aircraft to drop leaflets onto the villages, warning residents not to flee or risk massive bombing destruction. With the guerrillas thus trapped in the villages, British Army troops could then encircle the villages and apprehend them. The strategy, known as the "Air-Pin", effectively tamped down the uprising. Commanding the northern ground forces at the time was another future key World War II senior commander, then Major General Bernard Law Montgomery. I plan to post much more on this in the future.

Who Am I?

Welcome to my professional blog! Let me introduce myself to you: I am an editor and writer, focusing on aerospace topics. I spent 19 years as an Associate Editor with Air Force Magazine, editing the annual USAF Almanac, writing articles, photo features, and daily news items for the Magazine's online publication, Daily Report. I also edited the Magazine's Space Almanac, until its termination in 2009, and the Russia Military Almanac to 2000. This blog features items on aviation history, space, aerospace developments, and interesting personalities. Readers will see an international focus as I also appreciate the Royal Air Force and its history, and aerospace developments in other nations.