WMoF Celebrity Series: The Air War Over Vietnam
On Saturday, November 17, the Western Museum of Flight (WMoF, www.WMoF.com) gives you the chance to learn about the air war over Vietnam. The preparation, the mission briefing, the launch, and finally, pointing the noses of their aircraft at the heart of the danger zone. What was it really like to "Go Downtown"?
By December, 1972, American B-52s & fighter-bombers dropped over 20,000 tons of bombs on the Vietnam cities. The United States lost 15 of its giant B-52s and 11 other aircraft during the attacks. North Vietnam claimed over 1,600 civilians casualties. One of the most fearsome missions for any aircrew was to fly deep into enemy territory while laden with bombs. And the most feared had to be the mission to fly over Hanoi and Haiphong during the war in Vietnam.
The WMoF brings two retired colonels, Colonel Robert Ettinger and Colonel Roy Martin, to share their harrowing experiences.
Ettinger served 27 1/2 years in the U S Air Force as a fighter pilot, combat pilot, experimental test pilot and flight test manager. As a test pilot, he was the first USAF pilot to fly the F-16 Full Scale Development. Ettinger has over 6,600 hours in more than 100 different types of aircraft.
Martin (Ret) is retired from USAF Reserves, 45 years flying experience with over 10,800 flight hours in over 70 aircraft types, Combat missions in Southeast Asia in the F-4 Phantom, Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School in 1975 and Military Test Pilot at Edwards AFB.
Martin was the test pilot for the Shaped Sonic Boom project, an experimental program intended to discover whether it was possible to fly an aircraft farther than the speed of sound without causing the characteristic noise that had made supersonic flight over populated areas impracticable.
Join us on Nov. 17th to hear these two great airmen and see the A-4 Skyhawk, the first Navy/Marine Corps jet attack aircraft to serve in Vietnam will be on display too.
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