Author Archives: Barry Levine

Michigan-based writer Barry Levine works at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and volunteers at the Yankee Air Museum in Belleville. His most recent book is Michigan Aviation: People and Places that Changed History. Additional reading: Flash Point North Korea: The Pueblo and EC-121 Crises, by Richard A. Mobley; By Any Means Necessary: America’s Secret Air War in the Cold War, by William E. Burrows; and The National Security Agency and the EC-121 Shootdown, prepared by the National Security Agency.

Photo of a O-2A Super Skymaster, used as a FAC aircraft, fires a smoke rocket at an enemy stronghold. The smoke rocket will mark the area for strike aircraft. Fast reaction time and increased time over target, plus the safety factor of its two engines make the O-2 ideal for both psychological warfare and FAC missions.

This Plane Made all the Difference in Vietnam — So Did its Aviators

by Barry Levine6/12/20235/15/2023

Cessna O-2 Skymaster Aviators Excelled at critical missions.

US Spy Satellites Took Pictures of the Soviets in the 1960s. How Did the Film Get Back to Earth?

by Barry Levine2/1/20233/7/2023

Why Did North Korea Shoot Down a U.S. Recon Plane in 1969?

by Barry Levine3/23/20223/24/2022

The Greatest Flight: Schlee and Brock’s 1927 Around-the-World Attempt

by Barry Levine6/3/20216/16/2023

Often Overlooked, The C-141 Starlifter Played A Central Role During the Vietnam War

by Barry Levine8/25/20208/8/2022

Combat Veteran BUFF: Restoring a Vietnam War Bomber

by Barry Levine5/28/20205/21/2020