Panama Deployment This Memorial Day, retired Air Force fighter pilot Jay Waitte honors the local Union Army soldiers who died to preserve that Union. Next to Broadway Street in Norwich, Connecticut, there’s a small triangle of grass called Little Plains Park. It’s about one thousand feet north of my Waitte’s Insurance Agency office. There’s a 27-foot-tall obelisk in the park, partially obscured by trees. A dedication on the south face reads “To the memory of the 26th Regiment Conn. Volunteer Infantry.” One day about 20 years ago, Bill Stanley, who we used to insure, approached me. At the time, Bill … Read More

Panama Deployment Retired Air Force fighter pilot Jay Waitte recalls his experiences during the U.S. confrontation with Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Two of Our Guys Are Missing I was deployed to Panama in 1989 as a member of the Connecticut Air National Guard. We were there preparing to support Operation Just Cause, the invasion that eventually led to the arrest of dictator Manuel Noriega on drug charges and other crimes. During the Summer of 1989, we flew training missions around the Panama area. We’d go to bombing ranges, do low-level flights, that sort of thing. One day, I was the … Read More

Happy Mother’s Day! Female soldier with daughter drawing with watercolor paint The draft ended in 1973, at which time only 2 percent of enlisted forces were women. Today women make up 16 percent of active-duty members, some of whom are mothers (Council on Foreign Relations).  Recognizing that diversity and inclusion are keys to innovation, branches of the United States Military have taken steps over the years to increase opportunities for female service members (Department of Defense). In 2015, the ban restricting female soldiers in combat was lifted, and women’s participation in military services has slowly continued to grow.  For women … Read More

Predator Drones and A Self-Destruct Mechanism A retired Air Force fighter pilot recalls an aerial “drone” that landed in Iran and explains why aircraft never have a “self-destruct” mechanism. One of my son’s good friends in the Air Force became the commander of the Predator squadron out in Creech Air Force Base – it is near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The procedure with Predator drones is that Air Force personnel are stationed at different areas of operation. They control the takeoff. But when the drone gets to a certain altitude, the people at Creech AFB take control. They … Read More

Willa Beatrice Brown A retired Air Force fighter pilot celebrates aviation pioneer Willa Beatrice Brown. It all began in the early 1930s. Willa Beatrice Brown took her first flight as a new hobby when she was working as a public-school teacher in Chicago. At the time, Chicago was becoming the center of Black aviation, and Willa Brown soon took an active part. A very active part. Brown was inspired by Bessie “Queen Bess” Coleman, who was also from Chicago. In 1922 Coleman was the first Black American woman to earn her wings…only she had to learn to fly and earn … Read More

Meet Jacqueline Cochran, America’s “Speed Queen” A retired Air Force fighter pilot details how Jackie Cochran, a woman of firsts, rose from second-grade dropout to international fame as an aviation pioneer. At the tender but tough age of 13, Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran became a beauty operator in the salon where she first cleaned. Eventually, she rose to the top of her profession, owning a prestigious salon, and established her own cosmetics company. When it came to flying, Jacqueline Cochran was a natural. A second-grade dropout, in 1932 Cochran talked the examiner into letting her take the written exam orally and … Read More

Meet The Avenger Girls World War II made “Rosie the Riveter” famous. But have you ever heard of the “Avenger Girls?” In 2012, Betty Wall Strohfus holds a picture of herself when she was a WASP pilot. In 2012, Betty Wall Strohfus holds a picture of herself when she was a WASP pilot. It was World War II. American factories were turning out aircraft by the thousands, but there weren’t enough male pilots to deliver them to airfields. Besides, male pilots were needed for combat duty overseas. So, in August of 1943, the US Army Air Force (precursor to today’s … Read More

Retired Air Force fighter pilot Jay Waitte explains the American Air Force’s unofficial – but very real – military doctrine. When I would fly in Europe, the British pilots were crazy. They would try to hit you when you were in a dogfight. But you know, I learned a lot from them. I could see how they did so well in World War Two, as did the Americans.  Throughout history, many manuals have been written on how to fly a certain airplane, how to do ground attack, how to do dogfighting. Like every air force, we have our flight manuals, … Read More

Retired Air Force fighter pilot Jay Waitte honors the many Black soldiers who volunteered and fought for the Union…and for their freedom. Black Americans have bravely fought for this country since this country began. Some 5,000 men were combat-dedicated troops during the Revolutionary War. And over 900 Tuskegee Army Air Force fighter pilots flew over Europe. But this blog is dedicated to the Black soldiers from all over this country who fought to preserve the Union. In particular, this is the story about those who fought in Louisiana to break the back of the Confederate states. In 1863, at the … Read More

When briefing the military, it’s just as important to explain what NOT to do. Just the FACs. Over the years, I have gone on a lot of deployments to other countries. I used to go up to Canada and assist them to teach their “forward air controllers”. The “FACs” job is to call in airstrikes against the enemy in support of their own troops. The A-10 is the best airplane in the world for close air support. I would fly up and land at their base, give them briefings, and then we’d go fly to the target area. Then the … Read More

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with good fortune, friends, and laughter.

Holidays with the Air Force  Retired fighter pilot Jay Waitte looks back to past year’s holidays with the Air Force family: Staff Sgt. Sarah Meadows, a 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, writes a holiday greeting on a box of humanitarian aid during Operation Christmas Drop at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The missions carry on this tradition of international goodwill after nearly seven decades and more than one million pounds of charitable goods delivered. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Brooks, 2019) These bags of holiday cookies are destined for single servicemembers living in the dormitories on Vogelweh Military … Read More