flightSpiritMagazine
AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND 70TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION
FLYING CLOUD REVIVAL
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"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth
with your eyes turned skyward...
for there you have been and there you long to return."
Leonardo Da Vinci (3)
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“Here comes the Music”
The Next Flight of the Clipper Flying Cloud
By Michael T. Flanagin
The declaration in the December 2003 issue of Boeing Frontiers that the Clipper Flying Cloud (Boeing B-307 Stratoliner, NC19903) “is never to fly again” may prove to be untrue if these significant dates in the years 2010-13 commend her revival for Commemorative Flights:
June 29, 2012 is the Tenth Anniversary of the rollout of the restored Clipper Flying Cloud to the Flight Line and cause for the Boeing Restoration Group to redeem the thousands of hours invested in her for expression of Flight.
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth
with your eyes turned skyward...
for there you have been and there you long to return."
Leonardo Da Vinci (3)
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“Here comes the Music”
The Next Flight of the Clipper Flying Cloud
By Michael T. Flanagin
The declaration in the December 2003 issue of Boeing Frontiers that the Clipper Flying Cloud (Boeing B-307 Stratoliner, NC19903) “is never to fly again” may prove to be untrue if these significant dates in the years 2010-13 commend her revival for Commemorative Flights:
June 29, 2012 is the Tenth Anniversary of the rollout of the restored Clipper Flying Cloud to the Flight Line and cause for the Boeing Restoration Group to redeem the thousands of hours invested in her for expression of Flight.
"We brought her back to life." recalled Pat DeRoberts, a retired
Boeing flight engineer and volunteer member of the restoration team.’ (1)
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Beyond her pioneering pressurized cabin and benchmark altitude and range records that set the pace for airlines to come, the significant historical Legacy of the Clipper Flying Cloud is her Flagship service with the Air Transport Command, that cobbled -together WWII airlift armada enlisting civilian aircraft, pilots and ground crews to provide critical long distance delivery of men and materiel as the air logistics lifeline of the Allied Effort.
Women Pilots of the WASP were among the 15,000 pilots and over 65,000 civilian support personnel of the Air Transport Command who sustained flight for over 3000 aircraft, the largest air fleet ever assembled. These crews are credited with over 600 million transport air miles, over a billion lbs of critical payload, 75,000 aircraft delivered,
and over 400,000 medical evacuations..(4)
These unsung civilian air and ground crews worked tirelessly in conditions far more extreme than anything they had experienced in their civilian jobs. Working double- and often triple- shifts, they flew uncharted courses over dark oceans and continents with no weather reports or radio beacons, often overflying or circumventing enemy operating areas at risk to air and submarine interdiction. They operated in the extreme conditions of 130-degree desert and tropic heat and minus fifty (-50)- degree arctic winters, living on remote scratch-built bases in tents and Quonset huts. Malaria, sunstroke, and frostbite were routine hazards. Frozen oil, sandstorms, and rubber rot were just some of the extreme problems overcome by initiative and ingenuity to keep these Transports flying.
1 July 2012 is the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Air Transport Command (1July42) which brought together numerous ferrying services, WASP’s , and
diverse contract arrangements into a unified Command charged with all Passenger, Cargo and Aircraft Ferrying duties to all Theatres. Air Transport Command was part of the Army Air Corps, but it was established as a separate Command and was the result of adoption by President Roosevelt of plans developed before the war by the Air Transport Association (representing U.S. Airlines).
The Story of the Air Transport Command went mostly
unreported in its day and today only a few have ever
heard of it. This founding, without fanfare in 1942,
deserves fanfare today to commend those crew for
willingness, initiative, and “can-do” far beyond any normal call of duty.
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On 7Dec41, Clipper Flying Cloud and her seven
Stratoliner Sisters were the only 4 engine land planes capable of making the long inter-continental flights that the new emergency demanded and so were critically important to the early missions of the
Air Transport Command.
The Five TWA Stratoliners, converted to C-75 and becoming Apache, Comanche, Navajo, Zuni and Cherokee, were the first cargo craft to fly to Prestwick, Scotland over the Northeast
Route and the first nonstop from Gandar (NF). They made the first nonstops over the South Atlantic Route from Natal to Timbuktu and then on to Cairo.
Boeing flight engineer and volunteer member of the restoration team.’ (1)
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Beyond her pioneering pressurized cabin and benchmark altitude and range records that set the pace for airlines to come, the significant historical Legacy of the Clipper Flying Cloud is her Flagship service with the Air Transport Command, that cobbled -together WWII airlift armada enlisting civilian aircraft, pilots and ground crews to provide critical long distance delivery of men and materiel as the air logistics lifeline of the Allied Effort.
Women Pilots of the WASP were among the 15,000 pilots and over 65,000 civilian support personnel of the Air Transport Command who sustained flight for over 3000 aircraft, the largest air fleet ever assembled. These crews are credited with over 600 million transport air miles, over a billion lbs of critical payload, 75,000 aircraft delivered,
and over 400,000 medical evacuations..(4)
These unsung civilian air and ground crews worked tirelessly in conditions far more extreme than anything they had experienced in their civilian jobs. Working double- and often triple- shifts, they flew uncharted courses over dark oceans and continents with no weather reports or radio beacons, often overflying or circumventing enemy operating areas at risk to air and submarine interdiction. They operated in the extreme conditions of 130-degree desert and tropic heat and minus fifty (-50)- degree arctic winters, living on remote scratch-built bases in tents and Quonset huts. Malaria, sunstroke, and frostbite were routine hazards. Frozen oil, sandstorms, and rubber rot were just some of the extreme problems overcome by initiative and ingenuity to keep these Transports flying.
1 July 2012 is the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the Air Transport Command (1July42) which brought together numerous ferrying services, WASP’s , and
diverse contract arrangements into a unified Command charged with all Passenger, Cargo and Aircraft Ferrying duties to all Theatres. Air Transport Command was part of the Army Air Corps, but it was established as a separate Command and was the result of adoption by President Roosevelt of plans developed before the war by the Air Transport Association (representing U.S. Airlines).
The Story of the Air Transport Command went mostly
unreported in its day and today only a few have ever
heard of it. This founding, without fanfare in 1942,
deserves fanfare today to commend those crew for
willingness, initiative, and “can-do” far beyond any normal call of duty.
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On 7Dec41, Clipper Flying Cloud and her seven
Stratoliner Sisters were the only 4 engine land planes capable of making the long inter-continental flights that the new emergency demanded and so were critically important to the early missions of the
Air Transport Command.
The Five TWA Stratoliners, converted to C-75 and becoming Apache, Comanche, Navajo, Zuni and Cherokee, were the first cargo craft to fly to Prestwick, Scotland over the Northeast
Route and the first nonstop from Gandar (NF). They made the first nonstops over the South Atlantic Route from Natal to Timbuktu and then on to Cairo.
Converted TWA Stratoliner "Apache” after becoming the first aircraft to land at Bluie West Eight, Greenland, 20 April 1942.
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Pan Am’s Clippers Flying Cloud, Rainbow, and Comet
served South America, where their pressurized cabins and altitude mastered the towering Andes.
served South America, where their pressurized cabins and altitude mastered the towering Andes.
L: Pan American B-307 Stratoliner NC19910 "Clipper Comet" taking off at Miami
R: Boeing 307 Stratoliner NC19902 Pan American 'Clipper Rainbow' taxiing at Miami.
Florida State Archive
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Destination for most of their thousands of passengers was the Air Base at Natal, Brazil. Located on the far eastern coast of Brazil, this base was the departure point for all Air Transport Command routes over the South Atlantic Route to serve theatres of Africa, Southern Europe, Middle East, India, and, via the renowned “Hump” over the Himalayan Mountains, to inland China. It was the longest and most heavily traveled route of the
Air Transport Command.
Air Transport Command.
Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express at Natal 1943
2 Feb 2013 is the 70th Anniversary of the Natal Conference (2Feb43) where President Roosevelt was flown to meet with the President of Brazil. This meeting was critical to the Allied cause in two ways: It confirmed and cemented Brazil’s support of the Alliance, and, most notably, guaranteed the
continued use of the Natal air bases by the
Air Transport Command
to keep that lifeline open.
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Flying Dutchman
In History, The Natal Conference is overshadowed by the renown Casablanca Conference on the same mission. Roosevelt was flown to meet with Allied leaders in that Moroccan city (14-24Jan43) to discuss strategy and to confirm the Allied demands for "Unconditional Surrender".
That Flight was the First Flight by any President of the
United States. Departing in extreme secrecy aboard the legendary Dixie Clipper (Boeing B-314) Flying Boat, the President was flown over the South Atlantic route to West Africa and thence to Casablanca, a flight of over 12,000 miles.
This was also the first time any President had visited a foreign War Zone (N. Africa).
Returning from Africa aboard the Dixie Clipper again, the President landed at Natal in the dead of night and transferred directly to a U.S. ship there for his meeting with the Brazilian President in the Natal Conference. This historic 26,000-mile Presidential Flight Mission (Operation SYMBOL) was entirely conducted by the
Air Transport Command.
January 14, 2013 is the 70th anniversary of the
Casablanca Conference. It is likely that the Roosevelt
Library and other groups commending Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are contemplating this date, a cardinal event in the War and in the FDR Presidency, as well as a cardinal event in the annals of the
Air Transport Command
continued use of the Natal air bases by the
Air Transport Command
to keep that lifeline open.
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Flying Dutchman
In History, The Natal Conference is overshadowed by the renown Casablanca Conference on the same mission. Roosevelt was flown to meet with Allied leaders in that Moroccan city (14-24Jan43) to discuss strategy and to confirm the Allied demands for "Unconditional Surrender".
That Flight was the First Flight by any President of the
United States. Departing in extreme secrecy aboard the legendary Dixie Clipper (Boeing B-314) Flying Boat, the President was flown over the South Atlantic route to West Africa and thence to Casablanca, a flight of over 12,000 miles.
This was also the first time any President had visited a foreign War Zone (N. Africa).
Returning from Africa aboard the Dixie Clipper again, the President landed at Natal in the dead of night and transferred directly to a U.S. ship there for his meeting with the Brazilian President in the Natal Conference. This historic 26,000-mile Presidential Flight Mission (Operation SYMBOL) was entirely conducted by the
Air Transport Command.
January 14, 2013 is the 70th anniversary of the
Casablanca Conference. It is likely that the Roosevelt
Library and other groups commending Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are contemplating this date, a cardinal event in the War and in the FDR Presidency, as well as a cardinal event in the annals of the
Air Transport Command
Boeing B-314 Dixie Clipper
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On March 17 2009 Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of
Texas introduced SB.614, to award the Congressional
Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots
("WASP"), who were part of the Air Transport
Command. This bill was signed into law by the President
on July 1, 2010, and the Medals awarded in ceremony by Senator Barbara Boxer of California. At the time it was noted that some 300 veterans of the WASP yet live and over 175 of them attended this ceremony. It is likely that these survivors would be among the first to extend the regard to their brethren in the
Air Transport Command
precisely because they remember
how it was and what it took.
On March 17 2009 Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of
Texas introduced SB.614, to award the Congressional
Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots
("WASP"), who were part of the Air Transport
Command. This bill was signed into law by the President
on July 1, 2010, and the Medals awarded in ceremony by Senator Barbara Boxer of California. At the time it was noted that some 300 veterans of the WASP yet live and over 175 of them attended this ceremony. It is likely that these survivors would be among the first to extend the regard to their brethren in the
Air Transport Command
precisely because they remember
how it was and what it took.
Also, it was brought up in the news coverage of the recent Pearl Harbor Commemorative that this is the last Deci-centennial at which surviving veterans of the WW2 era are likely to be present; all the reason more that their exemplary services be recognized.
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This author’s acquaintance with Pan Am’s Clipper
Flying Cloud began with a namesake search for the Clipper Ship Flying Cloud (1851-76), swiftest of the "Greyhounds of the Sea: "
This author’s acquaintance with Pan Am’s Clipper
Flying Cloud began with a namesake search for the Clipper Ship Flying Cloud (1851-76), swiftest of the "Greyhounds of the Sea: "
"If great length [235 ft.], sharpness of ends, with proportionate breadth [41 ft.] and depth, conduce to speed, the Flying Cloud must be uncommonly swift, for in all these she is great."
-- Boston Daily Atlas April 2 5, 1 8 5 1 --
A national Icon in her own right, Flying Cloud set Sailing Ship records around the world which still stand today and marks the epitome of the 6000-year-long Age of Sail. The Clippers came in the sunset of that age but here is what historian Henry Culver says of them in 1924: (5)
“But the glory of that sunset was the brighter by reason of the perfection to which the ingenuity of man had brought that most romantic of his handservants,
the ship.”
Juan Trippe could have read that chapter in 1924 and
taken up it’s baton, for the story of Pan American Airways is one of daring and ingenuity that took on the frontiers not only of the Air, but of the Sea as well, and carried the spirit of “Clipper” to a new generation in the 20th Century.
This esprit endured in their alliance with the
Air TransportCommand,
where Pan Am’s Pacific Routes and their
pioneering ferry routes across Africa and India to Rangoon became the Air Transport Command primary routes and their planes, the Stratoliners, the flying boats and the DC-3’s were on the job from Day 1 of Condition A (7Dec41).
Today, Clipper Flying Cloud is a symbol which has survived to bring this Spirit of “Clipper” to this, the 21st Century, and a new generation.
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In the author’s fictional histories, it was Her Namesake, the earlier corvette Flying Cloud, sister ship to Samuel Adam’s Liberty that transports our hero Evan to his rounds with Continental Navy in Part 2 of “The Legend of New Columbia” and it is Daniel Boone’s friend Chief Flying Cloud of the Mandan whose daughter Moon Follows guides the explorers in Part 5, and still later, the airship Flying Cloud was the star attraction of the New Columbia Exposition in 1899 . Later, in real life, it was the MB (motorbus) Flying Cloud (Bluebird 1971). that Transported and displayed the Millennium of Liberty Shows 1997-04.
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______________________________________________
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It was my father who first mentioned the Air
Transport Command. He was Major Marvin Flanagin
USAR, a Pearl Harbor veteran, and chief medical supply officer for the U. S. Army Medical Corps in the Pacific Theater, a major customer (if you will) of the
Air Transport Command.
While he was not really one for war
stories, what he did tell was of flying out to far-flung islands on “Clippers” and “Catalinas” to clear up supply bottlenecks and sometimes slide up to smoking beaches, so that those planes are among my first memories and such names as Guadalcanal and Saipan were familiar long before I ever heard of Douglas MacArthur or the true story of Amelia Earhart.
Of course, Medical Supply was always
a Priority with Air Transport Command and so he was a frequent flier. My mother filled in a bit more about the WASP’s and Eleanor Roosevelt, who emerge as her inspiration to suspend her career as a children’s librarian to join the W.A.C.
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My father’s brother, ( ergo, my uncle), was Captain Lee Flanagin, who I knew was a senior pilot for Trans World Airlines. Wondering if he had any ties to this story, I looked him up and found out that he did:
In 1932 Lee Flanagin became TWA chief flight
dispatcher in Kansas City. He remained there until the
beginning of World War II when he became chief of
TWA's Army cargo contract operation. 2
During World War II, Flanagin headed the Domestic Air
Transport Command for TWA channeling planes needed
to haul cargoes and men in the country. 3
Thus I find that I who arrives at this story through “Clipper” am also among those who have a significant heritage interest in this story and a further cause to amplify it, and to call upon others of heritage interest to help give effect to this acclaim.
[ PROFILE OF CAPTAIN LEE FLANAGIN ]
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The title of this essay comes from Poppy Boyington of Black Sheep Squadron as a POW in Japan in 1945: when the B- 29’s started coming over, the prisoners would call “Here Comes the Music!” To me, this echoes to the spirit of anyone who was ever a pilot or worked on planes since Wilbur Wright, and it also seems the particular hymn of those guys out there on Ascension, or Gandar, orTimbuktu
waiting for the birds of the
Air Transport Command
to come in.
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It was my father who first mentioned the Air
Transport Command. He was Major Marvin Flanagin
USAR, a Pearl Harbor veteran, and chief medical supply officer for the U. S. Army Medical Corps in the Pacific Theater, a major customer (if you will) of the
Air Transport Command.
While he was not really one for war
stories, what he did tell was of flying out to far-flung islands on “Clippers” and “Catalinas” to clear up supply bottlenecks and sometimes slide up to smoking beaches, so that those planes are among my first memories and such names as Guadalcanal and Saipan were familiar long before I ever heard of Douglas MacArthur or the true story of Amelia Earhart.
Of course, Medical Supply was always
a Priority with Air Transport Command and so he was a frequent flier. My mother filled in a bit more about the WASP’s and Eleanor Roosevelt, who emerge as her inspiration to suspend her career as a children’s librarian to join the W.A.C.
---@---@---O---@---@---
My father’s brother, ( ergo, my uncle), was Captain Lee Flanagin, who I knew was a senior pilot for Trans World Airlines. Wondering if he had any ties to this story, I looked him up and found out that he did:
In 1932 Lee Flanagin became TWA chief flight
dispatcher in Kansas City. He remained there until the
beginning of World War II when he became chief of
TWA's Army cargo contract operation. 2
During World War II, Flanagin headed the Domestic Air
Transport Command for TWA channeling planes needed
to haul cargoes and men in the country. 3
Thus I find that I who arrives at this story through “Clipper” am also among those who have a significant heritage interest in this story and a further cause to amplify it, and to call upon others of heritage interest to help give effect to this acclaim.
[ PROFILE OF CAPTAIN LEE FLANAGIN ]
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The title of this essay comes from Poppy Boyington of Black Sheep Squadron as a POW in Japan in 1945: when the B- 29’s started coming over, the prisoners would call “Here Comes the Music!” To me, this echoes to the spirit of anyone who was ever a pilot or worked on planes since Wilbur Wright, and it also seems the particular hymn of those guys out there on Ascension, or Gandar, orTimbuktu
waiting for the birds of the
Air Transport Command
to come in.
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Paintings by war correspondent Peter Hurd of Ascension Island published in Life Magazine, April 1945
©Robin Chapman 2011 [email protected].
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Aviation’s Salute to the Air Transport Command:
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One of the things that Lee Flanagin said was:
."You might look back and call what we had then the
Golden Days," said Lee. We never were sure that
aviation would be around long enough to get into the
'years' category.” 2
Beyond the country’s debt to the ATC is Aviation’s
recognition that the ATC “proved” aviation as a
dependable mainstay. In all there were over 20 airlines participating in Air Transport Command more or less equally committing about 70% of their fleets and roster and growing ten- or twenty- fold in scale and experience. All continued after the war and some fly on today based on that participation. Air Transport Command is a significant aspect of their brand heritage and of course most of the ATC crews were alumni of these airlines. We hope that these alumni groups will lead the endeavor of finding these veterans and bringing them into the tribute at one of the satellite venues associated with the Stratoliner Rollout
Reunion and the Air Transport Command 70th
Anniversary Commemorative to Hear the Music of the
Clipper Flying Cloud .
Aviation’s Salute to the Air Transport Command:
-@-@/-O-\@-@-
One of the things that Lee Flanagin said was:
."You might look back and call what we had then the
Golden Days," said Lee. We never were sure that
aviation would be around long enough to get into the
'years' category.” 2
Beyond the country’s debt to the ATC is Aviation’s
recognition that the ATC “proved” aviation as a
dependable mainstay. In all there were over 20 airlines participating in Air Transport Command more or less equally committing about 70% of their fleets and roster and growing ten- or twenty- fold in scale and experience. All continued after the war and some fly on today based on that participation. Air Transport Command is a significant aspect of their brand heritage and of course most of the ATC crews were alumni of these airlines. We hope that these alumni groups will lead the endeavor of finding these veterans and bringing them into the tribute at one of the satellite venues associated with the Stratoliner Rollout
Reunion and the Air Transport Command 70th
Anniversary Commemorative to Hear the Music of the
Clipper Flying Cloud .
LEGACY LIVES ON: A key signal invested in the legacy of the Clipper Flying Cloud and Air Transport Command is the story of Civil Aviation"s response to emergency and how that legacy lives on in Civil Aviation today. Not only commercial but hundreds of private pilots volunteered for Air Transport Command. ATC's pioneer routes formed the basis of today's Civil Aviation network worldwide.
Lessons learned by ATC Search and Rescue Divisions have continued in the Civil Air Patrols and other rescue groups saving thousands of lives.
Medical Evacuation lives on in Flight For Life and AirMed Evac also saving thousands of lives.
Fire Aviation takes on the hazards of wildlands fire to save thousands of homes and millions in property and natural resources annually.
And not least is the ongoing willingness of private pilots to jump into hazard and deliver the goods in times of disaster.
We cite two examples from the recent earthquake in Haiti wherein Actor Harrison Ford had his Cessna Caravan in the air for two months flying people and supplies around the island, and while his name made the papers there were over a hundred others.
We also cite the Albatross Mission to Haiti wherein a Heritage 1955 Grumman HU-16 Albatross Seaplane was volunteered to insert a Medical team to a remote area. All on two days notice. Just two of over 110 General Aviation aircraft flying over 800 relief missions to Haiti in Jan-Mar 2010. *
*source: NBAA
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Clipper Flying Cloud .
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Aviation’s Salute to the Air Transport Command
(Tentative Schedule.)
(NOTE: DATES JUNE 29-JULY 4 COMPRISE A 6-DAY “EVENT WINDOW” FOR SCHEDULING FLEXIBILITY.
MAIN EVENT TAKES PLACE AT NASM, TELEVISED OR E-LINKED TO PARTICIPATING SATELLITE VENUES.)
June 29: Stratoliner Rollout Reunion.
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Restoration, she’ll be rolled out into the
Sun and her many fans will see to her dressage.
June 30: Soliloquies.
Here Comes the Music Part 1: Individual recitals in nine cylinders
(Odes to Air Earth Fire Water)
July 1: Ensemble Sound.
Here comes the Music Part 2: Flying Cloud Orchestra
“Ascencion. ”
(Tribute to the Crews of the Air Transport Command)
July 2-4: WindDance (???)
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**** Statistics from: Air Transport at War by Reginald Cleveland; 1946, and:
Wings across the World; The Story of the Air Transport Command by Hugh Cave, 1945
*** Da Vinci quote from: paulrichtertwalegend.com
1: Boeing Frontiers Dec 2003 2: TWA Skyliner, July 1960. 3: TWA Skyliner, March 14, 1966
5: The Book Of Old Ships And Something Of Their Evolution And Romance
Culver, Henry B. (Henry Brundage), 1924.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION E-MAIL [email protected]
Wings across the World; The Story of the Air Transport Command by Hugh Cave, 1945
*** Da Vinci quote from: paulrichtertwalegend.com
1: Boeing Frontiers Dec 2003 2: TWA Skyliner, July 1960. 3: TWA Skyliner, March 14, 1966
5: The Book Of Old Ships And Something Of Their Evolution And Romance
Culver, Henry B. (Henry Brundage), 1924.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION E-MAIL [email protected]
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< < AFTERWORD > >
- April 19, 2012 -
April 19th is the anniversary of Lexington/-Concord /Paul Revere's Ride and the traditional advent of the Liberty exposition season which was transliterated as "The Sound Heard 'Round The World" in the Liberty Bell shows. Whether by design or coincidence, many iconic events occur around this date in history. For instance, it could be by coincidence that the shuttle Discovery is delivered on this date to NASM, or that the Doolittle bomber raid, first counter-offensive against the Empire, was launched at this time in 1942 so that the 70th Anniversary Commemoration occurs this week and an air armada of 20 restored B-25 aircraft of the Commemorative Air Force and other groups are today's front page news and Discovery is also captured flying past the Washington Monument. It is more likely coincidence that Stratoliner Apache's record flight occurred April 20, 1942 (see text).
So we launch the A. T. C. 70th Anniversary Project on this date with these three stellar Aviation events as a constellation by which I hope you will realize that some people are taking this deci-centenniel quite seriously and that you, as an ally of airlines or aviation or flight can see your part to contribute via the
Air Transport Command 70th Anniversary Commemorative .
.
Perhaps you think this is such short notice for June 29, but I say that "Can-Do" is a cardinal theme of the Air Transport Command and I want to see if there's enough "Can-Do" in Aviation today to give effect and roll her out so she can play for you and for your predecessors here and Beyond.
The arrival of Shuttle Discovery April 19 as mentioned above, gives an extra theme to this event window based directly on CFC legacy as pioneer of high flight as she trundles out meet the new arrival--her protegee. I think there's a point there that kids need to see. I point out that other elements of the program like the text and scale model fleet are not dependent on Events, but are ongoing and developmental.)
But a question is also due: Clipper Flying Cloud has easily 100,000 dedicated fans in Flight and in Heritage Aviation. Air Transport Command is a huge story that involves the brand heritage of twenty airlines past and present which represent over 100,000 current employees and five times that number of alumni from several generations who must respect that this was what their predecessors did in the war and that this is what built their brand. Where are these people on this? Where are the people who know what 70th means like the Doolittle planners? Where are the people who can gather the veterans as for the WASP Event in 2010? I'm just a publicist. I just tell stories to My Readers. I'm here by continuation of the Flying Cloud, and happy enough to be able to tell this story whatever way. But it is up to others to make it so; to "bring her back to life," and keep that promise.
Thank you
Michael Flanagin
[email protected]
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You may write your Senators and forward this email to:
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
284 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-4304
202-224-5922 202-224-0776 (FAX) 202-224-5903 (TDD)
and:
Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington,D.C. 20510 (202) 224-3553
to support passage of an "official" Commendation for the Air Transport Command and please
forward this e-mail to anyone who would want to know of these events.
Please reply to
[email protected]
for further info and updates.
Please see attachments for info on:
ATC 70 SCALE MODEL SQUADRONS
and
ANNALS OF THE
AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION EMAIL: [email protected]
< < AFTERWORD > >
- April 19, 2012 -
April 19th is the anniversary of Lexington/-Concord /Paul Revere's Ride and the traditional advent of the Liberty exposition season which was transliterated as "The Sound Heard 'Round The World" in the Liberty Bell shows. Whether by design or coincidence, many iconic events occur around this date in history. For instance, it could be by coincidence that the shuttle Discovery is delivered on this date to NASM, or that the Doolittle bomber raid, first counter-offensive against the Empire, was launched at this time in 1942 so that the 70th Anniversary Commemoration occurs this week and an air armada of 20 restored B-25 aircraft of the Commemorative Air Force and other groups are today's front page news and Discovery is also captured flying past the Washington Monument. It is more likely coincidence that Stratoliner Apache's record flight occurred April 20, 1942 (see text).
So we launch the A. T. C. 70th Anniversary Project on this date with these three stellar Aviation events as a constellation by which I hope you will realize that some people are taking this deci-centenniel quite seriously and that you, as an ally of airlines or aviation or flight can see your part to contribute via the
Air Transport Command 70th Anniversary Commemorative .
.
Perhaps you think this is such short notice for June 29, but I say that "Can-Do" is a cardinal theme of the Air Transport Command and I want to see if there's enough "Can-Do" in Aviation today to give effect and roll her out so she can play for you and for your predecessors here and Beyond.
The arrival of Shuttle Discovery April 19 as mentioned above, gives an extra theme to this event window based directly on CFC legacy as pioneer of high flight as she trundles out meet the new arrival--her protegee. I think there's a point there that kids need to see. I point out that other elements of the program like the text and scale model fleet are not dependent on Events, but are ongoing and developmental.)
But a question is also due: Clipper Flying Cloud has easily 100,000 dedicated fans in Flight and in Heritage Aviation. Air Transport Command is a huge story that involves the brand heritage of twenty airlines past and present which represent over 100,000 current employees and five times that number of alumni from several generations who must respect that this was what their predecessors did in the war and that this is what built their brand. Where are these people on this? Where are the people who know what 70th means like the Doolittle planners? Where are the people who can gather the veterans as for the WASP Event in 2010? I'm just a publicist. I just tell stories to My Readers. I'm here by continuation of the Flying Cloud, and happy enough to be able to tell this story whatever way. But it is up to others to make it so; to "bring her back to life," and keep that promise.
Thank you
Michael Flanagin
[email protected]
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ATC 70 SCALE MODEL SQUADRONS
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ANNALS OF THE
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