MIDWAY ISLAND today ...
Of course, the U.S. Navy "owned" Midway before and after June 1942 until about 1996-1997. That was when, by Presidential executive order that the jurisdiction was transferred to Fish & Wildlife (F&W) in the Dept of the Interior. Good deal, you say? Not hardly, as
it was then determined that the field could NO LONGER BE USED FOR EMERGENCY BINGOS AS THE "MONEY" TO RUN IT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE". This was OUTRAGEOUS !!! :icon_rage
The Dept of Interior has laid many onerous rules & regulations on any visitation to the area (so typical) and
you cannot even sail the chain from Honolulu without "special permission" and a transponder on your boat -- to make sure you do not commit the unspeakable "crime" of stopping at any islands on the route. :icon_rage
"GOONEY BIRDS" a.k.a. Laysan albatross
This is the greatest problem with Midway today --- Gooney Birds, and the F&W bureaucrats who believe that the "protection", care and feeding of these Laysan albatross (the PC bureaucrats don't like to call them Gooney Birds -- denigrates 'em) is more important than maintaining an emergency divert field for humans strapped into airplanes. :icon_rage
I was involved in the bureaucratic labyrinth-like process of getting Midway back "on-line" as an emergency divert bingo field. It is still back "on" and "off" and "on" and "off" as the excuse is always given as money. But in reality, (what is that??) it is primarily due to a hard environmental agenda within F&W as well as their bugetary $$$$ and power -- my opinion -- (or is it power and $$$$) -- I can never figure out what the order is .... ?? The two-engine big-birds would have a problem being "legal" without Midway on the trans-Pac routes, so that figured heavily into the mix when the bean-counters became enlightened as to the overwater requirements of aircraft and route certification. Wake is
usually too far south of the track system, and as Johnston "glowed" too much in the dark it is now CLOSED. Permanently .... but it was too far south as well. Midway was and is the name of the game.
CAL 777 in the "HURT LOCKER"
This is a pix of a Continental 777 that landed @ MIDWAY on an emergency divert in early January. HUH?? You mean "it" happens ?? What a suprise, yes ??
The current Midway story is interesting and it has since it has nothing to do with "Unusual Vietnam MiG Kills" and I do have a semi-humorous story about Midway and the Navy tower --
perhaps I will transfer "it" over to the 747 thread in COMMERCIAL AVIATION?? Yes?? NO?? MAYBE?? Anyway, more later ....
ROGER BALL !!