Tailhook Daily Briefing

For all the A-6 Bubbas out there

A little stroll down memory lane for all those guys who miss the “Flying Drumstick!”

 

And if that’s not enough!  How about a few desert low levels for the fun of it!

Enjoy!

Hook 2011! The Centennial Celebration Continues

A mere 10 days from now many of us will be gathering in the warm desert sun of Reno NV for the 2011 Tailhook Reunion and Symposium! 

Here is an online reminder of the festivities we are all looking forward to:

2011 Tailhook Convention Schedule

Thursday, 8 September 2011
0830–2100 Tailhook Sales Booth Open
0900–2100 Registration — The Nugget Hotel, Pavilion A Foyer
0900–2100 Exhibits Open, Pavilions A–E
1800–2100 Welcome — Reunion Groups Reception (No Host), Pavilions A–E

Friday, 9 September 2011
0730–1200 ✈ Golf Tournament — Wildcreek G.C., Sparks, Nev., and Hidden Valley C.C. Reno
0800–1330 ✈ Tour of NAS Fallon and Lunch (Limited to the first 90 guests)
0800–1200 ✈ “Bullet” Bob Canepa Memorial Tennis Tournament
0830–2100 Tailhook Sales Booth Open
0830–1330 ✈ Lake Tahoe cruise on board the 85-ft. yacht Paradise with “Mark Twain” as narrator. Includes lunch. (Limited to the first 90 guests)
0900–2100 Registration — The Nugget Hotel, Pavilion A Foyer
0900–1700 Symposium Programs, Rose A Ballroom
0930–1400 ✈ Tahoe Ridge Winery Tour Includes lunch. (Limited to the first 90 guests)
1100–2100 Exhibits Open, Pavilions A–E
1630–1700 Annual Membership Meeting, Rose A Ballroom
1800–2400 ✈ “Bug” Roach Flight-Deck Mixer, Pavilions A–E and Rose A & B Ballrooms

Saturday, 10 September 2011
0530–0900 ✈ Balloon Race Shuttle (Limited to the first 40 guests)
0700–0800 ✈ Tailhook Association 5K Fun Run
0830–1500 Tailhook Sales Booth Open
0830–1500 Registration — The Nugget Hotel, Pavilion A Foyer
0900–1545 Symposium Programs, Rose A Ballroom
0900–1500 Exhibits Open, Pavilions A–E
0930–1100 ✈ Special Event — NMA/USAA/MOAA Spouse Financial Briefing,
Celebrity Showroom
1200–1345 ✈ RADM “Jig Dog” and Ginger Ramage Recognition Luncheon, Rose B Ballroom (Seating begins at 1130)
1500 Exhibits Closed
1800–1930 Pre-Banquet Reception (No Host), Rose A and B Foyer and Pavilion A Foyer
1930–2200 ✈ Tailhook Banquet, Semi-Formal, Rose A and B Ballroom (Seating begins at 1900)

Sunday, 11 September 2011
Breakfast is available at the General Store, the Farm House or the Rotisserie on the Nugget’s main floor.

✈ Ticket/Payment Required event. Casual attire for all events except banquet.
Flight suits encouraged for flight-deck mixer.

➢ Tailhook is proud to welcome the following reunion groups: Reserves Over Fightertown (VF-301, VF-302, VC/VFC-13), Viking Association/VS-37, VA-304, Prowler Desert Storm Squadrons, Air Task Groups, VF-92, VF-202, VF-24/VF-211, VA/VFA-127, Skyhawk Association and Intruder Association who are holding events in conjunction with the Tailhook Convention. The Thursday
evening welcoming reception, open to everyone, will salute these reunion groups. Visit the Tailhook Web site for more information.

➢The Friday evening “Bug” Roach Flight-Deck Mixer will salute 100 Years of Naval Aviation. Flight suits are encouraged. This event
includes three hosted drinks, beer, wine, soft drinks or cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres.

I’ll see you there!

-JC

My First Division Lead

More details from Dave “Snako” Kelly (VA-115 days of ‘72)

My 1st Division Lead:  As the cruise progressed the ship started flying more alpha strikes into the North Vietnam heart land.  To support these missions we needed to put up at least four A-6s for each strike, and typically a pair of tankers, one to refuel the BARCAP (Barrier Combat Air Patrol), F-4s that protected the fleet, and at least one to refuel the TARCAP (Target Combat Air Patrol), F-4s that accompanied the strike.  Despite the fact that we had a total of 20 aircraft assigned to the squadron, we typically only had about 18 aircraft that were ever available at any time and 3 to 4 of these would either be KA-6D Tankers or A-6As configured with a buddy store, so they could fly both strike and Texaco missions.  Since an alpha strike on anything other than the first launch of the day had at least three aircraft airborne when the strike launched (2 bombers and a tanker), you would generally need over half the available aircraft and about ½ the available crews in order to support the mission.

Leading a division of aircraft (4 planes) flying formation on another division was a lot more difficult than maintaining your position as a section leader (2 planes) within a four plane division or leading a 4-plane flight.  As a Division Leader everything you do is amplified to your three wingmen.  When you drop a wing, they must rotate in space around your centerline.  This translates to 10's of feet of rotational motion perpendicular to their flight path.  (Note:  This is not a rotation on their part.  You are rotating, so they must translate to maintain the same formation with respect to your aircraft.)  As a Division Lead in an Alpha Strike, you must positioning your four planes relative to the alpha lead’s four planes which are about 1000 feet at 1:30 or 10:30, or 1500 feet at 12:00 depending on whether you are the right, left, or trailing division, respectively. 

Since we were now four or five months into the cruise and Skipper Hoagy Carmichael, LT John McMahon had left the squadron, we need a few more Division Leaders to support the alpha strikes.  LT Jack Keegan, LT Terry Young, and I had all been Section Leaders for the longest time, and we had survived our various ordeals by SAM.  LCDR Ken Craig, the Ops Officer, figured we were up the task.

I got my turn on a daylight alpha strike to a site about 10 miles south of Hanoi which was described as ‘buried POL’ .  The strike was going to be lead by the CAG.  This was going to be a very large strike for Navy standards with the lead element consisting of three divisions, in a finger tip formation followed by a second element of four divisions.  The whole strike tallied about 25 or 26 strike aircraft. With a background in fighters, CAG would be leading the strike as a 4-plane division of F-4s.  The A-6s were in the division on his port side which gave us the best view of the strike group, since we wouldn’t have to be looking through the BN’s side of the aircraft to keep the lead in sight.

CAG was infamous with the A-6s on Midway for briefing a sub 500 knot coast in at 20,000 feet and then pushing over to achieve 500 knots in the slow descent to our roll in altitude at 16,000 feet.  Somehow strikes always ending up at 525 to 535 knots, outside what an A-6 could do with a full load of 16 MK-82s(500 pound bombs) and a centerline drop tank, our standard Alpha Strike configuration.  The F-4s and the A-7s which were carrying less than ½ the load of the A-6s could keep up the speed, but we were always being yelled at for being “sucked” (out of the formation in a trailing position).  But I had been dealt this hand, and this was my ‘trial’ as a Division Lead.  With the Ops Officer (Ken Craig) on one wing, and the new skipper, CDR Barrish on my right wing, I was going to do my best to maintain the formation no matter what.

The alpha joined up over the ship at 20,000 feet with the various divisions joining the strike from the inside of the assembling gaggle and then sliding into their respective positions.  The F-4s in the flight typically wanted to be topped-off with fuel on their way in to the target since they had burned a lot of kerosene trying to get their lead-sleds loaded with bombs all the way up into the thin air.  With everyone pretty much into position and ready for battle, CAG rolled the group in the direction of the coast line aiming at an area just north of the hourglass which was a lightly defended area.

The strategy of the strike was good, the alpha was going to proceed in bound toward Nam Dinh which was a major city and a heavily defended area.  Short of the city we would turn north toward Hanoi.  The strategy was to confuse the defenses with this ‘faint’ at Nam Dinh and then a bold attack near Hanoi.  Since the target was south of that city, we would be flying directly into the high threat SAM zone.  Providing we didn’t stir-up anything nasty, we would be roll in to port in a classic fan on the POL giving each division a good steep dive from the roll-in, and then just continue south and east to ‘feet wet’.

We crossed the beach and true to form CAG accelerated to his 525 knots, but I had been flying as a wingman for months observing this behavior, and watching as some of our Division Leaders had started getting sucked.  Since the first leg before the starboard turn north was relatively short, I just started the turn early turning way inside the strike groups radius of turn.  By the time the strike group was heading north I was able to slide neatly into my slot ready for the forthcoming roll-in to port.  The ECM  gear started chattering before we had reached  the turn at Nam Dinh.  As we approached Hanoi more and more sites joined in the course.  The greater Hanoi area was well-defended with anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites.  Our strike group of well over 20 aircraft had gotten their attention, and they were certainly going to take a shot at us, if at all possible.  At about that time the APR-27  went off with an indication that a SAM had been launched somewhere.  At this point we were at roll-in and this was not as much of a problem unless you were the target; the roll-in maneuver nominally a 40 degree dive with a terminal speed of somewhere around 600 Knots just prior to the 5500 foot release altitude was a great evasive maneuver for a SAM.  Once you got the bombs off the A-6 you were in a great position to out-turn a SAM.

I wasn’t too anxious at roll-in and established a near perfect 40 degree dive on the target.  The pressure of combat was nowhere near the pressure of staying in the formation with my flight.  (You didn’t worry about dying; but you never wanted to look bad.)  I was generally pleased with the way I had handled my first Division Lead.  It is then I realized I had forgotten one rather important thing.  Despite leading and flying a near perfect flight, I had failed to turn on the gunsight.  So there we were going downhill very fast with John calling out the passing altitudes and I’m fumbling around on the center console trying to locate the switch for the gunsight.  Passing something like 7500 feet I decided to give up on the gunsight and took a look through the clear combining glass of the sight at the ground rushing up at us. 

When an Alpha Strike attacks a target each division in the strike rolls in as a unit.  For three elements and a port roll-in the division on the lead’s port wing rolls in first followed by the lead division, and then the division on the starboard wing, our division.  For this roll-in we were the last division of the first element, and by the time we were getting to the release altitude the bombs from the first division were already detonating.  I could see the vapor trails from the wingtips of the lead F-4s, as they put on the Gs, but the bombs from the first division were already exploding on the ground.  We had all fused the bombs for long fuse delays, so the bombs would penetrate some of the soil before exploding.  The bombs hitting the ground were sending up plumes of fire as they touched-off the buried POL.  By the time I reached our pickle altitude all I could see in the gunsight was a huge fireball as the bombs from the lead division hit their mark, as well.  Even without the gunsight, I couldn't miss, this must have been a huge cash of fuel.

Once I got the nose above the horizon on the pull-out I started jinking, bending our flight around to an easterly heading.  The ECM was still going off in our headsets, but at high speed and low altitude AAA was the only thing we typically had to worry about.  During the egress the division typically stayed reasonably together as two (2) two-plane  sections.  Each section flew a weaving flight out of sync with each other.  By so doing each aircraft was able to clear his wingie’s 6 o’clock, just in case the crafty North Vietnamese had sent up a Mig or two to pick-off stragglers.

We followed a direct route to feet-wet attempting to egress at about the same point as we had ingress.  During the flight toward the coast we could see the smoke rising nearly vertically from the target area.  Our flight of A-6s joined up, reported feet wet to ‘Red Crown’ , looked each other over, and switched to Midway Approach Control.  Our traps were uneventful, but by the time we had parked the aircraft and deplaned, the smoke from the POL was visible from the deck of the carrier.  Midway at this time was at the North Yankee Station around 50 nautical miles (nm) off the coast, and the target was another 70 or so nm feet-dry, so from about 120 nautical we were able to share the result of the strike with our plane captains and the Midway's flight deck personnel.   These guys were contributing to the war effort working 16-hour days for weeks on end and sleeping in four-high racks in poorly air conditioned spaces. 

They very seldom saw any of the effects of their labor.  This day was different, we could point at the vertical column of smoke, and they could see their direct contribution to the war effort.

And . . . . . I had passed my test as a Division Flight Leader and I was now qualified to actually lead an Alpha Strike, as well.

~Cheers, Snako

Photos courtesy CV41.org, John Mscisz, and Paul Bearden

Editor’s Note: If you too would like to have your story posted here on The Tailhook Daily Briefing, simply email me your article.  Don’t worry about grammar or images (although provision of both would be appreciated…) I can help in those departments. 

Remembered

On this Veterans’ Day, we offer up our deepest heartfelt thank you for your dedication and service.  It is because of you… We Are!

GBU all…

Supersonic Betta AKA “The Fish”

Fresh from the pages of the Winter 2009 “Hook” magazine… Ok maybe not that fresh… comes the story of “The Fish” form the Puking Dogs of VF-143. An element of the great multi-piece articles written by Fred Tennenbaum on the history of VF-143.

The below video was produced by Dave “Dude” Aamodt in 2002 documenting “The Fish” on it’s many flights… so many flights “The Fish” qualified for an Air Medal.  (We’ve ported the video over to the editor’s youtube account to ease distribution here.  It can also be viewed over here [link] but that site uses 2002 technology and is a PITA.)

“Fish made several successful flights, with picture-perfect landings, when the Admiral found out about the "fishcapades", at which time, just like Maverick in his Tomcat, The Fish was grounded. Never to be one to obey little things like the skipper's orders, however, our Brave Betta continued flying. And just flying F-14 Tomcats wasn't enough for him: he went on to fly every aircraft aboard the Kennedy, from A-18's to choppers, accumulating airtime in more aircraft types than any other aviator aboard the carrier.”

The Fish's flights were well documented, with just a little of the video footage being represented in the video.  After a huge number of missions over Afghanistan and many other wartime theaters, this video was presented and shown to the Admiral, who was so impressed with the video, that he pardoned Fish for his disobedience.

After The Fish's tour of duty was over, Fish was honorably discharged, and is today in retirement in California. And no doubt he is telling all the female Bettas of his exploits, impressing the hell out them.”

Tennis Anyone?

I saw this photo over at Pinch Paisley’s Facebook page and thought many of our readers would appreciate a quick trip down memory lane.  Pinch graciously allowed me to snipe it.    Photographer’s own caption to this great “nostalgic image” is:

“There was a reason they called the F-14 a ‘flying tennis court’”.

What’s your caption? (submit in comments below).

Also if you would like to have one of your images posted here on TDB, please send it to me,, or send me a link to it (if you already have it posted on the internet in a gallery somewhere) I’ll be glad to convey the 1,000 word stories of our history.  Just contact me at carmichaelj@comcast.net .

Blues and Bearcats!

Hat-tip to Occasional Reader Bill Schultz for the link…

Enjoy…

 

Happy Easter Tailhookers.

Now a Public Service Announcement from our friends at the USS Ranger Foundation

Happy 77th Birthday USS Ranger CV-4!!!! Many of you realize that USS Ranger CV-61 is the last in a long line of Ranger ships that contributed to US Naval history. The first Ranger being under the command of John Paul Jones in 1777. The USS Ranger CV-4 was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. The CV-4 was one of only three pre-war US aircraft carriers to survive World War II, although unlike the others, she spent most of the war in non-combat roles. As the first carrier, she carried an average 76 aircraft. Ranger CV-4 was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1947. USS Ranger CV-61 was commissioned in 1957 and served for 36 years until she was relieved by the  USS Kitty Hawk in 1992 and made her final voyage to Bremerton to await her conversion to a museum and memorial. Ranger will not be scrapped, but will be sunk if the USS Ranger Foundation is not successful in creating a museum. Time is short, we have Phase 1 approval from the Navy and are working towards a permanent moorage in Portland, Oregon-but without funds for the studies that need to be done now, we will not be successful. Please help us celebrate the 77th birthday of Ranger CV-4 and save Ranger CV-61 in memory of all before her. The following article was sent out at the end of the year, and many of you responded. For those that still need a chance to join the Baggers Club, click on the link below and join today! For those of you who aren't eligible for the Bagger Club, your support is just as important and you can click on the link here. Don't forget to check in at the Ship's Store to see all the new items we have for sale. Thank you and Happy Birthday Ranger CV-4! FUND RAISING FOR A SUPER CARRIER AN APPEAL TO OUR BASE The Ranger Foundation has a short period of time to put together a NAVSEA Phase II application. The Business / Financial  Plan includes two important parts that can only be done by a professional firm with qualifications / expertise in environmental and engineering services. These studies will be site specific to our proposed location both in the Willamette River and the shore side facilities required for mooring, providing utilities and other construction for support of Ranger.  While we will seek contributions from many sources we must appeal to large numbers of individuals, specifically those who have trapped aboard aircraft carriers. Therefore we have created THE BAGGERS CLUB. While this an appeal directed toward Naval Aviators and Aircrew everyone is encouraged to join as a friend in donating to the Foundation's fund raising to SAVE A SUPER CARRIER. 99 Tailhookers is a collective call sign for all those have landed aboard. Check-in NOW! Peter W. Ogle, Captain USN (Ret) President and CEO peter.ogle@ussranger.org  BAGGERS CLUB 99 TAILHOOKERS How many times at 3/4 of a mile, in a rain squall on a dark night and a pitching deck with fuel for one more pass before trick or treat, have you felt confident knowing your approach is to a Big Deck Super Carrier? Probably saved your butt on numerous occasions! Now is the time to return the favor and save a Super Carrier. Our immediate problem is quite clear. We need funds to support Phase II of our application to NAVSEA. I am appealing to our base, those of you who have been there and done that! There is no stronger advocate for Carrier Aviation than those of you who have flown off and trapped aboard.  So here is what we propose. Join the USS Ranger Foundation's... Baggers Club It is easy to join. Donate a buck for each trap. This is not about Ranger. It is about saving a Super Carrier class as a Historic Naval Ship. It is Navy policy that only non-nuclear vessels are eligible for donation. So we must save one of the seven remaining Forrestal or Kitty Hawk class carriers as a Museum Ship and Memorial, otherwise a very important period of Naval History, 1955 to the future, will be lost forever. Supporting our effort supports the active duty Navy in keeping the importance of carrier aviation in the public view, now and in the future. To be eligible for membership in The Baggers Club, you must have made a carrier landing as a naval aviator or naval flight officer, air crewman or equivalent service exchange aviator or air crewman. Retired, active duty and former members may join as well as civilian pilots or CIA aviators. Yes, the CIA U2s carrier qualified on Ranger and America. So break out your log books and check books or if you are like me you know exactly how many traps you made without looking. It doesn't matter the class of carrier, straight or angle deck or with an allied Navy. A trap is a trap, even if it is in the barrier. A Buck a Trap is a small price to save Naval Carrier Aviation History. You may join by clicking here or by going to the Ranger Foundation  site and looking for The Baggers Club and following on screen instructions using PayPal or mail your check marked "Baggers Club" to: USS Ranger Foundation 1505 SE Gideon Street Suite 650 Portland, OR 97202 For you "Super Baggers" you can pledge, if your high number of traps cuts into your beer fund.  Include your name, rank or rate and how you want your name to appear on a recognition plaque aboard USS Ranger (CV 61) once she is opened as a Museum and Memorial to all of you. If we don't save her the plaque will likely be in the Pacific Ocean. We are an IRS 501 (c) (3) organization. Consult your own tax advisor as it applies to your own situation. About USS Ranger Foundation A registered, non-profit corporation established March 5, 2001. Organized for the purpose of securing, maintaining and operating the decommissioned super carrier USS RANGER CV-61 as an educational center, museum and Military Memorial. 1505 SE Gideon Street Portland, Oregon 97202 USS Ranger Foundation 503-558-8519

Passing Gas with the A’Rabs of VA-115

This weekend, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of being on a great email thread of ‘One-Up-manship’.  I thought I’d share with our fellow Tailhookers.

The boys of VA-115 Arabs, pronounced “A-Rabs” (class of ‘70-‘72) have been encouraged at the behest of Dave “Snako” Kelly to tell some of their best Tanker (KA-6D) episodes, or at least whatever they could remember…

This invite has borne some great “There we were… upside down, with the number one flamed out!… no moon, and my BN read’n a girly mag by flashlight!”  tales!  The remembrances have also pointed to the fantastic camaraderie shared by that great squadron during their trials over Vietnam.

Squadron mates the likes of: Jack Keegan, Rob '”Toon” Ponton, Dave “Snako” Kelly, Jim Horsley, Thom Watson, John Koch, Paul Barrish, Mike Nettles, and “Hoagy” Carmichael all chimed in with their memories of flying the “Gas Giving Drumbstick!”

At risk of losing my clearance, I will share a few of these tales… Hell, I did receive the permission from the Skipper and the instigator though, so my butt is partially covered!

It all began with Dave Kelly--

All:  There has been a dialog going on about tanker missions, and some of the associated sea stories.  I really enjoy these, because they really speak to professionalism in Naval Aviation, i.e., whatever the mission you do it the best possible way that it can be done.  There may have been a lot of things about the Navy that I thought were done in a less than optimal way, but the crews in 115 seemed to be particularly adept at completing the mission in the best way possible.  (I think this says a great deal about leadership, because it couldn’t be attributed to all us loose-cannon JOs!)

Skipper Hoagy wrote the following email describing a tanker mission  he and Roger flew where ADJ1 Wells ‘pre-started’ the aircraft for him.  This particularly struck a chord with me, because Wells was one of my guys as Power Plants Branch Officer during the first cruise.  During the second cruise Pat Wells became the Power Plants Flight Deck Trouble-Shooter.  (I imagine this was where he started the Skipper’s plane.)

From Hoagy Carmichael…

Sorta funny how a subject like tanker mission could get so many of us to go look in our log books to see when we flew a tanker mission. Well, I did the same and I did fly a few… believe me I did.

I can only remember one flight that will always be with me. I was the ready tanker pilot one night when we… I think Roger was my BN… were both sitting Ready 5, in full flight gear of course, when we got the call to launch the Ready Tanker. 

Roger and I hightailed to the flight deck. Yep there it was behind the island, tail over the edge and Air Boss telling us to “Hurry Up!!! (are there any other words in an Air Boss’s vocabulary?)

As we approached the plane, we were met by 1st class Wells, he said, “Skipper I have already checked the plane over and started the starboard engine!”

I have to admit, I was a little surprised, but Wells was so good in my eyes, that I didn't think twice and climbed in. As I remember we launched, gave fuel to the Phantoms and recovered on that recovery cycle.  All thanks to the initiative of Pat Wells.

Back to Snake…

I had an experience with Wells on the flight deck that was rather interesting.  I think it was the one and only plane I downed on the Cat.  (And I think, like most of us, if Maintenance said it could fly, then we flew it.)

WARNING - SEA STORY TO FOLLOW (“this is no shit”):  John Koch and I were scheduled for a day Alpha.  We manned-up, taxied to the Cat, and ran up our engines.  We heard a muffled explosion of some kind, and we went to suspend.  Once we were secure Wells came up my ladder, and Bud Wilson came up John’s.  Bud was giving me a violent thumbs up.  I turned to Wells and shouted for his opinion.  Wells gave me a thumbs down.  I turned to Bud and he was glaring at Wells and still violently indicating thumbs up.  At that point I think my Irish temper got the best of me.  I invited Bud to climb into the right seat in John’s place, if he really felt that plane was ready to go. 

…We were then shut down and towed off the Cat.

Petty Officer Wells was really an exceptional sailor.  I never heard from him after I left active duty.  I did write a recommendation for him to go to the Warrant Officer Program, and I know he was accepted into that program.  (If anyone has any contact with him, I would like to touch base.)

Thom Wilson added one from there…

This exchange has caused me to recall various tanker missions, and one stands out – It had nothing to do with the amount of gas passed, however. Bob Wilson and I had gassed up the F-4’s and had the rest of the cycle to kill. Bored, we decided to test the KA-6 service ceiling, and began a slow orbit over the ship gradually increasing altitude – as I recall, we got to about 60,000 feet before positive pressure breathing started –…

Just before we reached 63K or so, we were shocked to see a contrail over our heads – way over our heads, at least another 15-20K above us! The contrail was headed north, and approaching Hainan Island –

We reported what we were observing to the ship – concerned that whatever it was we saw would soon enter Chinese airspace – A few minutes later “Jehovah” came up on the radio, and told us that we had not seen anything and to forget it. We decided it was a SR-71 mission (what else could make that altitude and with complete deniability?)

Then Jack Keegan made the scene with a great tale of how well a cross-decked Air Force exchange puke fared with the A-Rabs!

I'll relate the most interesting tanker hop that I had.  It was during the second cruise and I had an Air Force puke in the right seat (standard drill to get them a cat shot and trap).  We were Barcap and the F4 guys were Mugs and Mike Rabb (LSO) from 161.  As you all know, at that point in the war, the F4 guys were always painting MIGs over the north, but the guys in control would never let them engage.  I can still hear one of the F4 guys telling the control guys (whoever they were) that they had bogeys and wanted permission to engage.  The response was always quick and was always "Negative".  This time, the control guys said "Standby"..I about jumped out of my skin.  You probably remember that they engaged and that Mugs shot down both MIGs.  What you might not know is that he shot the second MIG off Mike's tail and that Mike was freaked because he was out of gas and still over the North. 

This is the good part.  I called Mike and asked him where he was and where he was headed.  I told him that I would rendezvous with him and headed west toward feet dry.  The AF puke went nuts and told me that I couldn't do this because we had no ECM, etc.  Not that I was a smart ass in those days, but I think that I said to him "Watch me!".  We never went feet dry, but were probably in the SAM envelope when he plugged.  The AF puke was ghost white as I remember.  Rob made it back and the ship was actually cooperative as we were cleared straight in from many miles north.

I don't think that many of you knew this story.  Didn't want the old guys (senior officers) to lose any more hair than they already had, so I kept it to myself...

Don't know what happen to the AF puke.

This was not the only yarn to include the infamous Mugs McKuen, as Snake recalls…

I was taking a midi up in the right seat of a KA-6D somewhere in the summer of the 2^nd cruise.  We were suppose to tank the F-4s in the Alpha on their way to the beach.  A whole covey of Charger  F-4s (VF-161) pulled up on my left wing, and there was something very unusual about Charger Lead.  (I would find out later that it was Mugs McKuen).  He gave me a hand-sign to take fuel, and I extended the drogue as he slid in behind me. 

After taking several thousand pounds of fuel, Mugs disengaged, and Charger Two slid into position.  Mugs pulled up on my right wing to wait for the rest of the tanking.  It was at that point I asked the midi to get the side number on the F-4 on our right wing.  The midi turned in his seat, and then he stammered something loudly into the ICS, turned to me, and started waving his arms.  It turns out during this whole evolution, Mugs had his helmet off, and he had donned a full monkey head Halloween mask.  When the midi turned to look at the F-4 all he could see in the front cockpit was a gorilla flying the aircraft.  I guess that sort of blew him away.

Jack Keegan confirms…

I can validate the Mugs Monkey story.  He did the same thing with me and a Middie.  I told the Middie that the fighter losses were heavy and they were training anybody/anything they could...

The legendary Jim Horsley then called out…

TOON—I’d love to hear your rendition of our day overhead tanker flight when directed to give everything we had to boltering Phantoms. You mentioned something about a low fuel light before we ever started down...never saw the ship on the 1^st pass. And the rest of the story??....Toon, over to you!  -JIM

Rob “Toon” Ponton obliged…

Horse et al,

My youngest son says he worries about my wife and me because one of us forgets and the other makes it up.

Couple thoughts:

1. Over the years, I suppose “naïve confidence” or “clueless confidence” may have been applied to my general outlook. But I gotta tell ya, Horse, being crewed with Snake and then you turned a bunch of that confidence into “informed confidence.” Truth to tell, failure simply wasn’t an option for any of us Arabs.

2. I remember saying/thinking something along the lines of “1460 pounds of fuel plus 200/minus 100; the stand pipe’s in the back of the service tank; so being in a descent we got 1660 pounds remaining instead of 1360”.

3. I remember you saying something about “tighten your lap belt and check your face curtain just in case”.

4. As I recall, MIDWAY had the best damned CATCC in the fleet. Didn’t we have to fly case 2 or case 3 all the time following loss of the E-2 at the end of the first deployment? Our controllers were damned good and would set us up well. A “short turn in” was no problem for them or for us.

5. You stayed on the instruments and my eyes were outside.

6. Fuzz was on the platform. His “roger ball” call would calm any “wobbly knees”.

7. Finally, as you well know, I was blessed with a short memory, so “interesting flights” were quickly forgotten, but only after completing Spook’s award folder notes.

For whatever reason, I’ve come to realize the VA-115 Arabs were something special. For all of our individual failings, be it a forgotten MR switch; forgotten external light switch at night, “feet dry” or selecting “nose” vice “tail” on the ACU panel resulting in 12 snake eye retards vice slick, we made us some quality history.

Toon

Well, there you have a taste, many more tales were exchanged and I may be inclined to add a few in the future...  I would like to thank all of the Arabs for sharing pieces of our Naval Aviation History!

I also extend the invite to any other squadron to share your tales here on our pages, especially as we approach the Centennial of Naval Aviation in 2011, we will then all be called on to help share our heritage!

If you have any tales you would like to share, please feel free to email me directly {here} -- JC

Note:  Many of the images used to help tell these tales are from Buzz Nau’s great USS Midway Historical Site CV41.org a wonderfully nostalgic visit for all you former USS Midway and Airwing 5 guys.

A Proper Understanding of What the Fraternity Is…

I, along with most of the TDB readership, have been witness to many o farewell speech. Hell… many here have given a number of them.  This one was forwarded on for our republishing here from Neptunus Lex (another great regular read for those of you who haven’t cross decked over there…)

This speech was delivered by Cdr. Mike “Beef” Wellington the former CO of the former Blue Dolphins of VFA-203, and it certainly shines a proper light on the Fraternity of Tailhook Naval Aviation!

Two days ago I closed out my career as a Naval Aviator. The realization is just now starting to hit me as I’m sure it will the rest of you some day.

What follows are my remarks at my farewell dinner. Several of the guys in my squadron had asked me for a copy of what I had written and because it had been jotted down on the back of a cocktail napkin in my weird-assed hand writing and because these things came from my heart, I debated for a while whether or not to do write it down, but the response from all the guys and their wives was so humbling and overwhelming, thought……why not.

Being an F-18 pilot and an airline pilot at the same time gives you an interesting and different perspective. Unlike others, at my airline they do not have a history of hiring Single Seat Naval Aviators and as such we are definitely in the minority. On every trip when you first sit down next to a guy, the first volley of questions in getting to know each other always includes “what is your background?” Based on 3 years in the airline industry, I have recently decided to flat out lie and stop telling guys that I am a Naval Aviator and an F-18 pilot. You might be asking yourself, why would anyone do that?

There are 3 reasons.

One…..Because everything that the uninformed population knows about Naval Aviation they got from the movie Top Gun. A credible and reliable source of information if there ever was one.

Two…..Because when I tell guys that I am an F-18 pilot, the machismo and bravado that immediately comes from the left side of the cockpit becomes somewhat intolerable and I am forced to sit and listen to stories for the next 4 days that go something like……”Mike, did I tell you about the time when I landed my C-5 on a 15,000 foot runway with only 30,000 pounds of fuel in the tanks, with the weather at mins…… and oh, oh yeah, did I say it was at night.”

You gotta be shittin’ me!!!

Three…..Because, in their state of curiosity, invariably questions get asked about what flying the F-18 is like and what this business of Naval Aviation is all about. It is in my futile attempts to answer these questions that I have finally decided that it is impossible to do so.

How can anyone possibly explain Naval Aviation?

How do you explain what it has been like to have seen the entire world through the canopy of an F-18 like a living IMAX film?

How do you explain what is like to fly an engineering marvel that responds to your every whim of airborne imagination?

How do you explain the satisfaction that comes from seeing a target under the diamond disappear at the flick of your thumb?….. on time.

How do you explain cat shots……especially the night ones?

How do explain the exhilaration of the day trap?

How do you possibly explain finding your self at 3/4 miles, at night, weather down, deck moving, hyperventilating into your mask, knowing that it
will take everything you have to get aboard without killing yourself?

How do you explain moons so bright and nights so dark that they defy logic?

How do you explain sunrises and sunsets so glorious that you knew in your heart that God had created that exact moment in time just for you?

How do you explain the fellowship of the ready room where no slack is given and none is taken?

How do you explain an environment where the content of a man’s character can be summed up into two simple four-word phrases…….”He’s a good shit” or “He’s a @#*%@$ ‘ idiot.”

How do you explain the heart of maintenance professionals like Rudy and Frank who’s only enjoyment comes from taking care of our young Sailors and providing us with “up” jets to execute our craft?

How do you explain the dedication of our young troops who we burden with the responsibilities of our lives and then pay them peanuts to do so?

How do you explain the type of women who are crazy enough to marry into Naval Aviation, who endure long working hours and long periods of separation and who are painfully and quietly forced to accept the realization that they are second to the job?

The simple fact is that you can’t explain it. None of it. It is something that only a very select few of us will ever know. We are bonded for life by our proprietary knowledge and it excludes all others from our fraternity. As I will, no matter where you go or what do, you should cherish that knowledge for the rest of you life.

For when I am 90 years old sitting on my porch in my rocking chair and someone asks me what I have done with my life, I will damn sure not tell them I was an airline pilot, but rather I will reach into my pocket, pull out my Blue Dolphin money clip and tell them I was a Naval Aviator, I worked with the finest people on the planet, and that I was the Commanding Officer of the Blue Dolphins.

Mike “Beef” Wellington

Well said…