Aviation Heritage Park: Recent Episodes
Aviation Heritage Park
Listen to the stories of the aircraft and heroes featured at Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY. From the time man first took flight in the early 1900s to the recent shuttle missions into space, South Central Kentucky has played a significant role in the history of aviation. Hear the stories of one of the first pilots to fly in combat, a World War I flying ace, a pioneer instructor pilot, a Vietnam war hero, Commanders of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, the Commander/Pilot of “Marine One”, and the Mission Commander for the space shuttle Atlantis. These aviators deserve to be recognized and celebrated for their extraordinary achievements. These are their stories.
Auburn, Kentucky native David H. Finney was the Chief of the Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations Division in the Flight Crew Operations Directorate until his retirement from NASA in July 2008. The Division operated 44 aircraft of eight types that flew 11,000 annual flight hours in support of human space flight and aeronautical research programs. A Naval Academy graduate, he joined an A-7A squadron at NAS Lemoore, California in 1969, made one cruise aboard the USS Oriskany (CVA-34) and flew seventy-five combat missions in Southeast Asia. After a stellar Navy career, Finney joined NASA, and flew 9277 flight hours in 30 types of aircraft and was current in the T-38A, T-38N, Super Guppy, B747 Shuttle Carrier, and the G159 aircraft.
Allen County native Gerald Roark made his way to the pilot seat of one of the most important aircraft in Desert Storm through the Air Force ROTC program at WKU. He began his USAF career in the Strategic Air Command performing air-to-air refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker. In Vietnam, he refueled B-52 bombers during Project ARCLIGHT, as well as F-4, A-7, F-111 and F-105 fighters totaling 119 missions across Southeast Asia. After the war, he was chosen to procure, equip and train the air wing of the newly-created US Central Command. These aircraft, designated EC-135, carried top-secret communications equipment and transported the commanding generals of CENTCOM. During Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Lt Col Roark was the command pilot for General Norman Schwarzkopf.
Earl Wassom was a U.S. Army pilot during World War II. He flew 35 missions in a B-24 Liberator bomber and received five Air Medals, a Purple Heart, four European Campaign Stars, and a Distinguished Unit Citation for his service. He was wounded during a mission over Heligoland, Germany, but recovered and completed his tour with his original crew. After the war, he flew multiple aircraft for the Air Transport Command before retiring as an educator and administrator for WKU in 1985.
Jacob Vaughn moved to Bowling Green in 2009. He played three varsity sports at South Warren HS and went on to get an Associate Degree on a baseball scholarship at Southeast Illinois College. He completed a Bachelor's degree at WKU, received his pilot’s license here and was recruited by the Oklahoma National Guard to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon. He graduated top in his class and received his wings in 2020. Vaughan earned the TOP GUN award in 2021 for Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground warfare excellence and completed the advanced F16 "B" Course, where he received the Gabreski Award for being the Top B-Course Graduate across all aircraft. He currently serves as an Electronic Combat Pilot for the 125th Fighter Squadron and has over 600 hours of flight time.
Tim Vaughan is a retired United States Air Force pilot who flew the A-37 Dragonfly and F-16 Fighting Falcon, amassing over 3,200 hours in the latter aircraft. He served as the Commander of the 138th Operation Group and completed 88 combat missions throughout his career in OPERATION DESERT STORM, OPERATION NORTHERN WATCH, OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH, and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Vaughan received numerous decorations, including the Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. He is currently a commercial pilot with United Airlines, flying the Boeing 787.
Francis “Pete” Sullivan was born in Bowling Green in 1932 and graduated Bowling Green High School. He earned a football scholarship to Austin Peay State University, where he joined the Navy Aviation Cadet program. In 1955, he qualified as a Naval Aviator at Pensacola NAS and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. He completed 136 combat missions in the Vietnam War flying the Douglas A6 Skyhawk. Sullivan later commanded VMA-331 at MCAS Beaufort, SC. He retired in 1979 as a full colonel with numerous medals and awards.
Joseph Ralston, a former Air Force ROTC student, became the most senior-ranking airman ever produced by the state of Kentucky. He completed a distinguished 37-year Air Force career as Commander, US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO. As only the second USAF officer to be named as NATO commander, General Ralston contributed to preserving the peace, security, and territorial integrity of NATO while commanding approximately 65,000 troops. He has also served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the US Air Force Air Combat Command, among other prestigious positions. He is a highly decorated command pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Cohen Group of international consultants.
Warren County native Bobbie Pedigo graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1952, and served in the Kentucky National Guard for 10 years before activating at Ft. Knox. He had two tours of duty in Vietnam, received pilot qualifications in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, rising to the rank of Lt. Col. He served at Bien Hoa as XO, 145th Combat Aviation Battalion, the “Old Warriors” and as CO of the 68th Assault Helicopter Company, the “Top Tigers.” He retired from the Army in 1980, but continued his federal duty with the Army as a civil servant from 1981-2003 in Saint Louis, Fort Knox, Germany (Fulda and Wiesbaden), and Fort Campbell. He was a Professor of Military Science at the University of Kentucky, teaching the next generation of Army leaders. He passed away in 2022.
Charles Moran II was born in 1924 in Horse Cave, Kentucky, and developed a passion for aviation and basketball. He played for Ed Diddle at Western State Teachers College in 1942, with teammates Dero Downing and John Oldham, before enlisting in the US Army Air Forces in 1943. Moran flew B-17 and B-26 bombers and transitioned postwar to the P-61 Black Widow and then the formidable F-82 "Twin Mustang" all weather interceptor in Japan in 1948. In 1950, he was part of the 68th All-Weather Fighter Interceptor Squadron tasked to cover for civilians evacuating Seoul during first three days of the Korean War. Moran was hit but maneuvered his fighter to destroy a Yak 9. According to eyewitnesses, This was the first aerial victory of the Korean war. He was awarded the Air Medal. Just 40 days later, on August 7, 1950, Moran and his radar observer went missing during a night intruder mission over North Korea. The wreckage of his F-82G was found 18 months later. Moran’s body was returned and laid to rest in Horse Cave, Kentucky.
Bowling Green native and WKU alumni Kenneth “Ken” Fleenor began his career with the USAF in 1952, and qualified in the F-86 fighter. Rotating through bases in Japan and Texas, Fleenor was chosen for a brief exchange tour with the US Navy to learn to fly the F-4 Phantom. Fleenor later trained Air Force pilots in the F-4 at MacDill AFB, Fla. In 1964 he moved to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to become the operations officer and squadron commander in the Air Force's first F-4 wing. He was sent to Thailand in 1967 to fight the air war in Vietnam, but on his 87th mission, was shot down and captured, spending five and a half years in Hoa Lo Prison, the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Following his release, he returned to Randolph AFB as assistant deputy commander for operations, and later became Base Commander. Fleenor was appointed to Air Training Command and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1978.
CWO3 Charles Browning graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1965 and joined the Army in 1969, where he was trained to be a helicopter pilot. He deployed to Vietnam in 1970. He flew the UH-1 Iroquois into scores of combat assault missions to either insert or extract infantry soldiers who were actively engaged in combat operations, MEDEVAC, or on resupply missions. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions during Operation Lam Son, the largest helicopter assault operation of the war. In addition, he was awarded the Bronze star and 26 Air Medals.
Born in Bowling Green in 1947, Bill Basham joined the US Army and served three years and a tour in Vietnam before completing Rotary Wing Flight School in 1969, and AH-1G Cobra gunship school. Bill’s second tour in Vietnam was with the 334th Aerial Weapons Company of the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion. While in-country, he earned 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses for heroism and three Air Medals with a “V” device for exceptional valor. After his discharge, he pursued a career in the private industry, later returning to Bowling Green, where he passed away in February 2022.
Born in Bowling Green, John C. Carmichael began his combat career in the skies of Korea, flying 60 missions in the P-51 Mustang and the sleek and deadly F-86 Sabre jet fighter. He became the USAF’s expert in the T-39 Sabreliner, serving as Chief Flight examiner and Chief of Standardization. He returned to combat in Vietnam, and flew an additional 106 combat missions. He eventually served in the Military Assistance and Advisory Group (MAAG) where he flew with and trained South Vietnamese pilots in 8 different aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals over his career.
Louisville native Todd Moore earned his pilot’s license in the Civilian Pilot Training Program and won his wings and a commission as a 2nd Lt in the US Army Air Forces in 1942. He learned to fly P40 Warhawk fighters in Hawaii and began to rack up aerial victories across several Pacific theater assignments. In November, his squadron got P-51 Mustangs and relocated to Iwo Jima (while the battle to take back the island from the Japanese was still raging). While attacking enemy-held islands and escorting bombers to Tokyo, he became a “Double Ace” and the leading Ace of the 7th Air Force.
Born in Bowling Green in 1951, Greg Smith began his 26-year USAF career in 1974. He completed pilot training, and began flying the Air Force’s Airborne Command Post, the EC-135 “Looking Glass”. This aircraft is designed to provide airborne command and control of US nuclear forces if ground-based command centers have been destroyed. In 1983, he began to fly the Boeing 747-based E-4B “Nightwatch” aircraft. This aircraft serves as a survivable airborne command post for the President of the United States. There are only four such planes in the USAF.
As many young men did in WW2, Jackie Carwell wanted to be a fighter pilot. He became an Aviation Cadet and began his training, flying the T-6 Texan and the P-40 Warhawk. In 1944, Carwell was selected to move to the mighty P-47 Thunderbolt. He joined the 56th Fighter group (The “Wolfpack” led by Colonel Hub Zemke) and began to escort B-17 and B-24 bombers in raids over Europe. He flew two missions at a very low level supporting the D-Day invasion. He amassed over 3,000 combat flying hours over 96 missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
Bowling Green native and WKU grad Lieutenant Colonel John W. Capito was a second generation Marine and combat aviator, flying the F4 Phantom for 105 missions in Vietnam, the F8 Crusader, and the AV8 Harrier, then the newest and most innovative aircraft in the USMC inventory. Capito joined the Harrier community at its beginnings, and was instrumental in the understanding and tactical implementation of this new weapon for the Marines. John rose through the ranks of the Harrier community. eventually commanding the only training squadron for the force. He retired in 1987, and passed away in 2020.
Western KY State Teachers College graduate Jim Cooper began his USAF career flying the 4-engine KC-135 Stratotanker, flying with the Strategic Air Command for nearly a decade. In 1967, he was chosen to go to Vietnam to fly the tiny O-1 Bird Dog as a Forward Air Controller. His job was to search the jungles for enemy activity and call in airstrikes to destroy it. He was able to give critical air support to ground troops, and coordinate rescue efforts for downed pilots. He earned the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Bronze Star for his actions.
Bowling Green native Lt. Gen. Steven L. Basham is the Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. As the air component to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, USAFE-AFAFRICA is responsible for providing full-spectrum warfighting capabilities to both combatant commanders throughout their area of responsibility, which encompasses 104 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. He has completed numerous flying, staff, and command assignments and is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours in the B-1, B-2, and B-52.
Jesse L. Birchett was a pilot for three different services… The US Army Air Forces (Flying the P-40 Warhawk and the P-47 Thunderbolt), the US Air Force, and the West Virginia Air National Guard (Flying the P-51 Mustang and the SA-18 Grumman Albatross amphibious aircraft.) Jesse’s love of aviation brought him to a job with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller, and eventually assigned to the Federal Flight Service Station at the Bowling Green/Warren County Regional Airport until his retirement in 1986. He passed away in 2008 at age 90.
David Render Berry was a young Naval Aviator aboard USS Yorktown when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. During the fierce fighting in the Pacific that followed, Berry was in the thick of it, flying a dive bomber. As an ensign, Berry won the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest decoration for fliers, 3 times, a distinction shared (as of March 1944) by only a dozen men. He was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. 30-year-old LCDR Berry fought his final battle in May 1945, as he was serving as CO of Bombing Squadron 83. and was posthumously awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Glasgow native Charles “Buck” Jones joined the US Army Air Corps almost immediately after Pearl Harbor and served as Instructor Pilot for advanced single-engine fighters. He remained in the USAF after the war and qualified in the new F-86 jet fighter. He fought in Korea as a Squadron Executive officer and returned to the States to fly the F-100C and command the 452nd Fighter Squadron at Foster AFB, Victoria, Texas— The first, supersonic, air-refuelable fighter squadron in the USAF. He was promoted to Lt Col and assumed the position of Deputy Commander of Operations of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing in Lakenheath England.
Willa Beatrice Brown was born in Glasgow, KY. In 1927 Brown earned a Bachelor's degree from Indiana State Teachers College and ten years later an MBA from Northwestern University. In 1935, after taking flight instructions, Brown earned a Masters Mechanic Certificate.
In 1937 Brown became the first African-American woman in the US to earn a commercial pilot's license. she and her husband Cornelius Coffey found an aeronautics school, the first black-owned and operated private flight training academy in the US.
In 1941 Brown and Coffey received a contract to train many men who later became members of the famed Tuskeegee Aimen.
Col. Arthur (Mac) Reynolds of Bowling Green, Ky served his country through a meritorious career in the Marine Corp. Col Reynold was assigned duties with HMX-1 serving the President. He assumed command of the HMX-1 in 1999 and held the title of the Presidential Helicopter Pilot, serving three presidents: Reagan, George W. Bush, Clinton, and one vice-president: George H.W. Bush.
Following his service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Russ Dougherty entered the USAF, receiving his pilot wings in March 1943. During World War II, he served as an instructor pilot aboard B-17 and B-29 aircraft. Throughout three decades of intense involvement in the Cold War, Dougherty excelled in Air Force leadership positions, both nationally and internationally. In 1972, Dougherty was promoted to four-star general and assigned as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. He returned to the United States in 1974 to lead the Strategic Air Command (SAC). This Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star represents the aircraft used by General Dougherty to fly to his far-flung SAC bases, and is authorized by the National Museum of the United States Air Force to wear the insignia of SAC in honor of General Dougherty.
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Narrated by Larry Bailey.
After graduating from Western KentuckyUniversity in 1974, Russellville native Terry Wilcut taught high school math in his hometown. He joined the US Marine Corps in 1976, and entered pilot training, qualifying in both the F4 Phantom and as an instructor pilot in the F18 Hornet. He served as a test pilot and has over 6,000 flight hours in 30 different aircraft. Wilcut became a NASA astronaut 1991, and has served aboard four Space Shuttle missions, two as commander, logging over 1,000 hours and 17 million miles in space. This NASA T-38 Talon has an impressive history on her own, being flown by every Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut, (including every man to walk on the Moon), and a majority of Space Shuttle crewmen.
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Narrated by Larry Bailey.
John Magda was an Ace at age 23, credited with downing five Japanese aircraft in air combat and destroying at least seven on the ground. He was a member of the famed Fighter Squadron Eight at the Battle of Midway. Among his wartime decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with two Gold Stars, for heroism and extraordinary achievement. After returning to the US from the Pacific he flew with and became the commander of the Blue Angels. Magda died in combat during the Korean War at the age of 33 and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. This aircraft, a Grumman F9F Panther, has been authorized by the National Museum of Naval Aviation to represent the Panther flown by Magda during his Blue Angels command.
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Narrated by Larry Bailey
Colonel Raymond Nutter was one of the most highly decorated soldiers of the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (second only to the Medal of Honor) for leading his downed crew in one of the most fantastic escapes of the Vietnam War. Nutter was also awarded the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Soldiers Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal. During his distinguished Army career, Colonel Nutter served as a Senior Aviator, Helicopter Pilot, Gunship Pilot, Master Parachutist, Battalion Commander, and senior advisor to the Kentucky National Guard. This Bell UH-1 helicopter, through the authorization of the National Museum of the United States Air Force, is painted to represent the aircraft he flew.
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Narrated by Larry Bailey
While serving as the commander of the 493rd Tactical Squadron based in Lakenheath, England, Colonel Arnold "Arnie" Franklin was selected to plan and lead the USAF portion of Operation El Dorado Canyon, the US retaliatory strike on Libya on 15 April, 1986. This General Dynamics F-111F aircraft flew on his wing for the 14-hour mission, and also served with distinction in Desert Storm. This aircraft dropped the last bomb on the last night of the operation.
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This episode is narrated by Larry Bailey.
On April 16, 1972, F-4D Phantom pilot Major Dan Cherry engaged in a difficult, often frustrating four-minute pursuit of an elusive MiG-21 before finally scoring a victory and narrowly passing the enemy pilot, who had just ejected. Little did Cherry know that three decades later he would be reunited with the exact Phantom he was flying that day and that it would be the spark of what is now known as Aviation Heritage Park, here in his hometown of Bowling Green. Even more amazingly, this led to an invitation in 2008 to appear on television in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he met Nguyen Hong My, the North Vietnamese pilot he had shot down.
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Narrated by Larry Bailey
Welcome to Aviation Heritage Park, located on Three Springs Road in Bowling Green, KY. We tell the incredible stories of South Central Kentucky aviators with fully restored aircraft, which have stories of their own. Hear about the park and its beginnings in this episode.
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The narrator and author is Larry Bailey, a member of the Aviation Heritage Park board of directors.