WIX Archives
Veterans of Pearl Harbor get chance to ?fly? F/A-22
Posted by bdk on Tue Jul 22, 2003 02:51:05 PM
In reply top null posted by null on null
James Tapp, a member of the 7th Fighter Command, sits in the F/A-22 Cockpit Development Simulator (left) ? located at the Developmental Center in Seattle ? which is being used to prototype F/A-22 modernization concepts and provide initial cockpit familiarization for pilot training. Tapp attended a 7th Fighter Command reunion earlier this month; at right is a photo of Tapp sitting in a P-51D.
By Christine Lam
It?s been more than 60 years since the Japanese carrier-based attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The U.S. Army Air Corp?s Fighter Command present on that day provided immediate defense of the Central Pacific islands, and later took the war directly to the enemy to help win the overall battle in the Pacific.
While the ranks of the veteran pilots involved in the war are diminishing, camaraderie among them is not. Forty of those veterans came together in Seattle during the July 4th weekend for a long-awaited reunion. They represented the various fighter squadrons known as the ?7th Fighter Command.?
As part of their reunion festivities, the pilots participated in a panel discussion at the Museum of Flight and toured the F/A-22 program at the Boeing Developmental Center.
While past reunions have brought some of the pilots together, many were stationed in different parts of the Pacific and never had the chance to meet, said Mark Stevens, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems F/A-22 employee and 7th Fighter Command historian.
?The reunion was deemed a success by all,? said Stevens, who coordinated the event.
The pilots were especially excited to tour the F/A-22 factory and ?fly? the F/A-22 simulator. Colonel James B. Tapp, the first P-51 ace of the 7th Fighter Command, was first in the simulator. Tapp, who had eight confirmed ?destroyed? enemy planes during the war, was impressed with the advanced technologies that have been incorporated into the Raptor.
He and many of his fellow pilots asked informed questions about the F/A-22?s avionics, composite material and tooling, and commented on the differences as well as the similarities between their planes and the F/A-22. Brigadier Gen. Kenneth Taylor, another notable member of the 7th Fighter Command, said he ?very much enjoyed the tour and was impressed with the advancements made over the years? that have culminated in the Raptor.
Taylor and the late George Welch were the first Americans to get their P-40 aircraft off the ground during the Pearl Harbor attack and begin a defensive strike. Amidst the shock, confusion and mayhem, they took the initiative to counter attack. The two pilots accounted for six enemy aircraft destroyed that day.
?I had a great time meeting new acquaintances and absorbing as much information from these men as I could,? said Stevens. ?This is an amazing group, and it was priceless to be able to listen in on the conversations and observe old friendships be rekindled and new friendships born.?