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Overnight Open Thread - 5/15/2024
[Roger Ball]

Greetings, oh, great Horde of Spades! As a humble ONT, I offer the classic story of the Boeing 314 “Pacific Clipper”, piloted by Pan Am Captain John Ford. The Pacific Clipper started it’s ‘round the world journey with a regular scheduled flight to New Zealand. On December 7th, 1941, they were on their way back home, but “some people did something”.
Below are several links from many of the available sources. Many publications have recounted this incredible story. If you have any interest in history, it’s worth a look and a listen.

First:The PAN AM Podcast: Episode 44: Capt. Robert Ford and the Long Way Home

"In this special episode we will be exploring the incredible life of Pan Am Captain Robert Ford, a trailblazing flyingboat aviator that found international fame with an unscheduled flight round the globe. And we welcome back tothe program Pan Am 747 Captain John Marshall that knew Pan Am legend Captain Robert Ford and recorded aninterview with him in 1994 shortly before he died."
"Excerpts of this rare interview are played and you will get to hear the actual voice of Captain Ford talking about this aviation career in the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s!"

Next, a post from the Pan Am historic preservation site:

Pan Am's Pacific Clipper Journey in World War 2

The calm serenity of the flight deck early on this spring morning was suddenly shattered by the crackling of the radio. Radio Operator John Poindexter clamped the headset to his ears as he deciphered the coded message…Pearl Harbor had been attacked by Japanese war planes and had suffered heavy losses; the United States was at war...They realized that their route back to California was irrevocably cut, and there was no going back. Ford ordered radio silence, and then posted lookouts in the navigator's blister. Two hours later, the Pacific Clipper touched down smoothly on the waters of Auckland harbor. The odyssey was just beginning.

Finally, here's an interesting blog published by a young Aussie history enthusiast:
The Long Way Back: The Farthest Flight of the Pacific Clipper

Two hours after receiving the world-changing news that the naval base at Pearl Harbor had been blasted by the Japanese, Captain Ford and his crew executed a landing off the coast of New Zealand, taxiing up to Auckland and tying off. Passengers and cargo were offloaded and the plane was prepared for…well…they weren’t exactly sure what for…but they wanted to be prepared at the very least!

So that’s how they did it in the olden days. If you want to see how it’s done today, this is an excellent video from a wife/husband team flying an Aer Lingus A-321NeoLR from Dublin to Newark and back. (Wife/husband because, though they are both captains, she’s in the left set. That’s why we call her “boss”!) You’ll see some great views of Manhattan which I’m pretty sure are much better than from street level. Delightful accents and 4 days on, 4 days off is a pretty nice duty rig.

As far as careers in aviation history are concerned, we know that all the service academies have been going through the DEI gender grinder [i.e. Destroy Every Institution]. I mean,
remember this traitor? But kudos to the ZOOMIES because they made recent history by graduating the new Miss America. Even better, Madison is actually a pilot. The media doesn’t have to lie about that. Now, she holds just a Private ASEL certificate, but she has been pretty busy, what with post-grad and pageants and such.

For those rightly concerned about doxing, that is not it. Airman certificate information is not classified. Although, I think Madison should have opted out from allowing her address to be shown, like I did. You could look up my info if I gave you basic information, but that information is classified. (jk) In any case, we should have all seen the pictures by now.

I can’t seem to find her class ranking, but a BS in Astrophysics clearly puts her out of my league, I was so hoping. But then, she’s going to the Harvard Kennedy School for post-grad work.‘The Sky is Not the Limit’

In her four years at the Academy, Marsh rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant, was selected as an air force pilot, earned a degree in physics with a focus on astronomy, gained admission to the Harvard Kennedy School — and became a pageant queen.

“Rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant”? Oh, aren’t civilians adorable? “Selected as an air force pilot”? See? No training required now! One is just “selected” as a pilot. I will admit, that will save a whole bunch of training costs, but there may be other, uh, issues. They use the words but they don’t know what they mean. I hope the “Harvard” brand (or stink) doesn’t mean that she must vote demokkkrat from now on, does it? In all sincerity, I wish her the best of luck and fortune. As far as flying airplanes though, a Private certificate is a long, long way from an F-35 ejection seat.

John Sailer: The DEI Rollback (The Free Press)

“We’re using identitarianism to force people into boxes, and into victimhood, and I just don’t think that’s helpful atall. In fact, I think it’s harmful.”

"identitarianism"? I learned a new word!

"Lawmakers in more than a dozen red states have either passed or proposed sweeping* higher education reform packages curtailing DEI initiatives. Florida banned state funding for DEI programs. Texas banned DEI offices outright. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in December that prohibited funding DEI initiatives not just at universities but within all state agencies."

*I hate that word, mostly because of demokkkrats.
Well, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma? I mean, duh. BUT, read on!

"Things are different in blue America. But there are a few signs even in these states that the mood has shifted. For the fall 2023 hiring cycle, for example, the University of Massachusetts Boston quietly eliminated its diversity statement requirement."

Even the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts??!?!?! Dogs and cats living together!


I mean, sometimes you just gotta laugh: “God steps in to stop her lies.”


Keeping on the light and fluffy trail, you probably thought Michael Ramirez just drew great cartoons!


Well, you're right! He is an American treasure. But he also creates with words.
Michael Ramirez Essay: Open Borders

"It is quite remarkable when you think of the current technology that we have, the simple task of securing the border, processing legal immigration, setting up a competent guest worker program and making our Homeland “secure” is beyond the grasp of the Secretary of Homeland Security."

"In The Sun article, the robot says, “I spend a lot of time thinking and processing the information I receive as I am not your typical robot. I am an adaptive learning robot, meaning I learn from humans and the resources they put before more.”

"It’s too bad we can’t say the same for Secretary Mayorkas or President Biden."

Yeah, I’ll second that, Michael. Thank you for sharing your talent and voice with us.

Be careful out there, oh Great Horde of Ace! Roger, out.