The Other X-1 Pilot: Chalmers “Slick” Goodlin, who lost the ride of a lifetime in the 1940s when he resigned as the Bell X-1 test pilot over a contract dispute, died last month at age 82. Goodlin had made 26 flights in the X-1, but the sound barrier-breaking flight would go to Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager. Goodlin served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and became a US Navy test pilot.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…