That's a wonderful picture, Mike. The Bishop looks robust at 81 or so. Thanks for sharing it.

Appears to be loading onto a Messerschmitt Me-323 "Gigant", the six-engined powered variant of the Me-321 towed glider.

So this got me to search the forts' story; highlight of my day (so far)! Thanks. (Stay warm & dry 😊)

And, thus, we have the 11th AB Div.

That's a delightful story...and it's a thing old deGaulle may well have chuckled at, innit?

Here ya' go, with the lights on:

I've seen it once. At Kailua Kona on the BIg Island. It was pretty neat.

Are you in the noticed area? I am (Loudoun) but have heard nada.

KLWX designates the NOAA wx radar site in Sterling, VA (Loudoun County) a couple of miles south of KIAD. First time I've seen wx a wx statement attributed to that location. Didn't think any actual humans were posted there.

Nice job by the pilot. Even though it's a "mature" airplane, I bet it will fly again.

Col. Rankin's book about his experience is a classic! "The Man Who Rode the Thunder"

OK, ask any pilot who has ever flown into a metro area how comfortable they are betting their life on "maintain visual separation". In this century, "see and avoid" is a mythical concept.