Lieutenant Frank Luke, May 19, 1897 – September 29, 1918.

Chelius Carter elucidated a really fine recent reference for us:

Don’t know if too many people caught the reference, but the U.S. fighter pilot who shot down China’s errant hemispherical touring balloon used the call-sign of “FRANK 1” – a direct nod back the WW I American fighter pilot, Frank Luke, aka: the “Arizona Balloon Buster.”

Getting up early in the morning for dawn patrol along the front lines, Luke would depart from the other pilots to tend to his special passion of shooting down the German’s observation balloons – extremely dangerous work as, as not only were these balloons encircled with anti-aircraft fire…they were filled with highly explosive hydrogen. A pilot’s incendiary bullets would set it off and the pilot stood a real good chance of being engulfed in the ensuing conflagration.

Eventually, on 29 September 1918 Lt. Frank Luke…did not return.

Stop saying that if Trump were President he’d shoot down the balloon. Dude if Trump was President they wouldn’t have flown it here in the first place.

— Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) February 3, 2023