It was nearly two years after the Hussein regime was toppled and major combat operations ended but still, U.S. and coalition troops are still fighting an Iraqi insurgency.  As of January 7, 2008, there have been 4,210 coalition deaths in the war in Iraq.  It was on May 1, 2003 that President George Bush addressed the nation not from the White House but from the dramatic setting of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln: 

“Major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

Aircraft weapons used in the war by the U.S. Coalition Forces are bombers, cargo, fighter/attack, refueling, special operations, surveillance, UAVs, Canberra, Harrier GR7, Jaguar GR1, Nimrod, Tornado GR1, Tornado GR4, Tornado F3, Puma helicopter, VC10C1K, Lynx helicopter and Merlin helicopter.  The Iraqi forces deployed Mirage F1 fighter, MiG-29 fighter, SU-25 plane, MiG-21 short-range fighter, An-26 basic transport aircraft, An-12 cargo plane and helicopters.   

Warships used by the U.S. Coalition Forces include the Abraham Lincoln, USS Constellation, USS Kitty Hawk, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Theodore Roosevelt , carrier battle group ships, guided-missile cruiser, guided-missile destroyer, attack submarine, guided missile frigate, amphibious assault ship, oiler, fast combat support ships, amphibious transport/dockship, landing craft, air cushioned.  The Iraqi forces only used the Zhuk patrol ship. 

As of September 25, 2003, 1,268 U.S. military personnel were listed as wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Iraq has not released details of military casualties. 

“3,240 Iraqi civilians were killed, based on records from 60 of Iraq’s 124 hospitals, including almost all of the large ones.”

Associated Press 

As for most people, the war in Iraq couldn’t have been avoided; there are the pros and cons of war and consequently, the pros outweigh the cons.  It was really fortunate that the long war in Iraq have finally been put to an end.  You could just imagine how many civilians and innocents were killed in the process.  Sadly, blood of the innocents must be spilled to regain order and peace.  In the long run, we all know that war is for the better good.  It was indeed a bittersweet victory.

The SR-71’s maiden flight took place on December 22, 1964 at Burbank airport. It was launched in the air 17 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier with the Bell X-1.

The SR-71 is capable of Mach 3.2 and it was reported that the Blackbird could exceed its speed capability. Pilot Brian Shaul admitted that he once pushed a Blackbird to Mach 3.4 while hastily leaving the Libyan airspace. He reported that the SR-71 had flown smoother than ever at those remarkable and unbelievable speeds, cruising over 80,000 ft.

The SR-71 flying speed at Mach 3+ resulted the aircraft’s skin to be subjected to extreme heat due to the friction generated at that speed. The SR-71’s Titanium-composite alloy reflects its revolutionized high-speed design. During operation sortie in 1968, a total of 32 aircraft were built before the tooling was ordered to be destroyed. The aircraft’s on and off operation with the USAF resulted to retirement from military use of the last three SR-71s in 1998, although there were several SR-71s that were flown by NASA until October 9, 1999, which is the final flight schedule of the aircraft.

The Blackbird still remains a legendary aircraft since no other aircraft could exceed the Blackbird’s raw speed, mobility and technological might to such an impressive degree.

After decades of searching and probing about the Amelia Earhart enigma, the unfolding of the mystery will be shown in the silver screen. However, Allied Artists, Inc. is in need of such funds and participants to do so. Quoted below is a part of the Project Proposal for the said film dedicated to Amelia Earheart and to those unveiled the mysterious loss.

“After four years of writing and rewriting, The Lost Flight of Amelia Earhart is ready for development.  We believe we have a captivating screenplay that will inspire and at the same time tell the true story of one of America’s pioneers of the sky.  It is gripping and fascinating and brings to life a legend of one of the most famous women in the world.  We invite you to join us and be a part of bringing this project to the silver screen.

Professionals in the financial sector as well as the individual investor can no longer afford to stay distant from the entertainment sector, especially if one can be involved in an intelligent, targeted, and secure area of the entertainment business.  To some extent, the incredible growth and reach of entertainment is due to the fact that new and rapidly transforming technologies have led to alternative forms of communication, media and electronic delivery around the world.”

 

                                                                                                            -Allied Artists, Inc.

 A snippet of the soon to be film had captured most of my interest and my attention that is meant to be shared. Speculations has it that Earhart’s flight was a spy mission, but impossible because the airplane flew a direct route without detours. Though after the disappearance, Roosevelt ordered a search of the Marshall Islands but the search failed to turn up information and was stopped by the Japanese. It had been assumed that Amelia Earhart had “crashed and sank” in the Central Pacific. However, the search pointed to that belief but the loss of transmission received from a radio operator at Nauru Island is valid and substantiates that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan did not crash at sea.  

A story was picked up by Fred Goerner, a radio operator for CBS news in San Francisco and tracked it down. Coming from a woman, Josephine Blanco Akiyama, claims she saw two American flyers in the island of Saipan in 1937 when she was eleven. At first Akiyama thought that they were both men but someone told her that there was a woman. Also, she claims that they are Americans from what the Japanese guard had said and took the pair away so at it was rumored that they were executed by the Japanese.

Mysterious initials were found in a prison cell on the walls of the Japanese Jail, Garapan, Saipan by a photo taken in 1944 a woman from Colorado gave an interpretation of the mystic message. It was said that whoever wrote the inscription on the wall knew their astrology and knew their astrological chart. Mike Campbell and Tom Devine’s book contains the whole interpretation of the inscription, because of the sophistication of the symbols, it could have been only written by Amelia Earhart. According to the symbols, Amelia is praying for action from the planet Mars and good fortune from Jupiter. She is crying out for Mars and Jupiter to come for her in the hour of need. Mars and Jupiter appear as a conjunct on July 24, 1897, the date Earhart was born.

As for most, sympathy, pity and great grief are the only feelings they feel for the famous aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan in the hands of the Japanese. This said to be film will be a tribute for their heroism and bravery as we celebrate their 70^th year.

For this week, we turn the spotlight on a custom-made model of the Lockheed Constellation. Mr. Steven shares how proud he was when he received his custom model. He writes,

The model of the Lockheed Constellation L-1649 looks fantastic! You people at TMC Pacific Modelworks truly do great work. This has been a pleasurable experience. Thanks to everybody!

Mr. Steven, we are very flattered by your testimonial. Here at TMC Pacific Modelworks, we’re more than happy to oblige our customers’ requests. Do you have a made-to-order replica that you’d like to share as well? Please let us know! You might see your custom model in this spot next time.

Learn more about the Custom Models we offer. Order yours today!

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