At the going down of the Sun

摘要

The airshow and warbird community lost one of its brightest stars on April 4 when renowned display pilot Howard Pardue, 77, died in an accident while flying his cherished Grumman F8F Bearcat NL14HP. Born on February 3, 1935, in Breckenridge, Texas, Howard joined the US Marine Corps after university in 1953 and was selected for flight training. Upon receiving his wings at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, he became a fighter pilot, and flew most of the USMC's high-performance jets of that time, eventually becoming an instructor.