John Fredrickson; Air Force Veteran, author and 36-year Boeing employee, (retired), presents “Close Air Support during the Korean War”.  He’ll discuss the vicious clash between democracy and communism, interwoven with the transition from the best fighter of World War II, the North American P-51 Mustang, to the first American swept wing jet, the North American F-86 Sabre.  The role of Japan as a nearby refuge for resupply, overhaul and a safe haven will be probed along with the relationship of people…

Presented by Barry Latter, retired Boeing chief engineer of 34 years, aviation historian and historical archivist. Amid the political arguments and chaos of big carriers versus long- www.historicflightrange strategic bombers, the Navy struggled to find its future direction in the wake of WWII.  President Truman’s immediate response to the North Korean invasion south across the 38th parallel, pitchforked the Navy into a situation for which it was ill-prepared. We will examine the roles played by the Navy throughout the Korean…

John Somerville is an Associate Technical Fellow at Boeing specializing in aircraft electrical power and navigation systems.  John has presented lectures on the history of aviation navigation, instrument landing systems, traffic and collision avoidance technologies, ground proximity warning technologies and the evolution of human factors in the flight deck.  Join us at Historic Flight on January 29th at 7:00 pm or February 1st at noon for his special presentation.  Learn about air support special operations and electronic warfare in the…

Purdue Aviation Day is planned and executed entirely by student leaders within the School of Aviation & Transportation Technology. Purdue Aviation Day (PAD) is an open-access event welcome to community members, prospective students, industry partners, and aviation enthusiasts alike. The event focuses on sharing the passion of aviation through static aircraft displays, educational events, historic displays, guest speakers, and children's activities. What makes this event special is that it is planned and executed entirely by student leaders within the School…

“The Forgotten War”   Our guest presenter, Mike Lombardi, has a long history in aviation starting with Boeing in 1979.  Since 1994 Mike has been serving as a Boeing corporate historian and spokesperson for the company on the Disney Channel, PBS, Smithsonian and BBC.  He’s a published author on the subject of strategic airpower with a focus on the Korean Air War.   Mike will join us at Historic Flight on February 26th at 7:00 PM and again on February…