Two years ago, the Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on this day. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricane in the history of the United States. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, Katrina gained strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on August 29. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.

NOAA hurricane hunter WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV aircraft conducted ten long flights into and around the eye of Hurricane Katrina. Lt. Mike Silah, a P-3 pilot, got to see Hurricane Katrina up close and personal, especially when she was an extremely dangerous Category Five storm in the Gulf of Mexico. The day before the powerful and destructive storm made landfall on the USA Gulf Coast, Silah snapped a series of images capturing the eyewall of Katrina.

References: History.com, Wikipedia

In October 1965, CDR Clarence W. Stoddard, Jr., Executive Officer of VA-25 “Fist of the Fleet”, flying an A-1H Skyraider, NE/572 “Paper Tiger II” from Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Midway carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance dropped. This bomb was unique because of the type… it was a toilet!

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Patty Briguglio, president of MMI Associates, Inc., a Raleigh-based marketing and public relations firm, has announced that the firm has been awarded the 2007 Videographer Award of Distinction for its efforts in planning and producing a podcast entitled “Major Dutch Van Kirk.” The podcast features commentary from Major Dutch Van Kirk and discusses his involvement in World War II as the plane navigator responsible for dropping the first atomic bomb at Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. A renowned war hero and a recognized spokesperson for TMC Pacific Modelworks in Phoenix, Van Dirk examines his role in World War II and the historical integrity of the model aircrafts manufactured by TMC Pacific Modelworks in the podcast.

Recipients of the Award of Distinction submit projects that the judges deemed were written, produced, shot, edited, and/or marketed in an exceptional manner, exceed a high standard of excellence, and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. This award-winning podcast is available for download at http://www.mmimarketing.com/podcast/major-dutch-van-kirk-discusses-wwii.

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Last year, we conducted a contest wherein we requested our loyal customers to send in their best photos and stories about their model airplane collection. Among the hundreds who participated, a letter from a 16-year old kid came with photos of his own collection. He’s the youngest model airplane collector thus far. André Thom writes,

My name is André Thom. I am 16 and I have been collecting model planes since I was 9. Every time my dad took me to an Air Show in Northern California, he would buy me a model for good grades, birthdays or for Christmas.

We quickly realized that, if you want quality, accuracy and detail, Pacific is head and shoulders above the competition especially the carved base for the models.

Yours sincerely,

André Thom