Facing the East : become co-producer of my documentary!

From june 18th until august 17th will run my crowdfunding campaign which should allow - if completed - to start shooting my documentary project : Facing the East. The goal is to highlight the role stood by NATO pilots in Europe during the cold war, in the nuclear deterrence mission.

As I tell you in the video (check the link above), I need to hurry gathering memories and testimonies of these former pilots, who came once again in France and Germany in the early 50's to defend Europe against the Warsaw pact forces, and the risk of a potential WWIII.

The day following my crowdfunding campaign launch, the news told American writer and former USAF pilot James Salter had passed away.

This is why, to face the emergency, I ask for your financial support to start filming my documentary. Thanks to your help, these pilots' testimonies could be saved and shared. If it is of course too late to meet James Salter, many others former Sabre, Super Sabre Canberra or Voodoo pilots are still ready to testify, but will not be forever...telling us how it was to defend Europe in a nuclear strike role as part of NATO, facing the East...

Click the link below to discover my project, the money I need and how I have planned to use it to make my film. To back my project, just click on the big blue button "Back this project" :

http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/face-a-l-est-facing-the-east

The crowdfunding campaign duration being is limited, please, make sure to donate before august 17th. I count on your help! Do not hesitate to share with your friend as well!

If the total amount is not reached, do not worry, you will be completely refunded!

Thank you so much in advance for your support,

Best regards, 

Fabrice Loubette.

Facing the East - Documentary project

Dear readers and friends,

in a few days, I will request your support in the launching process of my documentary project.
I hope I can count on you!
Keep an eye open on this blog,

Cheers,

Fabrice Loubette.

Last flight for Dave Menard

You probably did not know his face, but you certainly know his pictures. As patient as passionate, David W. Menard was in love with military jets, especially the F-100 Super Sabre, and was a aviation slide hobbyist and collector for years.

After twenty-two years spent haunting USAF's hangars in aircraft technical units, after having served his country in Europe, Pacific and even in Greenland, Dave had gotten a huge contact list of pilots and techs within the USAF that he built on very well to improve his photo collection. Some photo labs in Dayton, Ohio were very glad seeing him enter their shop : each time he came, they new he had some hundred of slides to duplicate. 

Rich of such a USAF aircrafts pictures collection, Dave authored and published several books and took part in several aviation magazine articles. In the fall of 2011, Dave provided me with some amazing pictures for my Stair Step 50th anniversary article in Air Fan. Very solicited, he was always enthusiast if the project dealt with aviation.

Authored by Dave Menard, Before centuries shows color pictures of the birds who flew among
the main USAFE's units during the 1950's, just before the F-100's arrival. A must-have!

This great man made a lot for USAF history, even working for the Wright-Patterson USAF museum on his spare time. Dave just died at the Dayton hospital after a short illness. He was 76 and had spent his lifetime busy with USAF and fighters. He was very sad learning about the photelectric plant built in Toul-Rosières, discovering the base where he served would never host aircrafts again. Let's hope the aviation magazines will pay him the tribute he deserves!

R.I.P Dave, fly high, with afterburner at full power!

Focus on RCAF 2 Wing Grostenquin in Air Fan this month

Air Fan's last issue (n° 407, october 2012) is now available ! This month, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of RCAF 2 Wing's arrival in Grostenquin France, you will find my 9-page article inside. Richly illustrated, this first part brings back to light some of the twelve years of the base's activity.

From operation  Leapfrog 2 accross the Atlantic, to the Canadair Sabre golden age in the european skies, highlighted by the Sky Lancers aerobatic team, you will be told about quite a part of canadian aviation history as well as history of cold war in Europe.

To get the end of the story, from CF-100 Canuck to CF-104 Starfighter, do not miss Air Fan's next issue, N° 408 November 2012 .

Enjoy!

Order here!

65 years after, he breaks, the sound barrier - again !

Incredible! Chuck Yeager, first man to break the sound barrier - on october 14th 1947, 65 years ago - just did it again today to commermorate his historical flight's anniversary.

The thing is that, today, he is just 89 years old! Of course, he was not flying the F-15 today, just seating in the rear, but Yeager used to fly miltary jet until quite an age! In 1955-56, this worlwide renowned american pilot served within the USAFE, commanding the 417th Fighter Bomber Squadron out of Toul-Rosières, France, flying the F-86H Sabrejet.

This exceptional pilot, WW2 Ace, remains really healthy to endure such a flight. To discover or rediscover his sound barrier achievement just watch Philip Kaufman's Right Stuff. Great job Chuck!

Sixty years ago, Canada's Air Force settled in Grostenquin, France

2 Fighter Wing Sabre's arrival on the Grostenquin flightline,
october 11th of 1952...  60 years ago!

Today is the day to celebrate the 60th anniversary of former RCAF air base at Grostenquin, France, as the three Sabre squadrons composing No. 2 Fighter Wing landed on this airfield on october,  11th of 1952. At this time, the base was nothing but a giant mess, as work was in progress all over the place.    

In the early 1950's, RCAF deployed four Sabre wings in Europe as part of NATO, to face the soviet threat. Over the years, No. 1 Air Division in Europe changed its size and composition to take on strength new aicrafts, such as the all-weather fighter CF-100 Canuck, then, the CF-104 Starfighter in a dual strike/recce role which sped Grostenquin air base's closure, en 1964.

To celebrate this anniversary, and to bring back to light this air base's history, do not miss the forthcoming Air Fan magazine issues (n° 407 october 2012 and n° 408 november 2012) : I authored a two-part richly illustrated retrospection devoted to Grostenquin air base (only in french, sorry guys!).

If you live in the neighbourhood (and if you understan french), you are welcome to attend a lecture I will give on this same subject at the Société d'Histoire du pays Naborien (Saint-Avold history society), lon friday novembre 9th at 8:00 pm; - (free admittance!). Take a look at the invitation HERE.

Finally, in the meantime, to take preview of what you will attend (or miss) you still can take a look at the Nancy-Ochey French Air Force base's historical research center's newsletter, depicting a visit of the former air base realized some months ago (once again, text is only in french...) : it is on pages 3 and 4  just clic HERE.

Focus on cold war USAFE's aerobatic teams

In last september's Classic Aircraft issue (volume 45, No. 9), Doug Gordon offers a catch-up session for any reader who missed the airshows season this year! The author, specialized in aerial recce history, changes for a while his subject of interest, focusing on USAFE's aerobatic teams of the cold war.

This article is richly illustrated with many rare and unknown pictures, presenting aircraft in some unusual colour schemes. Of course, the Skyblazers team, once based in Chaumont, France, is the main subject of the article, but some unknown teams are brought back to light too, such as the Black Knights flying B-57 out of Laon-Couvron air base, France.

If you missed it, you can still order the back issue through the magazine website : just click HERE.