Posted on 09/25/2021 6:25:57 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
For all that knew him this was the final flight. He was renowned for pushing or exceeding the limits of that aircraft for many years. There were those afraid to fly with him, which is why the ops officer was in the right seat on that day, giving his life for the scheduled co-pilot he saved from the disaster. Low altitude left wing stall is a guaranteed killer.
One other thing, it wasn’t HIS jet. It belonged to all of us who paid for it. It is unfortunate that so many of his commanders over the years enamored of his flying skills failed to reign in his egotistical flying that broke numerous regulations, exceeded published aircraft limits, scaring the crap out of crewmembers while flying normal training missions and as a demonstration pilot.
I didn’t fly the B-52, but I was in Strategic Air Command, and knew of his reputation years before the final flight. It came as no surprise that he happened to be the pilot on that final flight. It was not a good legacy for a soon to be retired AF Officer. The accident report was great for aviators in the AF and those just coming in as to why there are safety regulations, and very few old bold pilots.
Those limits can be exceeded as the C-17 accident at Elmendorf AFB AK proved to the unfortunate flight crew onboard.
I was in the MFO South Camp Aviation company at Sharm el Sheikh in '85/86. Our sister unit in North Camp at el Gorah was Australian. The things I saw them do in the old UH1-N models gave me nightmares. I was offered rides several times and told them I'd rather walk... or ride with the French in their Twin Otters.
Once when driving near the Dead Sea I saw an IAF F15 about 100' off the deck at about a 30 degree down angle pushing a shock wave in front of him on the desert floor.
I am not sure the risk, to the people in the buildings, was worth the task of making the flight that way. No matter how well trained or talented the pilots are/were, dozens of unknowns, just electronically &/or mechanically, could have changed the flying conditions of the craft in seconds.
I recall the American Lt Col B 52 pilot ...
The wing config on a C-17 is rather different from the B-52. The B-52 pilot was a doofus for trying it.
I understand it was not His jet but I also know he was the commander on board. Commanders often say, “mu unit” or whatever.
Hot dogging as a pilot can quickly become deadly. That is my point.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the checkerboard seen on the approach chart right in front of the right turn to the runway.
That checkerboard is PAINTED on the mountain you will fly into if you fail to make the right turn. At least that is how I saw it sitting in the co-pilot seat of the C-123 we were flying into Hong Cong in 1969.
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