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The A-10 Warthog pilot who enjoyed listening to The Doors while doing strafing runs

by Till Daisd
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‘Curious, I grabbed his G-suit off the rack. Sure enough, there was a Sony Walkman (tape; this is 1983) in one of the pockets…,’ Pat Markwell, former A-10 Warthog Life Support Technician in the US Air Force

Electronic devices are not allowed to be carried by fighter pilots, including music players. It is unlikely that a device will interfere with the onboard avionics, although it is possible.

But there was an A-10 Warthog pilot during the Cold War who loved breaking that rule.

Pat Markwell, former Life Support Technician in the US Air Force, recalls on Quora;

‘As a novice Life Support tech, I was doing a post-flight inspection of one of our more Sierra Hotel A-10 pilots helmet. This usually involved swabbing spit out of the oxygen mask, cleaning the visor, and a quick once-over.

‘Then I noticed a very non-Milspec cord taped to the comm line that ran from the helmet, along the hose, and dangling next to the CRU-60 quick disconnects. Curious, I grabbed his G-suit off the rack. Sure enough, there was a Sony Walkman (tape; this is 1983) in one of the pockets.

‘A few minutes later, 1st Lieutenant B strolls through the LS section. Now, this is one of the coolest individuals I have ever met. So, showtime:

‘Me, holding his helmet “Uh, Lt. B? What’s with the walkman? I’m not sure that I can allow this to be considered suitable for flight (comm loss, post-ejection flailing, etc.).”

‘Lt. B “It will be fine. I just like to listen to The Doors when I strafe“.

‘Me “Let me get this straight, Sir. They pay you big bucks, let you strap on a multi-million-dollar aircraft, and you get to listen to The Doors as you blow s**t up?”

‘Lt B, now sporting the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen “That’s right, Airman. It’s kinda like getting paid to f**k”’

Markwell concludes;

‘And that is when I realized that fighter pilots are different than you and I…’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

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