Hanger 18

Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar

We left home, headed east and drove to Dayton. We got here early enough to visit the Air Force Museum. Anne noticed unusual behavior among the other couples. The men would stride off, leaving the women to follow as best they could. One woman asked her, are we having fun? She was, unlike the questioner. We closed the museum. I had a great time and appreciated Anne’s patience.

While working for Boeing, I would routinely travel to Dayton on business. I almost never had the opportunity to visit the museum. Long ago I watched a cheesy Sci-Fi movie called Hanger 18. Starring Darren McGavin and Robert Vaughn its story involved a UFO encounter with the Space Shuttle. Lives were lost and most of the movie dealt with a coverup, culminating with a fiery plane crash into Hanger 18 that burned all of the evidence.

In our family, this movie became lore. Every time I visited Wright Pat, my brother Chris would ask about the space aliens there. I am retired now and am finally willing to come clean. See above photo of the alien flying saucer. 😉 

There Were Three Boys


There were three boys, all loyal and true, Duds and Scoop and the Big Bazoo…

Anne and I are in Monterey. Visiting my dad, who at almost 97 is not doing to well. I won’t go into any details except to say that old age is not for the weak. Chris has been doing his best taking care of him and now has the assistance of a visiting nurse. Frank arrived about ten minutes after us. Completing the gathering of the clan. Frank cannot stay, but we will be here for a while.

Last night after dad had gone to bed, we had a great conversation. Sort of a stroll down memory lane. First, my bros regaled each other with advertising jingles from our collective childhood. Then Chris broke out his Super Ball collection. This show and tell is his latest fixation. Sort of a get rich quick scheme, he has bought a bunch of vintage Super Balls that are still in their original packaging, enhancing their value. He hopes to eventually resell them for a profit on eBay. The old balls do bounce quite a bit higher than their newer knockoffs.

Somehow on this journey into the way back machine, we got on the subject of the Dexter, Michigan UFO sightings. I was not aware of any of this, because this all preceded my arrival in Michigan. Apparently, they were a big deal at the time. These phenomena were the origin of the idea that swamp gas was an underlying cause for many UFO sightings. In addition to Super Balls, Chris is also now an aficionado about UFOs too.