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.

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!

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. 

TRAB from above

The former Toul-Rosières Air Base, seen from the South. Click to enlarge.
© F. Hatrisse 

The photoelectric plant construction on the former Toul-Rosières Air Base (TRAB) is going pretty well, as you can see on these recent aerial pictures, shot shortly before Xmas. As the photoelectric panels are "looking" southward, views from the south are really impressive, giving the impression of an almost total ground cover.

But on other pictures, taken from the north or the east of the former base, you can still notice the famous "marguerite" pattern of the former dispersal areas.

Click to enlarge.
© F. Hatrisse

Click to enlarge.
© F. Hatrisse

Click to enlarge.
© F. Hatrisse

Click to enlarge.
© F. Hatrisse

A great THANK YOU to François for sharing his pictures with us!!!

To see more pictures of the old air base reconversion, just check the newsletter of FAF Nancy-Ochey Air Base's museum by clicking HERE. Sorry folks, it is only in french, but pictures can easily be understood! ;-)

"Stair Step" 50th anniversary celebrated

Missouri  ANG F-84F Thunderstreak, seen at Lambert Field,
shortly before leaving to reach Toul-Rosières, in fall of 1961.

As I did it in the last Air Fan issue, former guardsmen from Missouri ANG's 131st Tactial Fighter Wing recently gathered to celebrate operation Stair Step 50th anniversary and, as a result, their TDY to Toul-Rosières AB France, also known as TRAB.

Former 131st Tactical Fighter Wing website, become in the meantinme 131st Bomb Wing, tells a little about the reunion : initiated by Tony Ribaudo, the event gathered no less than 75 guardsmen / TRAB veterans in a Saint-Louis restaurant.

You can see some archival pictures online on the unit's website. A good way to discover the Wing's mascot, Banjo Burro, which could not deploy to TRAB for some obvious credibility reasons!

This commemoration can be a good opportunity to present some US Air Force"old dogs" deployed to France during operation Stair Step, and today preserved as a tribute to military aviation :

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, 52-6368 / 26368, Kalamazoo Air Zoo.
This bird was deployed to Toul-Rosières, France (TRAB)

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, 51-1346, US Air Force.
Aircrafts from this units were sent to Etain AB, France.

Happy new year!!!

F-105 and F104 from differant NATO airforces lined up, ready to take off from
Chaumont AB runway during a Tactical Weapons Meet in the 1960's. © USAF 
(click to enlarge)

To every reader of this new version of my blog, I wish all the best for 2012 : have a very pleasant year full of hapiness, friends, good times and strong health!

From France-Air-NATO's point of view, this new year will sure be an interesting one, with already two reunions scheduled in France :

- the first one, from june 20th to 25th, will bring together USAF vets and alumni from Evreux Air Base (more to come soon)

- then from august 23rd  to 28th, former RCAF Marville 1 wingers will gather in France and Belgium. A Facebook page is already devoted to this event.

Prepare also your bookshelves for - at least - two forthcoming publications :

- a book in english devoted to canadian night and all-weather fighters will come out this january : Night Fighters: Stories from the Flyers of Canada’s All-Weather Fighter Force, Canada and Europe 1953 to 1984. Compiled by an all-weather committee headed by John Eggenberger, Bob Merrick, and Doug Munro, this new title focuses on CF-100 and CF-101 days.

- a study in french devoted to the former Coulommiers-Voisins NATO DOB will be published by the Anciens Aérodromes association. Release date to be specified soon.

Of course, this is only a sketch, more to come in the following weeks. To stay up to date with events, book launching or articles, come and visit regularly this blog! Do not hesitate to share informations with me if you plan an event or if you are aware of some news I would miss!

Once again, Happy New year to all of you, all the best for 2012!!

Berlin crisis and operation "Stair Step", 50 years later...

This month, in Air Fan french magazine (n° 397 décember 2011), you can read the article I wrote to celebrate the 50th anniversary of operation "Stair Step", as a US response to the Berlin crisis. 

In 1961, as USSR & East germany started building the Berlin wall, the USA decided to strengthen their military forces in Europe, and especially USAFE. To do so, president Kennedy called several Air National Guard (ANG) units to active duty. Several squadrons, mainly ffighter-bombers ones, were deployed to France, Germany and Spain to face the soviet threat.

F-84F Thunderstreak belonging to the 110th Tactical Fighter Squadron from 
Missouri ANG, en route to Toul-Rosières

For the USA, this crisis made possible to reactivate some airbases in France, after several years of stand by status. As a result Chambley AB, Etain AB, Chaumont AB and Toul-Rosières AB each host a F-84F squadron. Meanwhile a whole fighter-bomber wing take possession of Phalsbourg AB,  with its F-86H Sabre.

These F-86H Sabre of 101st TFS were integrated to USAFE during 

the Berlin crisis and sent to Phalsbourg AB, France.

Here is only a part of the deployment focused on France. But to get a detailed inventory of the whole "Stair Step" operation, illustrated by some pretty unseen and rare pictures, order your Air Fan sample now!

You can also take a look at last september's issue of Air Force Magazine :

Berlin crisis 50th anniversary

Publiez sur Calaméo ou explorez la bibliothèque.