world war 2, orld war, owrld war, wworld war, gorld war, eorld war, 2orld war, 3orld war, aorld war, sorld war, wrld war, bob dole,
guadalcanal, guam, bombers, john mccain, general eisenhower, iwo jima, kamikazi, japan, mig, uso, bob hope, veterans, heroes, pearl
harbor, george patton, allies, axis, b-29, superfortress, coast guard, dive bomber, p-51, mustang, mosquito bomber, pilots, jets, pacific
theatre, european theatre, theater, RAF, battle of midway, Flying Tigers, v-1 flying bomb, v-2 rocket, Leyte Gulf, Roosevelt, Churchill,
Omar Bradley, battle of okinawa, causes, timeline, weapons, memorial, d day, v day, guns, history,
guadalcanal, guam, bombers, john mccain, general eisenhower, iwo jima, kamikazi, japan, mig, uso, bob hope, veterans, heroes, pearl
harbor, george patton, allies, axis, b-29, superfortress, coast guard, dive bomber, p-51, mustang, mosquito bomber, pilots, jets, pacific
theatre, european theatre, theater, RAF, battle of midway, Flying Tigers, v-1 flying bomb, v-2 rocket, Leyte Gulf, Roosevelt, Churchill,
Omar Bradley, battle of okinawa, causes, timeline, weapons, memorial, d day, v day, guns, history,
World War II photos | planes | bombers | air sea rescue
| Following World War II, commercial planes flew from California to Hawaii. If one of their engines stopped working during the flight, a B-17 Flying Fortress would be dispatched from Hawaii to meet the plane over the Pacific. Should the plane be downed, a B-17 would drop a boat with three parachutes for the surviving passengers. The boat held nineteen people and had food, water, cigarettes and a manual on how to drive it. The B-17 would then return to Oahu and land at John Rogers airport, now called Honolulu International Airport. My dad, Ben Owen, was one of the air sea rescue pilots. He also flew the P-51 Mustang, Fairchild PT-19, Vultee BT-13, BT-14, AT-6 Texan, Cessna UC-78 Bobcat (Bamboo Bomber), Douglas C-47 Skytrain, B-24 Liberator, and Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star. Ben Owen flew for the National Guard flyover at McConnell Air Force Base at its dedication in 1954, flying an F-80. He was the last pilot to take off from the Wichita Municipal Airport and the first pilot to land at the newly-minted McConnell AFB. As a World War II pilot, he would like to hear from other pilots and veterans. If you want to e-mail him, you can reach him at Ben Owen. Website on how a plane flies |
| Air Sea Rescue |
