America's Deadliest Pilot Got BANNED for Looping the Golden Gate

In 1942, Richard Bong was a young pilot training on the brand new P-38 Lightning at Hamilton Field near San Francisco. He looped his plane around the Golden Gate Bridge and flew so low over the houses that he blew a woman's laundry off her clothesline. He was grounded and his unit shipped out without him, but General George Kenney kept him, because he needed pilots that fearless. In the Pacific Bong flew right up close to enemy planes because he was a poor shot, painted his girlfriend Marge's photo on his plane, and in April 1944 beat Eddie Rickenbacker's American record of 26. The army moved him to teaching, but he kept joining fights until he reached forty victories, was sent home, received the Medal of Honor and married Marge. On 6 August 1945 his P-80 jet lost its fuel pump right after takeoff in Burbank, California, and he jumped too low for his parachute to open. His death shared the front pages with the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Sources: "Richard Bong", English Wikipedia; George C. Kenney, Dick Bong: Ace of Aces (1960); Richard Bong Veterans Historical Center. #history #ww2 #pilot #goldengate #shorts