And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
I recall reading that the Navy wired up a bunch of pilots during Nam. Peak three stressful periods in the flight were: Launch, the actual combat over NV, and recovery phase. With Recovery being the highest, and combat coming last.
I spent a few years of my life aboard aircraft carriers. I worked in operations/ASW Module. You can tune in the Plat Camera on any TV on the ship and watch a landing evolution. On slow days, we would sit around and place bets on the landing aircraft. Then there was that one night in the Indian ocean. Pitch black, no moon, pitching deck, and a junior attack pilot in an A-7 trying to get back aboard. Since the A-7 doesn't haven an afterburner, it is very slow to answer power calls from the Landing Signal Officer. So junior birdman would always come in high trying to avoid kissing the fantail of the carrier. He made 6 passes before the decision was made to take him in the barricade. As we listened in on the radio, his voice kept getting higher and higher as the LSO tried to keep him calm. End of story, one A-7 successfully trapped in the barricade with one very shaken junior pilot uninjured. Sometimes, those guys earn every penny of their paychecks.
I'll Stick With Submarines... THere's More Aircraft In The Ocean Then Submarines In The Sky!!!
ReplyDeletewhoa-huge cajones, how do that fit in those tiny canopies?
ReplyDeleteGood stuff innit?
ReplyDeleteI recall reading that the Navy wired up a bunch of pilots during Nam.
ReplyDeletePeak three stressful periods in the flight were: Launch, the actual combat over NV, and recovery phase. With Recovery being the highest, and combat coming last.
I spent a few years of my life aboard aircraft carriers. I worked in operations/ASW Module. You can tune in the Plat Camera on any TV on the ship and watch a landing evolution. On slow days, we would sit around and place bets on the landing aircraft. Then there was that one night in the Indian ocean. Pitch black, no moon, pitching deck, and a junior attack pilot in an A-7 trying to get back aboard. Since the A-7 doesn't haven an afterburner, it is very slow to answer power calls from the Landing Signal Officer. So junior birdman would always come in high trying to avoid kissing the fantail of the carrier. He made 6 passes before the decision was made to take him in the barricade. As we listened in on the radio, his voice kept getting higher and higher as the LSO tried to keep him calm. End of story, one A-7 successfully trapped in the barricade with one very shaken junior pilot uninjured. Sometimes, those guys earn every penny of their paychecks.
ReplyDelete