Call Field Aviation Museum has opened at Kickapoo Airport in Wichita Falls, Tex. The museum chronicles the military aviation training that took place at the field back in World War I and honors the 34 airmen who lost their lives training there. Among its highlights is a restored Curtiss JN4-D “Jenny” aircraft, one of only five Jennies in flying condition remaining today. “You can go to the Smithsonian and see one hanging from the ceiling, but in Wichita Falls, you can look up in the sky and see one flying overhead,” said Leta Watson, the museum’s executive director. “It is a jewel for Wichita Falls,” added Mary Kearby of the North Texas Museum of History. The museum also features a replica model of the Call Field military installation as well as uniforms, equipment displays, and a video presentation. (Sheppard report by Debi Smith)
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.