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Frank Borman

Vern

Vern

Well Known Member
Apollo Astronaut, president of Eastern Airlines, lover of aviation, owner of several warbirds, CAP supporter, EAA donor, gentleman

He awarded me my Eastern Airlines Wings in 1980
 
I was 20 when Apollo 8 circled the moon. In some ways it was more surreal than Apollo 11 half a year later.
 
I still remember Apollo 8 quoting this on Christmas Eve.

“Astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman, the first humans to travel to the Moon, recited verses 1 through 10 of the Genesis creation narrative from the King James Bible. Anders read verses 1–4, Lovell verses 5–8, and Borman read verses 9 and 10.”

As a young man in the Army who knew Vietnam was in my future I was deeply moved.
 
Had the pleasure of driving him around in a golf cart at a RV fly-in I helped organize in Las Cruces back in the day. He was the ‘aircraft judge’. We had fun, and it was a real honor to get to meet the guy who commanded the first manned spacecraft out of earth orbit.

He had a handwritten letter on the wall in his hangar house there congratulating the crew of Apollo 8. Gave us a tour. It was written by Charles Lindberg.

Rest in Peace, sir.
 
My favorite memory of Col. Borman is the picture he had on his hangar wall at Las Cruces of his P-51 sitting on the moon. (Computer generated of course)
 
RIP Col. You, Jim and Bill showed us the result of having a dream and working to make it a reality. Alot of us grew up watching the space program, admireing all of those that got the chance to fly in space. You and your team, ALL of the NASA team moved those thoughts from imagination to reality. I can still see in my mind you and the crew giving us the television transmission on Christmas Eve. A tremendous achievement.
Sir---the heavens are now your home---we'll all meet again.

Tom
 
Leadership

My Dad told a story how, after an unexpected encounter with really bad turbulence in an L-1011, Col. Borman left the flight deck (he was riding the jumpseat) to go down to the lower galley to help the flight attendant pick up the mess. That’s the kind of leader he was. Wonder how many of the current airline CEO’s would do that?
 
Godspeed, sir. It was a pleasure talking about warbirds and airlines with you several years ago.

image: Apollo 8 astronauts fly together again during a 2016 reunion at the Heritage Flight Museum. Frank Borman in back seat of first T‐6 (flown by Greg Anders), Jim Lovell in second T‐6 (flown by Craig Nelson), Bill Anders in third T‐6 (flown by Alan Anders).
 

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I met Frank Borman at one of the L.O.E. Las Cruces RV fly-in. I told him that what he and others did in the '60 set me on my course in life to be an engineer working with space hardware/satellites and became a pilot plus built my own airplane.
 
DeltaRomeo said:
Had the pleasure of driving him around in a golf cart at a RV fly-in I helped organize in Las Cruces back in the day. He was the ‘aircraft judge’. We had fun, and it was a real honor to get to meet the guy who commanded the first manned spacecraft out of earth orbit.

He had a handwritten letter on the wall in his hangar house there congratulating the crew of Apollo 8. Gave us a tour. It was written by Charles Lindberg.

Rest in Peace, sir.
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I was lucky enough to shake his hand that weekend when he awarded my RV6 Grand Champion at the banquet.

Awesome hangar tour too. He flew his P51 on Sunday morning and made a high speed pass. That Mustang made a howl I'll never forget.

Rest in Peace
 
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I got to meet him in Taos NM in 1998. I was working part time at the FBO.

He and his wife flew SU SU 2 into Taos for the day and he was nice enough to allow me a picture with him in front of his plane and got him to sign my logbook.

Signed: Apollo 8 Frank Borman

Arnie
 
I never met Frank Borman, but followed the Apollo program from afar. As a college freshman, a friend (Joe Myhand) and I rigged a telescope and a 35mm camera to take photos of the moon on Dec 24th, 1968.

In 1971 working at Western Electric, Birmingham, I got to watch AT&T video feeds from the moon as the signal was transmitted between Mission Control and the Cape. Everything went by microwave relay and wire in those days. It was really cool seeing the astronauts working (unedited), talking live. It was in a small corner of racks and I had to remove my tool belt to enter the roped area. Room for about 4 people.

RIP Frank Borman -
 
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