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© John Norvell
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Tag Archives: Alaska
On the Road Again
Nearly 50 years ago, I began traveling with my aunt, who often visited me when I was still a bachelor, she had just lost her husband to cancer. Our first adventure occurred while I was in Nav School, we decided … Continue reading
Posted in Alaska, American History, Anchorage, Arizona, Norvell Family History
Tagged Alaska, Auntie Mame, Grand Canyon, Travels with family
1 Comment
Flying the F4 in the North – Alaska
From 1974-1978 I flew intercepts of Soviet bombers off the coast of Alaska in the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter. I had arrived in Alaska fresh from a combat tour in Thailand, where I flew missions over Vietnam, Laos, … Continue reading
My Dog Spot …
Well actually he is a very big male cat. I say this because about a week ago I got a letter from a local governmental agency, which shall remain nameless, saying “it has come to our attention that you have … Continue reading
F4 Crash in Alaska
In Alaska, December is a bitter month. I have previously written about attending arctic survival school outside of Fairbanks when it was -50F and the techniques I learned to survive. Still it gave me, and every fighter jock I flew with, … Continue reading
Posted in 43 TFS, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Norvell Family History
Tagged 43 Tactical Fighter SQ, 43 TFS, Air crashes, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, Elmendorf, Glaciers, Hale Boggs, Lost aircraft in Alaska, Nick Begich
6 Comments
You can go Home Again
Recently, I spent a great day at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. It was amazing to see all those aircraft — every version of Air Force One from President Franklin Roosevelt’s plane to the 707 aircraft that took … Continue reading
Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans
Tagged 13 TFS, Air Force, Air Force 1, Air Force Museum, Alaska, Combat, Elmendorf AFB, F4 Phantom, F4 Phantom II, Fighters, Norvell, Norvell History, Robin Olds, Vietnam War
2 Comments
A Special 4th of July
Forty years ago we celebrated our nation’s birthday in Alaska. It was the Bicentennial, our 200th birthday. From the start we were heavily involved with the celebration as I was a member of both the Anchorage Bicentennial commission and the … Continue reading
Arctic Survival
The cold air rushing down from Canada today, its about -3F as I write this, reminds me of when I attended Arctic Survival School in Alaska. From 1974-1978, I flew air intercept missions in the F4 Phantom II out of … Continue reading
Ice Fog
The transition to winter here in the North East made me think of our time in Alaska. When we lived in Anchorage, winter came early, nearly always at the end of September. It was then that there appeared what the … Continue reading
Warming your car….
In Alaska it was a challenge to drive in the winter. Although snow was not a major issue in Anchorage, cold weather often was the downfall of many vehicles. 40 years ago, long before it became common in the … Continue reading
Posted in 43 TFS, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, F4 Phantom II
Tagged Air Force, Alaska, Anchorage, Eielson AFB, F4 Phantom II, Fairbanks
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Challenges
Flying the F4 E aircraft in Alaska was especially challenging, given the unforgiving terrain and the wide range of temperatures that the birds operated under. The winter of 1970-71 was the first winter that the F-4E aircraft were exposed to … Continue reading
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