DR AHEAD - AFNOA

DR AHEAD

THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

VOL 30, NUMBER 1 LITTLE RIVER, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 2014

AFNOA Scholarship Committee chair Dr. Jim Bannerman addressing the 2013 AFNOA business meeting about the successes of the
AFNOA Scholarship program. Photo by Ron Barrett.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE young, and our heritage programs. All of this requires
funding. So please when you hear some one poo-poo-
by Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06 dues, tell them 100% percent of our dues and donations
go into these tasks. All who serve AFNOA (board mem-
Here's wishing a Happy Holiday time and a Great bers, web site masters, publisher, editor, and committee
New Year to all AFNOA "All Navs–All Types." Off we members) do so gladly on their own nickel(s), for it is a
go into the wild blue yonder, climbing highhhh, into the true honor. If we were not such a well-functioning orga-
sun!!! That’s a great New Year’s song! Gotta love it! nization we could not accomplish these tasks. Thanks
to all.
In about 18 months, that is, in mid-April, 2015, we
will have the next AFNOA Reunion. Plan to attend. It will AFNOA’s mission is to enjoy and share our pride in
be in Pensacola, Florida. The highlight will be a day at our patriotic service to our America as military naviga-
the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS-Pensacola. Contact tors. To continue this as we fly on life’s Final Approach
is me: [email protected] to destination please provide some further direction by
making a financial donation to AFNOA.
AFNOA is the world’s leader in knowing about
USAF’s Navigators "All Navs – All types." AFNOA is the The AFNOA treasurer is
only such organization so your participation in AFNOA E. Dennis Ehrenberger
counts and is appreciated by all. 2783 Glenview Drive
Sierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734
Recently a number of Air Force navigators have Telephone 520-378-1313
authored books on the navigator, bombardier and radar
operators. AFNOA fully supports these authors. If you AFNOA is an IRS Registered 501.c.19 not-for-profit
know of an "All Nav-All Types" author that we have not veterans organization (that’s why the .19 number).
heard of, tell us.
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AFNOA honors those who have served by our
reunions, publishing DR AHEAD, scholarships to our

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TABLE OF CONTENTS NKP - Beau, by Henri L. Bailey III . . . . . . . . . 11

President's Report, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . . . 1 Applying for the 2014 AFNOA Acadenic
Membership Application Form . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Historian's Report, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . . . 3 Scholarship, by Jim Bannerman . . . . . . .13
Mickey in the Mossie, by Michael Cumming . . 4
Camels and Cadavers, by R. Adam Solo Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

provided by Bruce M. Bailey . . . . . . . . . . 6 Last Flights, by Richard Mansfield . . . . . . . 14
Reunion Report No. 1, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . 9
What Next? by Phil Rowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 AFNOA Board & Operating Committees . . . 16
How It Was in the Good Old Days,
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by Edwin I Boyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Digital Edition, by Errol Hoberman . . . . . . . 10 DR AHEAD is the official publication of the Air Force Navigators
ETA, by Jim Keck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Observers Association; a non-profit, non-political organization
Test Navigator, by Donald Bagnard . . . . . . . 11 dedicated to maintaining the peace and security of the United
States of America and a spirit of comradeship among the navi-
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION gators, observers and bombardiers of the USAAC, USAAF, or
the USAF. TENOA, the forerunner of AFNOA, was organized
THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS by Clarke Lampard, Ellington Class 50-D, in 1985.
ASSOCIATION (AFNOA)
DR AHEAD is published by AFNOA, Inc., Navarre, Florida
Name _________________________________
Spouse's Name __________________________ POSTMASTER: -
Address ________________________________
_ _______________________________________ MANUSCRIPTS are welcomed, especially by E-mail
City ___________________________________ (address: ------@-------) or by submittal to the editor on data
State/ZIP ______________________________ CDs, IBM-compatible formats only please. All submissions
Home Phone ___________________________ must be signed and must include the address of the
Work Phone ___________________________ contributor; no anonymous material will be printed; however,
Cell Phone ___________________________ names will be withheld on request. The editor reserves the
Internet Address ________________________ right to edit submitted articles for reasons of taste, clarity,
Base Name/Class Number ________________ legal liability, or length. Originals will be returned only if a
self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage is included.
Send a Tax Deductible $15.00 Annual Contribution The comments and views herein represent the views of the
check payable to AFNOA to: editor and are not necessarily those of AFNOA, Inc. Deadline
for the next issue is 15 February 2014.

Dennis Ehrenberger, AFNOA Treasurer ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS are strongly preferred. If you
2783 Glenview Drive cannot send information through electronic mail or on CD,
Sierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734 copy should be typed. Photographs and drawings are also
very welcome.
Telephone: 520-378-1313
CHANGE OF ADDRESS:
Tax Deductible Life Membership Contribution
payable to AFNOA

Under 55 $190.00 66-70 $90.00 DR AHEAD STAFF: AFNOA
55-60 $165.00 Over 70 $65.00
61-65 $140.00 Over 80 $35.00 Owner
Editor, Richard W. Ahrens
Advise Jim Faulkner (address on page 16) of changes Copy Editor, Jack Mudie
in address. Please include your e-mail address with Circulation, Jim Faulkner
your renewals and applications. Distribution

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It says so on the first page of Vol I.
Chuckle.

The importance of this is that in
1968 air navigation was going elec-
tronic, and celestial usage was dimin-
ishing. Longer range Loran C was being
deployed, Doppler navigation radars
were now standard, weather radars
were in full use, TACAN/VOR/DME was
ubiquitous, and ILS was replacing ARAs
and GCAs.

The 1968 Vol I aircraft silhouettes
were changed to a C-130C/D, a C-133,
and a C-141B. No piston engines! No
T-29C/D either. That reminds me: Hill
AFB Museum is working on preserving
their T-29C. If you live near Hill AFB,
they sure could use your help. Contact
AFNOA  member Walt Gould at walt-
[email protected] or at 801-544-5090.

This rare two-three volume set of

51-40s will now go to the Mighty 8th

Air Force Museum, Research Center

Director Dr. Vivian Rogers-Price, to be

officially entered into the AF Navigators’

Comprehensive History section. Note:

the Mighty 8th AF Museum has the

largest AF Library Historical staff in their

museum of all of the AF museums. The

11,000-plus "paper" documents that

make up the AFNOA Air Force Compre-

hensive Navigators History (AFCNH)

that we created this past year are in

the Mighty 8th’s Library. The Mighty 8th

was the very first to receive AFNOA’s

Rare AF Manual 51-40, Vol I donated by AFNOA member Jack Mudie. This Manual will thumb-drive pdf.

end up in the library collection of The Mighty Eighth Museum. Photo by Ron Barrett. If you desire an  AFNOA  thumb

drive of the AF Navigators Comprehen-

sive History (AFCNH), send a donation

AFNOA HISTORIAN’S REPORT of $25 (or more happily) to the Treasurer

by Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06 E. Dennis Ehrenberger. We’ll then mail the thumb drive to
you. See the July 2013 issue of DR AHEAD for AFCNH
In reference to our request for a set of stamps honor- details.
ing American flight navigators and navigation: our idea
was accepted for consideration, but we have not heard Please look and see if you have a Navigation history
from the USPS Stamp Committee group since. item. If you do, e-mail me about it. We will get it into one
of the Museums.
In reference ro AFNOA’s quest to anchor our history
in libraries, archives and museums, I can report we just Come to the AFNOA Reunion in April, 2015, and see
received from Copy Editor Jack Mudie a rare set of the what AFNOA has donated to the CSO program’s heritage
AF Manual 51-40 Air Navigation Volumes I and III. Oops hall.

what about Vol. II? Thank you to all of you who have donated items for

The answer in 1968, was no Vol II was to be issued. the preservation of our Navigator history.
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Volume III was to be reissued later—renumbered as II.