Tri-City Water Follies

The B-25 Pacific Prowler was on hand for the Tri-City Water Follies this year. I had the good fortune to be able to walk out and look at her. This B-25J has had a long and varied career. From being used to drop bombs to filming Disney movies, she is now on the airshow circuit. I saw her last year at the McChord Airshow, which incidentally, does not seem to be happening again, despiote last years HUGE numbers..

Here is a Soviet job, Yak-11. I am, sadly, not much of a fan of Soviet WWII technology.

Below is Val-Halla, a P-51. It made a flight with an F-16 on its wing. Heritage Flights are the rage, apparently. She appears to be dressed in Air Defense Force colors of the late 40s and early 50s. The Buzz Number is what seems to give it away. They were painted large so if pilots got the idea to fly too low, ground observers could ID the plane and the pilot would get into trouble...at least that is the story I have read on Buzz Numbers.

These aircraft are actually on the old Pasco NAS. I managed to bump into a very nice lady who has done some research of her own on the Pasco NAS. She was able to tell me a few things about the first commander that I would not have otherwise found out.

Here are a couple of the WWII era hangars still in use. I will post more later.

Tranquility Base Here!

40 years!

40 years.

Forty years ago, three men were on their voyage to the Moon. They travelled as far as men ever have been from their planet. The Saturn V was huge! Their journey began on July 16, 1969, when they blasted off and into history.

On July 20, two of these men landed upon the Moon and left several experiments and took samples. Take a few minutes this week and think about what these men did. But, also remember there were hundreds of thousands of men and women behind this venture. People working in factories all over the US built parts of these craft. Hundreds monitored their progress and health. Millions watched them on TV, or listened to the radio as they made the first steps man has ever made on a another world.

Why haven't we returned!?