Tag Archives: Elmendorf AFB

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

Posted in American History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

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

Posted in American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, New York, New York State History, Norvell Family History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in 43 TFS, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, Alaskan glaciers, American History, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Norvell Family History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in 43 TFS, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in 43 TFS, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, Alaskan glaciers, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Norvell Family History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

On Top of McKinley

Flying in Alaska was always amazing.  The scenery was spectacular, but also challenging. Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage was located off the end of the Knik Arm, one of the two branches of the Cook Inlet.  The other branch, the Turnagain … Continue reading

Posted in 43 TFS, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, Alaskan glaciers, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, F-4 Phantom II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment