| Following World War II, commercial planes flew from southern California to Hawaii. If one of their engines stopped working during the flight, a B-17 Flying Fortress was dispatched from Hawaii to meet the plane over the Pacific. Should the plane be downed, a B-17 would drop a boat with 3 parachutes for the surviving passengers. The boat could hold 19 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. In addition to the B-17 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 Air Force Base. 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 |