304. “Last Flight of the Iron Eagle”

June 14, 2011

Q: Can you tell me which issue had the story of a horny old World War One flying ace who was chasing the nurses around the nursing home in his wheel chair? Something like “Last Flight of the Iron Eagle”

A: Sparky, in the Comments, comes through: “It’s a Phillip Jose Farmer story called ‘The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol’ I believe published in Playboy.” So, not from National Lampoon at all.

Comments

This sounds a lot like one of the translated reprint mags the Nat Lamp Empire turned out around 1977 when Heavy Metal was a hit; specifically, Nat Lamp Presents French Comics (The Kind Men Like). I haven't read it, but the cover in the house ads matches the description -- a vet in a steam-powered wheelchair chasing a nurse who's scattering copies of (presumably) the comics included in the mag.

—E. Nice

December 5, 2011 4:18 am

I thought of that, too, but it fits only part of the description. The cover shows an old war vet in a motorized wheelchair chasing either a nurse or a maid, but it's not a "story", it's just a cover illustration. Also, nothing in that issue resembling "Last Flight of the Iron Eagle". I suppose he may be mixing up his memories--the French Comics special issue cover and something else. Or maybe he imagined a whole story in his memory, when there was really only just the cover.

—Mark

December 5, 2011 9:17 am

It's a Phillip Jose Farmer story called "The Henry Miller Dawn Patrol" I believe published in Playboy.

—Sparky

February 10, 2012 1:02 am

Thanks, Sparky!

—Mark

February 16, 2012 5:07 pm

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