On 16 October 1963, just 18 years after WWII and only 10 after Korea, Operation Greased Lightning saw Major Sidney J. Kubesch, Major John Barrett, and Captain Gerard Williamson fly a Convair B-58A Hustler non-stop from Tokyo, Japan, to London, England, in just 8 hours, 35 minutes, and 20.4 seconds, making their average speed 938mph! At that speed, it would take only .22 seconds to cover a football field goal line to goal line... literally quicker than the blink of an eye! The B-58 Hustler, introduced in the late 1950s, was the first operational jet bomber capable of sustained Mach 2 flight. Designed for high-speed, high-altitude missions, it represented a significant leap in performance and complexity. Operation Greased Lightning was conceived as a public demonstration of these capabilities, requiring precise planning, aerial refueling coordination, and flawless execution across thousands of miles. The success of the mission not only set a new speed record for transcontinental flight but also served as a strategic and symbolic assertion of U.S. air dominance. It validated the B-58’s role within the Strategic Air Command and underscored the potential for rapid global strike missions. While the B-58 would be retired just over a decade later due to high operational costs and evolving military needs, Operation Greased Lightning remained a testament to Cold War-era innovation. (fb)

Join us in congratulating the Gulf Coast Wing on getting its AC-47 Spooky back into the air after a year of restoration work! They will be bringing the aircraft to Wings Over Houston Airshow this weekend, and then it's off to the paint shop in November to get an all-new paint job! (fb)