060618-N-8492C-212 PACIFIC OCEAN, (June 18, 2006 )- An Air Force B-2 bomber and 16 other aircraft from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fly over the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) carrier strike groups during a joint photo exercise (PHOTOEX) that kicks off exercise Valiant Shield 2006. The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is currently participating in Valiant Shield 2006, the largest joint exercise in recent history. Held in the Guam operating area June 19-23, the exercise includes 28 Naval vessels including three carrier strike groups. Nearly 300 aircraft and approximately 22,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are also participating in the exercise.
Official U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz. (RELEASED)

Thanks to TOM HAYKIN for alerting me to the picture.

Joe Maguire sent us this one. A B-17G Flying Fortress and a B-52H Stratofortress fly in a heritage flight formation on Saturday, May 13 during the 2006 Defenders of Liberty Airshow at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Joe points out that these two aircraft represent 70 years of "fortresses." It was the first time in 50 years that they flew together in formation.

Thanks to Craig Koontz, here's a picture of the last C-141 Starlifter landing at Wright-Pat AFB to retire and enter the Air Force Museum. Most important, this was No. 177 - the "Hanoi Taxi," the first aircraft that went to Hanoi to pick up POWs. It's seen here painted gray and white, the colors it wore then.

Before 171's final ceremony, it flew a local trip carrying as many of the former POWs who wanted to go for the ride. Next day, it flew around for about an hour, landed back at Wright Field and taxied to a ceremony in which the museum accepted it for permanent display.

A Global Hawk UAV that returned recently from Iraq to Edwards AFB, California under its own power. Notice the more than 250 mission paintings on the fuselage.

These unmanned aircraft are capable of staying up for almost 2 days at altitudes above 60 thousand feet and travel long distances in the bargain. The experts say that during test hops, they flew one via satellite control to Australia and then made other flights non-stop from Edwards to upper Alaska and back.

Think of the technology (and the required quality of the data link) needed to fly these machines remotely. And..remember that the pilot flew all the tests from a nice warm control panel at Edwards.

Old friend, Tommy Terry, of La Vernia, Texas sent this. T-38s in formation over the headquarters building at Randolph AFB, Texas. That must have been some "form-up." Great to see.

A tour around Mt. St. Helens. Wide shot.

Closer.

Wow.

Up close and too personal. I confess that I do not remember who sent these, but they are spectacular anyway. Thanks.

Post Script: Shortly after Mt. St. Helens blew her top, the White House Press corps, of which I was then a member, went with President Carter to look at the damage. Helicopters took us right into that cauldron because the President wanted a close look. After we had gone much closer than the picture above, the helicopter pilots told the President that there was snow coming in and we ought to leave. I've always suspected they thought the snow was a good excuse not to go where "the man" really wanted to go. I didn't want to go down there, either.

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