Greetings loyal airmen.  Last week I mentioned we were actively looking for new writers at Airship 27Productions and mentioned the possibilities that we might being doing a Sherlock Holmes anthology in the near future.  Well first of all, let me thank all the terrific, and talented, writers who've contacted me this past week.  I was very much impressed with all of you and am delighted to have you on board.  This bodes well for all you loyal airmen, as these new pulpsmiths are very eager to start writing new and thrilling pulp yarns of your favorite classic heroes.  Stay tuned and as always, I'll be keeping you posted.

Of course discussing those old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie was enough to make me sit down one night and watch one of them from extensive DVD collection.  By random, I chose THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, one of my favorites as it pits the Consulting Detective against his arch nemesis, the Napoleon of Crime, Prof. James Moriarity, who in this story desires nothing less than to steal the Crown Jewels of England.  Okay, so I'm sitting here, in the batcave that is my den, watching this fun black and white movie when all of a sudden this actor walks onto the a scene, playing the love interest of the female lead, and your Old Air Chief about fell off his plush recliner.  The guy looks exactly like my pulp hero, Captain Hazzard!  I kid you not.  He was the physical embodiment of the Champion of Justice.  Fit, tall, muscular and brutally handsome with piercing eyes and a dashing, thin mustache.  One of my good pals, Canadian writer Charles Saunders, had recently posted over on his website pictures of those actors he thought could portray the characters from his IMARO series of books. And here I was watching a fellow who could have easily been Hazzard in a 1930s cliff-hanger serial.

                      
                              Alan Marshall as Captain Hazzard

As soon as I finished watching the movie, I jumped on to the internet and went hunting for this fellows biography. The DVD cover told me his name was Alan Marshall and I had no trouble finding several sites dedicated to his life and career.  Apparently he was extremely successful in the late 30s and 40s as a leading man type and made lots of very good movies for various studios both here and in England.  The thing is, loyal airmen, in all the photos posted at these sites, every single one of them reaffirmed he WAS Captain Hazzard.  Later that same night I sent the link to his site to my artists, Rob Davis, who does all the interior illustrations for our Hazzard adventures and Mark Maddox, the fellow who paints those amazing covers.  Both of them were stunned by the likeness and agreed with my assessment.  Rob even went the extra step and using Photo-Shop, played with one of Marshall's photos to add the famous scar over Captain Hazzard's left eye.  (See above.)  And of course both artists downloaded lots of these photos as now they will have some wonderful “real” references for future Hazzard illustrations.  Amazing, don't you think?

Getting back to our books, we are thrilled to announce the release (today) of our reprint edition of one of our most successful Airship 27 Prod. titles, SECRET AGENT X – Vol. Two.  The first edition sold out within months of its release and we are delighted to have it available once again.  It contains three of the original tales from the first edition and a brand new, never before published thriller by B.C.Bell.  B.C. is one of those new recruits I've been gushing about lately and his X story here is just fantastic.  You don't want to miss it.  The book also contains twelve dynamite illos by Rob Davis and that stunning cover above by Rob and digital color wizard, Chris Carney.  As always, like all our books, it is avaible through all major book distributors ala Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  And you loyal airmen can get it via our on-line store for a 25% saving off retail.  Just click to onto the dirigible logo to the upper left of this column.

The added excitement about all this is that this release not only makes both Vol One & Two of our Secret Agent X books available once again, but now paves the way for all new anthologies, the first of which, Vol. Three, we hope to have ready within a month or so.  If you have never ever read a Secret Agent X story, I hope you'll give this book a try.  He was the original pulp super spy and the true precursor to all the heroes like James Bond that came later.  This is pulp adventure at its best.

Finally, I want to leave you airmen with this amazing photograph that surfaced on the internet this past week and was forwarded to your Airchief by a good friend.  I'm sorry the reproduction is so bloody small here, but if you come up real close to your PC monitor and squint, you'll realize what it is your are seeing; eighteen thousand U.S. Soldiers standing in a formation of the Stature of Liberty.  There is no date to the photo, but the uniform suggest it would have been during the World War One years.  It does state that it was posed and taken at Camp Dodge in Iowa.  When I first saw it, I knew immediately it was something I had to share with my loyal airmen.

And there you have it, airmen.  Fall colors are filling the New Hamshire landscape, political debates and annoying ads fill the airwaves and our beloved Red Sox took game one in the play-offs against the Anaheim Angels, beating them 4 to 1.  All in all, I think its been a great week.  I hope the same for you.  See you in seven.
Ron – Over & Out

Greetings loyal airmen.  We are finally into the Fall season and rain is pouring down outside Hangar 27 as I write this week's log entry.  Valerie comes home from her trip out west in four more days, so your Old Air Chief is going to be busy sprucing up and getting things ready for her homecoming.  She has had a great time out in Ft.Collins CO, visiting our son and his family and this time around they had the opportunity to visit the Custer Memorial Park in Montana.  She was truly impressed by seeing the Little Bighorn Battlefield and all the history behind it.  We can't wait to hear the stories she has to tell.

On the political front, unless you've been living in a hermit's shack in the woods somewhere, you've no doubt heard about the economic dire straights our economy is in these.  All of course revolving around the debate whether to bail out Wall Street or let them sink or swim on their own.  Personally, I'm ambivalent and can see the pros and cons for both side.  But in the end, my true concerns are for the decent, hardworking Americans who sadly tried for the brass ring of home ownership and got in way over their heads.  I don't believe for wanting a piece of the American dream, they should be penalized and have to lose their homes.  But it is not for me to decide.  Right now its up to the folks in Washington, who, through the last thirty years, both Democrats & Republicans, have created this mess, to clean it up.
 
                                  

Now I bring up all this economic stuff because it underlines just how great you loyal airmen are.  Last week we released our latest Airship 27 Prod. pulp novel, GHOST SQUAD – Rise of the Black Legion.  All in the midst of these hard financial times, and immediately you airmen jumped on board and started ordering copies.  Yup, on that very first day.  And those sales have stayed stead throughout the past week, making your Old Air Chief both awed and humbled by your truly generous support of our endeavors.  You guys (& gals) are simply the best fans ever and we at Airship 27 Prod. applaud all of you.  Above is the gorgeous back cover to GHOST SQUAD by Rob Davis for those of you who haven't picked it up yet.  Front to back this book is a winner.

Of course we've absolutely no intentions of resting on our laurels (besides, laurels generally have thorns..ouch).  Nope, once we get one book published, we at Airship 27 Prod. immediately start work on another project ala the preliminary advertisement above which will be appearing the back pages of our forthcoming deluxe reprint edition of our SECRET AGENT X – Volume II.  Hopefully in another week or two.  And as the ad obviously indicates, we've already started putting together Volume III.  Secret Agent X is one of the most popular classic pulp heroes of the 1930s and we've had a blast bringing you his “all new” adventures by some of today's talented adventure/action writers. 

But here's the thing, we need more writers.  We have lots of plans for future titles and not nearly enough pulp writers to fulfill them, which is why we are putting out this plea to you, our loyal airmen.  We need more talented writers to help us create lots more exciting pulp books like the Secret Agent X series.  Some time later this year we will be releasing our first JIM ANTHONY – Super Detective Anthology and our very first ever pulp horror book to be called WEIRD HORROR TALES.

And we are also giving some serious thought to producing a Sherlock Holmes anthology series.  The character, as portrayed in the photo above by actor Basil Rathbone with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, has always been one of my favorites and we thought it was time the Baker St. consulting detective was given the Airship 27 treatment. We've started putting out the word and have been pleased to learn, as we expected, that there are lots of writers out there who've dreamed of writing a Sherlock Holmes mystery.  But again, for all these marvelous projects to reach publication, we need talented word spinners to deliver some nifty purple prose.  If that sounds like you or someone you know, please, drop me a line at the contact link above in the menu section.  And as ever, thanks for you tremendous, unfailing support.

Finally, our beloved Red Sox made the play-offs this past week.  It is most likely, barring a crash and burn of epic proportions, that the Tampa Rays will be the American League East Division champs and kudos to them for what they've achieved this year, coming up from last year's last place to win it all.  It's quite a story and they deserve all our applause for pulling it off.  So now we head into October baseball, with the Sox traveling to Los Angeles to battle the best team (on record that is) in the Anaheim Angels.  It proves to be an exciting contest and we are glued to our TV sets, praying our familiar chant, GO SOX!

Have a great week and see you back here in seven days.
Ron – Over & Out.

Greetings loyal airmen.  Here we are in mid September and weather in New England is decidedly cool, as traditional Fall temps become the norm; warm days and cool evenings.   Soon the leaves will start changing colors and Halloween is just around our October corner.  And what could be more fitting then the release of our book called GHOST SQUAD.

GHOST SQUAD – Rise of the Black Legion is the first in a brand new series written by your old Air Chief and the amazing Andrew Salmon.  Earlier in the year we published Andrew's science fiction drama, THE LIGHT OF MEN, which is still garnering rave reviews throughout the sci-fic community.  He also made his pulp debut with a Secret Agent X tale that was featured in our updated reprint of SECRET AGENT X Vol. One.  GHOST SQUAD was a concept I had wanted to use ever since starting up Airship 27 Prod. but at the time found myself swamped with other writing obligations, not to exclude editing all our fine titles.  During one of our e-mail correspondence, I suggested the concept to Andrew and asked if he'd like to help me bring it to life. His answer was a resounding yes, and so together we set about bringing this unique team of pulp heroes together.

Rise of the Black Legion, the sub-title of the first book introduces the cast and set up.  John Lazarus is the leader and he possesses a unique secret known only to a handful of people, a secret rooted in the pages history two thousand years old.  With him are Alan Hale, a Texas flying jockey who loves a good fight and Arlene Kane, the beautiful, mysterious stage magician known as Lady Arcane.  They, and their colleagues, a super secret Washington spy network, must confront a foreign threat to America called the Black Legion; a cultist spy ring originating in the heart of Nazis Germany.  The action is non-stop with a climatic ending that we hope will leave all you loyal airmen clamoring for more.

As always, Rob Davis provides the design work and all nine black and white interior illustrations, plus a truly gorgeous back cover layout.  Whereas gracing the cover of GHOST SQUAD number one, is the work of a rising young talent named Chad Hardin.  Chad is working for DC comics these days primarily doing covers, but you will soon see the full range of his graphic abilities with the forthcoming SPIRIT # 21, in which he did all the interior work.  Chad is a gifted artist and we're extremely excited to have him provide our dramatic cover.  So, as always, loyal airmen, GHOST SQUAD – Rise of the Black Legion, is now available at leading bookstores and the various on-line outlets such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.  And as of this morning, it is also posted at our own Airship 27 store with our special discount.  You know the drill, simply click on the dirigible logo to the left of this column.  And as always, thanks so very, very much for you continued to support.  And if you enjoy our titles, please, help spread the word and tell your friends about us.  Word of mouth is still the best advertising out there.

Finally, the regular baseball season is quickly coming to a close as October looms.  The Tampa Rays have proven quite soundly that they aren't a temporary fluke and have taken on all the American League East big boys to include the Yankees and our beloved Red Sox.  So as all the teams battle through their last few games, we sit on the edge of our chairs, keeping those fingers crossed and enjoying the thrill of contests.  Whoever wins it all, so far its been one hell of a season.

Have a great week, and see you back here next week.
Ron – Over & Out.

Greeting loyal airmen.  I posted the above picture of the USS-Akron sailing over Manhattan before.  Somehow today, on the seventh anniversary of the attack on America, I thought it approprite to use it again.  You see this photo taken long ago, somehow conveys the might and ingenuity of New York City.  Rising up on that small chunk of real estate, the Big Apple is like no other metropolis in the world.  Seven years ago today that city, and Washington D.C., were attacked and within a few short hours nearly three thousand people, most of them Americans, had lost their lives.  On this day we remember them in prayer and reflection, and we remember the love, compassion and boundless courage displayed by Americans all over our great country on that day of tragedy.  We will never forget those we lost.  God bless America forever.

Every now and then a movie comes along that for whatever reason does not get the recognition it deserves.  Once such film is RENAISSANCE, a French science fiction thriller much like the classic BLADE RUNNER.  The difference being it is animated using motion-capture like the recent BEOWULF only without color, thus it has the stark black and white feel of SIN CITY.  Quite the cinematic stew, but the result is an intense crime thriller set against Paris in 2054 wherein a highly trained cop is recruited to find a missing scientist with the knowledge to alter mankind's future.  Directed by Christian Volckman, it features Daniel Craig, Catherine McCormac and Ian Pryce.  This is a great sci-fi movie and I recommend to all you loyal airmen.

Recently one of our Airship 27 Prod. writers informed us that he would soon be attending a sci-fi convention and wondered if we might have some kind of promotional fliers he could pass out at his table.  Rob Davis and I thought it was an excellent idea, as both of us could use one as well for our own shows.  Rob went to town and produced this truly gorgeous flier depicting eight of our current titles.  I can't wait to pass these out to fans.  And remember, six of these books are on sale at our on-line store, found by clicking on the Airship 27 logo to the immediate left of this column.  I'll let you deduce which two haven't been released yet.  Consider this a small sneek-peek at their covers.

Finally, the Fall TV season is upon us and most of you know I am a huge LOST fan.  Well, the creator of that series, J.J.Abrams has a new show called FRINGE and it debut this past Tuesday night.  Show reminds me a great deal of the old X-FILES, but with a twist.  It has a good cast and I liked the opening episode a great deal.
Fingers crossed this could be a lot of good, creepy fun.  There will be an encore presentation this coming Sunday for those of you missed it the first time around.

And that's another week, loyal airmen.  Thanks as always for stopping by and see back here in seven days.
Ron – Over & Out.

Greetings loyal airmen.  Well, with summer over and the new school year underway, most of us turn our attentions to the events that traditionally make up Fall in America.  Yearly that means the baseball play-offs.  Here we are in the September, the last regular month of the game season.  Come October 1st only the best will be remain to start the race for the World Series Championship.  Whereas every four years we also have a different race to contend with, the political variety.  As of Nov. 4th, Americans will go to the polls and elect a new President.  Now I know writing about politics is always a touchy subject.  Really.  The last time I did so, one of my regular readers was so angered by my position, he wrote me a scathing rebuttal (way beyond civil), pretty much calling me stupid and ignorant for my beliefs.  Needless to say, he doesn't stop here any more.  Anyway, if you too don't like discussing politics, then I would simply suggest you skip over that section of this week's journal.  They will be easy to distinguish.  I'm going to talk baseball first, set up a page break and then go into that “delicate” subject matter.  Then another break and wrap things up.  Fair enough?

One of the real joys of following the Red Sox this year has been in watching shortstop, Dustin Pedroia, play the game.  This 5'7″ player is a non-stop hitting machine like no other in all of baseball today.  There have only ever been a small handful of ball players who were natural hitters.  Trust me, it is a gift and it drives opposing pitchers crazy.  Why?  Because there is no place they can put the ball, Pedroia can't hit!  We have watched him almost go down on one knee many times, swing out his bat as if it were a fly-swatter and connect with a ball that was only two inches off the dirt!  Inside, outside, up or down, it doesn't matter.  Petey (his nickname on the team) simply sees the ball and hits it.  Time after time!  He's leading all of Major League Baseball with his hitting average and let me add his defensive place is nothing to sneeze at either.  As a shortstop, he moves fast and it's all too rare when balls do get past him.  Is it any wonder that we devoted Sox fans see him winning the Most Valuable Player award this year?   And this from a young man who was last year's Rookie of the Year!!  Absolutely amazing.  Dustin Pedroia is one of the most talented ball players on the field today.  No matter had bad things have gotten for this team (and there have been many ups and downs for sure) Petey has always delivered.  He is a joy to watch and as the Red Sox battle their way to the play-offs, you have to know the eyes of Red Sox Nation are on the little guy at shortstop to help propel the team to victory. 

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Back in 2000, Arizona Senator John McCain ran for the Presidency of the United States.  We here in New Hampshire get to know candidates quickly because of our First in the Nation Primaries.  I remember being fascinated and inspired by McCain's story.  He was a real war hero who had endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of his captors during his five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.  Being a Vietnam vet myself, I could sympathize with this brave man who never lost his faith in American and I voted for him.  Sadly New Hamphsire's insight didn't matter to the established Republican party and they opted for a wheeler-dealer in George W.Bush.   Regardless, my interest in McCain didn't wain and one day Valerie came home from shopping and handed me his book, FAITH OF MY FATHERS.  I was delighted  and as expected, thoroughly moved by this no-holds barred look into the man's life.  John McCain's greatest strength is his self-awareness of his own flaws.  He admits to growing up a wild, rebellious youth who only wanted to have fun and enjoy the good things in life.  When fate dropped him into hostile territory with his legs and arms broken, he quickly had that that selfish veneer ripped away.  Stripped of his God-given freedoms, beaten repeatedly to include torture, John McCain mentally matured.  He learned the hard way what life's real priorities are and the value of a free democracy.  He learned the indomitable courage of his fellow POWs and through their abiding friendship and support, he endured horrors few of us can ever imagine.

Upon his return to civilian life, he could have packed it in and gone about his life in the private sector. He's a smart guy, he'd have been successful at anything he tried.  But that wasn't going to happen.  McCain came home a new man, a man who had learned love of country in a new and profound way and knew he had to devote his life to preserving our society.   He went into public service for all the rights reason; to serve his fellow Americans and to protect his country.  That has been his record from day one.  McCain despises corruptions and politicians who cheat and lie, robbing the American taxpayers every chance they can.  And he doesn't care which side of the aisle they sit on, Republicans and Democrats alike.  To McCain, a crook is a crook no matter what his party affiliations are.  And so he's made a lot of enemies.  Surprise, surprise.  Yet, somehow he has once again endured.  And that in itself is amazing considering the politic machinery he has gone up against.

When he launched his new campaign last year, political expert didn't give him a prayer of succeeding.  Hell, the fat cats of his own party didn't want him to win.  Why?  Because McCain will upset their comfy business as usual if he gets into the White House. Have absolutely no doubts about that.  This man is fed up with a do-nothing government and is going make it once again what Lincoln cherished, “..a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

So against all odds, he wins his party's nomination.  Now comes the greatest challenge of all, bringing his case to the American people who are rightly sick and tired of politics as usual, including a Republican Administration that seems to have lost touch with average American family.  The Democrats are preaching change and in a sense they do have the easier road to climb.  The mere fact that should they win, it would be a change.  Right, the change from one party to the other.  But is that all that matters to you?  Please understand, if the Democrats win, they will alter nothing!  Washington will continue to be a sink hole of useless debating which achieves nothing.  Remember, although the Republicans do hold the white house, for the past four years the Democrats have controlled the Congress.  Their record of achievement.  Zero!  They have failed to alleviate any of the many problems facing the American people and their Congress has the worst record since this country was founded.  Change?  Give me a break, please. 

So here we have two men running for office and each claiming to be an agent of change.  So along comes the party conventions and we Americans watch very closely to see how each of these candidates will proceed.  One of the telling moments in the choosing of a running mate is the insights it gives all of us to “how” the candidate thinks?   And since both parties are arguing change, it was a major let down to see the Democratic nominee's choice.  Oh, not that his choice isn't a good man etc.etc.  But come on people, what it was was business as usual.  Where was the change there?   Then last week John McCain set the political world on its butt by going out of the Washington Beltway to find a gutsy, reform minded governor who had battled her own party bigwigs and won.  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the true breath of fresh air all of us have been praying for, but never honestly thought we'd get.  In one bold move, McCain proved his words.  He did not pick an established politician, although he had amble choices from those in his party.  Nor did he allow his party leaders to dictate his choice.  Days before the his selection, I watched noted Republicans on television saying they hoped he wouldn't do anything radical.  Ha.  Radical. He broke the mold on radical.  Sarah Palin was a small town mayor.  I can think of no better education into the world of public service then being a mayor.  It's a tough as hell job, every day going out there amongst your neighbors and managing their government so that it is totally responsive to their needs and well-being.  Palin did so perfectly.  Enough so that her supporters knew she was the real answer to the political corruptions that had infested their state and they voted her in as governor to clean things up.  And she did! Going after the crooks in her own party, most of which either then left office in disgrace or were indicted and convicted.  The woman is true and sincere reformer.  She is a mother who wants only the best for her family, and yours.  Her oldest son is in the army and soon to be deployed to Iraq.  Like all mothers, she is scared for him, but at the same time she is proud of his willingness to serve the greatest country in the history of the world.  As John McCain learned in Vietnam, freedom is never free.

So there you have it.  A rebel, a fighter, a maverick and a REAL AMERICAN HERO, wants to be your President.  He has fought and bled for America and he loves her above all else.  He says he's going to change things in Washington and by choosing a gutsy, no-nonsense woman as his running mate, he's already shown the world he is a man of his word.  You want to things to change in Washington? So do I, and the best hope we have for that change is McCain & Palin!

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Okay, loyal airmen, that's the Air Chief's political rant.  There won't be any more this election.  I just hope all of you, regardless of your leanings, will do your homework and get involved with the process. Please, vote!  It is your greatest weapon in preserving all our freedoms.  Never take it for granted.

Finally, Valerie flew off to Colorado this past week to spend time with our son Alan, and his family.  Me and her mom are holding down the fort while she's gone.  It's an interesting pattern that we've established and even though it means we have to be apart, her homecomings are special.  They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and we both attest to that being so true.  

Ron – Over & Out.

Greetings, loyal airmen.  Well here we are, full into the Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer.  Signs of which we've been seeing all too soon.  Kids here in Somersworth were back in school this past week, the old fleet of buses once again making their early morning rounds.  In two days we'll be closing up the swimming pool out back, draining the water level, adding the anti-freeze and putting the cover back over it.  All too fast, that's how summers fly around here.  Still, Valerie and I went to see a movie matinee a few days ago which totally brought back lots of fun, summer memories for your Old Air Chief.

DEATH RACE is a B-Movie action flick starring one of my favorite actors, Jason Statham.  I've been a fan of his since he popped up on the cinema scene with his first TRANSPORTER movie.  Ergo, when I first saw the trailers for this, his latest feature, it was a done deal I would go and see it.   And enjoy it to the max.  B-Movies are the fun flicks people make for no other reason than to entertain their audiences.  When I was a kid growing up in the late fifties and sixties, small Hollywood studios woulp pump out these kind of popcorn movies by the hundred; especially for the summer drive-in season.

For those of you under thirty, drive-ins were actually outdoor movie theaters.  Imagine a huge, empty, paved parking lot in the middle of nowhere.  Now at one end put up a giant wooden wall, painted a non-reflective white and there's your giant screen.  The concept of drive-ins became successful during the late fifties as more and more American families owned cars, and their teen-age kids owned cars.  What better way to go see a movie than in your own car.  Families would pack up, the kids dressed in their pajamas and off they would go to watch a movie under the night skies.  I loved drive-ins as a kid.   Of course these kind of loose, informal viewings were not conducive to seeing “serious” melodramas.  Those were fine for the art-house crowd and the folks who wanted to win Oscars.  Nope, drive-ins catered to exploitation movies, horror, sci-fi and goof-ball comedies.  The stuff the average American family could enjoy.  See, there's that word again, entertainment.

And during the heyday of the drive-ins, nobody produced more entertaining B-Movies then producer Roger Corman.  Corman became a legend in Hollywood by having the genius to recruit young movie makers coming out of all the famous liberal arts colleges in California.  All these would-be filmmakers were eager-beavers looking for a place to learn their craft and Corman gave them that stage.  He hired up and coming young stars as well and kept everything on the cheap.  Cheap movies made fast and delivered to distributors on time.  Corman's movies were among the finest B-Movies ever made.  One of them was in fact DEATH RACE 2000, which was the original version of this new Statham flick.

Made in 1975, this Roger Corman cult classic starred David Carradine, Simone Griffith and a young actor named Sylvester Stallone.  It was written by Robert Thom and Charles Griffith and directed by Paul Bartel.  The plot told us that in the future of 2000, the world economic stability collapsed and to keep the masses happy, the government instuted the Transcontinental Road Race, a gory gladitorial contest wherein death and mayhem were the rules and victory meant freedom to the winner.  As a drive-in B-Movie, it was absolutely perfect and I've fond memories of seeing it up there on that giant white screen.  Happily the Statham remake, directed by W.S. Anderson is just as much shlock and silliness as the original, only instead of a cross-country race, the criminal drivers in this new version are all confined to an off-shore island where the race (more in-line with Nascar track style) is held.  Like the original, all cars are armored and loaded with guns and rockets, all better to wipe out the competition…permanently.   It's just plain, mindless fun with truly incredible action sequences.  Neither Val or I were disappointed. 

So if you too miss those old days of the drive-ins, go see DEATH RACE.  It might bring back a few of those wonderful memories.  Now I'm just waiting for someone to put DEATH RACE 2000 on DVD.  Please.

And there you have it, loyal airmen.  Next week we'll be kicking off the Fall season, bombarded by political ads on TV every five minutes and praying the Red Sox can make it to the play-offs.  Never a dull moment at the old Hangar 27.

Ron – Over & Out.

Greetings loyal airmen. If any of you attempted to stop by Hangar 27 last weekend, you may have discovered we were nowhere to be found.  Let me apologize for that and explain what happened.  Our site is managed by Scott, my oldest son and he carries it on servers he has set up in his home in Bethel, Conn.  Well, last Satuday afternoon Scott's house was struck by lightning!  Thank God, there was no major damage to the structure of the house itself or any major electrical appliances.  But still, the jolt of juice from Mother Nature got into his lines and fried all his server connections and thus down went our site.  As it was a weekend, Scott's attempts to get any kind of customer service assistance was futile and the best he could do was wait until Monday when a technician from his provider arrived and put in new lines.  By Monday evening we were back on the world wide web once again.  A mere bump in the road, although I'm guessing Scott has been shopping for new electrical grounding systems so that this never happens again.  Lightning is really scary stuff.

As most of you familiar with me know, I once wrote a play which told the story of how my mother and father met shortly before the start of World War II.  Their romance had to be put on hold while Dad went off to fight in the South Pacific and the two actually fell in love in their letters to each other over a three year period.  I wrote the play years after Dad had passed away because my own children, so small at the time, never got to really know him and that was something I wanted to correct.  So by the gift of my imagination I was able to bring those events back to life for one memorable weekend in a small theater in Springvale, ME for my family.  Part of my message to the audience that first evening was to not let their own individual life stories simply die with them.  To share them with their children and grand children so that they would live on and become a living heritage.

When doing the production, we needed to do up a poster and I remembered a truly wonderful portrait of my mother taken when she had just turned seventeen.  This was the same year she met my Dad and they started dating, 1942.  I found the portrait and we used it for our poster.  Gabrielle Marie Richer at the age of 17, so lovely and so optimistic about what life would bring her.

This past week I had the opportunity to revisit many of those themes when I was asked to show a video tape of the play to the residents of the Wentworth Home in nearby Dover, NH.   Mom is now a resident there having moved in eight months ago.  She's 83 and her health made independent living no longer feasible and so with our help and support, she found this truly marvelous home and applied for residency.   The care of seniors in our country today is a crucial topic as more and more Americans, through the wonders of modern medicine, are living longer than ever.  And I'm sure all of you airmen of heard the horror stories of some of these so called “nursing” homes where old people are merely dropped off to and forgotten.  Those places do exist and need to be exposed and either corrected or put out of business.  The care of our seniors should be a top priority in our society if we wish to call ourselves civilized.  We all owe them safety, security and the best care possible.  All of these attributes are present at the Wentworth Home and we were so thrilled when they accepted Mom's application.  The change in her life these past eight months has been remarkable.  She is exercising daily and has become more active and outgoing than ever.  It's as if she were a plant needing water and sunshine and that is what this facility and its staff have provided her soul.  Not to discount that she now has 40 new friends, all of whom share her enthusiasm for life and its continued adventure.

The picture above was taken a few weeks ago after a group of these fun loving “kids” went bowling.  Gabe is the good looking one in the red blouse.   Trust me, loyal airmen, spend just ten minutes with these people and they will have you laughing till your ribs ache, so full of the joys of life are they, every one of them.  And as I said, this is only a small group of the entire company.

A side note, Mom was worried because we were going to show the play tape on their big screen TV after lunch and she knew lots of her friends might nod off when the lights went down.  I told her not to concern herself, that I was well aware of how comfortable the body becomes after eating well and how easily it is to take an unintended nab.  If they fell asleep during the presentation, so be it.  I wasn't going to complain.  Well, to my utter surprise not only did they remain wide awake and alert during the entire two hours, but they loved the play and all of them in attendance made sure to shake my hand and tell me so.  Of course it helps that the story was all about their generation and they appreciated it for what it was.  I ended my afternoon with them once again urging all of them to tell their life stories to others. Not to let them be lost.

And that's my message to you loyal airmen today who have seniors in your family, be they grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles.  Get them to tell you their stories.  Please.  Get a tape recorder and sit down some afternoon and interview them.  Learn what America was like fifty, sixty, seventy years ago.  Get their personal accounts of the Great Depression and World War II.  Document their lives so that one day, after their gone, you can share them with your own kids.  Trust me, there is no greater treasure you can give them then the story of their ancestors.  Only by the lessons of the past can we truly understand the present and challenge the future.

Ron – Over & Out.
                                      

For many, many years, one of the real eating treasures of our little town, Somersworth, NH, was a place called Ned's.  It was a seafood take out business that served up the best fried clams in the entire world.  It was a very tiny place, located near an old parochial grade school and run by the same fellow and his family for dozens of years. There were no seats or such as it was strictly take-out.  You either walked in and stood in a little packed area with lots of other hungry folks or you wisely called ahead and had your order ready when you arrived.  Regarless, the place was always mobbed during the dinner hours and on weekends.  They did a whopping good business. I tell you all this, loyal airmen, as a set up for what comes next.  Read on.

When Valerie and I first started dating, both of us were struggling to make ends meet.  We'd both been through a divorce and were dealing with the ramifications of these both alone and together.  Falling in love, we knew that together we could pick up the pieces of our lives and make them better but that it was going to take lots of hard work and sacrifice.  One of our goals was to save up enough money so that when we did get married, we'd be able to put a down payment on a house.  But it wasn't going to be easy.  So we started a mutual high yield savings account and made a pact that we would put every penny we earned into that account from our individual pays that wasn't used for bills.  I had child support bills and she, on her own again, had her own lists to include rent, food, etc. As I said at the start, we didn't have a whole lot.  But we had each other and those five wonderful kids.  Anyway, we made the pact and we lived it by it.  For almost two years there were no movies, no eating out, no books, no new clothes, etc.etc.etc.  Slow but sure that special bank account began to grow and with it our dreams for the future.  It was tough, but so were we.

One particular Saturday afternoon, when the kids were with our respective ex-es, we decided to go for a walk.  It was summer and the weather absolutely gorgeous.  So off we went just walking along the streets of town chatting away up nothing and everything.  Just happy to be alive and together.  As we walked along we both began to smell a very familiar aroma in the air.  Realizing we were only a few block's from Ned's Seafood, we immediately knew we were smelling fried clams.  Our mouths began to water.  Ah, to taste those golden delicious fried clams. I stopped and asked Val if she had any money on her at all.  She began to dig through her jacket pockets and I did the same.  Here was a crumbled dollar bill.  Here was another one.  And a quarter, then two and three.  Eagerly we put all our loose change and bills together and hurried over to Ned's front window menu display.  Counting what we had against what was listed there, we were thrilled to learn we had just enough to buy a half pint of fried clams!!  Laughing, we rushed into Ned's and gave the girl behind the counter our order.  It being mid-afternoon the place only had a few other customers and within mere minutes we were being handed this little white cardboard box filled to the brim with fried clams.

We walked away enjoying our small reward, each clam tasting as if it had been prepared in heaven, the were so damn good.  Of course I often think back on that day and realize it was the circumstances of our partnership, our sacrifices etc. that made those clams taste far better than any I'd ever had before, or since.  In a world of excesses, we all too easily forget the simple things that bring us joy and contentment.   To finish the tale, we did stick to our guns, saved that money and eventually married and bought the house that has now been our home for the past twenty-five years.  And in it we've created twenty-five thousand happy memories. That's what life is all about.  Making memories like being without and pinching pennies to taste the best fried clams ever made!!

Ned eventually retired and some of his kids tried to keep the place going but it was never the same and finally they shut it down.  It just sits there now, all boarded up.  But I swear, some days when I drive downtown with the window open and pass by, I can still smell that delicious aroma and my mouth begins to water.

Ron – Over & Out.

            
                                         Writer Larry Young and the Airchief

Greetings loyal airmen.  Well, the rain continues to pound New Hampshire with no signs of letting up any time soon. It's gotten so that we can easily imagine we're all living in Merry Old England, the constant patter on the rooftops and the damp, moldy atmosphere is really depressing.  Hey, Mom Nature, it's suppose to be SUMMER!  Get with the program and give us some sunshine.  PLEASE!!!

Speaking of happy times, that's exactly what your old Airchief had last week at Larry Doherty's ond day show in Chelsmford, MA.   Fellow writer, Larry Young of Arundel, Maine, and I drove down early last Sunday morning to the Radisson hotel and got a very big surprise upon entering the place.  Larry informed us his hall was over booked with seventy-six vendors and there was simply no room available for his few creator guests.  So the decision was made to put us folks in the lobby fronting the entrance to the hall.  A table was set up in front of a small sofa and that's where Larry and I held court for the next six hours.  I'll confess to being a little unsettled at first, but then the realization quickly dawned on me that for the first time in all the years I've attended such events, I wouldn't be sitting on some hard, unforgiving metal chair.  Nope.  Larry and I were comfortably situated on plush, padded cushions as we met and greeted all the wonderful comic fans who came by.  By the end of the day, I was delighted not to have a sore backside or derriere.  That's French for…well, you can figure it out.   It all turned out to be a really fun, new experience.

The show was also a very profitable one as lots of fans stopped buy and picked up our Airship 27 pulps books, many of them being past customers who were anxious to see what new titles we had to offer.  As much as I love meeting new fans, and there were lots of those here, it is also an added treat to renew acquaintances with those of you who've become our valued supporters over the years.  So thanks to one and all for stopping by last Sunday.  And for all of you who picked up a pulp or a comic at the show, please, when you've finished reading it, drop me a line and let me know what you thought of it.  Your feedback is important to us.

Of course a big thanks to promoter and pal, Larry Doherty, for hosting another really great show.  I was Larry's first ever guest at his first show back more years than either of us care to remember. Ha.  Also a tip of the hat to my pal, artist, Kris Carter, who was another guest at the show.   Kris and I working on a new sci-fi adventure comic series I've mentioned before called EPOCH.  It's Kris's concept and I'm on board helping him flesh it out.  It's always fun to get together with Kris, a really great artist and fun guy.  I always want to say hi to another really talented fellow I met for the first time, Jarrod Courtemanche.   Jarrod is an independent filmmaker and writer who really has a zest for all creative endeavors.  I left the show with two of his films from his Mindside Studios and upon watching them, have to tell you he's the real deal.  He knows how to make movies.  Both THE KILLING HAND and VIRTUE (The Way of the Modern Samurai) are low-budget classics that I strongly recommend to all loyal airmen.  Go on-line, Google Mindside Studios and check these out.  I'm hoping to have Jarrod contribute to some of our future pulp anthologies.

And while talking about comic shows, let me announce the publication of my latest comic work.  Several years ago I wrote a short comic story starring my jewel thief,  Satin Wei.  It was pencilled by Chilean artist Gonzalo Martinez, inked by Terry Staats and lettered by my pal Jaymes Reed.  A few weeks ago, fellow writer Bobby Nash, put me on to a new black and white comic anthology, REAL MAGICALISM, being produced by writer – artist, James Burns.  Burns was assembling the book to debut it at Dragon Con in a few weeks and still looking for contributions.  I contacted him, told him about our little story and after looking at the pages, he accepted it for the book.  Much to our delight.  That's the cover above.  So if you have plans of being in Atlanta for Dragon Con, do hunt up Burns and pick up a copy, or you can order on-line at Catawba Publishing.  The link is posted below. (http://catawbapublishing.com/bookstore/view_details?book=113)  Tell him the Airchief sent you.

Finally, last week we applauded the departure of Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox.  Well here we are a full week later and new left fielder, Jason Bay, is proving with every game that he is perfect cure to Manny-malaise. Bay is a no-nonsense ball player who obviously loves to play the game and gives it 100%.  Prior to his arrival, with all the Manny silliness going on, the team had lost six in a row.  With Manny gone, and Bay in the mix, they've won five of their last six and it is so obvious to everyone watching them that the Red Sox are back to playing good ball.  Things look real good for a play-off run.  There's still a lot of season left, but now there's a real hopeful attitude infusing both the team and fans.  GO SOX!

Have a great week, Loyal Airmen.  Ron- Over & Out.

Greetings loyal airmen.  The above shot was taken by Valerie this past Monday night at Fenway Park in Boston.  This was my second ever visit to this historic baseball field.  The first time, back in 2004, we saw them lose to the Chicago White Sox.  I was hoping to see a win this time.  Alas they were facing the best team in baseball this season, the Los Angeles Angels and they were soundly beaten.  Still somewhere in the ninth inning, slugger Manny Ramirez hit a home run.  Little did any of us that night realize it would be Manny's last home run in a Red Sox uniform.

Minutes before the official trade deadline yesterday, Thursday 31 July, the Red Sox traded the famous slugger to the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League.  And I, and thousands of Red Sox fans across the land, say good riddance.  Manny Ramirez was a home run hitting machine, of that there is no doubt.  And with those home runs, he did contribute greatly to the team's two World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007.  No one can dispute those facts and he surely will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame one day.  But who the hell cares?  You see, aside from his ability to hit a ball over the outfield walls, Manny Ramirez is not a good baseball player or teammate.  He is a selfish, arrogant, self-centered jerk who thinks he is better than other players.  Other players who give their all every time they step out onto the field, regardless of their level of talent.  Manny, on the other hand didn't think he had to run the bases hard because he hit home runs.  He didn't think he had to catch every ball hit towards him in left field because he hit lhome runs.  And he certainly didn't think he had to be alert during a game because of his marvelous ability to hit home runs.  Duh? What a role model for kids just learning the game.  As long as you can hit home runs, you don't have to do any of that other silly stuff.  Don't tell ever tell me Manny loves and respects the game of baseball.  All he loves is his paycheck.

For years now his teammates have had to put up with this immature, egotist who, whenever criticized for his awful, non-professional behavior would only laugh and say he was just having fun.  Yeah, right, fun…at everyone else's expense.  Well the fun is over and Manny is bye-bye.  Maybe tonight when the Red Sox take the field, they can devote all their energies again to playing the game they truly love.  The clown has left the ballpark!  Amen.

So, loyal airmen, have you all gone to our Links page and ordered a copy of our latest comic book, BROTHER BONES – BULLETS OF JADE?  No, you haven't?  Well don't worry because if you are in Western Massachusetts this coming Sunday, you can pick one up from me directly.  I, and a few other New England comic creators are going to be guests at a one day comic show hosted by Lowell's own Larry Doherty.  The show itself will be held at – The Radisson – 10 Independence Dr. – Chelsmford, MA 01824 – From 9 A.M. to 4. P.M.  So slap that address in Mapquest and if you are nearby, please, come on down and say hi.  I always enjoy meeting loyal airmen and talking comics, pulps and baseball.  Speaking of such, beside issues of the new comic, my table will also be crammed full of our recent pulps as well, so lots of good stuff for you to get your hands on and have me autograph at the same time.  Hope to see lots of you there.

Finally, Val and I are hoping to see the MUMMY 3 – TOMB OF THE EMPEROR KING this afternoon.  The trailers for this latest Mummy adventure have had me drooling, as I love the idea of our heroes coming up against Yeti (or Abominable Snowmen).  It looks to be a beautifully filmed fantasy adventure and I for one am not going to miss it.

So there you, airmen.  August has arrived ans Summer is racing towards a finale.  Here's hoping the next four weeks are just tons of good fun for all of you.

Ron – Over & Out.