Editorial

The title pretty much says it all about this issue: It is literally living up to the Flight Journal mantra, “The Aviation Experience—Past, Present, and Future.” Actually, in some ways, this issue could be titled “The Aviation Experience and its Mysteries—Past, Present and Future.”

Why mystery and why past? Well, for starters, we delve into the controversy over who was America’s first combat flying ace. We make an effort to answer that question through the person of a SPAD pilot, Lt. Paul Baer. A pilot with the Lafayette Escadrille, and later the 103rd Pursuit Squadron of the

U.S. Signal Corps, he scored victories early in the beginning of aerial dogfighting era. He ran up his scores to the requisite five enemy planes quickly, becoming a flying ace. But was he the first? Just wait until you read all of the “Yeah, he got five, but…” comments. It’s all about how you define things. I learned a lot of about WW I through this single pilot.

Bringing the time frame forward another decade or two, to August of 1943, when the mystery was then how much gas their trusty old Liberator still had on board. It had carried them through the tree top hell of Ploesti, but it was a bulletriddled sieve, and gasoline was streaming behind them. The Çorlu airfield in Turkey may not have looked inviting, but it was at least reachable. This one will make your palms sweat! Blame the author, Chris Bucholtz, for that condition.

About the same time in ‘43, but across the pond in Maryland, one of Flight Journal’s all-around favorite writer/pilots, Corky Meyer, the Grumman test pilot, was also solving a mystery; he was deciding what his favorite airplane was. He found it in Maryland. And surprisingly, it wasn’t a Grumman! He had been invited to NAS Pax River, where test pilots were gathered to fly all of the U.S. fighters alongside WW II Axis airplanes. At one point, he found himself strapped into a Seafire Mk. III, the sea-going version of the Spitfire. And he fell

in love. Not a little in love. Seriously in love! You have to read his words to find out why. A personal mystery solved.

Moving up the timeline a few clicks farther and there is a mysterious, little-known Korean bombing mission. That decisive mission took place just before the truce was signed in Panmunjom. Officially, it never happened. However, unofficially, someone flying a flock of F-86Fs pounded the living hell out of the North Koreans’ supply of ammo and munitions. That one action effectively ended the conflict. However, whoever conducted that unauthorized event (their initials are USAF), can’t claim credit because no one on high gave the required permission to proceed. So, officially it didn’t happen. This is a really interesting story as told by Tom Cleaver.

If we leave one foot in the past, but use the other to step forward to today, on the isle of Martha’s Vineyard we’ll find that a part of the 1940s is still alive and well. For the last 20 years, a pair of WW II WACO UPF biplanes have been keeping the ‘40s alive while offering breathtaking aerial views of the island. Where most of us are continually trying to climb life’s ladder, it’s refreshing to find someone who has found his place in the world—in the rear cockpit of a biplane, exposing unsuspecting vacationers to an experience that might prove addictive. The question on the table is: Does Mike Creato have the best job in the world?

As a jarring step into present times, we first have to ask another question: Are you one of those who has stood in your backyard with a shotgun trying to bring down a neighbor’s intrusive drone? If so, you’re going to enjoy the glimpse Tom Atwood gives us into the world of drone defense. The attack on Saudi Arabia’s huge refinery by multiple drones points out the fact that the little flying machines are definitely no longer toys, and that the bad guys have them too.

So, get out a pad and pencil. You’re going to want to take notes on this issue.