As a retired US Air Force fighter pilot who has been flying for over 50 years, Rick Mantei has a wealth of stories to tell about his experiences. On December 29, he had the opportunity to publish one of those stories in Air Facts Journal.

Air Facts Journal began publishing in 1938, when Leighton Collins decided to create a magazine dedicated to “the development of private air transportation.” It was relaunched by Richard Collins as an online journal in 2011, and prides itself for encouraging participation and content from its readers. The production and distribution of the online journal is directed by John Zimmerman of Sporty’s Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio, who is dedicated to providing an informative and entertaining platform for all manner of aviation topics, written “by pilots, for pilots.”

Mantei’s contribution, “Ride Of A Lifetime,” describes his personal experience giving a flight to WWII flying ace Robert W. McClurg, a Marine Corps fighter pilot. Mantei said he’ll never forget this “ride of a lifetime.” Read the article here, and check out more information and articles at Air Facts Journal’s website.