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“Randy” Cunningham (right) and William P. Driscoll (left) in the cockpit of a McDonnell F-4J Phantom II of Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96), May 1972. (Photo San Diego Air & Space Museum archives)

Randy “Duke” Cunningham, former U.S. Navy fighter pilot and Vietnam War ace, passed away on August 27, 2025, at the age of 83. He was one of the most recognized American aviators of the conflict, credited with five aerial victories that made him the first U.S. Navy ace of the Vietnam War.

Born on December 8, 1941, in Los Angeles, California, Cunningham entered naval aviation in the 1960s and was eventually assigned to fighter squadron VF-96 “Fighting Falcons” aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation. Flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II with his radar intercept officer (RIO), Lieutenant (jg) William P. “Irish” Driscoll, Cunningham quickly proved his skill in combat.

Cunningham and Driscoll scored their first victory on January 19, 1972, when they shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21 over Laos. This was followed by a second victory against a MiG-17 on May 8, 1972.

On May 10, 1972, one of the most dramatic aerial combats of the war took place. In the course of two missions that day, Cunningham and Driscoll downed three enemy fighters — a MiG-17 in the morning, and later two more MiG-17s during a fierce dogfight over Hanoi.

Cunningham and Driscoll flew this F-4J Phantom II of VF-96, radio callsign “Showtime 100” to score three aerial victories. (Photo US Navy)

These actions brought Cunningham’s total to five confirmed victories, making him and Driscoll the first U.S. Navy aces of the Vietnam War and the only naval aces of that conflict. They were forced to eject later that day after their Phantom was struck by a surface-to-air missile during the return from the second mission. Rescued at sea, both men survived.

For his valor, Cunningham was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Purple Heart. Following his combat tour, he became a Top Gun instructor, passing on his experience to a new generation of navy fighter pilots. His wartime record, and particularly his May 1972 missions, made him one of the most publicized American pilots of the era.

After his retirement from the navy, Cunningham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990, representing California’s 50th district. His political career ended in 2005 when he resigned after pleading guilty to corruption charges, for which he served more than seven years in prison.

Despite the controversies that marked his later life, Cunningham will be remembered within aviation history circles as a skilled combat pilot and one of the few American jet aces.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

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Bud Anderson and the Mustang “Old Crow” (Photo Roger Freeman Collection via American Air Museum in Britain)

The famous American pilot and ace, Clarence Emil “Bud” Anderson, passed away on Friday, May 17th. He was 102 years old.

Born on January 13, 1922, in Oakland, United States, “Bud” Anderson served as a fighter pilot during World War II with the 357th Fighter Group and ended the war with a total of 16.25 victories obtained over the course of 116 combat missions, fought at the commands of his P-51D Mustang ‘Old Crow’.

Becoming a test pilot postwar, he was successively stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB and Edwards AFB before finishing his professional career at McDonnell Douglas.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and loved ones of Clarence Emil “Bud” Anderson.

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Brigadier General Charles McGee (Photo USAF)

Charles Edward McGee, born on December 7, 1919, passed away in his sleep on Sunday the 16th of January 2022, aged 102. A member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen, he was deployed in  February 1944 with the 302nd Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, which was then based in Italy. Flying the P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt and finally the P-51 Mustang, he flew 137 combat missions and was credited with one aerial victory and a shared aerial victory before returning to the US in December 1944.

After the war, he remained with the US Air Force and flew another 100 combat missions in the Korean War, still flying the P-51 Mustang. During the Vietnam war, he commanded the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron flying the RF-4C Phantom II and flew another 172 combat missions.

Charles McGee standing by his P-51 Mustang named “Kitten” in 1944 (Photo USAF)

His total of 409 combat missions is one of the highest ever achieved by an American pilot. He retired from the Air Force in 1973, after 30 years of active service. After his military retirement he occupied various positions in aviation and finished the college degree which he had to give up on during World War II.

McGee’s P-51C Mustang “Kitten” (Artwork Gaëtan Marie)

He married Frances Nelson in 1942. The couple had three children, ten grandchildren and (as of today) 14 great-grandchildren. Frances passed away in 1994. Mc Gee was Christian and very active with his local church.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Charles McGee’s family and friends.

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Brigadier General “Chuck” Yeager (Photo US Air Force)

World-famous test pilot Charles “Chuck” Yeager died on Monday the 7th of December at a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 97 years old.

A World War II P-51 Mustang ace  and test pilot, Yeager made international headlines when he became the first man to break the sound barrier on 14 October 1947, flying a Bell X-1. He was one of the main characters of the 1979 book “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, and the 1983 movie adaptation of the book, which brought him international public recognition.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of “Chuck” Yeager.

His biography on the US Air Force’s website :

General Yeager was born in 1923, in Myra, W.Va., and is a graduate of Hamlin, W.Va., High School. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1941, was accepted for pilot training under the flying sergeant program in July 1942, and received his pilot wings and appointment as a flight officer in March 1943 at Luke Field, Ariz.

During World War II, General Yeager distinguished himself in aerial combat over France and Germany during the years 1943-1945 by shooting down 13 enemy aircraft, five on one mission, including one of Germany’s first jet fighters. On March 5, 1944, he was shot down over German-occupied France but escaped capture when elements of the French Maquis helped him to reach the safety of the Spanish border.

He returned to the United States in February 1945 to attend the instructor pilot course after which he served as an instructor pilot. In July 1945 he went to Wright Field, Ohio, where he received his first experimental flight test work. His assignment there led to his selection as pilot of the nation’s first research rocket aircraft, the Bell X-1, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where he served from December 1949 to September 1954.

General Yeager made world history on Oct. 14, 1947, when he became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, During his nine-year assignment as the nation’s leading test pilot. He also became the first man to fly more than twice the speed of sound in level flight, flying the Bell X-lA on Dec. 12, 1953. During 1952 he attended the Air Command and Staff College.

He returned to Europe in October 1954 and became commander of the 417th Fighter Squadron at Hahn Air Base, Germany, in May 1955. He remained in that position when his squadron was reassigned to Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France, in April 1956.

Upon his return to the United States in September 1957, he was assigned to the 413th Fighter Wing at George Air Force Base, Calif., and in April 1958 became commander of the 1st Fighter Squadron. In April 1958 he went with the 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron to Moron Air Base, Spain, where he remained until November 1958. He returned to George Air Force Base with the same unit which was later redesignated the 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

General Yeager graduated from the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., in June 1961 and became commandant of the Aerospace Research Pilot School, where all military astronauts are trained, in July 1962.

In July 1966 he assumed command of the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines. While commander of the 405th Fighter Wing he flew 127 missions in South Vietnam.

General Yeager assumed command of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., in February 1968 and went with the wing to Korea during the Pueblo crisis. In July 1969 he became vice commander, Seventeenth Air Force, with headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. In January 1971 General Yeager assumed duties as United States defense representative to Pakistan. He reported to the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center at Norton Air Force Base, Calif., in March 1973 and became director of the center in June 1973.

His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation Emblem with oak leaf cluster and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon, He is a command pilot and has flown more than 10,000 hours in 155 different types of military aircraft.

He was awarded the MacKay Trophy in 1948, the Collier Trophy in 1948, and the Harmon International Trophy in 1954.

General Yeager was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from West Virginia University, in 1948, and an honorary doctor of science degree from Marshall University of Huntington, W.Va., in 1969.

Continue reading]]> Sergent-chef René Billotet, born on 18 April 1925 in Dôle (France) and last survivor of the Royal Air Force’s No 342 (Free French) Squadron passed away at his home aged 95.

Better known in France as the Groupe de Bombardement Lorraine, the squadron played an essential and unusual role during the D-Day landings. On the morning of 6 June 1944, six of the squadron’s aircraft were deployed to lay smoke screens between German coastal defences and the advancing Allied ships.

It was a particularly dangerous mission, as the aircraft had to fly a low, fast and predictable course very close to enemy defenses, making new passes regularly to maintain the smoke screens. One of the aircraft didn’t return to base : Boston BZ213 crashed into the sea during the mission, killing its crew of three.

The Boston IIIA BZ213 flown by Sgt Boissieux, SLt Canut & Sgt Henson, No 342 (Free French) Squadron, lost on 6 June 1944. © Gaëtan Marie

René Billotet was not selected to fly this mission but contributed to it by installing the smoke generators on the squadron’s Boston bombers during the previous night.

At the young age of 17, he had joined the French Resistance after Germany invaded the southern part of France on 11 November 1942. In June 1943 he managed to cross the Channel and joined the Free French Air Force where he was assigned to No 342 Squadron. He flew about ten wartime missions as an engineer.

After the war’s end, he continued serving in the French air force until 1963 and was always very active, visiting the Lyon-Mont Verdun airbase on a regular basis.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of sergent-chef René Billotet.

Sources

• Opex 360 | Dernier survivant du Groupe de bombardement Lorraine, le sergent-chef René Billottet nous a quittés
• Site de l’Armée de l’Air | Sergent-chef René Billottet : une vie au service de l’armée de l’air
• La Croix | René Billottet, un vétéran français du « D-Day » à l’heure anglaise

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Supermarine Spitfire Mark IXCs of No.349 (Belgian) Squadron RAF, in the snow at Friston, Sussex, shortly before the unit joined 2 TAF. (Photo Crown Copyright)

Joseph “Jeff” Moureau, the last Belgian pilot to have fought with a Belgian squadron in the Royal Air Force,  has passed away at age 99, according to the Belgian air component.

“With sadness, the Belgian air component says farewell to the last Belgian Spitfire fighter pilot in World War II”, the Belgian Air Component wrote on Twitter. “Blue skies forever…”

Born in Jette (Brussels) on 13 April 1921, Joseph fled to the United-Kingdom with his twin brother Alfred in 1940. Both became pilots in the RAF. After a long training period, they were rated to fly the Spitfire, and were assigned to No 349 (Belgian) Squadron, mainly composed of Belgian airmen.

On D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, “Jeff” Moureau shot down a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber.

After the war, Joseph Moureau joined the civilian firm Sobelair before joining his brother at Sabena, Belgian’s national airline. He remained there for over three decades, flying all the aircraft types used by the company.

He will be buried Friday in Strombeek, with very limited  attendance, according to the association “Les Vieilles Tiges de l’Aviation belge”.

Sources:

• https://www.7sur7.be/belgique/le-dernier-pilote-belge-ayant-participe-au-d-day-s-est-eteint~a137b951/
• https://m.rtl.be/info/1130807
• https://twitter.com/BeAirForce/status/1321732642824425472/photo/1

Original text : Marc Lecocq

Continue reading]]> William Terence Montague Clark, DFM, AE, better known as Terry Clark, passed away on 7 May 2020 at the age of 101, just a few hours before the 75th anniversary of VE-Day.

Born on April 11, 1919 , Terry Clark flew as navigator and radar operator in the Royal Air Force from 1938 to 1945.

With his passing, there is now only one known surviving airman of the Battle of Britain : F/O John Hemingway.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Terry Clark’s family and friends.

Source : Battle of Britain Memorial

Continue reading]]> Jerzy Główczewski, who is reported to have been the last surviving Polish fighter pilot of World War II, passed away in New York on 13 April 2020 aged 97.

Główczewski was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1922 and fled the country after the 1939 German and Soviet invasions. After pilot training, he was assigned to fly Spitfires with the Royal Air Force’s No 308 “City of Kraków” (Polish) Fighter Squadron.

After the war, he returned to Poland after a short stay in France and became an architect. He emigrated to the United States in the 1960s, where he pursued his career in architecture and wrote his memoirs in three volumes.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Jerzy Główczewski’s family and friends.

Jerzy Główczewski - the last Polish fighter pilot who fought in 308 Squadron

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Source : Radio Poland | Last Polish WWII fighter pilot dies in New York

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The Flying Tigers over China.

Frank Losonsky, the last known survivor of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the “Flying Tigers”, passed away on 6 February 2020, aged 99.

Having served two years in the US Army Air Corps, Losonsky became a crew chief with the 3rd Squadron of the Flying Tigers in 1941.  After the group was disbanded in 1942, he returned to the his home town in Detroit where he got married. He later returned to China as a mechanic with China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) flying the “Hump” before returning to the US again. After his service, he joined TransAsiatic Airlines in Burma and became a pilot.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Frank Losonsky’s family and friends.

Sources:

• KNOE News | Last living AVG Flying Tiger passes away
• Warbirds News| The Last of The Tigers – Frank Losonsky

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Paul Caswell Powe Farnes (Photo Oem89 (CC BY-SA 4.0))

Wing Commander Paul Caswell Powe Farnes, the last surviving ace of the Battle of Britain, passed away on 28 January 2020 aged 101. His death takes place only a few weeks after that of Maurice Mounsdon, and there are now only two surviving Royal Air Force pilots of the Battle of Britain: F/L William Clark and F/O John Hemingway.

Born on 16 July 1918, Paul Farnes joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in April 1938. He was mobilized in July 1939 and was assigned to No 501 Squadron RAF . He took part in the Battle of France, claiming two shared victories against bombers and an individual victory against a Heinkel He 111. After the retreat from France, he took part in the battle of Britain, claiming another five aerial victories, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in October 1940.

He later served in Malta, North Africa and the United-Kingdom. After the war, he remained in the RAF until his retirement in 1958 with the rank of Wing Commander.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of Paul Farnes.

Sources:

• The Telegraph | Wing Commander Paul Farnes, Second World War fighter ace – obituary
• The Washington Post | Paul Farnes, last surviving ace of the Battle of Britain, dies at 101
• Wikipedia | Paul Farnes
• BBC | Battle of Britain ace fighter pilot Paul Farnes dies aged 101