Festival LE LIVRE À METZ – Les Bases Aériennes Alliées En France Dans Un Nouveau Livre

Livre les Américains en France - histoire et aviation en Lorraine à ToulLe festival du livre de Metz accueillera des grands noms du 6 au 9 avril 2017: Richard Bohringer, Guy Bedos, Patrice Duhamel, Hubert Védrine et bien d’autres. Dans ce grand rassemblement culturel, un livre pourrait bien retenir l’attention des passionnés d’histoire et d’aviation: Les Américains en France.

Trois auteurs renommés ont entrepris de raviver la réalité des bases aériennes américaines qui étaient implantées en France, et plus particulièrement celles concentrées dans le nord-est de la France entre 1950 et 1967. Il s’agit du premier des quatre tomes qui vient de sortir chez Gérard Louis lequel était présent au dernier salon du livre de Paris.

Ce volet de l’histoire qui aborde la présence alliée en France n’est en fait pas très connu et pourtant il y a beaucoup de choses à redécouvrir. Les infrastructures et services assurés étaient considérables, au point d’impacter la démographie et l’économie de plusieurs villes et villages français. Par exemple, le village de Montmédy dans la Meuse a  vu sa population s’accroître de 70% à l’occasion de l’installation de la base aérienne canadienne de Marville dont la piste était… chauffée! La période ne concerne pas uniquement les bases aériennes et forteresses volantes américaines puisqu’elle nous conduit aussi sur une étude de nombreux aéronefs légers américains basés en France, de même que le vaste réseau sanitaire U.S. opérant sur l’Hexagone. De nombreuses photos d’archives nous donnent un aperçu de ce que pouvait être la base aérienne de Toul-Rosières à l’époque, ainsi que des avions et personnels qui s’affairaient autour de ces foyers de l’aviation militaire au service de l’Otan. Le livre montre que la guerre froide était prise très au sérieux du côté des Alliés et surtout de la part des Américains qui avaient tout préparé, jusqu’à l’éventualité d’une attaque. Le livre révèle qu’ils étaient prêts dans les moindres détails et pas seulement dans le ciel. Ce livre devrait ravir les passionnés d’histoire de l’aviation et de la guerre froide ainsi que les familles qui ont vécu cette période de leur vie ou par les histoires de leurs aînés.

Ce livre a été écrit en collaboration par:

  • Pierre-Alain ANTOINE, auteur, historien, conférencier et ancien Directeur de la Patrouille de France. Il sera présent le vendredi 7 avril pour des séances de dédicaces;
  • Pierre LABRUDE, auteur, historien, conférencier et ancien pharmacien chimiste en chef de réserve du Service de santé des Armées;
  • Fabrice LOUBETTE, auteur, historien et conférencier, pilote privé, spécialiste des forces aériennes de l’OTAN en Lorraine, il anime aussi les sites www.france-air-otan.net et france-air-otan.blogspot.fr. Il fera des dédicaces au festival à Metz le dimanche 9 avril 2017.

Couverture livre - Les Américains en France

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F-22 Pilots would be Suffering from « Raptor Cough »

F-22 Raptor tight turn
F-22 - © USAF photo Tech Sgt Justin D. Pyle

 

 

 

According to the CBS news video report below, F-22 pilots would have stopped flying 5th-generation F-22 Raptor for they would have reported HH (Health Hazards) incidents onboard the most advanced fighter aircraft in the U.S. Air Force, and the most expensive ever.

 

« The F-22 has been plagued by a mysterious flaw that causes its pilots to become disoriented while at the controls, from a lack of oxygen. »

 

Thanks to this interview, we now know that a pilot would have touched a tree while flying an F-22 as he may have been suffering from hypoxia (oxygen deficiency in body tissue). Some other pilots reported dizziness, vertigo, and coughing spell.

 

« The Air Force launched an investigation that focused on the plane’s On-Board Oxygen Generating System, or OBOGS which takes air from outside the jet, passes through the engine, and through a chemical process to produce a concentrated oxygen that the pilot breathes – Watch the video:

 

 

© USAF photo Tech Sgt Justin D. Pyle, www.af.mil courtesy

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PANIC ONBOARD THESE DAYS – not only due to AIR RAGE

cours anglais aviation Toni Giacoia FCL .055 OACI en ligne à distance

Cours d’anglais aéronautique sur FCL ANGLAIS

Panic onboard – That is what happened on a JetBlue aircraft last week. The captain dashed to the bathroom’s door which was locked, got jittery, then running along the aisle, he hollered out insane things such as « They’re going to take us down! ». The passengers wrestled the pilot down, tied him up with seat belts, and he was handed over to the police after landing.

An incident of this kind had already been reported two weeks before. An American Airlines flight attendant had been giving the safety instructions just before takeoff. She suddenly ranted about mechanical issues which were immediately refuted by the other cabin crew members. She kept speaking incoherently about Al-Qaeda, and the 9/11 attacks, about her fears of crashing, etc. A few people managed to wrestle her down, and the passengers were startled and scared as they could hear her blood-curdling screams when she was being handcuffed by the police.

According to these reports, these insane behaviors are believed to be air-rage cases but the flight attendant who got temporarily mad would be deemed bipolar by doctors, and her condition could explain her behavior. As far as the JetBlue pilot is concerned, his neighbors cannot understand as they would see him as a kind person.

Another scary situations occurred in flight this week on Monday April 2, 2012. 80-year-old Helen Collins landed the Cessna 414 twin-engine aircraft in which the pilot – her husband – died a few minutes before at the controls!

Thanks to the video/audio tape hereafter, we can imagine now what was going through her mind as it was the first time she had flown an aeroplane: (video with transcripts – click on the link below)

http://youtu.be/QxZKKDTRgyk

Outstanding Helen Collins hurt her back, and cracked a rib but she managed to bring the plane to a safe stop at Door County Cherryland Airport, near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Last but not least, HATS OFF to Braden Blennerhassett, an Australian pilot who never panicked last Tuesday as a SNAKE popped out from the dashboard; slithered down his leg while he was landing! Read the SCRIPT and listen to the video link about this story below:

 

Here is how this brave pilot kept his cool on his aircraft (interview):

 

 

 

Another interesting video with the air traffic controller about the emergency message she received:

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125423/Snakes-Plane-Reptile-cockpit-forces-Darwin-pilot-make-emergency-landing.html

 

 

These recent stories – not to mention the latest crash of an F/A-18D Hornet from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, on Friday in which the pilots managed to bail out safely before the fighter aircraft crashed into an apartment building fortunately left with no death toll – remind us of this well-worn saying: Flying is simply hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror.

Special thanks to Xavier Cotton – Passion pour l’aviation‘s webmaster – for his help and support, and for passing these video links on to me. Thank you very much indeed. 😉

 

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SKYDIVER TO BREAK NEW FREE FALL RECORD

 

Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver, performed a challenging test jump on Thursday March 15, 2012.

Felix Baumgartner has the right stuff. He is a well known BASE jumper. B.A.S.E. means Buildings; Aerials; Spans (jumps from bridges); and Earth (jumps from cliffs). He performed numerous stunts such as jumping from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, World Financial Center T101 in Taipei, and the Millau viaduct.

Yesterday’s jump test is just a stage in his attempt to break a new free-fall record. He jumped above Roswell, New Mexico at an altitude of 71,581 feet ie 21.8 kilometers; 13.6 miles; or Flight Level 716. He should then carry out another jump test before leaping again from a capsule lifted by a helium balloon at around 120,000 ft ie 23 miles or 37 km this year, and could become the first man to break the sound barrier while free falling.

 


 

MEDICAL CHALLENGE

This is not a simple leap in the sky. People may not understand how dangerous skydiving at such heights is. The air density is so low that it cannot brake movements as drag becomes poorer up there.

Therefore, a position mistake can make the human body tumble violently or spin very fast. High rotation speeds involve high-G forces due to the centrifugal force, and may lead to G-LOC (G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness), and even to the rupture of blood vessels.

Moreover, if a spacesuit were to leak (due to a dormant seal failure or a cracked/crazed faceplate, for instance), the blood could be boiling (ebullism at 37°C above 63,000 ft or 19 km) because of the very low air pressure, and the body could be swelling, and actually freezing to death as the external temperature can reach down to -70°C, and even lower, not to mention the risk of pulmonary barotrauma.

The current record is held by Joseph Kittinger (a former USAF pilot who is curently advising Felix Baumgartner on his project) who jumped from 102,800 feet in 1960. He temporarily lost the use of his hand which got twice as big as a glove seal was leaking during the final part of the ascent. With this test jump, Felix Baumgartner already belongs to the highest three skydivers along with Joe Kittinger, and Russian Eugene Andreev who performed the longest parachute jump from 83,523 feet (25.5 km).

The following video shows that this feat is not only a matter of pushing limits as researchers are working on this Red Bull Stratos project to prepare flight safety of the future spacecraft:

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HOW to SURVIVE an AIRCRASH

cours anglais aviation Toni Giacoia FCL .055 OACI en ligne à distance

Cours d’anglais aéronautique sur FCL ANGLAIS

This video shows how you can survive an airplane crash.
 
In case you are caught up in an air disaster situation, this is what you need:

  • an aisle seat or one close to it
  • long-sleeved pants and top;
  • and flat closed-toe shoes;
  • and a smoke hood or a wet washcloth

 
Click on the video hereafter:
 


 
If you need the transcript, it is available here: Transcript-link (below the video)
 

 

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