Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

[FL420]

Originally Posted by zipmart

Great story! And even greater recall!!! That was always my shortcoming as an adversary - trying to remember the fight and put it down on paper while heading back to station for the next engagement. Many that I flew against could remember every turn and move without even taking notes. I was always envious. I always felt I was blessed to be able "compete" with the best sticks, but remembering every little turn was never my forte.

I'm glad you liked it. I suppose not many who haven't done it would fully understand. I try to write things like this in a way that those who are familiar will understand and appreciate the story but also in a way those who aren't familiar might reach some level of understanding and appreciate the story. It's hard to do without writing a book. Plus I'm almost always doing it on my phone so, believe it or not, I try to keep it short while getting the essential information across.
I too struggled with getting my notes down on paper. The more I did it the better I got at it. The 1v1s came pretty easy. The 2v1s and the 1v2s were a little harder. The main problem I had with writing down notes on the 2v2s and the 2vManys was not only were there too many players to keep track of there was not enough time to do everything between "knock it offs" and the turnaround to start the next intercept and "fight's on" calls. I eventually had to learn to rely on my memory to reconstruct the fights in the debrief.
Many of my 1500+ hours in the F-4 were learning or teaching ACM. Almost every F-4 flight was logged at 0.9 hours from brake release to landing plus 5 minutes taxi time. It's hard to build hours for the airlines that way.
Most of my 1000+ hours in A-4s was as adversary for USN, USMC and USAF squadrons. Most of those flights were logged at 1.2 to 1.4 hours. We usually fought a section of F-4s, F-14s, AV-8Bs or F-15s until they ran out of gas then max conserved our fuel waiting for a second section of fighters.
We once went to Luke AFB to fight the famous "Triple Nickels" of the 555th FS so the F-15s could learn how to fight a MiG-17 type adversary. They did a lot of DACM (dissimilar ACM) and had a wall full of gun camera film of gun shots on previous victims. The only shots they got on our A-4s were max range look-down from high altitude head-on AIM-7 Sparrow shots. They never attempted to turn with us but seemed to always be overshooting us going straight up or straight down. The best gun camera shot (which they framed but I doubt they hung it on the wall) was a vertical 90° shot of the planform view of a non-maneuvering wings level A-4. We were there for a week to learn as well as to teach. All we really got to do was watch them learn to do radar intercepts and play with their great big powerful engines.
Flying at George AFB again at the invitation of the Air Force against a squadron of F-105s was even more frustrating. We assumed we were there to at least demonstrate the capabilities of a MiG-17 type opponent and to teach them the best ways to get away if they were ever jumped by a MiG-17. We weren't even invited to their brief which is highly unusual in what is supposed to be a teaching/learning situation. All we heard and saw was the F-105s being vectored in our direction and watching them pass us at the speed of heat without any attempt to even turn toward or away from us, assuming they saw us at all. It was a great wasted opportunity for those pilots.
Now, flying out of Nellis AFB was always fun, and not just because of the obvious. It's in Vegas, baby!. The USAF was just learning it might be a good idea to establish their own aggressor squadrons since more and more of their fighter squadron commanders were risking the ire of their bosses by inviting Navy aggressors from Topgun and VF-126 to come play with them. Meanwhile I and others enjoyed doing Red Flags as red force aggressors. I liked them because we never knew what was going to show up to fight, usually F-4s or F-15s. F-16s were not quite operational yet. It was also on the Cubic Corp. ACMI range.
The most fun was flying against the F-4s of the new USAF Fighter Weapons School. Those guys tried real hard to get something out of what we had to offer. So hard in fact that one of them came dangerously close to buying the farm. He either lost track of his altitude or purposely ignored the minimum altitude for fighting. You never heard so many radio calls of "knock it off" at the same time. Their instructor could have sent him back to base alone but I figure he thought everybody was trying too hard and it might be wiser for all of them to RTB to Nellis. Actually, they were doing so well they might have been instructors rather than students. Again, we weren't invited to the brief or debrief so I don't know.
All of us aggressors were experienced instructors with combat experience in F-4s or F-8s and most of us were Topgun graduates but the senior Air Force guys seemed more interested in trying their old tactics against our A-4s instead of learning any new and proven tactics the Navy had learned from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, our ad hoc aggressor program and our head start in DACM. The Air Force was learning they needed to change things, they were intrigued by the success the Navy was having with DACM but IMHO the decision-makers were still worried about an increase in the accident rate due to realistic training might affect their opportunity for promotion.
Okay, departing my soapbox now. Carry on.
[emoji40]

[Dearranged]

Halfway through this thread but I'll make it. Hats off to all you jet drivers. My utmost and total respect to any and all associated with the services that put and keep aircraft in the air.

25 yrs at ZKC and I have seen and experienced many things. It could be interesting when the military was involved which could include making a big hole cause you never knew what might happen. But if it wasn't for this we wouldn't enjoy the job, so to speak.

When I come back my secret desire is to drive a fighter, don't know that there is anything else to top what I have done this time around.

The T birds, U2's, F22's, F35's, refuelling, MOA's, unknown aircraft.

I was at work the afternoon of the WTC bombings, didn't know it til I showed up for work, the facility was barricaded, with armed service people carrying weapons I had never seen before. I figured maybe a bomb scare. Inside was like a mid shift where each specialty will combine all of it's sectors onto one scope. There was not a plane in the sky. If you get a chance to see the utube video of the sky clearing it is phenomenal, never before will it probably happen.

I think the most exciting thing working the military a/c was the high performance. Off the ground we would sometimes coordinate higher altitudes and let the plane do it's thing. I worked I believe the last U2 off STL that was westbound over MCI, over MCI he had reached the realm of being very close to outer space. A lot of the a/c would exceed what our computer mode C expectant rate of climb or descent was programed for, so the altitude readout would go blank. One of the coolest things was an F22 off STL that took off westbound, he must have had higher altitudes and I watched him climb, and lost his Mode C, this is when the planes first came out, and before I shipped him I asked him what his rate of climb was which was probably classified, he replied he didn't know as his rate of climb exceeded the instrument capability. 20k+ comes to mind.

Lot of the controllers were military pilots, current and past, some were wound pretty tight.

Just a few of my favorite things. It's definitely a different world and that's my story. My adrenaline is going as I type this. How I miss the sweet things. Sometimes .

[zipmart]

I flew for SWA for 20 yrs. after retiring from the Navy, and went through KSTL more times than I can count. Always enjoyed watching the Air Guard F-15's that were based there, depart - they seemed to always get an unrestricted climb and seemed to climb almost straight up. The noise from a full-burner departure makes everybody stop and watch.

[Dearranged]

Originally Posted by zipmart

I flew for SWA for 20 yrs. after retiring from the Navy, and went through KSTL more times than I can count. Always enjoyed watching the Air Guard F-15's that were based there, depart - they seemed to always get an unrestricted climb and seemed to climb almost straight up. The noise from a full-burner departure makes everybody stop and watch.

SWA was always good to work with. I wouldn't doubt I talked to you. I worked the area around MCI, west of STL, and down south to OKC and TUL and END area. Kind of unique in my career as I worked three different specialties. And those F15s....like a rocket ship

The call for the climbs would take place on the taxi outbound, everybody would coordinate with higher stratum and then wait to see what the pilot would do. Usually not disappointed.

I'll add, I think a lot of the airlines with former military pilots were good to work with.

[FL420]

Not a picture nor a story but I hope it's allowed.

Six year-old: "Mommy, I want to grow up and be a Navy flier."
Mom: "Honey, you can’t do both."

Most fighter crew, despite their arrogant demeanor, are capable of feelings such as love, affection, humility, caring and intimacy. But with those guys, the feelings don’t involve anybody else.
[emoji40]

[corn18]

Originally Posted by FL420

Not a picture nor a story but I hope it's allowed.

Six year-old: "Mommy, I want to grow up and be a Navy flier."
Mom: "Honey, you can’t do both."

Most fighter crew, despite their arrogant demeanor, are capable of feelings such as love, affection, humility, caring and intimacy. But with those guys, the feelings don’t involve anybody else.
[emoji40]

True dat.

When we got back from my 3rd cruise, I was the Maintenance Officer (O4, maybe 33 years old). We flew out to the boat from NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, FL and when we flew off, we landed at our new home at MCAS Beaufort, SC. Because of the relo, most of my chiefs were geo baching from Jacksonville. Well, the Beaufort O'Club had a great steak night every Wednesday. I invited a few of the Chiefs to go with me. We stayed too long and drank too much so I spent the night in one of the Chief's BOQ room. Got up the next day and went in to the squadron and finally went home that night. Wife was not happy about that. Her comment was "When are you going to grow up? Gurns doesn't act like that!". Gurns was the skipper. And he slept beside me in the BOQ room. That didn't make her happy.

During workups for the next cruise, we went to NAS Fallon for our Air Wing det. The Chiefs invited me to the Chief's club one night. I went. I rang the bell to the tune of about $300. Stayed too late, drank too much. Flew home the next day after 6 weeks in Fallon. Went home with my giant bag of dirty laundry. Had get home nookie. Later that night, my wife was vacuuming with extreme vigor. I asked her what was wrong? She slapped a handful of condoms down on the half wall in the den. "What the hell are these?" Condoms, I said. She "I found them in your flight suit!" I told her we had been at the Chief's club and we decided to pull condoms over our heads and inflate them with our noses. She wasn't buying it but begrudgingly backed off when I offered to call my Maintenance Master Chief who was there with me blowing up condemns.

There are many more childish stories, but these are two that stood out.

[JKC2020]

Originally Posted by zipmart

I flew for SWA for 20 yrs. after retiring from the Navy, and went through KSTL more times than I can count. Always enjoyed watching the Air Guard F-15's that were based there, depart - they seemed to always get an unrestricted climb and seemed to climb almost straight up. The noise from a full-burner departure makes everybody stop and watch.

In another life I got to do that for a couple years over in Europe It was fun

I flew the F-15 out of Soesterberg AB, NL and had an air defense mission for northern NATO... We were the "big sticks" in town in those days as that was the premier fighter for air-to-air. We had a 24/7 alert commitment for northern NATO and would be the first to go if anything got close to the East/West German border (5 min takeoff window!). Had a couple pilots and jets with 8 live missiles (4 radar and 4 heat seeking) and centerline bag (one external fuel tank) on alert...

During the week NATO would "test the system" about 4 times a week, and we never knew when the horn would go off... "The system" was designed/prepped pretty good and we would be "in the building" watching TV or reading or whatever... Horn would go off and we would be in the air in 5 min! We rarely got a "failed test" (had to have a jet go by the tower in 5min to be passing)...

Runway was setup east/west... We were at the west end of the field (knew we were going east - duh). Horn would go off and it was a race to the jets that were "in the garage" attached to the facility we lived in for the 24hr shift... Didn't take long to start the jet and taxi... Got a freq from command post on who we would talk to in the air... Didn't have to talk to air traffic control as they all got the msg that two F-15s were going to be airborne very soon and cleared the pattern and airspace to the east (both civilian and military air traffic controllers knew we were coming and made sure no one was in our way)... Usually still had time and would talk to tower as we were rolling, just to say hi & goodbye

Since that was a "fully loaded" F-15 with missiles and internal/external fuel we weren't better than 1-to-1 on our thrust to weight on takeoff... For alert we got to use afterburners for takeoff (have to remember we needed to get a passing grade for NATO )... We would be gear in the well at the end of the runway with 350kts... Would pull the nose up 60 degrees in the climb and keep the 350kts to FL350 (that always was our takeoff clearance)! It was a pretty neat adrenaline rush for sure

On a nice clear daytime launch we sat high enough that it was like a McDonald Douglas "promotional video" looking behind us on the climbout as you could watch the runway get smaller and smaller between the tails

[Dearranged]

Or the sound of a low altitude A10.......

One of the low altitude VFR flight routes passed just north of a relatives farm. A few times there would be a flight of A10's come through, looked like business at a moments notice.

I worked at a tower for a couple years with an ANG on the field. A flight of UH's in or out was always impressive.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by JKC2020

In another life I got to do that for a couple years over in Europe It was fun

I flew the F-15 out of Soesterberg AB, NL and had an air defense mission for northern NATO... We were the "big sticks" in town in those days as that was the premier fighter for air-to-air. We had a 24/7 alert commitment for northern NATO and would be the first to go if anything got close to the East/West German border (5 min takeoff window!). Had a couple pilots and jets with 8 live missiles (4 radar and 4 heat seeking) and centerline bag (one external fuel tank) on alert...

During the week NATO would "test the system" about 4 times a week, and we never knew when the horn would go off... "The system" was designed/prepped pretty good and we would be "in the building" watching TV or reading or whatever... Horn would go off and we would be in the air in 5 min! We rarely got a "failed test" (had to have a jet go by the tower in 5min to be passing)...

Runway was setup east/west... We were at the west end of the field (knew we were going east - duh). Horn would go off and it was a race to the jets that were "in the garage" attached to the facility we lived in for the 24hr shift... Didn't take long to start the jet and taxi... Got a freq from command post on who we would talk to in the air... Didn't have to talk to air traffic control as they all got the msg that two F-15s were going to be airborne very soon and cleared the pattern and airspace to the east (both civilian and military air traffic controllers knew we were coming and made sure no one was in our way)... Usually still had time and would talk to tower as we were rolling, just to say hi & goodbye

Since that was a "fully loaded" F-15 with missiles and internal/external fuel we weren't better than 1-to-1 on our thrust to weight on takeoff... For alert we got to use afterburners for takeoff (have to remember we needed to get a passing grade for NATO )... We would be gear in the well at the end of the runway with 350kts... Would pull the nose up 60 degrees in the climb and keep the 350kts to FL350 (that always was our takeoff clearance)! It was a pretty neat adrenaline rush for sure

On a nice clear daytime launch we sat high enough that it was like a McDonald Douglas "promotional video" looking behind us on the climbout as you could watch the runway get smaller and smaller between the tails

Hey John, I flew F4s out of Soesterberg from 76-78! Best assignment in fighters. The Queen's Own..

[T-n-T]

Originally Posted by Dearranged

Or the sound of a low altitude A10.......

One of the low altitude VFR flight routes passed just north of a relatives farm. A few times there would be a flight of A10's come through, looked like business at a moments notice.

I worked at a tower for a couple years with an ANG on the field. A flight of UH's in or out was always impressive.

The mighty Warthog... my first love! 1150 rounds of 30-mm hell-fire!

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by T-n-T

The mighty Warthog... my first love! 1150 rounds of 30-mm hell-fire!

Desert Storm, 1991. Flying a UH-1H out of TAA Cobra. We were somewhere we weren't supposed to be . . . . Kind of like Gilligan's Island. We left our unit South of Tapline Road, North of KKMC, headed North for a 4 hour or so mission on Day -1, the day before the ground war kicked off. While on the mission we got hijacked by the Divarty Commander and were told to RON until relief arrived (the aircraft and crew that were supposed to be doing our mission). So . . . afternoon of Day 1, we were RTB, but our unit had moved! No one knew where they went, except "North" . . . Duh, we could have figured THAT out . . . Anyway, we hopped around, looking for them. Stopped fuel trucks by landing in front of them and begging fuel . . Anyway, we were North, somewhere we weren't supposed to be, came over a rise and spotted 2 APC's and 3 trucks about 4-5 k's North, bad guys in convoy. Called for fire on the freq we were given, didn't knew what we would get. Controller asked if we could observe fire in about 4 mikes. We said yes. They called inbound in 15, we unmasked, and saw two A-10s coming from the West, in staggered trail, from behind the convoy. Never was sure what the wingman was shooting at, because all that was left after lead finished was burning wreckage . . . And even from about 3 k's, inside a UH-1, wearing foam ear plugs, and SPH-4, you could STILL hear the BRRRRRAAAAAPPPPP of the 30mm . . . Just like on the range at Grafenwoehr, . . . only not . . . Didn't find our unit until Day 4 . . . crazy times . . .

[FL420]

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

Desert Storm, 1991. Flying a UH-1H out of TAA Cobra. We were somewhere we weren't supposed to be . . . . Kind of like Gilligan's Island. We left our unit South of Tapline Road, North of KKMC, headed North for a 4 hour or so mission on Day -1, the day before the ground war kicked off. While on the mission we got hijacked by the Divarty Commander and were told to RON until relief arrived (the aircraft and crew that were supposed to be doing our mission). So . . . afternoon of Day 1, we were RTB, but our unit had moved! No one knew where they went, except "North" . . . Duh, we could have figured THAT out . . . Anyway, we hopped around, looking for them. Stopped fuel trucks by landing in front of them and begging fuel . . Anyway, we were North, somewhere we weren't supposed to be, came over a rise and spotted 2 APC's and 3 trucks about 4-5 k's North, bad guys in convoy. Called for fire on the freq we were given, didn't knew what we would get. Controller asked if we could observe fire in about 4 mikes. We said yes. They called inbound in 15, we unmasked, and saw two A-10s coming from the West, in staggered trail, from behind the convoy. Never was sure what the wingman was shooting at, because all that was left after lead finished was burning wreckage . . . And even from about 3 k's, inside a UH-1, wearing foam ear plugs, and SPH-4, you could STILL hear the BRRRRRAAAAAPPPPP of the 30mm . . . Just like on the range at Grafenwoehr, . . . only not . . . Didn't find our unit until Day 4 . . . crazy times . . .

Ahh....the infamous "fog of war."
Good story! Glad it turned out well, for you and your crew anyway.
[emoji40]

[JKC2020]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Hey John, I flew F4s out of Soesterberg from 76-78! Best assignment in fighters. The Queen's Own..

Thanks Gary... It sure was... I was sorry to hear that the unit was closed up in the mid-90s... It was a pretty unique unit for sure!! As you said "The Best" assignment in the fighter world in the day

The un-official DANG patch worn in your days too?

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by JKC2020

Thanks Gary... It sure was... I was sorry to hear that the unit was closed up in the mid-90s... It was a pretty unique unit for sure!! As you said "The Best" assignment in the fighter world in the day

The un-official DANG patch worn in your days too?

Not sure what that is. Dutch Air National Guard? Lol.