Talking celebs...how about those who flew in combat!

[TimAPNY]

Jimmie Stewart also flew Hustlers and B-52's in Vietnam.

He also flew B-36s in the movie “Strategic Air command” right? I would assume he was able to get some time at the controls.

Tim,
I dunno about Gen. Stewarts "stick-time" with the B-36, or the '47 for
that matter...the operative word for me on this thread was "combat''.
I am very interested in Mr. Stewarts "airlife", but I have read very little
of his exploits. He was such a private man, and then there was the
Air Force PR to wade through. I would really have liked to listened to
Joe DeBona's accounts of his experiences with Jimmy....purportedley
De Bona was responsible for getting him into the air and then they
seemed to be "airbuddies" from then on. I'm sure some of the
California guys could illuminate some of his exploits. With Mr. Stewarts
recent passing maybe some "stuff" will start to come out.

There was a TV biography on Henry Fonda some time back. One of
the interviewees related, that Fonda and Stewart were good friends
whose favorite mutual pastime was building model airplanes together.
She said that for hours the pair would quietly assemble their models
while rarely exchanging a word.....pretty neat...2 Hollywood giants
wanting nothing more in their shared off-times than to build model
planes!

Jack,
An AIREDALE!!!!!....IT FIGGERRS... you boys never could get your
north and south straight!
Yes, we "bubbleheads" are a challenged bunch...it's probably a
"nervous tick" we evolved from having to "break cover" to fish an
Airedale out of the drink when he had problems with his "leetle bird"!!!
Hats off to ya sailor!

How come no one has mentioned Gene Roddenberry?

He didn't just create Star Trek you know

[Jack Cook]

Tom Laundry who coached the Dallas Cowboys for years was a B-17 pilot in the 8th AF with many missions over Germany. I suppose the list is really endless.

[dj51d]

How come no one has mentioned Gene Roddenberry?

He didn't just create Star Trek you know

Gene flew B-17's didn't he?

[Jack Cook]

Yes, also 8th AF.
Also Tom Harmon the Football star flew P-38s in the 449th FS in China. but every person I've talked to that knew him in China said he was a rotten SOB.

< "How come no one has mentioned Gene Roddenberry? >

Maybee!!!!..... Because we're TREKKKIES hide'n out at a warbird
thread 'til the "Mothership" comes to get us, 'an yer blow'in-our cover?

IXNAY on the EKKYTRAY....sssshhhooooooossssshhhhh....!!!!!

[airnutz]

Sorry guys, bad bout of Cuervo poisoning.....

[airnutz]

Hey Jack,
After our discussion about Gen. Stewart and the B-58 and B-52 missions
in Vietnam, I dug around for a coupla days on the web to see what I
could come up with. I found at least 4, what I would call "core-sites" or
"archival posts",that stated Stewart had "flown" the '52 and '58 in 'Nam....and bunches of statements that "spider-webbed" from those.

One of the "cores" was Aerofiles, of all things! Not that I find Aerofiles an
impeccable source, but one would think that with all their "site-hits"
as a quick reference guide...that they would have edited that misinfo rather easily! If I was really curious I guess I could find out who the originator was...but I'd rather spend the time sending some E-mails trying to rectify these errors within the "core-sites". As far as I will venture into
speculation is that it is all a result of poor grammar, punctuation and
Jimmy Stewart "lore". There also are photos or photo renditions
of a '58 in camo... more grist for the mill...

One site was maintained by a veteran Air Police, stationed at Ubon, Thailand. He stated that among other listed craft that he protected, one
of them was the B-58. He did have a fascinating account of "sapper" incursions into the Ubon perimeter, with photos...but no '58 photos!

In another occasion there was a POW-siting report, where townspeople
identified the POW's bomber from an aircraft recognition book...as a B-58!
I was starting to think the B-58 was the greatest "stealth bird" ever!
All these '58 sitings in "Nam, but never a photo! ( Not really, I smelled a
rat) The Hustler could never carry a worthwhile bombload and in the early days the Smart/Weps just weren't there yet....but I did entertain the possibility that they may have filled in or tested as an EW bird because of it's advanced electronics(for the period).

So I e-mailed Lt. Col. BJ Brown(ret) this afternoon, former B-58 jock(among other things!), he graciously replied this evening that there were
NO B-58's that sortied in Vietnam! He has a Hustler website with most of the other Hustler sites linked off of it...Hustlers Hangar
http://home.centurytel.net/Hustler1/

Col. Brown stated in the mail that.... [ Jimmy Stewart and a LOT of
dignateries showed up at Carswell to get their 'dollar ride' in the Hustler.
They all wanted that Mach 2 pin. Everyone but LeMay. ]

I'm probably stating the obvious to you guys, but it wasn't to me.

Last edited by airnutz on Sun Nov 07, 2004 1:00 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Dan Johnson II]

How come no one has mentioned Gene Roddenberry?

He didn't just create Star Trek you know

Gene flew B-17's didn't he?

Roddenberry was another of the B24 guys, flying in the Pacific.

The 24 guys seemed to have done OK. George McGovern was a 15th AF B24 Airplane commander. Barry Goldwater also was a B24 pilot.

Dan

[Jack Cook]

Dan, you're goina have Barry doing snap-rolls in his grave. He graduaded from single-engine advanced with Dick Bong at Luke Field
1942. Although he ferried many types. He was first and foremost a fighter pilot. The EAA Museum at Oshkosh has a very large portrait of him in his favorite all-time a/c-the P-38L.

[desert-rat]

Try looking here. It gives you a whole new prospective of Hollywood.

http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com/flipside.html