Combat Aviators & Crewmembers of All Wars

12/12/2025

have tried to research him, to no avail, sad that his history, along with others is gone. It was mentioned that he was the first pilot to shoot down a German jet fighter

12/09/2025

Huang Panyang (a.k.a. Wong Pan-yang/Wong Pan-Yang or simply John Wong, Chinese: 黄泮扬; pinyin: Huang Panyang; Wade–Giles: Huang Panyang; 1was a Chinese-American aviator who volunteered to serve in the Chinese Air Force in the looming war against the Imperial Japanese invasion and occupation; first entering service in China with the previously-separated "warlord air force" under Guangdong provincial leader General Chen Jitang, before centralizing under the Nationalist Chinese Air Force of the Republic of China.

John Wong Pan-yang (Cantonese: Poon-Yeung Wong; Hanyu Pinyin: Panyang Huang) was born in Zhongshan County, Guangdong Province, China. In 1916, at the age of six, he emigrated with his father to Seattle, Washington in the United States, where he would live with his uncle even as his father returned to China six years later. John Wong befriended Arthur Chin after moving to Portland, Oregon, where they both enrolled in a Chinese-American-established flight school (the Chinese Flying Club of Portland) with tuition costs and expenses paid-for by donations from the Chinese-American community for the promise to join the Chinese military in the looming war against the Empire of Japan at the time.

John Wong received his U.S. civilian pilots' license in April 1932, traveling to China to join the Guangdong Provincial Air Force under General Chen Jitang, and was then sent to Germany along with other native Chinese and Chinese-American volunteer pilots by the Guangdong government, including Arthur Chin, for advanced aerial gunnery training with the Luftwaffe at Lagerlechfeld Air Base in southern Germany. Wong returned to China in 1936 and completed advanced training at the Hangzhou Jianqiao Aviation School.

By then, the provincial and warlord air forces have become absorbed into the central Chinese Air Force, and Wong was assigned to command the 17th Pursuit Squadron (PS) of the central government's 3rd Pursuit Group (PG) flying the Boeing P-26 Peashooter Model 281, stationed at Chuyung Airbase (Jurong Airbase) in defense of Nanjing following the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Captain John Wong Pan-yang's first aerial battle took place on 15 August 1937 when he scrambled eight of his 17th PS/3rd PG fighters against an incoming raid of 20 Mitsubishi G3M bombers from the Kisarazu Kokutai, along with five Fiat CR.32s of the 8th PS/3rd PG led by Capt. Chen Yaowei, seven Hawk IIs of the 28th PS/5th PG led by another Chinese-American, Capt. Chan Kee-Wong (Chen Qiguang), and five additional Hawk IIs plus a single Hawk III of the 34th Provisional PS. Wang and fellow pilot Su Ying-Hsien shared one victory that day.

Wong yet again engaged another large bombing raid on Chuyung the following day, 16 August 1937, scoring a triple-kill over the G3M raiders from the Kanoya Kokutai. Wong first attacked the latter's command flight, downing the G3M of Lieutenant Commander Nitta, and damaging another commanded by Lieutenant Junior Grade Watanbe. He joined the Chinese-American Lieutenant Tse-Tsim Wong in pursuing another G3M flight, downing another bomber. Wong was credited with three victories during the air battle on this day, although Watanbe's aircraft returned to base damaged.

In the early morning of 23 August 1937, Wong led seven of his fighters in an es**rt of at least 12 Hawks of the 4th and 5th groups led by Capt. Huang Kuang-Han (English name Raymond Wong) on a strike against Japanese landing forces and naval assets at Wusongkou on northern shores of Shanghai metropolis; while on approach over the target area, John Wong's Peashooter pilots engaged the defending Japanese navy fighters while the Hawks went for the ground targets, and in the intense running dogfight, deputy commander Lt. John Huang Xinrui shot down a Nakajima A4N fighter near Chongming Island, however, Lt. Qin Jiazhu was killed in the melee.

During the Battle of Shanghai, Wong es**rted Chinese bombers and fighter-bombers but the Chinese pilots found themselves at a disadvantage against the Japanese A2N, A4N, and A5M fighters. He claimed one floatplane damaged on 20 September. In early November, just before the fall of Nanking, Wong's 17th Pursuit Squadron was pulled out to Hankou and shifted to the 5th Pursuit Group. On 3 December he returned to Nanjing to fly a reconnaissance mission on the Chinese air force's single Hawk 75, escaping two intercepting groups of Japanese fighters and gaining target information that was passed on to the newly arrived Soviet-crewed SB-2 bomber units.

Wong was promoted to command the 5th Pursuit Group in April 1938 and two months later was stationed at Shaoguan, commanding Art Chin's 28th Pursuit Squadron and the 29th Pursuit Squadron. Both units were equipped with the Gloster Gladiator biplane fighter. On 16 June he led eight other Gladiators into actions against a Japanese bombing raid targeting the Le Chang station on the Canton-Hankow railway. Wong shot down two G3Ms in this action, his last victories of the war. Wong took part in the air battles over Guangxi and the air defense of Chengdu in 1939, but the Chinese fighter pilots found it difficult to contest the Japanese night raids. During the air defense of Chengdu, Wong flew a captured Ki-27 monoplane fighter against Japanese bombers conducting night raids without success. After entering the staff college in 1940, Wong served as air attache at the Chinese embassy in London. He received the Four Star Medal for aerial victories although his official victory tally was six, as mentioned by the Republic of China Air Force's official history. Postwar, Wong did not return to the United States and settled in Hong Kong, working as general manager of an industrial firm.

12/09/2025

a very interesting story

The incredible true story of the most audacious German POW escape attempt of World War II - when two Luftwaffe pilots stole an RAF aircraft from inside Brita...

12/04/2025

a great video about helicopters in Viet Nam

At just 21 years old, you’re flying a UH-1 Huey helicopter into enemy fire. The ground is erupting beneath you. Tracers streak across the air. Soldiers in th...

12/03/2025

On December 2, 1972, Captain Tony Shine took off for a routine reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. A skilled and disciplined pilot, he descended beneath cloud cover to observe an important supply route, fully aware of the dangers that lay hidden in the mountains.
Minutes later, he vanished. He was 33 years old.
Tony Shine was more than a pilot — he was a husband, a father, and a man defined by quiet courage and steadfast duty. His last transmission over the radio was the only sign of his presence before the jungle swallowed his F-4 Phantom and all trace of him. For decades, his family lived with hope and heartbreak, never forgetting him.
His daughter, Christa McAuliffe, would later carry forward his legacy of courage and perseverance in her own historic journey as the teacher selected for the Space Shuttle Challenger, keeping her father’s story alive even in the face of tragedy.
In 1995, after 23 years, a joint recovery team located his aircraft and remains, confirming the loss that had haunted his family for decades. In 1996, Captain Shine was laid to rest with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His service, bravery, and sacrifice were finally recognized, and his story brought home.
Captain Anthony Shine’s legacy endures in the hearts of aviators and families alike — a symbol of duty, honor, and the courage of those who never returned.

12/01/2025

Thomas Wade Landry September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000
Landry attended the University of Texas at Austin He interrupted his education after a semester to serve in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Landry was inspired to join the armed forces by his brother Robert Landry, who had enlisted in the Army Air Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While ferrying a B-17 over to England, Robert Landry's plane had gone down over the North Atlantic, close to Iceland. Several weeks passed before the Army was able to officially declare Robert Landry dead Landry began his basic training at Sheppard Field near Wichita Falls, Texas (now Sheppard AFB), and his preflight training at Kelly Field, located near San Antonio, Texas. Landry's first experience as a bomber pilot was a tough one. A few minutes after takeoff, Landry noticed that the pilot seemed to be working furiously, causing him to realize that the plane's engine had died. Despite this experience, Landry was committed to flying. At the age of 19, Landry was transferred to Sioux City, Iowa, where he trained as a copilot on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. In 1944, Landry got his orders, and from Sioux City he went to Liverpool, England, where he was assigned to the Eighth Air Force, in Ipswich.. Landry earned his wings and a commission as a Second Lieutenant at Lubbock Army Air Field, and was assigned to the 493d Bombardment Group at RAF Debach, England, in the 860th Bombardment Squadron. From November 1944 to April 1945, he completed a combat tour of 26 missions, (his entire crew went on 29 missions and Landry did not go on 3 of them), he also survived a crash landing in Belgium after his bomber ran out of fuel.

He returned to his studies at the University of Texas in the fall of 1946. On the football team, he played fullback and defensive back on the Texas Longhorns' bowl game winners on New Year's Day of 1948 and 1949. At UT, he was a member of the Texas Cowboys and Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Omega Chi chapter). He received his bachelor's degree from UT in 1949. In 1952, he ear a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston.
Regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League

11/30/2025

11/28/2025

Hans Dammers adalah jagoan udara Luftwaffe dengan 113 kemenangan udara (ditambah 23 kemenangan lain yang tak terkonfirmasi!). Dalam begitu banyak misi serang udara-ke-darat yang dijalaninya, dia telah berhasil membabat habis 11 pesawat yang sedang terparkir di landasan, 8 gerbong kereta api, 39 kereta kuda, 34 truk, 3 lokasi senjata anti serangan udara, dan 1 kendaraan lapis baja pengangkut personil! Atas prestasinya tersebut dia dianugerahi Ritterkreuz pada tanggal 23 Agustus 1942 sebagai Feldwebel dan Flugzeugführer 9.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52. Pada tanggal 13 Maret 1944, pesawat Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162) yang dipiloti Dammers terkena pecahan ledakan Lavochkin La-5 Rusia yang ditembak jatuhnya. Dammers bail-out tapi parasutnya tersangkut di sayap pesawat. Dia gugur di rumah sakit Stanislau akibat luka-luka parah yang dideritanya pada tanggal 17 Maret 1944, dan kemudian dipromosikan secara anumerta menjadi Leutnant.

Hans Dammers is the Luftwaffe aerial champion with 113 aerial victories (plus 23 other unconfirmed victories!) In so many air-to-ground missions he has undergone, he has successfully taken out 11 parked aircraft on the runway, 8 train wagons, 39 horse-drawn carriages, 34 trucks, 3 anti-air assault weapons locations, and 1 armored personnel transporter vehicle! For this achievement he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on August 23, 1942 as Feldwebel and Flugzeugführer 9. Relay/Hunt Squad 52 On March 13, 1944, Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162) piloted by Dammers hit a Russian Lavochkin La-5 explosion shot down. Dammers bail-out but his parachute got stuck on the wing of the plane. He collapsed at Stanislau hospital from the severe injuries he sustained on March 17, 1944, and was later posthumously promoted to Lieutenant.
Hans Dammers (8 August 1913 – 17 March 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 113 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. During his numerous ground attack missions he destroyed eleven aircraft, eight locomotives, 39 horse-drawn wagons, 34 trucks, three anti-aircraft emplacements and one armored reconnaissance vehicle.

Born in Scherpenberg near Moers, Dammers was trained as a fighter pilot and was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in 1941. Fighting on the Eastern Front, he claimed his first aerial victory on 31 August 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. On 23 August 1942, Dammers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 58 aerial victories claimed. He was credited with his 100th aerial victory on 5 May 1943. He then served as an instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a supplementary fighter pilot training unit. In January 1944, he was posted to 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of JG 52. Dammers died on 17 March 1944 in a hospital at Stanislau from wounds sustained in a mid-air collision.

Dammers was born on 8 December 1913 in Scherpenberg, present-day a borough of Moers, at the time in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. Following flight training as a fighter pilot, he was posted to the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 52, in the summer of 1941.

Following its brief deployment in the Balkan Campaign, III. Gruppe was ordered to Bucharest by mid-June. There, the unit was subordinated to the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) and reequipped with the new, more powerful Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 model. On 21 June 1941, the Gruppe was ordered to Mizil in preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to provide fighter protection for the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești. Prior to the invasion, Major Gotthard Handrick was replaced by Major Albert Blumensaat as commander of III. Gruppe. Blumensaat was then replaced by Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin on 1 October. At the time, von Bonin was still in convalescence so that Hauptmann Franz Höring, the commander of 9. Staffel, was also made the acting Gruppenkommandeur (group commander). On 27 August, III. Gruppe had reached an airfield named Stschastliwaja located approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) east-southeast of Oleksandriia.[6] There, Dammers claimed his first aerial victory on 31 August over a Polikarpov I-16 fighter aircraft. The following day, he was credited with another I-16 fighter shot down.

On 24 September, III. Gruppe moved to the Poltava Air Base, supporting the 17th Army in the First Battle of Kharkov. On 14 October, Dammers claimed his third aerial victory over another I-16 fighter. Three days later, he claimed an I-26 fighter, an early Luftwaffe designation for a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter. On 23 October, III. Gruppe moved from Poltava to Chaplynka. The following day, he claimed a Polikarpov I-15 fighter aircraft near Ishun. On 2 November, the Gruppe moved to Taganrog where they stayed until 1 January 1942. During this period, Dammers claimed two I-16 fighters on 6 December, another I-16 fighter on 9 December, and his last claim in 1941, a further I-16 fighter, on 27 December.

On 29 April, III. Gruppe had relocated to Zürichtal, a small village at the Inhul in the former German settlement west of Feodosia in the Crimea during the Crimean campaign. On 1 May, the Gruppe was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps and was supporting the 11th Army in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula and the Siege of Sevastopol. That day, he claimed his first aerial victory of 1942 and tenth in total when he shot down a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter. Operating from Zürichtal, Dammers claimed eight further aerial victories, increasing his total to 18 victories claimed. On 12 May III. Gruppe relocated again and was ordered to an airfield named Kharkov-Rogan, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of Kharkov where they participated in the Second Battle of Kharkov. The next day, Dammers claimed three aerial victories over MiG-1 fighters in the combat area of Staryi Saltiv on the Donets. Over the next weeks, III. Gruppe was moved several times. On 19 May, the Gruppe moved to Barvinkove where they stayed until 12 June mostly fighting over the encircled Soviet forces in the Izium salient. Here, Dammers claimed an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and three Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers on 26 May.

The Grupp was then ordered to Belgorod and to Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk, on 22 June. That day, Dammers became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time when shot down five Soviet fighter aircraft. On 28 June, German forces had launched Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia. On 7 July, Army Group A began their advance towards the oil fields in the Caucasus. On 10 July, Dammers was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold). Three days later, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Luhanske. There on 17 July, Dammers (flying Bf 109 G-2 Werknummer 13435—factory number) and his wingman Unteroffizier Kurt Keser jumped Soviet Yak-1 fighter pilot (then Starshiy Leytenant) Aleksandr Pokryshkin, but the future second highest scoring Soviet ace managed to shoot both down. Keser was killed and Dammers bailed out.

On 19 July, III. Gruppe moved to Taganrog, staying there until 29 July. Dammers continued his successes, shooting down two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3s on 28 July, and on 6 August 1942 he claimed an Polikarpov I-153 biplane fighter and two LaGG-3s. Dammers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 23 August 1942, nominated after 51 aerial victories. The presentation was made by Hermann Graf. On 27 August, III. Gruppe reached an airfield named Gonschtakowka located north-northeast of Mozdok on the Terek. There Dammers became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time on 5 September over five Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters which took his total to 63 aerial victories claimed. On 19 September, III. Gruppe reached an airfield named Soldatskaya, west of Mozdok. The Gruppe would remain here until 1 January 1943 but would also use airfields at Mozdok and Digora. Operating from Soldatskaya, Dammers increased his number of aerial victories to 75 by 18 September.[30] By the end of 1942, his total number of aerial victories had increased to 89, making him the fourth most successful fighter pilot of III. Gruppe.

On 15 March 1943, Dammers' 7. Staffel was placed under the command of Oberleutnant Walter Krupinski. The Gruppe was moved to the combat area of the Kuban bridgehead on 1 April 1943 where it was based at an airfield at Taman. Operating from Taman until 2 July, III. Gruppe also flew missions from Kerch on 12 May, from Sarabuz and Saky on 14 May, Zürichtal, present-day Solote Pole, a village near the urban settlement Kirovske on 23 May, and Yevpatoria on 25/26 June. On 5 May 1943, Dammers was credited with his 100th aerial victory, claiming two LaGG fighters that day. He was the 39th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

In May 1943, Dammers transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. On 23 July, he was severely injured in a ground accident when his Bf 109 overturned at Laleu Airfield. Following his recovery, he was transferred to 9. Staffel of JG 52, also known as the Karaya-Staffel, of JG 52 in January 1944. At the time, 9. Staffel was under the command of Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann.[36] This Staffel was also subordinated to III. Gruppe of JG 52. Its commanding officer von Bonin had been replaced by Hauptmann Günther Rall on 5 July 1943.

III. Gruppe was based at Mala Vyska in early January 1944. On night of 9/10 January, the airfield was overrun by Soviet T-34 tanks and had to be abandoned in a hurry. The Gruppe then moved to an airfield at Novokrasne located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Pervomaisk. The Gruppe stayed in Mala Vyska until 22 February when it withdrew to Uman. On 6 March, II. Gruppe headed to Kalynivka and to Vinnytsia on 8 March and then to Proskuriv on 12 March. There, Dammers claimed his last two aerial victories, a LaGG fighter on 12 March and another the following day.

Dammers' Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162—factory number) "yellow 9" was struck on 13 March 1944 by debris from a shot down Lavochkin La-5 near Oleschyn.[40][41] Dammers bailed out but his parachute got caught on his wing. Dammers succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on 17 March 1944 in Stanislau, present-day Ivano-Frankivsk. He was posthumously promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant). Dammers was married to Gertrud Dammers, née Falkenburg. The couple had two sons, Manfred and Hans-Joachim.

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Dammers was credited with 113 aerial victories. Authors Obermaier and S***k also list Dammers with 113 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions, plus further 23 unwitnessed claims. In numerous ground attack missions, he destroyed eleven aircraft, eight locomotives, 39 horse-drawn wagons, 34 trucks, three anti-aircraft emplacements and one armored reconnaissance vehicle.
Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 103 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

11/10/2025

Donald McPherson, a World War II veteran considered the nation's last surviving "ace" pilot from the conflict, has died at the age of 103 in Nebraska.

While serving as a Navy pilot of F6F Hellcat fighters aboard the USS Essex in the Pacific theater, McPherson shot down five Japanese planes — the minimum number required to be considered an "ace" pilot, The Associated Press reported.

Both the American Fighter Aces Association and the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum have recognized McPherson as the last surviving American ace pilot from the war, according to AP.

His service during World War II earned him the Congressional Gold Medal — awarded to those who have made a significant impact on U.S. history and culture — as well as three Distinguished Flying Crosses, according to AP.

"When it’s all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for… his first thing would be that he’s a man of faith," McPherson's daughter Beth Delabar told the Beatrice Daily Sun, which first reported his death on Aug. 14.

In 1942, McPherson enlisted in the Navy at 18 years old. Two years later, after completing the flight program, he married his wife Thelma, according to AP.

McPherson's daughter, Donna Mulder, said her father reflected on moments in the war that left him feeling like, "Maybe God is not done with me."

After the war, McPherson returned home to Adams, Nebraska, and worked as a letter carrier. He helped establish youth baseball and softball leagues and served as a scoutmaster, as well as in several community leadership roles.

He is survived by his daughters Beth and Donna, a son, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the National WWII Museum.Last WWII Ace Dies
Rep. Adrian Smith greets Congressional Gold Medal recipient Donald McPherson in 2015. (Beatrice Daily Sun via AP)
Last WWII Ace Dies
Rep. Adrian Smith greets Congressional Gold Medal recipient Donald McPherson in 2015. (Beatrice Daily Sun via AP)

11/05/2025

Pete Fernandez was born in Key West, Florida on 19 April 1925. His grandparents emigrated from Spain and spent some years on the island of Cuba before finally arriving in the United States. Fernandez was raised in a working-class environment in Miami. His father, an early amateur radio enthusiast, became chief radio operator for Pan American World Airways. Pete grew up immersed in aviation and learned to fly before he could drive, earning his private pilot's license at age fifteen. He graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Miami, Florida in 1943.

Fernandez enlisted in the Army Air Corps on February 23, 1943. On November 5, though small in stature and just a high school graduate, he entered the Aviation Cadet Program. On November 20, 1944, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and received his pilot wings through talent, determination and the enormous manpower needs of total war. In the first of many aerial teaching jobs, Fernandez served as a pilot instructor in Midland, Texas, then in San José, Guatemala and Panama, seeing no combat action during the war.

He re-enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served during the Berlin Airlift in 1948–1949. A member of the 23rd Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group since November 1946, his squadron stationed at Howard Field in Panama was sent to Fürstenfeldbruck AB (air base), Germany to provide fighter cover for the slow transport aircraft that were the aerial supply operation's backbone. The 36th Fighter Group was conveyed to Europe by the carrier USS Sicily to the port of Glasgow, Scotland. The USAF Lockheed F-80 jets the group flew were assembled at Renfrew Airport and then flown to Europe. He served afterwards as a pilot instructor at Nellis AFB in Nevada and Randolph AFB in Texas.

It was only after nearly a decade in uniform that Captain Fernandez finally experienced battle. His turn came in the Korean War, where he served 124 missions with the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group, from September 1952 to May 1953. He proved to be one of the best combat aviators of his generation. Prior to going to the Korean War, he was an advanced instructor at Nellis Air Force Base Gunnery School in Las Vegas, NV. Fernandez wanted to be part of the action in Korea and several times requested a transfer to the war. At the time the Air Force was reluctant to send its best instructors, preferring they lead the severe training regimen ongoing at Nellis. His requests were denied. Finally in frustration, Fernandez decided to begin a disobedience program. He began showing up at 5:00 AM – late, drunk, or sometimes AWOL. Ultimately the Air Force was forced into a choice, either court martial him, or send him to Korea. They sent him to Korea where he could use his extreme talents as a fighter pilot. Fernandez was a crack marksman, one of the best in the Air Force at that time in the art of deflection shooting[citation needed]. Fernandez used stealth and cunning to stalk MiGs rather than attacking impetuously. His modus operandi in combat was to maneuver skillfully and trigger his guns only when he had attained an optimum firing position. Like all top aces in Korea, Fernandez routinely violated Chinese air space by crossing the Yalu River into northeast China to hunt his elusive MiG quarry. He had a reputation for taking care of his comrades and not being reckless with his wingman's safety in pursuit of air victories[citation needed]. In Korea, he became the third highest ranking American ace with 14.5 kills. What is particularly interesting about this record is that he achieved it in a very short period of time, approximately nine months.

Top Korea aces Joe McConnell and "Pete" Fernandez meet with President Dwight Eisenhower at the White House in May 1953.
On 13 May 1953, Fernandez was ordered out of Korea. The Air Force was in the habit of sending its aces home early to protect them, and Fernandez was then its #1 ace. Fighter piloting in war frequently carries with it a sense of great competition among the best pilots. By 18 May, Fernandez with 14.5 kills, was ahead of both Air Force Major James Jabara with 14 kills, and Air Force Capt. Joseph McConnell (one of Fernadez's past trainees) with 13 kills. Fernandez had only been in Korea 9 months, while Jabara saw 28 months and McConnell 11 months of combat. On 18 May 1953, McConnell led a two jet mission in North Korea encountering 28 MiG-15s. It was during this last day of McConnell's tour in Korea that he destroyed three MiG's which moved him (16 air victories) ahead of both Fernandez and Jabara. On 15 July 1953, Jabara earned his last kill bringing his total to 15, and slightly ahead of Fernandez. When Fernandez returned to Nellis, he lamented that had the Air Force permitted him the two additional months, he would have maintained his #1 spot. Such was the state of their competition.

Fernandez returned home at the same time as McConnell. The two fighter pilots enjoyed a hero's welcome, and were feted in city after city with parades and ceremonial keys. The newly elected president, Dwight Eisenhower, invited them for a private debriefing in the White House. The fighter pilots' next duty station was California. McConnell got into flight testing, a coveted billet for its excitement and career-enhancing potential, and was sent to newly christened Edwards AFB.

Hollywood movies
A major Hollywood production was in the works about Captain McConnell called Tiger In The Sky. Fernandez, stationed near Los Angeles at the time, was an obvious choice to be the film's technical advisor. This billet included flying many stunts. Movie production was gearing up for shooting when suddenly, the top air ace was killed in a test accident in the Mojave Desert on August 25, 1954. The film project was retitled The McConnell Story with the tragic ending added and released in 1955. It starred actor Alan Ladd and actress June Allyson as Joe and "Butch" McConnell, with a cinematic result more love story than war saga. The film's tale is made more poignant knowing the movie stars fell into their own star-crossed romance—both were married to other people—even as they portrayed forlorn lovers. Allyson diligently chronicled the whole story in her 1982 autobiography.

Fernandez befriended Allyson on the set and after production ended, she and her husband, actor/director Dick Powell invited the ace and his family to their California ranch. There, Pete shared his battle experiences with filmmaker Powell, whose next project was a Korean War air combat picture titled The Hunters, starring legendary actor Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner. Powell's final film was released to good reviews in 1958, and it contains much more realistic combat sequences than The McConnell Story. Fernandez and two other top Korea aces, Jabara and Royal N. Baker, attended the movie premiere.

Fernandez served with Ninth Air Force at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, from August to September 1953, and then served with a series of fighter squadrons at George Air Force Base, California, from November 1953 to October 1956.

In 1956, Fernandez had won aviation's prestigious Bendix Trophy Race by maximizing his speed and fuel consumption with old tricks learned while at war over Korea and China. There was a level playing field in the 1956 Bendix run, as all six aviators in the competition were experienced Air Force fighter pilots riding the same mount, the USAF's newest fighter, the F-100 Super Sabre. The chosen route was Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, 1,118 miles from start to finish. Though aerial refueling was approved for the first time in race history, no USAF tanker planes were available, so the competing aviators did without. This situation made their pre-race calculations all the more critical, as there would be little margin for error. Pete stayed up late the evening before the event, meticulously plotting his flight profile to wring everything he could manage from each ounce of fuel[citation needed]. On 31 August the six aircraft lifted off from Victorville, California at dawn, one after another, with Fernandez leading the way. When Pete's F-100 rolled past the finish line in Oklahoma City less than two hours later, there was just twenty gallons of fuel remaining in its tanks, enough to stay airborne about a minute. As in Korea, careful planning was critical to Fernandez's Bendix triumph.

Fernandez served at Edwards Air Force Base, California, from October 1956 to April 1957. He next sought assignment to flight testing in an effort to make rank. As a reserve officer, Fernandez would be forced to leave the service after twenty years unless he was tracked for higher command and given a regular commission. Hence, there was significant career pressure to get promoted. Pete was chosen in 1957, to try out for Test Pilot School at Nellis Air Force Base, though with just a high school degree, he was underqualified and clearly getting a break due to his war record. Further complicating matters, Fernandez was hindered by a USAF campaign then underway to "professionalize" the Air Force by weeding out officers who had no higher education. (Pete's advancement from Miami teenager to military aviator had only been possible due to the Air Corps' unique and massive 1942–1947 expansion from an auxiliary Army branch into a modern air service.) At Test Pilot School, the Floridian had arrived at a critical juncture that would change the rest of his life. Finding himself scholastically unprepared for the academic challenge (the TPS curriculum had just begun to emphasize aerospace engineering), Fernandez decided to cheat on one of the entrance requirements, a calculus research project, and got caught. This act sank his future with the Air Force permanently. Pete served as an Air Force Recruiter at Coral Gables, Florida, and then Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, from April 1957 to January 1960.

After completing Spanish Language School, he was then sent in August 1960 to Buenos Aires, Argentina as an advisor to the Argentine Air Force. He retired with the rank of major upon reaching twenty years' service on July 1, 1963.

Death
Fernandez died in a plane crash on October 18, 1980, while flying to Miami from the Bahamas. He received obituaries in the Miami Herald and The New York Times, both of which mentioned widespread rumors that held he had been flying classified missions in central and south America for the CIA after his retirement from the U.S. Air Force.