Posts: 59
From:
Registered: Oct 2005

posted 12-23-2006 03:06 PM            

---

I ran across this interesting article about Deke Slayton on an aviation news site this morning. It's about Deke's airplane alledgedly being haunted, and making a flight at an airport the morning that he died (although the airplane had been stored for years in a museum).

Has anyone else ever heard of this?

[Edited by collectSPACE Admin (December 23, 2006).]

Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 12-23-2006 03:26 PM               

---

The Turner miniseries "Moon Shot" (companion to the Shepard/Slayton/Barbree/Benedict book) made reference of this at the end of the final episode. I don't know anything further about it. Maybe Michael Cassutt or some others know something about this?

BTW, I see the article also offers a lot of oft-told tales about Eastern 401 and about the USS Hornet, too....

jodie

Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002

Posts: 628
From: Alexandria, VA USA
Registered: May 2006

posted 12-23-2006 04:17 PM               

---

That letter is interesting to see. I would love to see that one come up for auction someday.

Some other links on Slayton's phantom flight:
http://www.319thbombgroup.com/slayton.htm
http://www.anomalies.net/archive/cni-news/CNI.0235.html

------------------
b i l l

Posts: 151
From: Florida, US
Registered: May 2006

posted 12-29-2006 07:00 PM            

---

Like most here, I'm a science & tech-trained skeptic who does not hold the 'paranormal' in high regard- but like any good science guy, I do have great respect for the unknown.
That said, it's still a comfort to think that Deke & Gus had some fun that day, and hope that some how, some way- they still are out there, flying with the best and having a blast......

This gets me to wondering- if there might be enough space-related 'ghost stories' to warrant someone more supernaturally inclined than I to compile them in a book?

In 1964, there was an accidental ignition of a solid rocket motor in the Spin Test Facility on the Cape that killed three technicians. In the early '90's, I think, Loral was contracted to do some mods and upgrades to the facility- and I've had two separate- and perfectly sane, sober Loral techs tell me that they had seen guys walking around out there at night when they KNEW there were no other personnel in the area.

Personally, I spent a portion of the summer of 1997 working at old Launch Complex 34, building the Scott Carpenter Space Analog (underwater) Station for NASA Life Sciences. Knowing the background of that place, "34" can be perfectly creepy in broad daylight-- many have described the old launch pedestal as a 'Stonehenge for our time,' and in the moonlight, that image certainly comes to mind. To be clear of the mechanical guys during the day, I did most of the electrical work alone at night. You can imagine what went through my mind whenever any of the crew-cutted Air Force security guys dropped in to say Hi or check on me if I did not hear their truck pull up first! I never saw a ghost- but I'll admit there were times there seemed to be a change in the air and the hair on my arms would stand up. Finally I told myself, 'ok- if Gus & Ed & Roger want to drop by and swap stories; I'm now considerably older than they were when they left us, so I'll have even more stories to tell'.... though certainly not better ones!
If they were there looking over my sholder, hopefully they admired and approved of my work!