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It is with much sadness that I report the death of
one of my favorite speakers and authors, Martin Caidin, at the age of 69.
When I wrote the original newsletter about Caidin in February, 1993, I
had to cut the copy several times as his accomplishments were so extensive
that it was impossible to list them all. If you missed his lecture, I would
highly recommend the video tape of it.
A world renowned pilot and a prolific writer of over
150 scientific as well as fictional books, Caidin was known as the "Hemingway
of the Air." Many of his books, such as Final Countdown and Marooned
made it to Hollywood.
Marooned (about an American astronaut stranded
in space and rescued by a Russian cosmonaut) was made into a blockbuster
film and was credited with influencing the Soviet Union to consider the
first joint space mission with the U.S. Another book, Cyborg, was
made into The Six Million Dollar Man as well as The Bionic Woman.
Caidin also flew as a stunt pilot in many films, such as The Battle
of Britain and The Longest Day and was famous for his breathtaking
performances at leading air show events.
As a friend and confidant to astronauts, cosmonauts,
and numerous military and test pilots, Caidin collected and documented
many of their bizarre stories of aerial hauntings and supernatural events.
These he published in the books Ghosts of the Air and Natural
or Supernatural. The following news release, originally published in
Fate Magazine, is an example of the true stories Caidin collected.
Sent to him by the widow of Deke Slayton shortly after Slayton's death
in June, 1993, it was too late to be included in either the book or his
lecture, so I am pleased to print it here.
Famous Astronaut's Final Flight
World famed astronaut Deke Slayton, crew member of
the 1975 US-USSR Apollo-Soyuz mission, one of the original Mercury Seven
Astronauts, former top test pilot with the USAF, and an avid racing plane
pilot, died at his home in Texas at 3:22 a.m., June 13, 1993. With him
was his wife, Bobbie, and their daughter, Stacey.
Later that same day, June 13, 1993, at 7:58 a.m.
local time, at John Wayne Airport in California, a Formula One Racing Plane
with large FAA required registration letters and numbers on the fuselage,
N21X, took off from Orange County Airport and performed various flight
maneuvers.
With a high speed propeller the extremely noisy aircraft
was seen and heard by many people, who clearly identified the type of aircraft
and wrote down the N21X registration. The Federal Aviation Administration
determined that a noise level mandated by law had been exceeded, and issued
a letter of citation against the registered owner and pilot.
On July 20, Bobbie Slayton received a letter in the
mail dated June 28, 1993, from the FAA to Donald K. Slayton, notifying
him that he was being cited for violating FAA regulations. The letter had
been sent to a condo at which the Slaytons sometimes stayed, and its delivery
was delayed until Mrs. Slayton picked up the mail there.
Upon receipt of the letter, Bobbie Slayton telephoned
the FAA and inquired if they had all gone crazy — pointing out that Deke
Slayton had been dead for six hours before the reported incident at Orange
County.
She further added that this particular racing plane,
N21X, had been in an aircraft museum at Sparks, Nevada (located northeast
of San Francisco) since March, 1993 — and that before being placed in
the museum, the engine had been removed, and the aircraft was still in
the museum!
To save weight, this plane has no electrical starter,
and the engine can be started only by a person outside the plane, who swings
the propeller while the pilot works the controls inside.
Bobby Slayton remarked that the reason for the delay
Deke took before getting into the air in his racing plane was that, "He
probably took six hours to find Gus to prop the plane for him." (Gus Grissom,
his best friend, died in the Apollo I fire on Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral.)
This information was released by Mrs. Slayton on
July 28 to Martin Caidin, and is a joint effort with Loyd Auerbach, Office
of Paranormal Investigations and FATE Magazine.
—————
 Martin Caidin was one of the most fascinating and
irasible characters I've ever met! I'm sure he's giving the angels heartburn
and probably is contributing to a few aerial hauntings of his own. Martin
Caidin — we will miss you!
Cheyenne Turner
Director / The Eclectic Viewpoint
Editor's
Note:
Cheyenne and I divorced in 1981, and I moved to California shortly
after. During the following years, though we both had other partners, she
and I remained friends and stayed in contact. I flew at the time from John
Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. I decided to move back to Texas
in 1993. Having endured a particularly devasting financial loss (another
divorce), I knew it would be a long time before I would fly again. So,
on the morning of my departure, I had one more final flight at John Wayne
Airport.
I normally flew in the smooth air of early mornings, and I remember
that flight. Up above the haze (smog) layer, about 7,000 feet, the mountains
around the LA basin, normally invisible from the ground, were just gorgeous.
The practice area is out over the ocean. After a couple of clearing turns
to be sure I was alone, the plane and I just had fun! After about an hour,
I reluctantly landed, returned to the FBO, gave a thankful caress to and
paid for the rental plane. A few days later, I was in Texas.
Four years later, I helped Cheyenne prepare this newsletter and told
her, "Yeah. John Wayne is a real killer for noise abatement procedures.
The jets have to fly a pattern pilots hate, to minimize noise over the
wealthy neighborhoods, and many believe will ultimately cause a real disaster.
Such FAA citations are not uncommon."
 When preparing these pages for the website, I'm not sure why, but I
wanted to include the above article. During the process, I felt an urge
to find my pilot's logbook. I found it, and felt a very strange sensation.
The entry shows my final flight from John Wayne Airport, was early in the
morning of June 13, 1993, about the same time as the above incident.
Something brought me back to Texas. Something brought Cheyenne and I
back together. And, something is continuing to influence events!
Jim Turner
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