25 Nov 2002 - Upgraded most
photos with better scans. Updated format.
26 Nov 2002 - Upgraded remaining
images with better scans.
10 Apr 2006 - Added Flying
Fortress over Dallas.
30 Jul 2007 - Added
NASCAR "Flight".
28 Dec 2007 - Added
B-25 over Arizona.
What better way to complement the study of Air Force installations than to occasionally take to the air in a former (or current) military aircraft?
B-25 over Arizona A 2007 ride in a B-25H bomber.
Flying Fortress over Dallas A 2006 ride in a B-17G.
Texan Flight A 2001 ride in an AT-6 Texan.
Stearman Flight A 1998 ride in a Stearman biplane.
Bomber Flight A 1999 ride in a restored B-24J Liberator bomber.
Bell UH-1F "Huey" Helicopter My first chopper ride, from Malmstrom AFB to Oscar-One Launch Control Facility (Malmstrom AF Missile Site 0-1) and return, way back in 1982.
Sometimes, even a civilian airplane ride can be fun. Here are photos and brief descriptions of a few of my favorites.
Champion Tri-Traveler The exciting part of this flight was, I did the flying -- from taxi to takeoff to final approach! My pilot took over for the landing (whew!). Great fun! This is a small, fabric-covered airplane with an old-fashioned control stick. A great experience, flying out of Shreveport's Lucien Field Airport (F33) on 11 Sep 1994. After takeoff, we had an aerial view of the former Slack AF Depot. The airplane is based on the Aeronca 7FC design, which was used by the U.S. military as the L-16.
Piper Arrow III Friend and fellow Embry-Riddle student Ken Dunn took me up for a ride in this airplane, from the Barksdale AFB Aero Club on 17 May 1996. We flew over Barksdale Nike sites BD-10 and BD-50, and I took the aerial photos shown on my Louisiana Locations trip report. We also looked for evidence of W.W.II bombing ranges north of Minden, without luck.
Cessna 172 Another ride from the Barksdale AFB Aero Club, on 1 Oct 1994. Just a quick flight around the flagpole, but it was fun! Had a nice view of Barksdale, and also Shreveport Downtown Airport (just over the river).
Grob G 103 Acro Sailplane What a rush -- a ride in the front seat of a glider! Flying out of the former Dillingham AFB, in early 1990. We were towed up by a surplus L-19. Aside from the beauty of the Hawaiian coast, the big thrill was the aerobatics. This was my first time experiencing stalls and loops in the air. I even took the controls and performed a loop! I just noticed (in Nov 2002) that one of my photos showed Nike launcher site OA-84L, although you have to look close because of canopy glare in the photo. The landing back on Dillingham came much too soon.
Quicksilver Ultralight Okay, imagine a go-kart with wings. That's what this felt like! Wind in your face, looking down at the ground between your feet, what a thrill! This flight was from the Kitty Hawk Flying Field (TS67), Garden Ridge, Texas, on 30 May 1993.
Nancy and I went up on an evening "see the city by the stars" flight in a Piper Apache, flying from Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN). As Shreveport Municipal Airport, this field was used by both the Navy and the Army Air Forces during W.W.II. I don't have any photos from this one, which took place on 10 Dec 1994.
Sometimes, even a sim ride or a static display walkthrough is fun.
F-16 Flight Simulator Not a flight, but a "ride" in a partial-motion F-16 simulator at Air Combat School, in Arlington, Texas.
Tupolev Tu-95M (NATO reporting name: Bear) and Ilyushin Il-78M (NATO reporting name: Candid). I photographed these aircraft on Barksdale AFB on 22 Aug 1994, while both were on a goodwill visit from Ryazan AB, Russia. I sat in the pilot's seat and the tail gunner's seat of the Bear. It was quite an eerie feeling to see a Soviet bomber on the Barksdale ramp! I sat in the co-pilot's seat of the IL-78, and also toured the cargo compartment.
And for those who prefer their "flights" low to the ground, you might like to ride in a NASCAR-style racecar.
