Latest news with #fighterpilot
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Retired fighter pilot selling replica of P-40 Warhawk says it's like 'losing an old friend'
Wayne Foster spent much of his life chasing the horizon as a fighter pilot, but he could be facing his toughest battle yet: parting with the warbird he built by hand. At 88, Foster is selling one of his planes: a smaller-scale replica of a P-40 Warhawk with the Royal Air Force's 1940 Desert colours of the 112 Squadron. The asking price is $45,000. "It's like losing an old friend," he said, sitting in front of the plane stored inside a Quonset hut in Indus, Alta., a hamlet southeast of Calgary. Foster, who joined the Canadian Forces in 1956, served in the navy, spent three years in France and worked at an electronic warfare unit in Montreal for another four years. It was in the navy that he earned his nickname, Butch. "I got the name Butch from Butcher, from dogfighting, I guess," Foster said in an interview. "We had a couple of guys in the squadron whose name was Wayne. I got Butch and my wingman got Chopper." During his time, he said, they did a lot of dogfighting in Europe. Dogfighting is a series of tactical manoeuvres used in close-range aerial combat. "I learned how to dogfight fairly well ... by trial and error," he said. "Thankfully, I could do a lot of errors when no one was shooting at me." Foster also had a tour in Puerto Rico. He was transferred to the United States air force for three years, where he trained pilots on the art of dogfighting. "That was a wonderful tour. I flew the T-38 Talon — it goes like hell," he chuckled. Flying with an ace Foster said he remembers briefly sharing the sky with Chuck Yeager, an American flying ace and record-setting test pilot who, in October 1947, became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound. He said he tried to "bounce" Yeager, an unexpected attack to initiate a dogfight. "He was coming up from Spain in a 104 and I couldn't catch him," Foster laughed. "He was much faster than I was, but I got the opportunity to talk to him later on in Germany." In selling his replica, Foster admits he never got to fly a real P-40 Warhawk. "But I've flown the P-51s, and it's very similar in some ways. It doesn't have a big honking engine on it, but fortunately, this one here doesn't have a big honking engine on it either," he said. Mechanic Pieter Terblanche has been working on the Warhawk. "It's in very good shape for the time it's been sitting," he said. "Everyone that buys a plane has their own idea on what needs to be done to the plane. It can be done pretty fast." Foster's daughter, Tracy, said the plan was to have it placed in a museum, but there have been several people who expressed interest in buying it. Offers have been outlandish, she added. "We've had a couple of crazy offers, like $500 and a case of beer, and I went nope. And then it was $5,000 and a case of beer," she said. One person offered $200, Tracy said, but it turned out he thought it was a model he could fly using a remote control. Her father has never spoken much about his time as a fighter pilot, she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Losing an old friend': Retired fighter pilot selling replica of P-40 Warhawk
INDUS — Wayne Foster spent much of his life chasing the horizon as a fighter pilot, but he could be facing his toughest battle yet: parting with the warbird he built by hand. At 88, Foster is selling one of his planes: a smaller-scale replica of a P-40 Warhawk with the Royal Air Force's 1940 Desert colours of the 112 Squadron. The asking price is $45,000. "It's like losing an old friend," he said, sitting in front of the plane stored inside a Quonset hut in Indus, Alta., a hamlet southeast of Calgary. Foster, who joined the Canadian Forces in 1956, served in the navy, spent three years in France and worked at an electronic warfare unit in Montreal for another four years. It was in the navy that he earned his nickname, Butch. "I got the name Butch from Butcher, from dogfighting, I guess," Foster said in an interview. "We had a couple of guys in the squadron whose name was Wayne. I got Butch and my wingman got Chopper." During his time, he said, they did a lot of dogfighting in Europe. Dogfighting is a series of tactical manoeuvres used in close-range aerial combat. "I learned how to dogfight fairly well ... by trial and error," he said. "Thankfully, I could do a lot of errors when no one was shooting at me." He also had a tour in Puerto Rico. He was transferred to the United States Air Force for three years, where he trained pilots on the art of dogfighting. "That was a wonderful tour. I flew the T-38 Talon — it goes like hell," he chuckled. He remembers briefly sharing the sky with Chuck Yeager, an American flying ace and record-setting test pilot who, in October 1947, became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound. Foster said he tried to "bounce" Yeager, an unexpected attack to initiate a dogfight. "He was coming up from Spain in a 104 and I couldn't catch him," Foster laughed. "He was much faster than I was, but I got the opportunity to talk to him later on in Germany." In selling his replica, Foster admits he never got to fly a real P-40 Warhawk. "But I've flown the P-51s and it's very similar in some ways. It doesn't have a big honking engine on it, but fortunately, this one here doesn't have a big honking engine on it either," he said. Mechanic Pieter Terblanche has been working on the Warhawk. "It's in very good shape for the time it's been sitting," he said. "Everyone that buys a plane has their own idea on what needs to be done to the plane. It can be done pretty fast." Foster's daughter Tracy said the plan was to have it placed in a museum, but there have been several people who expressed interest in buying it. Offers have been outlandish, she added. "We've had a couple of crazy offers, like $500 and a case of beer, and I went nope. And then it was $5,000 and a case of beer," she said. One person offered $200, she said, but it turned out he thought it was a model he could fly using a remote control. Her father has never spoken much about his time as a fighter pilot, she said. "Now that he's getting a little older, he's opening up a little bit more as to what he experienced." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2025. Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump's 'unprecedented' pick for top military post brings outsider vision to Pentagon
Who is Dan "Razin" Caine? The retired fighter pilot and CIA vet-turned chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has brought vision, grit and outsider energy to America's top military job after President Donald Trump tapped him for the position in an "unprecedented move." Now his military experience and journey to the top are the focus of a Fox Nation original explaining who he is. Hosted by Marine Corps veteran and Fox News contributor Johnny "Joey" Jones, the special installment features perspectives from military analysts and experts familiar with Caine and the gravity of his role, including the likes of former Navy fighter pilot Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, former senior enlisted advisor to the chairman Ramon "CZ" Colon-Lopez and former State Department senior advisor Christian Whiton. "Whenever something goes wrong in the world, the first question that the president asks is, 'Where is the nearest aircraft carrier?' And the person he's going to ask that of is his chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Buckley said. As Jones put it, Caine is "the guy in charge of the guys in charge." His role was created decades ago to unify U.S. defense organizations and was first held by legendary World War II general Omar N. Bradley. Fast-forward to February 2025 when, during his second administration, President Donald Trump appointed Caine to the position in a shock to the establishment. Sitting before the Senate during his confirmation hearing this year, Caine acknowledged the fact. "I acknowledge that I am an unconventional nominee, but these are unconventional times," he said. His appointment marked the first time a president had pulled an officer out of retirement for the role, and Trump was quick to tout his confidence that Caine, along with other Defense Department leaders, would fulfill his "peace through strength" mission. But before stepping into the largest role of his life, Caine offered a life of service to the country in other ways. As the new special explores, after graduating from Virginia Military Institute in 1990, he followed in his father's footsteps and became an F-16 fighter pilot. He logged thousands of flight hours and eventually earned his nickname. "We're all familiar with what 'raising Cain' means, meaning that you're going haywire…" Colon-Lopez said. "But in that calm, poised shell that you see, there's fire inside there, and it's almost like a volcano waiting to erupt, and when that man goes off, he goes off," he added. Colon-Lopez went on to call Caine's nickname "well-earned," saying he feels for any enemies that try to test him. During the first Gulf War, he was tasked with a top-secret mission to neutralize the threat of Saddam Hussein's scud missiles, minimizing their threat in the second Gulf War while, at the same time, gaining experience by communicating across departments. On September 11, 2001, Caine led F-16 combat patrols over Washington, D.C. with a critical mission to defend the nation's capital in the midst of fear and uncertainty. The mission left him with a heavy call to make should he or his crew encounter any commercial airlines flying illicitly. Beyond that, he became a White House fellow and helped coordinate the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, worked with the Department of Homeland Security, specializing in counterterrorism, before serving part-time in the National Guard and delving into entrepreneurship and national security roles in the private sector. More recently, Caine stood beside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon following Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S.'s surprise attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites, detailing the intricate operation before the American public. For more information about Caine's expansive list of skills and accomplishments as well as the top-secret efforts he guided, subscribe to Fox Nation and begin streaming "Who is 'Razin' Caine?" today.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Fighter pilot reveals near-miss with 'perfect rectangle' UFO that defied the laws of physics
A veteran U.S. fighter pilot has claimed he had a near-collision with a UFO that defied the laws of physics. Major Ryan Bodenheimer, a retired F-15 and F-16 combat pilot, revealed in a YouTube video that one of the 'wildest experiences' of his career involved a close encounter with a rectangle-shaped UFO as he flew with his squadron over southern Wyoming. Bodenheimer, who served in the Air Force for 13 years, said the large craft suddenly appeared out of nowhere during a training mission and looked to be on a collision course with his plane. He said: 'Then I realized we weren't going to hit, and all of a sudden it came more into view, and it was a rectangular shape. This was like essentially a perfect rectangle.' The military veteran described the UFO as being 30 to 50ft in height and appearing to be glowing around the edges of its bright white body as it flew alongside the Thunderbirds - the Air Force's elite aerobatic demonstration squadron. Bodenheimer added that this craft had no visible vapor trail coming from an engine, no radar signal, and was traveling at approximately 400 knots (460mph). He added: 'It really was defying any type of aeronautical laws that I've learned.' Bodenheimer then revealed that his report to air traffic control left officials in 'dead silence' before the entire matter was apparently dismissed as an 'anomalous object'. The strange rectangle UFO got so close to Bodenheimer's F-16 Falcon at 30,000ft in the air that he said he could make out every detail of the craft before it eventually flew off and was never seen again. When air traffic controllers in Denver asked Bodenheimer if he could give them any more details about the UFO, he revealed that it had a cream-colored interior that became transparent or had a hole in its center. He joked: 'I know it sounds like I'm talking about a delicious pastry, but this was the wildest experience I've ever had.' The only evidence of Bodenheimer's sighting was a report made by air traffic control saying that an object had been spotted in the area where the Thunderbirds were training that day, but he never heard from anyone about the incident again. The former combat officer explained on his channel, Max Afterburner, that this UFO could not have been a weather balloon, a high-tech drone, or some kind of light trick. 'There was nothing that made me think this was some sort of illusion. It was clear as day. It was right down our wing line, a 30 to 50ft object,' the pilot continued. Bodenheimer then speculated whether this could have been an extraterrestrial craft, noting that he's never been a fan of 'science fiction' but admitted that his encounter matched many of the incidents involving military pilots that 'defied physics'. He added: 'Going against aerodynamics definitely blows my mind. Anti-gravity, something that cloaks radar, I didn't see anything on the radar.' The object wasn't tilted to deflect the wind while traveling at speed. It stayed vertical as if the wind did not affect the UFO's ability to fly at over 400mph. This wasn't the only time the Air Force veteran allegedly encountered a UFO. He added that he saw a 'lightning-fast triangle' while training with the Thunderbirds near Area 51 - the military's top secret base in Nevada. 'There's been lots of crazy stuff that's been reported out there,' Bodenheimer said. On that particular day, the mysterious jet-like object flew past Bodenheimer's F-16 as his squadron was coming in for a landing. He alleged: 'This lightning-fast triangle blitzed past me as we were setting ourselves up on a final [approach]. 'I just remember this thing going massively fast past me... It had basically done an interceptor maneuver, a dust-off. So maybe this was its way of having fun, saying maybe this should be Top Gun 3,.' The pilot noted that he hopes coming forward will encourage more of his fellow pilots to reveal what they've seen during their time in the military, noting that there have been roughly 800 UFO reports in just the last four years.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
VE Day: Reading Spitfire pilot celebrated with German soldiers
A fighter pilot has recalled drinking with German soldiers to celebrate the end of World War Grugeon from Reading, Berkshire, known by loved ones as Bunny, was 19 years old on VE Germany was ordered to surrender its aircraft to the Allies, Mr Grugeon said he shook hands with his enemies and they went for a drink together."These young men were just as brave as us but they were on the wrong side," he said. 'The war's over' Mr Grugeon, who enlisted in the RAF before he was 18, remembers the moment he discovered the war in Europe was 8 May 1945, the Spitfire pilot was in Germany, preparing his aircraft for a patrol, when he was given the news by an air marshal."Sir, I'm ready to receive orders," he said."He just smiled at me and leant forward and patted me on the shoulder."He said 'good luck son, you've survived, the war's over.'"Mr Grugeon said the expectation of being killed every day was something he had become used to."But it was never going to happen to me today," he added. 'Great respect' Mr Grugeon, now aged 99, remembers looking forward to having lie-ins in bed, with no fear of it was bittersweet."We suddenly were sad because so many of our friends hadn't made it."Despite being on opposing sides of the war, Mr Grugeon said he had "great respect" for the enemy."They'd fought so bravely, but they'd lost," he said. "You couldn't hold it against them, that was their duty."We were fighting for what we believed in - but this was the end." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
