ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER says:
Here is an interesting story about the crash of two Connies, one a tragedy, the other a miracle:
www.flickr.com/photos/huffstutterrobertl/3714973956/
ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER says:
Your history of VQ-1 is truly appreciated.
What a tale one would have to tell if one could have spent 20 years in the squadron. My regret, like many guys, is that I was neither an officer or a pilot, but it was still one great tour of duty. Those are days that are gone forever, and for the flight crews who manned these aircraft, I am sure they have some really great memories of "genuine" high adventure at its maximum level.
My thanks to you and each and every man for their service, some quite dangerous, and in a few instances, their final adventures, RIP.
Thanks to you for these links and information for all of us who share a special interest in the VQ squadrons and the support squadrons, facilities and the great U.S. Navy.
ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER says:
Pan American will always hold a warm spot in my heart and mind, especially in my spirit. It was on a Pan American 707 that I flew to Tokyo, Japan in August of 1961.
We stopped in Hawaii long enough for refueling and long enough to purchase a post card. I recall a quick glance at Diamondhead and then off again. The pilot dipped down shortly after takeoff from Honolulu to give us a look at a small island, Midway Island, where a WWII battle made the difference in World War II.
It was on this flight where the new attendants, costumed in silk kimonos, served us Kirin beer. They handed us small rolls of hot linen for wiping our faces. "Make you feel fresh," the attendant told us. I recall how beautiful the young Japanese woman was. It was then, I believe, that I fell in love with Japan, even before I arrived. Yes, thinking back about the flight 50 years later, I must say with all honesty that it was one of the highlights of my life.
We landed at the old Tokyo International. From the time we took off in the a.m. from San Francisco, I did not see the evening until I was, at last, checked into my new duty station at NAS Atsugi, Japan.
It was a most exciting adventure for a young lad still in his teens. It was certainly one of the experiences of my LIFE.
ROBERT HUFFSTUTTER says:
53 YEARS AGO TODAY…the Arrow is cancelled…and CANADA returns to Research and Development Obscurity
IN 1959, CANADA WAS on top of the world with aircraft interceptor and jet engine programmes so advanced that the Avro Arrow introduces almost 30 aviation firsts. Simultaneously, the Orenda Iroquois is also on stage, set to be licence-built by Curtis-Wright Inc. of America for a production run of 12,000 jet engines!
In spite of these incredible technological achievements, the Prime Minister of Canada, J.G. Diefenbaker, cancels both cutting edge projects and squanders Canada's chance to retain its technological lead.
Canada would never recover.
The CF-105 Avro Arrow Interceptor program, and the PS-13 Orenda Iroquois Engine program, become the last time CANADA reaches 'for the stars' and contributes seriously to military technological advancement as a NATO member nation.
Awesome photo courtesy of Marc-Andre Valiquette's Destruction of a Dream Volume 3! If you don't have Marc-Andre's four volume series about Avro Canada and the Avro Arrow…what…are you waiting for?!
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