Concur with the 12,000 foot accurate strafing. Very easy to get hits at that distance.
Qualified in F-5/F-4 and A-10. The Hog was definitely the most fun. It was hard to keep the oxygen mask hooked up because I was grinning so much.
I’ve done well in phone booths with F-15/16 but separating out is a whole ‘nuther issue.
Yeah, separating is darned near impossible, so hide at low level, defeat with turns and then go offensive.
Never lost a turning fight with anything out there. Found German Low Fly 7 to be the most fun. Heck, even German 104’s zipped under us, but at any given time we would be bounced by anything.
NATO exercise, supposed to go to an EW range in France. Called and called to get approval from the French controllers to cross into France. No answer. Climbed and contacted the Legion’s helo on the range and after standing by for about 5-min, he called me and said I am cleared to enter. About 15-min after crossing saw a F-1 swooping down out of the Sun, trying to get on our 6.
I called a 180 turn and the F-1 quarter-planed and attempted to reposition so we turned again and again he zoomed up and attempted another entry. He was not going away so I pitched back and up (rapidly losing speed) and put my gun in his face, he zoomed up and ran away. Rest of the mission uneventful.
0345 mass brief the next day, had an American controller, a German controller and a French controller and the French controller started to fuss at us all about somebody that entered France without permission and the Frence were angry.
After the brief the American and German and American controller came to my wingman and I. They told us they hate the French and knew it was me but told the French controller the call-sign mission details were shredded at the end of the day (yeah, right), so no way to find out who it was.
Seems the French controllers heard me calling but it was time for their cheese and wine break so they refused to answer. When they saw us enter France, they scrambled a live strip-alert fighter to intercept us.
France. . .always a team player.
Anyway, I am diverted. . .flew the Hog out of Bentwaters (I’m an old guy), then Alconbury, then the school house at D-M. You?