Thank you Colonel Walt Cunningham (USMC, Apollo 7)

[TomCat]

When most of the other astronauts were doing the Corvette thing, Col. Cunningham went a different route. He had it modified by John Hennessey and drove it until he sold it to me in Dec. 2005. He "demonstrated" the NSX's capabilities (and his own skills) for me on a memorable drive outside Houston.
So, I brought the Acura back to the "Cradle of Naval Aviation Museum" as a tribute and also captured the family resemblance with an F-16N Viper (https://theaviationist.com/2015/03/26/f-16n-best-adversary/).

 

[docjohn]

Awesome pics and history..

 

[NbyNW]

Really cool. I spent some time at Pensacola NAS.

 

[jasserv]

Pretty Cool !

 

[neoprufrok]

This is wonderful. Awesome you did that.

 

[TomCat]

This is wonderful. Awesome you did that.

I actually spent a whole evening with Col. Cunningham when I picked up the NSX. His picture (along with the whole Apollo 7 crew) is displayed in the "space section" of the museum...PLUS he was an A-4 Skyhawk driver (USMC).

 

[NbyNW]

Sad day. True hero in space flight.

NASA Apollo astronaut Walt Cunningham has died at age 90 — NPR

Cunningham piloted the first manned Apollo mission, a key step in the drive to reach the moon, but he never flew in space again. He was a physicist who later became known as a climate-change skeptic.

apple.news

 

[TomCat]

Yes, I saw this notification. :-(
Can you imagine being the first humans to try to fly the Apollo after the Apollo 1 tragedy?