#march field air museum

[lensmasterstoastmasters]

Northrop T-38A Talon by Joel Sax

Winner 10/4/2023

Lensmasters is the only Toastmasters club dedicated to photography in the world.

[emperornorton47]

Lockheed C-41B Starlifter

[101now]

March Field Air Museum Inland Empire Day Trip

For anyone who has ever traveled through Riverside, March AFRB is a familiar landmark. A drive past, you will notice many aircraft outside the base surrounding an old hanger with a checkered roof. This is the March Field Museum, home to over 60 historic aircraft. Inside the hangar, you will find vintage aircraft and displays relating to the history of military aviation. Outside you will find a…

[usafphantom2]

Where are the SR 71’s today?

They are all on display in America with one exception. #962 is at Duxford, Great Britain. this SR-71 was the one that was the most frequently stationed in Great Britain It’s a permanent loan from the United States to Great Britain with our thanks.

Arizona

#17951 flew on March 5, 1965, and served as a test bird throughout its career. It is currently displayed at the Pima Air Museum, Tucson, AZ.

California

California is home to more SR-71 aircraft than any other state. It houses six of them, listed below:

•SR-71A #17955 - AFFTC Museum, Edwards AFB, CA.

•SR-71A #17960 - Castle Air Museum near Atwater, CA.

•SR-71A #17963 - Beale AFB, CA.

•SR-71A #17973 - Blackbird Airpark, Palmdale, CA.

•SR-71A #17975 - March Field Museum, March AFB, CA.

•SR-71A #17980 - NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center as #844.

Florida

In Florida, specifically at the USAF Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, FL, the SR-71A #61-7959, also known as the "Big Tail," is on display. This nickname dates to 1975, when it was chosen as the platform for a new series of sensors placed in an extension towards the rear of the aircraft . The last flight of this aircraft took place on October 29, 1976

Georgia

At the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, GA, the Blackbird SR-71A #17958 is on display. According to various records, on July 28, 1976, this example facilitated a human being (pilot captain Eldon W. Joersz and major RSO George T. Morgan Jr.) to reach the highest speed ever aboard an aircraft.

Kansas

SR-71A #17961 accumulated 1601 flight hours until February 2, 1977, the date of its last flight. It is currently on display between a Northrop T-38 Talon advanced trainer and a life-size replica of the Space Shuttle at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson, KS

Louisiana

At the 8th Air Force Museum, Barksdale AFB, LA, the SR-71A #17967 is on display, one of two examples reactivated in 1995 for USAF service before the program was canceled in 1998. Over the years, this aircraft accumulated more than 2700 flight hours.

Texas

At the USAF History and Traditions Museum, Lackland AFB, TX, is SR-71A #17979, which was used as a reconnaissance aircraft during Operation Giant Reach in the Egyptian-Israeli war.

Michigan

Two trainer variants were built, denoted SR-71Bs. One crashed on approach to Beale AFB on January 11, 1968, while the other, SR-71B #17956, is displayed at the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum in Kalamazoo, MI. This SR-71 has more flight hours than any other Blackbird, nearly 4000, and is believed to have been photographed more times than any other.

Nebraska

At the Strategic Air and Space Museum near Ashland, NE, SR-71A #17964 is on display. Its first flight took place in 1966, and the last in 1990, when it was delivered to Offutt AFB, NE, to be permanently exhibited

Ohio

The first operational ( Jerry O’Malley and Ed Payne) mission of an SR-71 was carried out by SR-71A #17976 before concluding its career with about 3000 flight hours. It is among the first SR-71s to be permanently exhibited and best preserved. It is displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

Oregon

Below the right wing of Howard Hughes' H-4 Hercules at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, OR, is the most complete and accurate SR-71, SR-71A #17971, which has accumulated over 3500 flight hours.

Utah

As mentioned, after January 11, 1968, when half of the SR-71 trainer fleet was lost due to the crash of #17957, a replacement trainer was built, designated SR-71C #17981. This aircraft is currently on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB, UT. Irregular maintenance procedures and aftermarket construction caused constant yaw of the aircraft; therefore, the SR-71C was used on a limited basis between 1969-1976.

Virginia

The state of Virginia hosts two SR-71s:

•SR-71A #17968 is displayed at the Science Museum in Richmond, VA. 2. The #972 at Udvar-Hazy

Chantilly,

Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

[starsfic]

One Pig's Mad Dash

Summary: @draw-of-the-moon's Chimera Parents AU:

Pigsy just had to suggest that the kids come along to his family's farmhouse with him and Tang. He just had to go to the store. Hopefully, Chimera will never learn that he let their kids get kidnapped. (Or, Tang opens a scroll labeling the locations of four golden weapons, only for him and Nya to get kidnapped by skeletons. Kai is recruited by a mysterious old man to learn spinjitzu, and Pigsy has child leashes for all three of them.)

“Oh, this is great! Smell that fresh air!”

It had been a long time since Pigsy had come to Gao Village. His family owned a house or two there, passed down from Zhu Bajie’s wife, Blue Orchid, but Pigsy had found more excuses over the years to stay away from it once he understood the story of his ancestor (and past life). Now, however, he couldn’t help it.

The summer house was lovely, having been well-maintained over the years. It had stayed mostly the same since it was first built in the Tang dynasty, but someone (he was willing to bet his cousin who had visited the American South once as a teenager and never got over it) had installed more modern things, like a nice big front porch that had a lovely view of the surrounding growing fields. The town was an hour or two’s drive away, leaving the Zhu family with peace and quiet.

“Grandadsy,” Kai sighed as he closed the door. “We get plenty of fresh air back home,” Nya made a noise of agreement as she followed her brother. “You don’t have to keep pretending this isn’t to get one over on Yeye Demon Bull.”

“Rude,” Pigsy scoffed as Tang took the key he offered and headed to unlock the door, leaving him to wrap his arms around the younger two and pull them close. “Rude, rude kids. Of course, I want to spend time with you.” Sure, he was a little annoyed at all the grandkid time that Red’s parents had been getting recently, but it was fine.

“Hey!” Tang called from the door before Kai or Nya could answer beyond giggles. “Come on, the car’s not gonna unpack itself, and I’m hungry!”

Pigsy sighed, releasing the siblings so they could do as commanded, marching up to his husband. “I don’t have all the ingredients for noodles, yet, Tang,” he said. Tang sighed with a pout. “I’ll need to drive to the grocery store after we finish unpacking. Think you can survive until then?”

Tang groaned, clearly fighting back a smile. “Fine,” he said, moving to help Nya and Kai. “It’s not like the house is gonna blow up the moment you turn your back.”

Ugh, he shouldn’t tempt fate like that. Before Pigsy could dwell on that, an argument drifted in the wind.

“You have a way too big backpack.”

“Well, yours is small! What do you have in there, just your lipstick?”

Pigsy sighed and headed to help Tang and the grandkids before Nya froze Kai again. He didn’t bring the icepick.

-_-

It was easy enough to unpack everything, including all the food they had brought. With that, Pigsy said farewell and headed out for the grocery store for supplementary ingredients.

The moment Pigsy's car disappeared, Tang turned to Kai and Nya with a grin. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Yeah!"

"Absolutely!"

"Great!" Tang led them to the kitchen table, where he had set the poster container down. "Now, nobody except the museums knows I have this yet. I'm gonna be studying this with the Ninjago Museum of History for an upcoming exhibit."

"Yeye, stop teasing us!" Kai groaned. "Show us the cool thing!"

"Alright, alright!" Tang fished out a pair of gloves from the container and then pulled out what looked to be an aged scroll. "In Japan, there used to be a religious order of ninja who believed that their founder created the world with four golden weapons. After a battle with evil, he supposedly hid these weapons in secret locations across the country and created a map to hide them." The scroll unrolled, revealing a map. Four weapons, drawn in gold, were set in different spots across the map. "If this is true, this will be the biggest archaeological discovery in Japan!"

Nya paused, her excitement fading to be replaced with confusion. "If this is Japanese, then why is it in China?"

"Well, considering my expertise in magical McGuffins," Tang smiled proudly as the two young adults sighed. "They wanted me to look it over and maybe talk to some of the older demons and see if they knew anything-” He paused, looking around.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, do you feel that?”

Kai looked around. “What?”

“The rumbling.”

“I don’t.” Something crashed, hard enough to shake the kitchen and its inhabitants. Kai landed on his butt, looking widely around as Nya grabbed Tang, both of them steadying themselves with each other. Now, the rumbling was audible, like when Long Xiaojiao raced against huge trucks, but close enough that Kai could feel the rumbling in his teeth. “Now I do!”

“What is-”

Nya’s shrieked question was cut off as the front of a truck dug into the house.

-_-

Welp, pickings had been scrawny at the store on the basis of snacks, but at least they had fresh vegetables and animal bones! It had been a long time since Pigsy had thought of freshly roasted marrow, but now he couldn’t help but lick his lips. Animal bones were pretty rare for human consumption in Wàn Qiān Chéng, since they were mostly reserved for carrion-eating demons, but not out here. It would be a great treat!

That was the last Pigsy thought of dinner when he turned the corner and saw the yard.

It looked like someone had taken a bulldozer, several bulldozers in fact, and had a fight with them. Dirt and grass had been churned up and spat up to make a massive mess. The front of the house looked bashed in to boot. All around the area were tracks of those bulldozers and footprints. Pigsy parked at the edge of the mess and stumbled out.

Fear gripped his throat tight. He had been terrified when Flower Fruit Mountain had been destroyed, yeah, but that didn't compare to the horror at staring at his family home destroyed in such a violent way. Even worse, he couldn't hear any of his family.

"Tang?! Kai!" Pigsy scrambled for the house, waiting for anyone to respond. "NYA!" His shout for his youngest grandchild produced nothing but horrible silence, his yell echoing off the landscape.

They were gone.

Pigsy turned away from the kitchen and looked around, biting back the urge to cry. Instead, he studied the ground. He had brushed up on his tracking and foraging skills after the run-in with Scorpion Queen, not wanting to miss something and be caught off-guard.

There were the tire tracks, yes, but also footprints. Most were unfamiliar bootprints that were like the Bull Clones’, paired with weird shuffling marks that went back and forth. However, a familiar sneaker pattern was at the very edge of the scene, decorated with little flames that matched the boots Red Son wore. It walked away, towards the road, next to a pair of what looked like slipper prints.

Someone or something had burst in and taken his husband and his grandchildren, at least Nya and Tang. Kai had walked away with someone. Pigsy felt his hands clench into fists. His first instinct was to call his son, let him know what happened, but he held firm. If he did that, if he proved to be so irresponsible-

No. He could kiss time with his grandkids goodbye.

Pigsy pulled out his phone and dialed the fourth number. “Wukong?” He said as the monkey picked it up with a yawn. “You still have the number of that construction company?”

Wukong was hesitant when Pigsy revealed what happened. He pushed against the plan as Pigsy moved around the kitchen and rustled through their bags, ears on autopilot as he raided his cooking supplies. He wanted to rush over and help Pigsy track down Kai. He wanted to tell Qi Xiaotian, Long Xiaojiao, and Red Son.

“No,” Pigsy huffed, stuffing some seasoning packets in the front pocket of Kai’s backpack. “The kids aren’t expecting us back until by the end of July. I have plenty of time to track them down.” And beat their asses. “I got this handled. Just fix the house.”

“Okay, but, you know Xiaojiao is gonna check her tra-” Before Wukong could finish, Pigsy hung up, right as his phone buzzed. Pigsy glanced back, wondering if Wukong had called him back to finish whatever he was going to say and winced when Wukong’s name wasn’t the name flashing on the screen. 

Xiaojiao, as if summoned, was calling.

He dismissed the call and shoved the bile of guilt down his throat. He had until the end of July. It would be fine. 

Pigsy picked up his wok and smiled at the pulse of energy he was greeted with. He wasn’t exactly sure how the rake worked, shifting from rake weapon to simple wok, but he wasn’t going to leave it behind in the face of whatever had taken his family.

He made one last stop at the van. In a storage container, pushed to the corner, was a bunch of emergency supplies, as well as three things that he had thought would be left in the past. Once those were wrapped up and shoved in the backpack, Pigsy took in a deep breath and let it out, slowly. This was it.

It was Pigsy’s turn to have a solo adventure.

He set off after those tracks.

-_-

Two months later…

This had somehow been the most fun and most nerve-wracking few weeks Kai had experienced.

In the wake of the skeletons’ attack on the house, taking Yeye Tang and Nya with them as well as the map to those crazy weapons, Master Wu had offered his hand. He was apparently from the religious ninja sect that his yeye had mentioned and he had been following both the map and him for a bit. He wanted to train Kai as a ninja to prevent the rise of his brother, Lord Garmadon. The same lord was bound to have Tang and Nya. 

Kai, who had been helpless in the attack beyond a few fireballs, agreed. After a quick note scrawled to Grandadsy, he had followed Wu into the forest. It had taken a few days and a boat trip, but they soon arrived at the monastery where Kai’s training began.

And then he had met his classmates.

Kai wasn’t really sure what to make of them at first. He had teamed up with Nya for so long that not having her by his side felt like a missing limb, only to be replaced by three too many. Cole was a stick in the mud, Zane was robotic that went beyond being a teacher’s pet, and Jay was way too chatty and interested in Nya the moment Kai mentioned her. Their team was shaky with the fact that Kai was the newcomer, used to being either a solo or duet act, while the other three knew each other well.

But that couldn’t last, not with determination and friendship. Over their time together, he would like to say that they had worked on their teamwork. They were still a little shaky, like fawns getting up on their legs, but Kai would say he trusted them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be shaking his hips with Jay as Cole tapped out a rhythm on the drums he pulled from seemingly nowhere. Zane laughed along as Master Wu meditated, a scowl on his lips.

“Come on, shifu!” Kai said, holding out his hand. “Join us!” 

The answer he received was an annoyed scoff. "There is still one weapon left! We must get our sleep!"

Kai didn't even have to look to see Jay jump in, grabbing their shifu's shoulder and giving it a light shake. "Aww, Sensei. Look, you gotta admit, we're kicking their boney butts." Yeah! They had gotten three of the four weapons and the temple of fire was an hour or two’s walk. By this time tomorrow, the world would be safe. It wouldn’t be a little ridiculous to relax, right?

Kai nodded. "Get up here. Show us some moves!"

Wu looked at them and seemed to fold at their hopeful faces, his annoyed scowl disappearing into a lighter look. "I guess I could," he said, allowing Jay to help him up. "Now, this move is very special." He started to dance, seeming to prefer more martial moves than regular dance moves.

Zane spoke up before he could laugh at the silly dance. "But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?"

Cheers went up around the campfire and Kai's heart had never felt so full of friendship. "Zane, is that a joke? A sense of humor... you found it!" He wrapped his arm around his white-gied friend, rubbing their cheek together, and only realized a second later, with Cole’s snort, how strange it must be. It was a little slip-up, considering he hadn't revealed his non-human form to his friends, but Zane seemed to soak up the affection with a pleased hum.

All the while, Master Wu sang and danced.

"Shake what your momma gave you. Yeah, look at this one now. Hmm... oh yeah. Spin round. Oh yeah. I put my feet-"

Kai didn't notice the circle of rope before Wu put his foot down.

"-dowAHHH!"

The yank happened too fast for Kai to realize what happened before a clang and a cry of pain came out of the darkness.

"Master Wu!" Cole jumped up and nearly ran into the darkness after their shifu, stopped only by Zane grabbing the back of his gi and pulling him close to the light of the fire. "Who's there!" Cole yelled out instead, holding up his fists. The others followed suit, glaring out. "If you come out peacefully, we won't hurt you!"

A noise that sounded faintly like a grunt of annoyance answered Cole, close to him. Kai shoved Jay towards the others, looking around. His ears tensed, listening for any noise, any movement, anything that suggested Master Wu was alright or the attacker was…well, attacking. “Come out with your hands up, and we won’t hurt you!” Kai allowed his hands to flame up.

Cole gasped behind him, but Kai glared into the darkness, waiting and ready. Bushes rustling and more grunts hit his ears before he leaned forward, hoping to catch sight of them, turning his body to follow the noises.

A faint smell hit his nose.

At first, it was just dirt, sweat, and the general smell of someone who hadn’t showered in days, like Bama or Baba when they got too deep in a groove with a project. But, underneath, was the earthy, rich smell of herbs, broth, and…noodles?

Realization struck the moment he looked across the fire and realized that the other three were huddled together with wide eyes. “It’s right behind you,” Jay squeaked, gripping on Cole’s arm so tight that it had to have been bruised.

Kai looked up.

He almost didn’t recognize the tall figure. He didn’t take this huge form often.

It was a shame that he didn’t recognize what he was holding before the demon lunged-

And the child leash clicked around him.

Realization came in slowly. At first, it was confusion. Why was Grandadsy here? Kai had left a note explaining everything! Then it was shock. His grandadsy, who complained about his back at least once a day, had knocked out a martial arts master. Then came in the indigent rage.

“A child leash? A CHILD’S LEASH!?” Kai began to scramble, just wanting the cursed thing off. Surely, it might’ve been acceptable when he was going through that weird phase of wanting to be like Yeye Demon Bull, but not when he was fifteen! “Let me out! Let me go!” He struggled furiously, trying his best to rip it or tear it off, dirt kicking up under his wriggling feet. Annoyingly, the damn thing didn’t even strain. Neither did Pigsy, glaring at the other ninja.

Kai bit at it, yanked at it, even allowed his disguise to fall away, revealing his true height. The child’s leash wasn’t built for that! There were some shocked gasps, but he didn’t dare look. His focus was on the cursed child’s leash!

Finally, he had to yield. Despite the strain and tears, the child leash held firm. He couldn’t even try to unlock the leash, since the lock was magical. 

He collapsed onto the forest floor to pant air into his lungs, totally ignoring how he probably looked like a toddler denied a sweet that entire time. “What are you doing here, Grandadsy?” he asked instead once air was in his lungs.

“I could ask the same thing of you,” the giant boar said, stepping into the firelight. “What were you thinking, running off with some random old guy?! You didn’t even call me!”

Kai scoffed, crossing his arms. “You let Baba run off with a random old guy all the time.” The second part made him raise a brow. “You didn’t find my note? I left it…” Huh, where did he leave it? He swore he left it…

“OKAY, TIMEOUT!” All heads turned to Cole. He took in a deep breath, looking from him to his grandadsy and back again as if he were missing an important piece to his puzzle, with brows furrowed together and his mouth pressed in a thin line. “He’s your grandfather?”

Oh boy. Here came the questions. Kai nodded anyway.

Jay spoke up, raising a brow. “And you’re a demon.”

Kai nodded again. “A yaogui, technically.” He didn’t mention that, technically, he was half yao, because he had never quite understood it.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Cole asked, his tone bordering on pissed or just confused.

Kai opened his mouth. Before he could, Zane spoke up. “Considering the amount of racism that exists in Japan against yokai and yokai-bordering people, where the Chinese yaogui fall under that umbrella, and Kai’s lack of knowledge about us and our views about, might it be assumed it would be safer to keep it quiet.” He turned his gaze, which bordered on soft, to him. “Am I correct?”

Uh… “Well, no, not really, I just didn’t think about it,” Kai shrugged. “I mean, yeah, I didn’t want to waste time with questions with Nya and Yeye Tang being held hostage.”

“Speaking of questions, I have a few,” Grandadsy huffed. “But,” he yanked on a rope, yanking Master Wu back into the firelight. The old man was groaning, so he was still alive, just with a massive bruise. “First, I think you guys need food. I can see your abs.”

Cole wrapped his arms around his chest self-consciously. “And what if we don’t want to?” Jay said boldly.

Grandadsy hefted up his wok. Jay made a little noise. Grandadsy, however, just shrugged. “Then you don’t eat. Now, Kai, can you grab your backpack? I have supplies.”

“What supplies?” Kai asked, reaching up and grabbing his backpack. “We’re out in the woods.” What tumbled out of his backpack was a load of ingredients, including a bag full of noodles.

“How?”

“I’ll explain it when we eat.”

They worked in silence for a few minutes after that, with Cole tending to Master Wu's goose egg and Jay and Zane running errands as Grandadsy cooked and Kai chopped or smoked. Jay finally broke it with "...so, your sister. Does she also have horns? A pig tail?" He held up his hands. "Not a deal breaker, just curious."

"Nah, she has antlers though."

Jay seemed to pause for a second before nodding, eyes glittering in the firelight. "Alright! Okay, I can work with that!" There was a pause, long enough for Grandadsy to snort, probably realizing the question that was coming. “...So, is she like... a deer?”

“Nah, a dragon. A long specifically.”

Jay paused for a few more seconds, clearly thinking. “How does that happen?”

“My parents are in a polycule, so we have the same bull bama but she has a dragon mama while I have a baba.” Here came the questions. 

“So, it’s safe to assume that, if your bama is a bull,” Jay said, eyeing the horns that continued to gleam, even when Kai had shrunk down. “Then your baba is a-”

“Monkey.”

“-pig excuse me?”

Kai nodded to Grandadsy. “He was adopted by him.”

Zane nodded, seeming to understand already. Jay looked like he had even more questions, but a groan turned his eyes away. Master Wu sat up, rubbing his head. “What in the world-”

SMACK.

Master Wu collapsed again, the spoon whirling back to Pigsy like a boomerang. “Is he important?” he asked, gesturing to the old man. “I haven’t received an explanation for what’s going on.”

Right.

Kai took in a deep breath and prayed that Grandadsy wouldn’t be too annoyed.

-_-

Pigsy was awoken by a slap on the arm. 

“Grandadsy,” Kai whispered. He was tempted to ignore it, but there was another slap on his arm. “Pigsy.” That made him crack an eye- ever since the battle with Azure Lion, Qi Xiaotian had never referred to him as Pigsy again, preferring Dad or Dadsy. He groaned, turning his head. Kai stared at him, eyes scrunched up in concern. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Kai pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing moment. Pigsy closed his mouth. They waited. And then, out of the silence of chirping crickets and the snores of the ninja…

“Kai.” They both craned their heads. In the bushes, her face hidden by shadow, was the red of Nya’s top. Now that she had gotten their attention, she turned. “I have to go.”

Okay, this is a trap.

After learning about the golden weapons, Lord Garmadon, and everything that this Master Wu had dragged his grandson into, Pigsy was on guard for traps. Garmadon sounded like a knock-off of Macaque, of course there was gonna be traps. There was no way he was going to think Kai was dead for a few hours.

“We need to go after her,” Kai whispered.

“Kid, she’s obviously a trap.” Pigsy sat up anyway. Kai had the glint in his eye that suggested that if he said no, he was going to go anyway, damn the child leash. “Why would they just let her go?”

“I don’t know, but even if she’s a trap, she could lead us to Yeye Tang and the real Nya.”

…well, that was a good point.

“I’m getting up,” Pigsy grunted, wincing at the crackling sounds from his back. “Oh, I am too old for this…” He should’ve remembered to bring a sleeping bag. “Let’s go, kid.”

Kai was already running. Pigsy followed behind, keeping a tight grip on the child leash. Through the woods they ran, the moonlight sometimes allowing a glimpse of Nya or her voice drifting through the woods, beckoning Kai to follow her.

Finally, the woods parted, revealing a massive volcano with smoke pouring out of the top, glowing magma rolling down the sides but not touching the red temple built into the side. A few worn red gates decorated the bridge forward. By the time they hit the path, Nya was throwing open the door, with one last “Kai…” over her shoulder.

Yeah, this was a trap.

Kai guided them forward, and Pigsy allowed it. Kai pushed the door open with a eerie creak. Most of the room he revealed was flooded with lava, a menacing face carved out of stone at the end of the room, a wide gaping mouth revealing a golden katana that glowed with power. Pigsy didn’t even have to guess that was the sword of fire.

But Kai’s eyes were locked on Nya, smiling at them serenely. “Nya!” he called.

“Don’t worry,” his granddaughter cooed, her gentle smile twisting into something more mocking. “I’m right here…” Nya’s form began to shift and twist, growing bigger and darker, revealing to be nothing more than shadows. “Brother.”

Kai growled. “Garmadon.” He reached back and-

Shit. They had left their weapons.

“Forgotten something?” the supposed king of shadows (Macaque would have thoughts about that title) cooed, taking clear delight in the panic encasing them.

Kai took in a deep breath. “You can’t hurt us here! You’re banished, trapped in the Underworld!” Pigsy nodded, unable to help the spark of pride at Kai’s assertive tone. Still, he had a feeling. Hopefully, this wasn't going the way he thought it was going to go.

"And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me."

Yeah, this was going the way he thought it would.

Kai announced in the cliche hero way "I don't think so!"

"Are you sure about that?"

A door in the ceiling opened, lowering a cage to dangle above the lava. Inside, huddling close together, were Nya and Tang. Both looked a mixture of terrified and furious, with Tang glaring out as he held Nya protectively close as she fiddled with the lock.

“NYA!”

“TANG!”

“Pigsy! Kai?!” Tang pushed himself against the bars, a sweet smile of relief forming across his face. It had only been a month or two, but to Pigsy, it had felt like a lifetime. “What are you doing here?!”

“Rescuing you two!”

Garmadon stepped between the duos, glaring down at Kai with delight. Pigsy had to admit, he had them good. If Xiaotian was here, he would do it in a heartbeat. “If you don’t remove the sword, how else will you cut the chain to save your precious little sister and grandfather?”

“Don’t listen to him, Kai!” Nya called, wriggling the lock harder. “You know it’s a trap! I can free myself-” With one hard yank, the bobby pin she had been using fell into the lava. “Okay, that’s tight-”

The cage fell, making Tang and Nya scream. “Tick tock, tick tock-”

“Wait.” 

That voice had sounded weirdly familiar through this entire thing, but now his mind was picking up where he had heard it before. Pigsy squinted. It was hard to make out any real details, but he had learned from Macaque, enough to pick out a few details. 

“Misako?”

Four “Huhs?” rolled through the temple.

“I’m not crazy, right? You’re Misako Garmadon.” He had only met Tang’s rival from the Ninjago Museum of History a few times and her husband even fewer times, but it was hard to forget his face. While he was handsome, he always looked really ill.

“It’s just Garmadon,” Tang corrected. The cage had stopped a few feet above the lava, which didn’t do anything for Pigsy’s heart, but spoke about Garmadon’s bafflement. “Misako took his name.”

“Are you sure?”

His husband shrugged. “Fairly? I’m still not sure if that’s his last name or first name. And…” Tang leaned forward and adjusted his glasses. “Oh! You’re right!” He chuckled. “I kept hearing the others say Lord Garmadon, but I never put the pieces together! How have you been?”

The shadow blinked, caught off guard by the little side tangent, before those red eyes narrowed. “I do not have time for this mindless little game,” he growled. “Get the sword, Kai.” Without another word, the chain began to lower even faster.

Kai glanced back at Pigsy. Pigsy nodded. There would be words later.

He released the leash.

Kai grinned and didn’t waste time, neither the time of the cage dropping or the free time Pigsy was giving him. He launched forward, darting from rock to rock, adding a backflip for extra points. The sword pulled from the stone easily, his feet slamming into the next wall. “NINGAJO!” he called before spinning. A tornado of sparks and flames wrapped around him, heading straight to the plummeting cage.

The chain broke with a snap and the tornado caught the cage, slamming it against the wall. The fire cleared and all three sat, panting. “Kai!” Pigsy called, waving frantically. “Over here!”

“Coming!” Kai said, leaning back and grabbing Nya’s hand. “Stay close.”

"Trust me," Nya said, her voice having a tinge of fear. Tang reached forward and squeezed her free hand. "We're not going anywhere."

Pigsy looked around as his grandkids and husband inched their way towards the entrance. Garmadon had disappeared when Kai pulled out the sword. "Keep your eyes out." he called.

"Don't worry, Grandadsy," Kai said. "He can't hurt us here. He's only a shadow."

Macaque would definitely have words about that.

A dark chuckle echoed through the room. "Even shadows have their uses."

Nya saw the shadow stretch and move first. "Kai, look out!" Nya said, yanking her brother back in time to avoid a blade to the face as his shadow pulled away, glaring down at him with red eyes. Pigsy winced, feeling memories of a certain shadow play rise up. Based on Tang's look of discomfort, so did he.

"Stay back, Nya," Kai said, leaning forward in the pose that Xiaojiao must've taught him.

"Stay close, stay back. Make up your mind."

Tang pulled her into his hands. "Give your brother space, dear," he said.

Golden power encased them, and they disappeared in a flash, giving Kai more room for his duel. The moment they appeared before him and Tang started "Remind me to apologize to Xiaotian for giving him shit about forgetting his powers-" Pigsy was pulling them into his arms. He was still terrified and furious, but something in him eased. His family was here and, even if he had to strike them down, Pigsy would keep them safe.

Plus, it gave him an opening.

Tang looked down at the click and just sighed at the sight of the leash wrapped around him. Nya glanced down and, just like Kai, gaped. "A CHILD LEASH?!" she howled, piercingly enough that Kai and Garmadon both winced as Kai attempted to slash and cut the shadow versions of him. "I'M FOURTEEN!"

"Yeah, yeah, if your brother couldn't tear that off, neither can you-"

"Ahem." All turned, excluding Nya, who was focusing her rage on the child leash. Master Wu, supposedly, stared at them. "Please make room, I need to save Kai."

"Oh, uh-"

"Of course."

Master Wu nodded and marched forward. "Five yuans say that we have to save his ass," Pigsy whispered as the old man made his way to their grandson.

Tang chuckled. "You're on."

(He got five yuans, Jay mooning over Nya, and Cole glaring at Nya and Jay.)

-_-

The moment the farmhouse came into view, Pigsy felt himself melt with relief. Tang did too, even going as far as to sigh and then laugh. “We’re going to get away with this!” he chuckled, pulling out his wallet. “All we have to do is clean up and get into some normal clothes…” He slid the key into the lock. “And we can say that Kai and Nya made some new friends!”

“Uh…” Jay raised his hand. “We don’t have normal clothes.”

“Oh, we brought backups,” Pigsy said. Now that he was close to a bed, exhaustion was starting to eat at him. “It’ll be a little harder to explain the golden weapons, but we got it handled.”

“Yeah!” Tang pushed open the door. “And the kids will never-”

The lights clicked on and all of them froze.

Kai and Nya’s parents sat in the living room. The light had come from Xiaojiao, who sat in the armchair next to the light. Red sat in a rolly chair next to the doorway that led to the kitchen, and Xiaotian sat on the couch. All of them had unimpressed looks.

“The kids will never what, Tangy?” Xiaojiao cooed. Without another word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Pigsy didn’t even have to look at it to know what was pulled up on there.

Shit, he had forgotten about the tracker.

Pigsy’s first reaction was to turn and run out of the house. He knew it was a very short-term solution, especially when Xiaojiao started running, but it was a solution. Before he even stepped foot on the porch, his arm came down with a sudden yank. He glanced over his shoulder.

Kai and Nya, both laying on the floor, smiled innocently at him.

Oh, those little-

“Pigsy~” Xiaojiao cooed, eyes glowing green. Pigsy tried to release the leashes, but in all the chaos and to prevent him from accidentally releasing one of them, he wrapped the handles so tight that his hand was turning purple. He tried to take another step, but the kids seemed to get heavier somehow. A hand grabbed his shoulder.

“You and the other adults are in so much trouble,” Xiaotian whispered. “Surrender.”

Pigsy held up his hands with a sigh.

“I know.”

[nocternalrandomness]

#975 concludes it's final flight as it is delivered to the March Field Air Museum - 28 February 1990

[whencyclopedia]

First Battle of El Alamein

The First Battle of El Alamein (1-27 July 1942) was a series of encounters during the Second World War (1939-1945) in Egypt between Allied and Axis forces. The battle, focussed around the El Alamein defensive line, ended without a decisive result except that the advance into Egypt of the German General Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) was finally halted.

The British Eighth Army followed up with a victory at the Battle of Alam Halfa (September 1942) and then definitively turned the tide of the war in North Africa by winning the great set-piece encounter known as the Second Battle of El Alamein in October-November 1942.

Vickers Machine Gun Post, El Alamein

A. McLaren - Imperial War Museums (CC BY-NC-SA)

The Importance of North Africa

North Africa became a major theatre of WWII because of the importance of holding the Suez Canal and protecting vital shipping routes in the Mediterranean. In the early years of the war, North Africa was the only place where Britain could fight a land war against the Axis powers of Germany and Italy and so hopefully gain much-needed victories that would encourage the British people after the debacle of the Dunkirk Evacuation and the horrors of the London Blitz. The fighting in North Africa, which involved infantry, artillery, armoured divisions, and air support, became known as the Western Desert Campaigns (June 1940 to January 1943).

With Operation Compass (December 1940 to February 1941), British and British Empire troops obliged Italy's poorly equipped army to withdraw from Egypt and then Cyrenaica (Eastern Libya). From February, the Axis presence in North Africa was considerably boosted by the arrival of German troops such as the elite Deutsche Afrika Korps (DAK) with superior armour, weapons, and training compared to both the Italians and the Allies. Things improved further for the Axis powers when General Rommel took over command of Axis forces in North Africa. Rommel won a series of victories in March and April 1941, but the Allies kept hold of their vital supply port during the siege of Tobruk (April to December 1941). Rommel regained the initiative at the Battle of Gazala (May-June 1942) where the Allied Gazala Line of defences was smashed. Rommel even captured Tobruk on 21 June and so was promoted to the rank of field marshal. Rommel gained another victory at the Battle of Mersa Matruh, capturing the Egyptian port on 28 June. Here, as in other arenas of the conflict, the Allies were taking a beating.

Continue reading...

[captain-price-unofficially]

B-29A "K-15" at March Field Air Museum. Delivered to USAAF 5 May 1945. Flew with 457th Bombardment Squadron, 330th Bombardment Group, 314th Bombardment Wing from North Field, Guam.

[dangerousthingobservation]

Northrup YA-9A s/n 71-1368 at March Field Air Museum in Oct of 2011. This YA-9A is 1 of 2 that were ever built. The other example is at Edwards AFB. It lost out to the now famous A-10 Thunderbolt II.

[strictlyfavorites]

MiG-29OVT during cobra maneuver

1) No. 56 (F) Sqn Lightning F.3 having Firestreak missiles loaded RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, 1963.

A Florida F-106 Delta Dart Up and Over!

19 March 1959. First flight of the Boeing NB52A Stratofortress named The High and Mighty One with the X-15.

27 March 1994. First flight of the Eurofighter Typhoon DA1 from DASA at Manching. Powered by two RB199 engines. Canard-delta wing,

27 March 1957. First flight of McDonnell F-101 Voodoo F-101B-30-MC (56-0232) designated NF-101B from Lemburg Field. Two seat all-weather interceptor.

Colorized photo of a Grumman F14F Hellcat II taking down a Japanese Zero, circa 1945.

Corsairs on the ramp at the Planes of Fame Air Museum Airshow in Chino Valley, CA

[thepastisalreadywritten]

By Rachel Hartigan

Published: 9 March 2023

The history of the first women who flew is a tale of breathtaking bravery and lives cut tragically short.

On 8 March 1910 — 113 years ago today — Raymonde de Laroche, a former Parisian stage actress, became the first licensed female pilot in the world.

Nine years later, she was killed when the experimental aircraft she was flying dove into the ground.

Harriet Quimby, a well-known journalist, became the first American woman to obtain a pilot’s license in 1911.

She died a year later when her new plane pitched her into Boston Harbor.

In 1921, Bessie Coleman was the first Black woman to receive a pilot’s license — she had to travel to France to find a flight school that would teach her.

But five years later, she was killed when a wrench got caught in her plane’s controls, sending the plane plummeting.  

Flying was perilous in aviation’s earliest days.

"The planes were flimsy contraptions fashioned from bamboo, wire and fabric,” according to the late historian Eileen Lebow.

They didn’t have seat belts or even a roof to hold the pilot should the aircraft flip over.

Yet women like Laroche, Quimby and Coleman were willing to risk their lives for the freedom that flights promised.

“Aviation was a new profession seemingly free from the gender expectations and sex typing that limited women elsewhere,” noted historian Susan Ware at the National Air and Space Museum’s inaugural Amelia Earhart Lecture in Aviation History in 2022.

“Women were getting in at the beginning.”

For many of them, the thrill of flying was intoxicating but so was the opportunity to be assessed on their own merits.

“These women wanted to be judged as human beings rather than as women,” says Ware.

Coleman especially saw flight as a path toward broader gender and racial equality.

"I knew we had no aviators, neither men nor women, and I knew the Race needed to be represented along this most important line,” she said shortly after she returned to the United States from France in 1921.

“I thought it my duty to risk my life to learn aviating and to encourage flying among men and women of the Race who are so far behind.”

Before she died, she’d planned to open a flight school that would welcome African American aviators.

Many early women fliers shared the dream that achievement in this field would lead to more independence.

As one journalist and amateur pilot wrote in 1930, “A woman who can find fulfillment in the skies will never again need to live her life in some man’s spare moments.”

Some of that independence would come from the ease of travel that aviation promised in its earliest incarnation.

Many people, including Amelia Earhart, believed at first that airplanes would become as commonly owned by families as bicycles and automobiles already had.

Other women embraced the financial independence that they thought the new field would offer.

Neta Snook, whose first solo flight was in a plane she rebuilt, made her living by offering up her plane for aerial advertising, test flying experimental aircraft, taking paying passengers up for aerial tours, and teaching beginning fliers, including Earhart.

Gladys Roy, on the other hand, earned good money as a stunt pilot, dancing the Charleston and playing tennis on the wings midflight for amazed crowds at air shows.

(Snook retired from aviation when she became pregnant in her mid-twenties and lived to be 95; Roy died at 25 when she accidentally stepped into a propeller.)

Sisters Katherine and Marjorie Stinson took a more long-term approach, establishing a flight school in Texas with their mother and brother that trained, among others, Canadian pilots in the run up to World War I.

When the U.S. entered the war, the country’s civil aviation — including the Stinson School for Flying — was shut down.

Katherine went to Europe to serve as an ambulance driver while Marjorie became an aeronautical draftsman for the Navy.

War and the development of commercial aviation conspired to dampen women’s hopes of equality in the air.

Experienced women pilots such as LaRoche and Katherine Stinson volunteered to serve in their countries’ nascent air forces during World War I.

They were denied, the military preferring to train unseasoned men.

The same pattern occurred in World War II, although Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) did ferry U.S. military planes as civilian pilots during the conflict.

(The Soviet Union, however, had three female air combat regiments.)

The dream of every family owning a private plane never did materialize; the infrastructure required would have been too extensive.

Instead, the commercial aviation industry developed, hiring men — many of whom had been trained as pilots by the military.

It was no use pointing out, as Earhart did, that "if women had access to the training and equipment men had we could certainly do as well."

Helen Richey became the first female commercial pilot in 1934 but was hounded out of her job.

The U.S. Commerce Department, under pressure from the all-male pilots’ union, decreed that women weren’t allowed to fly scheduled routes in bad weather.

(They’d previously considered “grounding female pilots for nine days a month during menstruation,” according to Ware).

There wouldn’t be another female commercial pilot until 1973, when Emily Howell Warner was hired by Frontier.

[emperornorton47]

B-52 Panorama

[pinturas-sgm-aviacion]

1945 03 Duxford Eagles - Nicolas Trudgian

Base to the legendary Douglas Bader Fighter Wing during the Battle of Britain, Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group in April 1943. Today it appropriately houses the American Air Museum, and hosts the many summer air-shows where crowds thrill to the sight and sound of the glorious WWII warbirds. First equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts then P-51Ds, the 78th Fighter Group was credited with 688 enemy aircraft destroyed, 474 in the air, and another 406 destroyed on the ground during low-level strafing missions. Charles London of the 78th became the 8th Air Forces first fighter ace of the war and a 78th pilot, Quince Brown, was the first to down a Me262 jet in August 1944. It is March 1945. Led by Colonel John Landers flying Big Beautiful Doll, one of the 8th Air Forces most flamboyant fighters, the 78th P-51D Mustangs roar off the field to begin an escort mission taking B-17 Fortresses already airborne in the background all the way to Hamburg.

[usafphantom2]

The mission of the SR-71 was to take photographs, to use its sensors to pick up electronic surveillance. To safely navigate close to the enemy’s border. The Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) handled all of that and more.

Because of the Blackbird’s unique capabilities, “No cockpit demands as much intense focus as an SR-71 Blackbird’s, and in frustrating irony, no cockpit offers a better view,” says Curt Mason, owner of Project Habu website who kindly shared the unique photos in this post with us

The many “steam gauge” instruments reflect a bygone era, giving the pilot information ranging from heading to compressor inlet temperature, each dial representing a critically important system.

“Even though this cockpit was operated through 2,854 flight hours, it looks brand new. That’s because it was only ever flown using the gloved hands of a crew member wearing the essential high altitude pressure suit. Every control is large enough to be adjusted with those bulky pressure suit gloves. March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, is kind enough to display SR-71A 17975 with her cockpit open. This gives us a rare peek inside the world of the Blackbird, allowing us to look inside something that was formerly top secret and reserved only for a privileged few crew members. These photos were captured using a camera extended into the cockpit via monopod ~Curt Mason

Linda Sheffield a contributor to aviation geekclub.

@Habubrats71 via X

[the-fiction-witch]

Breed P3

Media Irl X Sci Fi

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Flirty 

Concept Breed Series

I was strange after all this time to have changed directions we had stopped orbiting above the planet of linly and slowly we got lower and lower heading towards the surface. Thomas was strangely tense the closer we got to the ground. I couldn't help looking out across the vast place it was admittedly beautiful, a paradise. Vast fields of yellow, purple and blue with bring red oceans that broke on the sweet black sand then all of a sudden the view was gone and we were inside a grey building.

"What's going on?"

"Customs" he says "security. A laser fast sanitisation. Has to be done"

"Ohh… makes sense" I nodded

"Plus adjusting the ship slowly to the gravity atmosphere and so on it's not too different from other class As but it's enough to make you sick" he explained

And slowly but surely I noticed the general air temperature change likely from all this going on but… it affected him.

Far more than me.

He shifted in his seat slightly and began to relax himself but… his hand

It began shifting and moving as if it was a liquid of a slime like the whole of his hand skin, muscle and bone was completely fluid this moved up his arm and across his body until this whole body did it before it settled and returned him to normal letting him breath a clear sigh

"It's good to be home"

"What- the- fuck! What that!' I yelled

"Your really don't know how we work do you?'

"No!"

"Humm then your about to have a bit of a shock princess"

Once all the tests where done men came through and took all our things, Thomas offered his hand but held my chain anyway. So I took it and walked out of the shop with him into the light of a bright white sun. It was a strange place with dark green stone and dirt, blue grass, red water, black sand, purple and yellow flowers everywhere. In the low hanging grey sky was this white sun and three moons of various sizes and distances form the planet. People here looked normal, humanoid even if every so often you'd see a random animal or strange looking creature but they always seemed to have humanoid elements. People looked at me strangely the women angrily, the men... Much like in the club with dark desire. I was confused why we had to walk all this way but part of me figured why, his victory march to show off to all the other men he got himself a breeder. Eventually we came to a beautiful castle carved from the green stone in the side of a cliff the water at times leaping over the spires to crash onto the beachy sand around it. Once we arrived I felt a little sheepish this place was insane with stone floors, arched lead lined windows and high chandeliers the sort of place you imagine all of to with art, sculpture and other things of historical note honestly it felt like being in a museum and I felt as nervous about my presence. "Thomas? My god your back" a man above laughed he hurried down fixing his dark hair "I see it was a success trip' he smirked in my direction "It was, lord Lucas my I present miss y/n my new breeder" he smirked "My my, where in this mad galaxy did you go to find her?" "I have my ways" "I'm sure you do. Pleasure to meet you" he smiled taking my hand giving it a kiss "you ever get to tried your more then welcome to visit my suite on the eighth floor" "She won't have time for that" Thomas corrected "We'll see. She knows your back you know" "I do not need you to speak for me lord Lucas" a shrill voice snapped and Thomas sighed speaking thought gritted teeth "Hello Millie" I woman arrived in a long black dress seeming very angry as she came over and lord Lucas scampered "You could have called" "I could. I was busy" "I see" she glared at me "who's the new kitchen girl?" "Not a kitchen girl. My breeder" "You can't be serious?" "Of course I am" She circled me inspecting me "you paid for that?" "I did. And she was half what your little toys cost so leave her alone" "It shows" she says "well you know where I am" she says before heading off again "Yes. That's my wife" he says "Pleasant" "Believe it or not that was her being nice" he says "come on I'll take you to your suite"

He lead me though the castle to a high suite opening the door for me revealing my things already here. It was beautiful a room fit for a true princess. A large stone fireplace, tall windows with shutters and curtians, a beautiful long sofa by the fire, bookshelves and even a little book nook and window seat, a large bed with clearly many options for how to use it, a beautiful bathroom with a large shower and bath clearly with space for two, even a hot tub, a strange shaped thing I assumed at first to be art but it was squishy and soft clearly some kind of chair for adult purposes. I even had a balcony out the back of the castle that over looked the infinite red sea with the moons hung in its sky. "It's beautiful" "Well I wanted you to be comfortable. And Also... Me to be comfortable. As I'm going to be spending so much time in here with you" he chuckled "free roam. I trust you. Even if the doors downstairs are locked and you do have a guard" "So I'm still a prisoner. Just with a very pretty cell" "You might be a prisoner. But I promise you will be cared for. Spoilt beyond measure" he smiled giving my lips a little kiss "your my princess. Not just my breeder" "Thanks Thomas" "Your welcome. Now I have some lord paperwork to do I'll be back for our first night together later okay?" "Okay" I nodded "Good girl" he cooed kissing my head before heading to the door "Thomas?" "Yep?" "... What was that. In the ship? When we landed?" I asked "Humm... I'll explain later. You get cosy" he says before heading out.