Operation Power Flite

Led by Major General Archie J. Old, Jr. as flight commander, five B-52B aircraft of the 93rd Bombardment Wing of the 15th Air Force took off from Castle Air Force Base in California on January 16, 1957, at 1:00 PM, with two of the planes flying as spares. Old was aboard Lucky Lady III (serial number 53-0394) which was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Morris, who had flown as the co-pilot aboard the Lucky Lady II when it made the world's first non-stop circumnavigation in 1949. Heading east, one of the planes was unable to refuel from a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter and was forced to land at Goose Bay Air Base in Labrador. The second spare refueled with the rest of the planes over Casablanca, Morocco and then split off as planned to land at RAF Brize Norton in England. The National Aeronautic Association recognized the 93rd Bombardment Wing as recipient of the Mackay Trophy for 1957. == Crews ==

Crew No. 1 • Maj. Gen. Archie Old - Mission Commander • Lt. Col. James H. Morris - Aircraft Commander • Capt. Ernest E. Campbell - Co-pilot • Capt. Rene M. Woog - Navigator • Maj. Albert F. Wooten - Navigator • Maj. Anthony P Dzierski - Navigator • Capt. Quintis L Hinkley - Electronic Countermeasures • M/Sgt. Carl H Ballew - Tail Gunner • T/Sgt. Donovan W. Higginbotham - Crew Chief Crew No. 2 • Capt. Charles W. Fink - Aircraft Commander • Lt. Col. Marcus L. Hill Jr. - Co-pilot • Capt. Jay G. Bachman - Co-pilot • Capt. Cyril H. Dingwell - Navigator • Capt. Michael Stevens - Navigator • Capt. Edward M Hollacher - Navigator • 1st Lt. Joseph B. Tyra - Electronic Countermeasures • S/Sgt. James L. Bushboom - Tail Gunner • T/Sgt. Joseph D. Armstrong - Crew Chief Crew No. 3 • Maj. George C. Kalebaugh - Aircraft Commander • Maj. Salvador E. Felices - Co-pilot • Capt. James H. Walsh Jr. - Co-pilot • Capt. Gerald A. Rush - Radar Observer • 1st Lt. Byrum W. Cooper - Navigator • Capt. Alfonso C. Toler - Navigator • Maj. Billie M. Beardsley - Electronic Countermeasures • A/1c - Eugene N. Preiss - Tail Gunner • T/Sgt. Albert Romero - Crew Chief ==Other Lucky Ladies==

Lucky Lady III was one of three similarly named aircraft, each of which was part of an historic circumnavigation on behalf of the United States Air Force: Lucky Lady I was one of two Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that made a round-the-world trip in July/August 1948, flying from and back to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, completing the flight in 15 days after making eight stops along the way and flying for 103 hours and 50 minutes. Lucky Lady II was a Boeing B-50 Superfortress of the 43rd Bombardment Group with an additional fuel tank added in the bomb bay to provide additional range. It became the first airplane to circumnavigate the globe nonstop, when it made the journey in 94 hours and one minute in 1949, assisted by refueling the plane in flight. ==See also==