Posts by Bill Rawlinson


Bracciano to Ajaccio (Where else to go?)

Ahhhh! Another routine training week at Lago di Bracciano north of Rome. With only three freshwater seaplane bases in Europe, training in winter with the SA-16 “Albatross” was best done where icing would be at a minimum.


Get Me to the Ship on Time

When Bill Rawlinson traveled back to the States during his military service, he gained a wife and a problem: he’d left his passport in England. Quick thinking, light feet and an inspired cabbie solved his quandary.


You Wanna Sandwich

An unforgettable flight — and in-flight meal — created a tasty memory for one impressionable young GI in Saigon.


Why I Left Home

A new-ish recruit finds his old life remarkably made over when he returns home for his first holiday leave.


What Are Your Intentions?

A military pilot recalls a hair-raising experience in the air over Britain.


Wrong Agents

A US military veteran recalls the time two German fishermen planned a fishing trip and caught an unexpected ride on an American Albatross.


Bracciano to Ajaccio

An emergency landing in Italy held many more surprises for an Air Force freshwater seaplane crew. Bill Rawlinson recalls the experience from sheep to rockets.


Road Repairs Change World Relationships

An aftermath of the extraordinary airlift that saved Berlin during World War II was America’s commitment to build the greatest airlift force in the world.


SYZYGY Dizzy

First time in 150 years… and we were not going to miss it! Miss what? The “eclipse of a super blue blood moon!”


One Helluva Roar

Under the leadership of Maj. Gen. (Ret) Vernon Chong, a team of Paradise Valley Estates residents— all Air Force veterans and spouses — planned a dinner program for Monday evening, September 18, which celebrated the 70th birthday of the United States Air Force.