When Ken was in Korea, he had a best friend named Pete Olson.  Inseparable.  Everybody called them "The Gold Dust Twins."  Where one was, the other wasn't far behind.  When the Marine Corp caught up with them and found out they had way over a hundred missions (Max you were supposed to fly in combat), they put them on the mail run flying putt-putts back and forth to get the mail. I think they were flying OE's

Pete came back from a run and was telling Ken where the station was and where you were supposed to pick up the mail.  He described the landing strip, etc.  Ken was supposed to take the next run.  He did.  And found a place that looked like Pete had described.  It had a number of air planes on the edges of the strip  Only thing, it was a very short runway.  VERY.  Surrounded by fence.  Ken flew around the facility a couple of times sizing it up and figured out how to get on it.  Come in low, clear the fence and cut the power so he dropped onto the concrete.  " If Pete did it, so can I."

Turns out, it wasn't the post pickup place at all.  It was an airplane repair facility.  All the planes on the tarmac had been trucked in, not flown.  So there he was.  Did he admit what he had done?  Of course not.  He had the mechanics clear the hanger, and pushed his plane to the back.  With the added length of the hanger interior, coupled by the repair lot, there might be enough length to take off.  Clearing the fence was another problem.  But if he could get his wheels up quick enough, well maybe.  It beat confessing.

The mechanics said it couldn't be done.  "Then I'll die trying," Ken told them.  He revved up the engine to max and began his take off.  He later said, "It actually couldn't be done--I don't know if my tires missed the fence.  God must of smiled."  But it was such an accomplishment, he had to tell Pete.  They flew back to the repair strip so Ken could brag. You can't keep something like that to yourself.  A year later, Pete went to the Blues and killed himself in a roll a few feet off the ground. Seems like what they flew in Korea rotated around the fuselage.  The Blues plane rotated on the wing tip.  Not enough room.  Maybe Pete thought for a second he was back in Korea flying F9's.  Sad.