One US Navy accident record blames the 1944 loss of airship K-34 and two of its crew entirely on the command pilot. Decades later, Don Venton, a K-ship relief pilot having just been assigned K-34 the day of the crash, got together with Tom Johnson, one rigger assigned that flight, and sat for this interview. As they explain, the loss of K-34 was indeed human error, but not that of the command pilot. Their rescue was one of the more lucky chances of the entire air war.
Don took the time to write down his entire experience with Lighter-Than-Air, detailing everything about training, K-ship operations and how the technology of the day was worked. His book, published by his daughter, is the most detailed memoir of World War II airship operations ever written. The book is available on www.airshiphistory.com.