'Aerial assault' on Mackinac Bridge recounted 62 years later
It was a daring maneuver that ended his military flying career, but gave him bragging rights for the rest of his life. Lt. Col John S. Lappo's niece shares the tale.
Author: Brent Ashcroft
Updated: 6:22 PM EDT April 29, 2021
MUSKEGON, Mich. — It was an act that police called "reckless."
Last summer, a pilot was caught on video flying a plane under the Mackinac Bridge, while the bridge was packed with cars.
Guess what? That wasn't the first time it happened. In 1959, a decorated United States Air Force pilot from West Michigan decided to go all 'Maverick-from-Top-Gun', flying his six-engine B-47 Nuclear Bomber under the bridge.