Greeting loyal airmen.  We start this week's log with some sad news.  But first a little history.  When I came home from Vietnam back in the summer of 1968, I quickly got back into comic book collecting, a hobby I'd put aside my three years in uniform.   Soon I began to realize that a huge fandom had grown up in America and from it all these wonderful fan publications we called fanzines.   I began buying them and discovered a small segment were actually devoted to the old pulp heroes.   Writer Robert Weinberg put out a great series of reprint digests in this vein, many sporting stunning covers by a pen and ink artist named Frank Hamilton.  Over the years I became a huge fan of his work, as seen in the two covers above.  Frank was a master of the art of stipling, a slow technique using tiny dots to shape a pattern or image.  Earlier this week, my colleage, Howard Hopkins of Maine, a personal friend of Frank's, informed the pulp community that Frank had passed away this past Monday at the age of 90.   He leaves a huge empty hole in pulp fandom and he will be sorely missed.  Rest in peace, Frank, a peace you so richly deserve.

On a much a happier note, allow me to say welcome to our newest airman, John Bruening of Ohio.  Seems while surfing the web this week, John managed to trip over the old Airship 27 Hangar and stopped in to take a good look.  Then he graciously sent me a wonderful letter saying how much he enjoyed our site.  John is way too young to know about pulps and classic golden age comics, but somehow he does and so he truly got a kick out of what we do here.  Nothing makes me happier than to know these weekly ramblings amuse and entertain such nice people as John and all the rest of you airmen.  It's why I'm here. Thank you all so very much.

Unless you've been living in a mountain cave the past few months, you all know that Presidential politics have been filling the media.  The recent Florida primary has proven to be very telling in which candidates are emerging as the front runners as the field in both parties narrow.  John McCain is clearly striking a chord with Republicans and I'm truly amazed at the bashing he is getting from extremist in our party.  Yes, I'm a Conservative Republican but I'm also an American who, like McCain, is fed up with twenty years of in-fighting that has so taken over Washsington.  Our representatives, from both parties, are so caught up in beating their opponents across the aisles, nothing ever gets done!!  McCain openly advocates moving to the center and compromising and I for one applaud that.  Likewise I see Senator Obama doing the exact same thing among Democrats, realizing we have to stop party politics once and for all or none of the issues that plague this country will ever be resolved.  Its only when we work together as one people that things get done.  Obama is very much another agent of change as opposed to the old guard Clinton so clearly represents.  It is my fervent hope that come November the contest for the White House will be between the two best candidates, McCain and Obama.  Now that will be a campaign worthy of the American people.

Finally I can't end this week's entry without telling you how thrilled I was to see the return of my favorite TV show last night, LOST is back!  It remains the most innovative, original and exciting drama on the boob tube.  I'd rather watch reruns of LOST than 99% of those stupid reality shows.  Sometimes I wish we could take AMERICAN IDOL and SURVIVOR, put them on a boat and LOSE them!!

Take care, have a great week,
Ron – Over & Out.