Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Ford Tri Motor, Natrona County International Airport
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Saturday, June 8, 2019
Friday, June 7, 2019
Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182T, Natrona County International Airport
This is a Cessna 182T that belongs to the Civil Air Patrol at the Natrona County International Airport.
To date, there's one other post on this blog about the Civil Air Patrol, featuring its aircraft from the 1940s, and noting:
The Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Created during World War Two, it's original purpose was to harness the nations large fleet of small private aircraft for use in near shore anti submarine patrols. The light aircraft, repainted in bright colors to allow for them to be easily spotted by other American aircraft, basically flew the Atlantic in patterns to look for surfaced submarines. As submarines of that era operated on the surface routinely, this proved to be fairly effective and was greatly disruptive to the German naval effort off of the American coast.
The CAP also flew some patrols along the Mexican border during the same period, although I've forgotten what the exact purpose of them was. Early in the war, there was quite a bit of concern about Mexico, given its problematic history during World War One, and given that the Mexican government was both radical and occasionally hostile to the United States. These fears abated fairly rapidly.
The CAP still exists, with its post war mission having changed to search and rescue. It also has a cadet branch that somewhat mirrors JrROTC. Like JrROTC it has become considerably less martial over time, reflecting the views of boomer parents, who have generally wished, over time, to convert youthful organizations that were organized on military or quasi military lines into ones focusing on "citizenship" and "leadership"..
I didn't note in that earlier entry that eons ago, at the dawn of flight, I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet. I did post a bit more about that here, on our companion blog:
I was in the Civil Air Patrol in the 1970s and at that time it was in fact very much like Air Force JrROTC. Drill and Ceremony was a big deal with it, for example. We wore Air Force uniforms and normally the fatigue version of that. We focused on aircraft, of course, and on the CAP's mission of search and rescue. Looking back it seems like I was in it for a long time, but in reality that simply reflects the concept of time possessed by youth. I was in it while I was in junior high, three years.
Looking back, and I can recall it only dimly, I probably thought when I joined it in 7th Grade, after learning about it at the junior high, of staying in it until I was in high school and could join JrROTC. However, I enjoyed it in its own right. For reasons I can't really recall, once I was of high school age I dropped my membership entirely. Once I walked in the door of NCHS, I didn't walk back in the door of the CAP Wing's building here. I couldn't tell you why, I just didn't.
CAP still has a youth wing but I don't know anything about it. It appears to be focused on aircraft still, of course, but also on "leadership", something a lot of youth organizations focus on. If it resembles the old organization much, I wouldn't know. It's still around, but how popular it is I don't know. I don't know of any kids that I know being in it, but here the opposite is true as compared to the Scouts. I'm often quite surprised by how many people I'll run into that were in the CAP as teens. I know that two of my best friends were in it when was first in it, although they dropped out (just getting there was an ordeal for one who lived out in the country) and I know adults here and there that were. Just the other day the Byzantine Catholic priest from the Catholic Stuff You Should Know podcast mentioned having been a CAP cadet.One thing I'd note is, at least appearance wise, the CAP Cessna here is a much nicer looking aircraft that anything the CAP had locally when I was in it as a kid. Indeed, for the most part the CAP simply relied upon the private aircraft the adult members had.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Lex Anteinternet: Blog Mirror: Today In Wyoming's History: June 6, 1944. Operation Overlord
Lex Anteinternet: Blog Mirror: Today In Wyoming's History: June 6, ...:
Blog Mirror: Today In Wyoming's History: June 6, 1944. Operation Overlord
Today In Wyoming's History: June 6:
While the rest of the history minded world has been focusing on 1944 this week, we as usual have been focusing on 1919.
But the focus on 1944 is well placed. Today is the 75th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. Or "D-Day" as its sometimes commonly referred to.
We noted it on our companion blog Today In Wyoming's History quite awhile back, even though its not really a Wyoming historical item. We've posted that item below.
Operation Overlord is truly remarkable. It was the largest seaborne landing ever attempted and is likely to remain so for all time. The number of ships involved was so large its not really known and never will be. It also featured a massive airborne phase.
Contrary to the way its sometimes slightly portrayed, it wasn't a "return" of the Western Allies to Europe. The Western Allies had done that when they'd landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943.The fact that the Germans had been unable to push the Allies off Sicily made it clear how the rest of the war would go to some degree, even if a lot of hard fighting lay ahead. That was further emphasized that following September when the Allies landed on the Italian mainland.
But those operations didn't compare in scope or size to the landings in France on this day seventy five years ago. Landing in France, in a war that was as mobile as World War Two was, was a game changer. A straight path lay ahead towards Germany and the end of the war with the only question being how long it would take. Germany could not push the Allies out of Italy, but invading the German homeland from Italy was basically impossible. Things were completely different in regard to France. Following this day a relentless Allied advance from two sides, with occasional set backs, defined the character of the war against Germany.
This blog has of course tended to focus on an earlier era, although it strays occasionally. Given that, it's hard not for us to comment that with lots of posts on the course of World War One and the progress in Paris towards a treaty, June 6, 1944 seems remarkably close in time to June 6, 1919. And it is. Only twenty five years separate the two. World War Two was truly close the World War One.
Technology had certainly advanced between the two and even though there many World War One weapons in use in World War Two, the mobile character of the war, brought about by mechanization, was remarkably different. World War Two remains a war of our own era in a way that World War One doesn't quite. It's still with us.
Less with us are the veterans who fought the war. With it being seventy five years in the past, no wonder. Here too we pause. When we first posted this item on Today In Wyoming's History there were quite a few World War Two veterans left alive. There still are by that's changing daily. When we started posting on this blog, there were living World War One veterans. Now there are none.
1944 Allied forces land in Normandy, in an event remembered as "D-Day", although that term actually refers to the day on which any major operation commences. This is not, of course, a Wyoming event, but at least in my youth I knew more than one Wyoming native who had participated in it. Later, I had a junior high teacher whose first husband had died in it. A law school colleague of mine had a father who was a paratrooper in it. And at least one well known Wyoming political figure, Teno Roncolio, participated in it. From the prospective of the Western Allies, it might be the single most significant single day of the campaign in Europe.
While the rest of the history minded world has been focusing on 1944 this week, we as usual have been focusing on 1919.
But the focus on 1944 is well placed. Today is the 75th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. Or "D-Day" as its sometimes commonly referred to.
We noted it on our companion blog Today In Wyoming's History quite awhile back, even though its not really a Wyoming historical item. We've posted that item below.
Operation Overlord is truly remarkable. It was the largest seaborne landing ever attempted and is likely to remain so for all time. The number of ships involved was so large its not really known and never will be. It also featured a massive airborne phase.
Contrary to the way its sometimes slightly portrayed, it wasn't a "return" of the Western Allies to Europe. The Western Allies had done that when they'd landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943.The fact that the Germans had been unable to push the Allies off Sicily made it clear how the rest of the war would go to some degree, even if a lot of hard fighting lay ahead. That was further emphasized that following September when the Allies landed on the Italian mainland.
But those operations didn't compare in scope or size to the landings in France on this day seventy five years ago. Landing in France, in a war that was as mobile as World War Two was, was a game changer. A straight path lay ahead towards Germany and the end of the war with the only question being how long it would take. Germany could not push the Allies out of Italy, but invading the German homeland from Italy was basically impossible. Things were completely different in regard to France. Following this day a relentless Allied advance from two sides, with occasional set backs, defined the character of the war against Germany.
This blog has of course tended to focus on an earlier era, although it strays occasionally. Given that, it's hard not for us to comment that with lots of posts on the course of World War One and the progress in Paris towards a treaty, June 6, 1944 seems remarkably close in time to June 6, 1919. And it is. Only twenty five years separate the two. World War Two was truly close the World War One.
Technology had certainly advanced between the two and even though there many World War One weapons in use in World War Two, the mobile character of the war, brought about by mechanization, was remarkably different. World War Two remains a war of our own era in a way that World War One doesn't quite. It's still with us.
Less with us are the veterans who fought the war. With it being seventy five years in the past, no wonder. Here too we pause. When we first posted this item on Today In Wyoming's History there were quite a few World War Two veterans left alive. There still are by that's changing daily. When we started posting on this blog, there were living World War One veterans. Now there are none.
June 6
1944 Allied forces land in Normandy, in an event remembered as "D-Day", although that term actually refers to the day on which any major operation commences. This is not, of course, a Wyoming event, but at least in my youth I knew more than one Wyoming native who had participated in it. Later, I had a junior high teacher whose first husband had died in it. A law school colleague of mine had a father who was a paratrooper in it. And at least one well known Wyoming political figure, Teno Roncolio, participated in it. From the prospective of the Western Allies, it might be the single most significant single day of the campaign in Europe.
All the photos above are courtesy of the United States Army.
Rutan Long EZ. Natrona County International Airport
This is a Rutan Long EZ homebuilt. The distinctive looking homebuilt has been on the market since 1979. This one was spotted at the Natrona County International Airport.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Kitfox II, Natrona County International Airport
This is a Kitfox II at the Natrona County International Airport.
The Kitfox is just that, a kit. An extremely small tail dragger with, at least in this case, a fabric skin, it's powered by a 64 hp Rotex reciprocating engine.
The Kitfox II was superceded by later models, which seem to have come pretty fast. The company itself went through a bankruptcy and emerged with new owners, so the kits are still available in the newer models.
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