Flight Deck, Part 1
A Pictorial Essay Of A Day In The Life Of An Airdale
by
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“Stand clear of propellers. Prepare to start engines. Start engines” intones a stern voice over the PA system. And so starts another daily drama on the flight deck of a WWII aircraft carrier for that intrepid band of Airdales as they go forth in and amongst that menacing and unforgiving phalanx of fired up aircraft. It has been said that “the flight deck of a WWII carrier was one of the most dangerous places in the world“ (I didn’t think this at the time but with time I won’t contend it). Come on aboard, up close and personal, and then you decide for yourself. I promise that you won’t get hurt. Now check out the videos below of the four aircraft that were carried by the U.S.S. Antietam, my constant home during those days of 1945-1946. They filled my life in a way that was and always will be indelible.
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About the Book
Part 2 Available here: http://bookstore.abbottpress.com/Products/SKU-000523607/Flight-Deck-Part-2.aspx
This absolutely unique book contains 355 superb full-size photographs (Part 1 has 204 and Part 2 has 151) which document life on the flight deck of a fleet WWII aircraft carrier where the Airdale (flight deck crewman) goes in harm’s way each and every day, such as during aircraft launch operations (among the slashing 13-foot diameter propellers powered by 2,000-hp engines), during aircraft landings (putting out conflagrations from possible aircraft crashes) and during the parking of aircraft (when standing but a few feet from a possible hail of shrapnel).Then one should not omit the devastation of possible Kamikaze (suicide) assaults from above. Each of the 355 photo(s) has a fulsome caption, in the first-person, describing in detail, both subjectively and objectively, the contents of the picture. Many, many of the photos are deserving of being shown in their own frames of wood or displayed on large TV screens (the naval “photographer mates” who took these pictures are indeed outstanding craftmen). Finally, this book (Parts 1 & 2) is quite literally one of a kind for ALL time (being the first, and the last, one EVER written about this subject (in the 1st person).
About the Author
The author grew up in Upper Montclair, NJ where he attained the Eagle Scout Badge with Bronze Palm at 14 years of age. He attended Newark Academy from 1939 to 1944 where he played on the varsity football and basketball teams. He then served in the navy during the latter stages of WWII after which he graduated from Yale University with a BS degree in Business Administration. Next he worked in NYC banks and several electronics firms which fabricated military equipment. With this he returned college to earn a BSEE degree (1957-1959). He then went to work for a company managing the Polaris Missile System for the U.S. Navy. This led to working for the Navy Department (Naval Electronic Systems Command) in Washington , DC as a management engineer until retirement in 1991. His outside interests centered on the field of robotic devices for use in manufacturing companies (nonprofessional). He also spent time learning how to use neural networks for applications in medical diagnosis, maintenance, decision-making and other IF-THEN problems. Then, starting in 1998 he devoted himself to producing a Trilogy which includes this first edition of this Volume 1.