This film is a color film with B&W historical clips showing the 1969 Reunion of The Tailhook Association. Tailhook is a U.S.-based, non-profit fraternal organization, supporting the interests of sea-based aviation, with emphasis on aircraft carriers. The word tailhook refers to the hook underneath the tail of the aircraft that catches the arresting wire suspended across the flight deck in order to stop the landing plane quickly.

Photography by the Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group. 00:13 Opening Scene: historical illustrations of human flying. “Man’s Dream of Flight, and his desire to soar like a bird is as old as mankind itself.” 0:28 Early illustration of the Wright Flyer: the first successful airplane flight on December 17th, 1903, in North Carolina. Flight lasted 12 seconds across Kill Devil Hills. 0:51 View of various historical flying planes hanging in a museum. 1:04 Early clip of plane taking off from sea. 1:14 Naval ship and its artillery. 1:23 Successful & unsuccessful clips of planes taking off from Naval ships. The difficulty of landing planes on ships proved to be more difficult, but they persevered and found a solution. 1:53 Early experiments lead to the birth of the Tailhook, which proved a means to successfully land aboard sea vessels. 1:59 This form of landing gave birth to a unique roll for men aboard ship: the tailhooker. 2:17 Title Sequence: “Tailhook Reunion”. Early film captures a plane attempting a deck landing, but falling off the edge of the boat deck. 2:30 Use of the Tailhook was both an art and a science. 2:58 Tailhook men had a bold sense for life. A reunion of 2000 early tailhookers gather in Las Vegas Nevada to celebrate their historical accomplishments, in the fall of 1968. 3:06 Planes of all descriptions land in Las Vegas to bring the tailhookers together for this celebration. The men are happy as they deboard their planes. 11:08 Flamingo Hotel & Casino, on the Las Vegas Strip, is the destination for the reunion. 5:38 During the early check-in scenario, the men enjoy their camaraderie and the occasional spirits. Men line up in the lobby for food and beverages. 6:34 Evening view of the Stardust Hotel neon sign. Aladdin Hotel signage. Additional signage for Caesars Palace, The Dunes and Golden Nugget light up the night sky. 7:05 Next morning, Tailhookers gather to view aircraft show at Nellis Air Force Base. Air show includes planes dive bombing from on high to the lower skies. 11:15 For others, recreational golf is their selected activity. 9:37 Back at the hotel, tailhookers engage in swimming and diving by the hotel pool. 10:36 In the convention hall, round tables are setup to feed 2,000 men. Evening Cocktail party is held at poolside. Squadron organizers were quick to lay claim to certain tables. During the dining sessions, special presentations and speeches were given, along with the handouts of specially designed awards and plaques. 11:36 One award was for the men who completed over 200 missions over North Vietnam. Clips alternate between the conference and the bombs dropped on Vietnam. 13:48 A particular achievement includes an award going to Admiral George Tally, with 628 landings. 14:23 Captain George Watkins achieved 1,115 landings.14:54 Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Flatly had 932 landings. 16:15 The “Tailhooker-of-the-Year” award is presented by Captain Hugh Tate. 16:33 This 12th Annual event was recently sanctioned for the first time by the Chief of Naval Operations. Award goes to Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, as he gets a standing ovation. 26:42 After the award ceremonies, the men take to the strip for entertainment. Neon Signage is shown for the Tropicana, Riviera, Stardust, Caesars Palace, Aladdin, Golden Nugget, The Mint. 27:38 After a late night, the tailhookers gather for breakfast buffet, which included servings of Bloody Marys. 28:01 On Sunday morning, by 10am, men begin to depart their hotel stay by bus. 29:44 For some men, they return to long days at desks, for others it means returning to their fighting ships with early morning launches.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com