Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

(Niceville, Florida; 11 September 2021) – Twenty years ago today I was standing on the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as we spun up the Tomcats of VF-213 for a routine day of flying over the Arabian Sea. One of our civilian tech reps had a small camera and waved to me, … Continue reading Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

Travel Log: Wings of Gold, Part 3

(Niceville, Florida; June 19, 2021) – The United States Navy answered the beckoning call of Florida’s mild, warm weather and generally sunny skies early in the 20th century, establishing its hub for naval aviation training in Pensacola. Today, Naval Air Station Pensacola hosts the National Naval Aviation Museum, one of the largest aviation museums in … Continue reading Travel Log: Wings of Gold, Part 3

Photo Finish – Military Aviation

Today's Photo Finish is a look at ten of my favorite captures of military aviation that I shot during my Navy career. My first five years in the Navy were spent directly in naval aviation as part of two squadrons. Later changes to various career paths took me off the flight deck, but I still … Continue reading Photo Finish – Military Aviation

Pipe the Side

It's over. The horizon has been reached and the ship is at sea no more. I will not soon know again the shifting of the deck under my feet on the featureless sea, nor the anticipatory thrill of the lines being cast off to get underway for a new horizon. I will not again … Continue reading Pipe the Side