“Seaplane Time a No, No!” *

All of the FMA crew are to be commended for the excellent work that you continue to do, and for 'THE AVIATION MIDSHIPMAN LOG".

The Summer '04 issue was outstanding. I read it from cover to cover, and could barely put it down for dinner break. I especially enjoyed "The Day The Devil Blinked" by Ray Myers, even though I always considered the few hours that I logged in the Grumman GOOSE and the Albatross as equivalent to having VD listed in my health record.

I am in contact by e-mail with two of the "Lost Flight," Thomas D.(Dudley) Lewis and Charles F.(Frank) Schied. I'll try to get the two "cheapskates" to send some money to you for dues. A third member of the "Lost Flight," Leroy "Sam" Ellison, is living in San Diego in very poor health.

All three of these ex-middies were in The Bald Eagle, Paul Gray's VF-54 squadron on our second Korean, "Bridges at Toko-Ri" cruise. Michener spent time on the USS Essex (CV-9) interviewing pilots and our Air Intelligence Officer( AIO) during the combat period of this cruise (August 1951 to March 1952). We have always felt that our crazy LSO, "Dog" Fannin; squadron Maintenance Officer, "Ski" Szymanski; Skipper, Paul Gray; and CAG-5, Marsh Beebe were part of the story.

Warren Thompson, the author of the "Bridges ... " article in NavAirNews, has a follow up article in the August 2004 "Flight Journal" magazine; and he also published an article about one of my episodes during that cruise in the February 2004 "Flight Journal"

* Flying Midshipmen LOG, winter 2004-05; © 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

Class: 
Pensacola Preflight Class 17-47