Posted on 10/06/2008 1:21:38 PM PDT by jessduntno
Mishaps mark John McCain's record as naval aviator
By Ralph Vartabedian and Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers October 6, 2008
The 23-year-old junior lieutenant wasn't paying attention and erred in using "a power setting too low to maintain level flight in a turn," investigators concluded.
As a presidential candidate, McCain has cited his military service -- particularly his 5 1/2 years as a POW. But he has been less forthcoming about his mistakes in the cockpit.
The Times interviewed men who served with McCain and located once-confidential 1960s-era accident reports and formerly classified evaluations of his squadrons during the Vietnam War. This examination of his record revealed a pilot who early in his career was cocky, occasionally cavalier and prone to testing limits.
In today's military, a lapse in judgment that causes a crash can end a pilot's career. Though standards were looser and crashes more frequent in the 1960s, McCain's record stands out.
"Three mishaps are unusual," said Michael L. Barr, a former Air Force pilot with 137 combat missions in Vietnam and an internationally known aviation safety expert who teaches in USC's Aviation Safety and Security Program. "After the third accident, you would say: Is there a trend here in terms of his flying skills and his judgment?"
Jeremiah Pearson, a Navy officer who flew 400 missions over Vietnam without a mishap and later became the head of human spaceflight at NASA, said: "That's a lot. You don't want any. Maybe he was just unlucky."
Navy veterans who flew with McCain called him a good pilot.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Can you elaborate on that? Maybe a name of the terrorist? Thanks.
John McCain’s record as a jet pilot is fair game in this election because had Obama been a jet pilot he would have been an excellent one. He wasn’t one, but he could easily have been, and had he been one he would have flown rings aroud McCain.
He would never have got himself shot down, and if he was shot down he’d have done a better job bailing out, he would never have let himself fall into enemy hands like that.
And if he did fall into enemy hands he’d have fought them like a lion, they would never have taken him alive, and if they did take him alive he’d have faced their worst interrogators with all the courage that one man can muster, he would have taken the worst they had to dish out and more, and they would never have got more out of him than name, rank, serial number. No, not even that, he would only have given them half his serial number, he’d have made them guess the rest, he’d have forced them to play his game, he would probably have looked deep into their torturers’ eyes and frozen their soulless souls with existential fear. Not just ordinary fear but the worst kind of existential fear, they would have been choking on their existential fear.
Then he’d have strode out of that prison with his head held high, thats the way he would have done it, if he was a jet pilot.
No it isn't. I almost laughed out loud when I saw it. I can't believe that they would be so stupid to try this line of attack but I certainly hope they continue it.
Wow, if this the only thing they have....
Are they sure they didn't accidentally look at the records of every friggin' pilot ever?
If only the Times had similar curiosity about Obama’s judgment as a 23-year old, hanging around with Weathermen...
I’m sure the la slimes mentioned how after he returned from ‘nam, he was made a squadron commander and ran a top-notch squadron, bringing an underperforming unit up to high standards of combat readiness. Yeah, I’m sure they are going to give that lots of play.
I’m also sure the slimes is going to tout the accomplishments of 0bama; how he took an underperforming Chicago ACORN organization and brought it up to high standards of extorting government money and bank loans to unqualified applicants. Yeah, they’ll be all over that....
OHMIGOD!!!!!! he “erred in using “a power setting too low to maintain level flight in a turn”
WELL THAT’S IT I AM DONE WITH MCCAIN NOW~!!!!!!!
President George W. Bush can say that. The MSM hates him.
Former President George H. W. Bush flew a prop-driven light bomber in combat (jets having then not been invented). The MSM hated him, too.
Hmmmmm.......
Who would win in a fight between Osama and a tornado? LOL.
“Larry Sinclair”, as a search term, cannot be found on FactCheck.org, and is never mentioned (last time I checked) on the “Fight the Smears” campaign website. Since Larry's story cannot be “fact-checked”, and isn't even considered a “smear”, then is Larry's story just an exotic limo ride on the way to Pennsylvania Avenue? It appears that Barry isn't even fighting stories that he did cocaine 9 short years ago - based on Larry's story. Did the public record of Larry's arrest in DC, extradition to Delaware, incarceration, and subsequent release get purged from the public record just like other sources regarding Barry? MSM is mum - scared maybe?
THEODORE ROOSEVELT (Paris Sorbonne,1910)
It wont work because its old news.
LOL The LA Times thinks they can ‘swift boat’ McCain.
Sounds like a Naval Aviator to me ...
An examination of Barack Obamao’s miltary record revealed...........oh.....that’s right........he never served.
I have only crashed twice, but I can say this: anyone who can make a night carrier landing has the Big Brass: ons.
I dunno what kind of jewelry Ayers wears, but he is a terrorist and a buddy of Obama’s.
There is, however, a little less swagger during nighttime carrier ops.
Sent to an ex-Navy buddy who will just come unglued at their one-sentence reference to the USS Forrestal fire, which they more-less imply was somehow his fault.
This is a new low even for the Slimes. I can’t wait to see the demise of this “non-journalistic entity”.
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