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Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer

David Blakely’s WWII-pilot father featured in Apple TV series Masters of the Air

By Tom Wilmer
Published February 19, 2024 at 3:00 AM PST
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Promo shot for Apple TV's Masters of the Air featuring David Shields playing the character of Major Everett Ernest Blakely, David Blakely's father.
Apple TV
Promo shot for Apple TV's Masters of the Air featuring David Shields playing the character of Major Everett Ernest Blakely, David Blakely's father.

San Luis Obispo resident David Blakely shares tales of his father’s exploits as a WWII B-17 pilot—featured in the Apple TV series Masters of the Air.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with David Blakely as she shares stories of his father’s time as a B-17 pilot during WWII and his life before and after the war.

B-17 "Yankee Lady", still flying, based in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Tom Wilmer
B-17 "Yankee Lady", still flying, based in Ypsilanti, Michigan

Blakely offers fascinating insights about his father’s life journey and his time as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps flying bombing missions over Germany.

B-17 909 diving off the California Coast
Tom Wilmer
B-17 909 diving off the California Coast
50 Cal. machine gun at waist gunner position on Yankee Lady B-17
Tom Wilmer
50 Cal. machine gun at waist gunner position on Yankee Lady B-17

Major Everett Ernest Blakely is portrayed by David Shields in the Apple TV series Masters of the Air.

B-17 "909" flying off the California Coast with P-51 Mustang escort during film shoot.
Tom Wilmer
B-17 "909" flying off the California Coast with P-51 Mustang escort during film shoot.
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer featured on the NPR Podcast Directory
NPR
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer featured on the NPR Podcast Directory

You are invited to subscribe to the seven-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, and more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify
 

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer—winner of the Gold Lowell Thomas Award—Society of American Travel Writers
SATW Foundation
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer—winner of the Gold Lowell Thomas Award—Society of American Travel Writers

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Tom Wilmer
Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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