 proudly we hail from New York City where the American stage begins here is another program with a cast of outstanding players public service time has been made available by this station for your army and your Air Force to bring you the story as proudly we hail the United States Air Force our story is entitled the new shoe this is the story of the typhoon chasers the pilots and crews who man the Air Force flying weather stations in the Pacific proudly we hail captains Mike Miller and Ralph Bennett and all the officers and men of the 54th strategic reconnaissance squadron of the United States Air Force air weather service our first act curtain will rise in just a moment daring and imagination courage and science these have propelled us straight into the jet age the age of airspeed faster than sound of flight into the farthest frontiers of the sky young man how would you like to master one of those jet planes sleek powerful aircraft which represent the last word in military aviation they're considered safer to fly than the old propeller planes if you qualify for and successfully complete the interesting exacting training of an aviation cadet you'll have the chance as a pilot in the United States Air Force practicing a challenging career in the service of your country you'll start as a second lieutenant earning more than $5,000 a year if you're between 19 and 26 and a half in good health single and meet mental and educational requirements you're eligible to apply for the 16-month flight training course see if you can qualify at your nearest Air Force base or local United States Army and United States Air Force recruiting station and now your army and your Air Force present the proudly we hail production the new shoe to most of us the weather is just something to talk about the pilots and crews of the U.S. Air Force whether can be a close friend or a deadly enemy that's a teletype you hear it's part of a worldwide communications network maintained by your Air Force a network that relays details of temperatures humidities atmospheric pressures wind directions flight conditions and all the innermost secrets of the thing we call weather where does all this information come from part of it comes from trained ground observers and meteorologists but a good deal of it comes from the air itself where that mysterious thing known as weather begins even over the lonely regions of the western Pacific crisscrossed by military and civilian airplanes weather information is gathered by the United States Air Force and its typhoon chasers in the air we're on the island of Guam home of the 54th strategic reconnaissance squadron it's mid-September season of the big winds the typhoons which sweep across the western Pacific today a tropical sun shines warmly on Anderson Air Force base as captains Mike Miller and Ralph Bennett need outside the bachelor officers quarters hi Ralph where you headed mess hall even weather observers get hungry believe it or not so do pilots lead me to it they were seeing the operation slate for tomorrow night yeah sure did looks like we're at bat again makes us vulture Margie 5 that's us all right vulture Margie 5 the fifth plane up to see dear old Margie in two days we jump off at 06 30 hours how's Alice a Lucian Alice please I'll thank you to call her by her right name and she's being checked by the ground crew now I took a look at the charts over at weather that Margie is really something Ralph my boy a typhoon is a typhoon no matter what her name I know it Mike it's gonna be rough out there tomorrow very rough our scene changes from the ground to the air to a 4-inch and C-54 transport inside the transport is a group of men men who proudly wear the wings of Air Force pilots men who fought across the skies of Korea behind the gun sights of f-86 jet fighters men headed now for a well-earned stateside leave wake up dream boy wake up what's up trouble well I wouldn't say trouble but the news isn't good fasten your belt cuz you and I are about to land at Anderson Anderson but that's on Guam we're not due to land this out of here can fail we weren't due to land but we are looks like there's bad weather up ahead probably have to sit it out for a couple of days Guam couple of days on now and me with a date tomorrow night in San Francisco pilot put away that strawberry shortcake I plead guilty to a second helping and what's the matter a load of the long face and a fly boy hit it yeah wonder what's eating look now but you're about to find out if I sit here captain of course I sit down lieutenant Phillips I'm Ralph Bennett this is Mike how do you do it well you one of the jet juggies who just pulled in on that C-54 that's right well don't sound so gloom you boys are on your way state side we're on our way but not now here I had a date with a beautiful redhead in San Francisco and now just because of a little weather up ahead we're grounded all that's real tough now I hear I have to twiddle my thumbs while the recon boys go out and take its temperature imagine playing nurse made to the weather maybe that kind of a nurse may doesn't have such an easy job lieutenant well I'm not saying it is or it isn't doesn't sound very tough not like tackling a bunch of me say what can a visiting fireman do around here for a little excitement well it all depends there's some great fishing and fine set of tennis courts good movie at the theater it's better than migs but that's not what I would call real excitement I suppose though if you're flying around all day looking at the weather a movie might seem exciting at that you know Mike that's very true a fighting man doesn't want tennis you're right Ralph a fighting man doesn't want fishing either no what a fighting man wants and what a fighting man should get is a woman now that's more like it I think Margie is just the girl for him don't you like perfect but the only way he can get to meet Margie is through Alice okay let's go see Alice ah but there's the problem Alice isn't available until tomorrow morning a very busy girl at Alice I kind of kills tonight but it's the best you can do sorry lieutenant tomorrow morning at the earliest you'll have to waste the evening on a movie oh that's all right long as you're sure I can meet this Alice in the morning oh we're sure that all right well what time let's make it 0 6 30 hours 0 6 30 isn't that kind of early oh not for Alice why but you're in for quite a party Mike and I and some of the boys will really show you a hot time brother that Margie swell think I'll skip the movie hit the sack early see in the AM and thanks fellas suppose he'll show our hot pilot he'll show don't worry maybe caught on I doubt it sometimes it takes a while for the eager beaver brigade to realize that they're not the only ones who can fly uncle Sam's aircraft why is it he esposes so many fighter pilots think they're the only ones who have a hot job you got me Michael hold it here he comes and get a load of that sharp uniform the only new Margie like we know Margie run everyone scheduled gentlemen that's gonna be that ride lieutenant but you'd better try these on for size first a flight gear or what kind of a girl is this Alice what about Margie all flight gears are requirement with Alice are you two kidding me not exactly lieutenant not exactly what kind of an answer is that where is this Alice why yeah she's right over there Barnaby what do you mean that B-29 yeah yeah that's Alice illusion Alice ah well if that's Alice then who may I ask is Margie Margie why she's a little typhoon we know she's a fastest gal the whole Pacific at the moment B-29 typhoon 06 30 hour on to be Phillips you brought it on yourself glad you could laugh about a born to be some guys might be kind of sore oh I am but only at myself you really want to meet Margie you can you know sure why not always wanted to ride one of those easy flying buses anyway must be like sleeping on a downpillar compared with an F-86 I could use a nice relaxing milk run in your B-29 she's not a B-29 she's a W-B-29 converted for aerial weather reconnaissance that's this squadron's job weather recon then you're the guys were keeping me from that red head in San Francisco no no not us Barnaby Margie's keeping okay fellas if I can't see my redhead I might as well try Margie she doesn't sound like a very dangerous girl for all our sakes Barnaby I hope she isn't but from all reports Margie's a pit illusion Alice is ready for her mission the fifth the squadron has flown into typhoon Margie in his greenhouse up front sits Captain Ralph Bennett surrounded by the complex weather instruments with which he'll measure typhoon Margie size and direction behind them in the pilot sections it's Captain Mike Miller the aircraft commander and his co-pilot second Lieutenant Carl Feldman Lieutenant Barnaby Phillips is in the observer scene in the plane's aft section are the rest of the crew radio operators assistant engineer drops in the analyst the team is poised waiting to go into action they listen as Mike calls Anderson tower tower this is a vulture Margie five taxi and takeoff instructions please Roger vulture Margie five you're cleared to runway seven repeat runway seven altimeter check twenty nine point nine zero wind is east southeast to one zero Roger tower out the plane begins to move as a 10,000 horses in her engines bite at the air out under the taxi way she moves her fireball insignia of the 54th strat recon glaring down at the concrete strip might pose her at the end of the long runway vulture Margie five to tower okay to roll you're cleared for takeoff vulture Margie five have a good trip sir thanks darling Roger not a few hours have passed although the storm is still several hundred miles away everyone on the ship has been busy for an addition to scouting and reporting on Margie routine weather observations must be taken and reports sent back to the home base the plane flies smoothly not yet feeling the first winds from the edge of the typhoon that lies not so far ahead hey this is sure a rocking chair ride sorry I didn't bring my knitting you'll take her a while Carl I'm going to give our doubting Thomas here the 40 cent tour okay skipping hold your present courses 700 millibar altitude it's holding pretty steady at 10,000 feet but check with Ralph I'll be back in time to start mixing it up with Margie come on Phillips this is a pretty big ship I bet I crawl half a mile to that passageway and I'd quite but Alice is a pretty big girl I say you carry two radio operators need them have to send out a steady flow of weather data and we've got a monitor a dozen voice and code frequencies oh here's staff sergeant Harris are drops and analysts sergeant Murray Harris this is Lieutenant Barnaby Phillips he flew jets in Korea oh I lieutenant and at about time for a dropson sergeant yes sir it sure is we have 49 without a miss I'm gonna try to make a 50 with this one oh so that's what that gadget over there is a dropson you mind explaining it for me I'm not at all sir it's a miniature weather station and radio transmitter with a parachute attached you drop it out of the plane shoot opens and while it's going down it takes weather data and radios it back to us now this one's ready to go ready sir sure you want a hand sergeant well if you'd attach the static line sir I'll open the airlock far away such drops and shoots open sir that's 50 with no misses remind me to buy you a cigar when we get back what was that we probably just dropped a few hundred feet in a hurry everything secure Harris yes sir whether I'm serving a skipper over hammer that headset sir sure okay W all this skipper what's up if I didn't know just check 700 millibar height it's down 450 feet wind is up to about 60 miles per hour now all the tenities about to meet his girl skipper Roger W a scramble up front lieutenant watch your step be pitching and tossing a bit now Barnaby don't bother to straighten your tie or comb your hair I don't think your dates going to care very much how you look you are listening to the proudly we held production the new shoe will return in just a moment for the second act young man have you a flair for scientific subjects physics mathematics electricity astronomy as an aircraft observer in the United States Air Force you'd use your technical knowledge as a rated flying officer on an Air Force flying team and an interceptor bomber reconnaissance or transport plane you'd be trained to operate the latest in electronic and radar equipment you'd be a member of a flying team trained in such skills as navigation bombardment radar interception and others you're eligible to apply if you're between 19 and 26 and a half single and have a high school diploma if you pass written and physical entrance examinations you'll start on a 14 month intensive training course then graduation aircraft observer wings a commission as an Air Force Lieutenant earnings over $5,000 and an interesting assignment as flying officer in your United States Air Force you are listening to proudly we hail and now we present the second act of the new shoe according to the textbooks a typhoon is a warm rainy storm of oceanic origin usually formed in the tropics south of the 20th parallel to the men aboard illusion Alice the textbooks tell only part of the story the typhoon is a treacherous enemy at one moment the big WB 29 is caught in vertical turbulence and is yanked up 1,000 feet and then suddenly jammed down are you making out lieutenant pretty good can't say I think much of your taste in women this one's too rough for me will be in the eye soon I center of the storm we'll try for a Loran fix on it hope our wings stay on a car if they don't we'll be sprouting some of our own it's been nearly four hours since vulture marty five left the base at Guam nearly an hour since the plane entered the storm now as illusion Alice nears the center of the typhoon the ship is flying on instruments through lashing rain and gusts of wind and make her shutters if she were about to fall apart then suddenly a great change takes place what happened we still alive we're in the eye of the storm lieutenant no wind no rain not here but just look around you wow is that what we've been going through that was it look at those banks of clouds all around us I feel like I'm in a football stadium miles and miles high it's probably 25 to 35 miles across to well we're a pretty big football but I feel like a flea in the middle of the Rose Bowl yeah this is the eye lieutenant the center of a typhoon is always like this calm and clear while the wind and rain tear around outside the center of the circle but what happens now when we fly around the eye while captain Bennett gets some pictures of it with that K-20 aerial camera of his then we get set to box the storm pretty big package to wrap up well we don't exactly wrap it we just fly around the outside of the storm to determine its size wind velocities in direction so on this is what the boys back at the ground radio station are waiting for this baby is heading for Okinawa in Japan our personnel there need this information so they can set up safety precautions you know I'm beginning to feel pretty silly about a few of the things I said yesterday Mike about cream puff jobs in our land I think nothing of it Barnaby to the outsider what we do probably seems to be sort of useless excuse me skipper yeah what's up radar operator report some break in the northwest sector should we try for we finished our readings in the eye shall we gentlemen run not walk to the nearest exit as illusion Alice heads back into the storm the combined efforts of both pilots are needed to keep her under control meanwhile the navigator works at top speed to keep tabs on the rapidly changing wind data furnished by the weather observer every few minutes each of the crews ten members has a job to do everyone is busy some guss nearly flipped us on our back right Carl Carl Carl you're right I think he was hurt when we did that last flip flop I'm alright skipper my shoulder gave it a wrench let me have a look you better watch your plan I'll take a look at him okay I'll hold the ship watch yourself slowly bracing himself against the roll and pitch of the plane Barty Phillips releases his safety belt and pulls his way across to where Carl Feldman is hanging on the wheel his face twisted in pain it's no good I can't do it a pain's too much take it easy boy let me get you out of here I'm Mike can't hold her alone we've got the circle a whole storm can you take over for me I sure can try always know that you jet jockeys had what it takes good luck with two men at the controls one with experience both with courage pollution Alice fights her way through typhoon Margie now with Carl Feldman popped up comfortably in the observer's seat and Mike Miller and Barnaby Phillips at the controls she wings her way home she's been through inside and around that snarling screaming massive wind and rain she's got her data her information her photographs the records of typhoon Margie she's radioed her information back to the base and she's harrowing it now not wasting a moment until her wheels touch an Anderson that does it Barney few hundred miles a smooth sailing and we're through for the day whoa what a workout you all right back there Carl yeah yeah just fine skipper you know this Phillips is a regular typhoon goon and ems fighting words partner I think he's throwing you a well-deserved company Lieutenant can you hold the ship a minute I want to go back and see if everything's in one piece back there I can handle project be back in a few minutes hey now what's good in the Mike you know as the boys back there could take care of themselves the old shoe must be softening up illusion Alice has been in the air for more than nine hours at last she's almost home the navigator reports to Mike Miller then he reaches forward and cuts in his radio to call the base our this is vulture Margie 5 do you read we read you about your Margie 5 request landing instruction please have an injured man aboard request ambulance stand by Roger vulture Margie 5 you're cleared to runway 26 for straight-in approach tension all our craft and vicinity of Anderson the EFB emergency landing field is closed the tension crews stand by prepare to land wheels down props 2100 full rich mixture check flaps down 20 degrees give me full flaps on the approach check here we go then for a nice quiet relaxing movie over to see Carl the hospital nothing serious just enough to keep him out of mischief for a week while his shoulder men our friend here I'd quite an eventful date wouldn't you say so Mike yeah Margie turned out to be quite a girl well I don't regret for a minute having met her though you can't fall in love with them all where you heading for Barney like I said before me for a nice relaxing movie you don't really want to go to a movie Barney does he round well I don't think a movie is the right sort of thing for a jet jockey or for a weather chaser either the 10 of Phillips 10 shun what you're kidding you heard the captain lieutenant he said 10 shun well if this is a gag I don't get it the 10 of Phillips Ford hi two three four happen Miller just where are we going yours not the reason why lieutenant yours but to do or die I'd rather not if you don't mind rather not what die I'm much too young but serious cut the chatter fly boy we're almost there there better be something more rewarding than Margie at the end of this walk that's all I can say may I have the honor of presenting to you lieutenant Barnaby Phillips of the 51st fighter interceptor group lieutenant Phillips may I present to you the members of the Royal Order of Typhoon goon are here to discuss the case of lieutenant Barnaby Phillips now he came amongst us through no fall of his own he missed a date with a redhead in San Francisco and a scoffer only jet pilots on the front lines did anything worthy of no but today through a freak of conversation he had a date with our darling Margie what Captain Bennett and I would like to propose is that we elect Lieutenant Phillips to the Royal Order of Typhoon goons as a new shoe what's a new shoe quiet now one of the big jobs of the 54th is typhoon penetrations now they don't give us any gold stars for the job so we've worked up this order those of us who have flown into ten typhoons with winds over 65 knots become Royal Command goons with the rank of old shoe now those of us with five become used shoes now for those who have flown their first penetration and have done well there's the title of neophyte goon and the rank of new shoe where's Captain Bennett right here you have the correct paraphernalia I'm happy to report I do will you escort Lieutenant Barnaby Phillips forward please well go that position will do captain Lieutenant Phillips gives me great pleasure as a command goon to welcome you into our Royal Order not only for your successful participation in today's flight but also because you have proven yourself this day personally worthy it is our earnest hope that although you came to us with a large chip on your shoulder that we may count upon you as a friend I hereby present you with this scroll of membership and now as a symbol of your rank may I present you with this new shoe I don't know what kind of a speech I have a right to give it a night since I'm just a new shoe but I would like to say a word or two all right up until the day like most of us hot shot jet pilots I guess I thought the only jobs worth doing were on a war front where bullets were the only dangers but today I learned that the danger and brave men to fight it exist all over the world in every branch of the Air Force doing every kind of job I feel lucky because today I learned that we're all part of a team none of us can exist alone the Air Force is a typical example of democracy in action I'm honored by your honor well that's all how about that boys how is it good when Barney real good thanks Mike come on boy don't be so solemn about an old shoe buying a new shoe a good hot cup of coffee this is the beginning of the jet age and you young men who can qualify can join the best jet school in the world the United States Air Force after a full year of training you'll win the silver wings of a pilot plus the prestige and pride of being one of the best in a great outfit it's a job vital to your country's future and your own if you qualify you can be an aviation cadet for full detail see your nearest United States Army and United States Air Force recruiting officer today this has been another program on proudly we hail presented transcribed in cooperation with this station proudly we hail is produced by the recruiting publicity center for the United States Army and United States Air Force recruiting service this is Kenneth Banghart speaking and inviting you to tune in the same station next week 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