War Aircraft

The Museum of Flight can be described in one word – fantastic. No matter your interest in aviation, whether it be engineering, space exploration or history, the Museum of Flight near Seattle, Washington will satisfy your interests. Due to the shortage of time, I was unable to view all of the exhibits. However, some of the features and exhibits are discussed.

One of the highlights of each airshow season for the Dixie Wing of the CAF is the annual trip to Andrews Air Force Base. Typically, Andrews commits to the presence of many of the aircraft in the Dixie Wing inventory or owned by Dixie Wing members. Frequently the trip is made in formation with other aircraft which lends itself to a spirit of camaraderie and mutual support.

Ed Maloney, the founder of the Planes of Fame Air Museum, is an aviation legend. He founded the first air museum west of the Rocky Mountains in 1957.

One of the fortunate things about being an aviation lawyer is the fact that you are allowed to meet some really interesting people doing some phenomenal things. This recently took place when I had to make a trip to St. Augustine, Florida and visit the facilities of Southeast Aero. Southeast Aero is the point of entry for the Flugzeugbau Extra Series of aerobatic aircraft.

Our cadre of Oshkosh adventurers reported to Epps Air Service at PDK around 04:00 for an early morning departure in Milo Pinckney’s Navajo for a trip to Oshkosh returning later the same day or so we planned. Besides Milo, our cast of characters included Merry Waldroup, Mac Secord, Russ Jamieson, Jeff Heal and the author.

The week before the Battle of Midway practice session had been a hectic one. I had to prepare for a deposition in Alabama, fly to Alabama meet with the client and co-counsel, take the deposition and then return home. Arriving back in Atlanta late on a Friday evening with the Midway practice session set for Sunday, I decided the best thing for me to do was to drop by the office on Saturday and run through the Battle of Midway aerial script and Flight Sequence Schedule one more time so that I could brief the pilots, our pyrotechnic personnel, air boss and announcers.