humor

The F-86D Sabre Dog was equipped with an afterburning engine in the form of a General Electric J47-GE-17 turbojet

An intelligence warning in 1948 prompted the US Air Force (USAF) to hurriedly develop an all-weather interceptor. Starting with the basic airframe of its F-86A, North America incorporated two unprecedented concepts into the F-86D. First, a highly sophisticated electronic system replaced the second crewmember carried by other interceptors of the time. Second, the F-86D became the first production single-seat fighter in which air-to-air missiles replaced the classic gun armament.

With its air intake reshaped to make room for the enclosed radar, the F-86D — nicknamed “Sabre Dog” — presented a distinctive profile. The interception radar (from Hughes) and associated fire control computed the target’s position, guided the aircraft on an intercept course to within 500 yards of the target, lowered the retractable tray of 24 rockets, and fired the rockets automatically. The effect of these weapons would have been devastating to an enemy bomber because each 2.75-inch Mighty Mouse folding fin aerial rocket (FFAR) contained the power of a 75mm artillery shell.

The Sabre Dog was also equipped with an afterburning engine (in the form of a General Electric J47-GE-17 turbojet provided with an electronically- controlled fuel scheduling system which was designed to relieve the pilot of the tedious task of having to watch the engine behavior constantly).

David Ross, former F-86D Sabre Dog fighter pilot in the US Air Force, recalls on Quora.

“In the late fifties, while flying an F-86D, on cross-countries I would land at an intermediate base for fuel. As soon as the fuel truck left, I would preflight the plane, start the engine, and leave. As for letting the engine ‘warm-up’ there is no need for that.

“To illustrate this our alert hangars had doors front and back and on the floor was an iron ring to tie the aux-power cable to. This design was to enable a faster scramble time.

“One day I told my crew chief to tie the start cable to this ring and get the loose stuff cleared out of the hanger, because if we got a scramble I was going straight to afterburner on start.

“We did get a scramble and I started the engine and went to full throttle and afterburner right in the hangar.

“I was airborne just about the time I got to the runway, everything worked as it was designed to do. There was one problem though, the crew chief said I blew stuff out the back of the hangar, with the afterburner, that people didn’t even know was in the hangar.”

Ross concludes;

“We never tried that kind of scramble again.”

Photo by: U.S. Air Force

There were still a lot of hostilities at the time, so the pilots did what is called a falling leaf landing at Herat airport

‘First flight in Afghanistan, 2002. It was a UN plane, 16 seats, and two huge Danish pilots,’ says Sven Dirks former EW console in the Bréguet Atlantic, on Quora. ‘As a former soldier and part-time operator of an EW console in the Bréguet Atlantic as well as numerous (and I mean numerous) hours of being lugged to and from in the back of military aircraft, I was used to rather rough and uncomfortable flying.

‘My buddy next to me had had the same kind of experience. We sat in the back row, watching the other passengers. Two of them Europeans. For both of whom it was their second flight in their whole life, the first having been the one from Frankfurt to Kabul. They sat in front of us, as we were all going to the same place.

‘The others were UN personnel and locals of all descriptions.

‘We flew at about 18.000 ft from Kabul towards Herat.

‘There were still a lot of hostilities at the time, so the pilots did what is called a falling leaf landing at Herat airport. A falling leaf landing is basically done by taking a very tight turn and then literally spiraling downwards. Fast.

‘The two big Danes turned once, grinned, and then did their thing. The first stall warning came on, but they just ignored it, more or less falling out of the sky in a controlled manner.

‘Well, the two guys in front of us needed their little bags, as did some of the others, while my friend and I had great fun.

Dirks concludes;

‘Once we leveled out, we were right next to a huge, elongated pit, where the remains of Russian airplanes had been shoveled into.’

‘When passing the pit the pilot announced: “Well, Gentlemen, these are the ones that didn’t make it.”’

Photo: United Nations (Trans Capital Air) De Havilland Canada DHC-7-102 Dash 7 (UA-320 via Wikipedia)

In late January 1965, VMCJ 1 marked a single EF 10B Skyknight with some interesting graffiti that raised eyebrows both in the USSR and at home.

The Douglas F3D Skyknight was an early but effective attempt at combining new technologies together in a lethal package capable of shipboard operation. Whereas most fighters relied on speed and maneuverability, the portly, straight-winged F3D relied on three radars, four 20mm cannons, and – most importantly – darkness. Having first flown in March 1948, the Skyknight’s first taste of war came in September 1952, when Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513 [VMF(N)-513] deployed to Korea.

After the war, 35 Skyknights were converted into F3D-2Q electronic warfare (EW) aircraft.

As told by Joe Copalman in his book F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, although crews flying ‘Shark Fin’ missions [as Peacetime Aerial Reconnaissance Program (PARPRO) missions to collect intelligence on radar systems in China, North Korea, and the Soviet far east] remained in international airspace and relied on standoff receivers to collect intelligence, communist air arms from the nations being spied on routinely sent MiGs up to intercept and investigate the surveillance flights. In most cases, these intercepts involved MiGs harmlessly flying wings on an F3D-2Q before turning back. Recalling one such peaceful intercept, Skyknight pilot Chuck Houseman said;

‘The first time we were intercepted, they reported that we were taking pictures of them, as we were carrying 35 mm hand-held cameras. Normally, it would be on the pilot’s side where the interceptors were, and the ECMO would lean across and snap some pictures of them. And the Russians would report, “They’re taking pictures of us. What should we do?” One of the Russian controllers had a sense of humor and said “Smile”. Who would have thought the Russians had any sense of humor at all?’

As amicable as intercepts with Soviet MiG pilots could be, pilots from other communist nations in the region were decidedly humorless. In his book Top Secret, ECMO J T ‘Jerry’ O’Brien wrote;

‘One didn’t wave at the Chinese or North Koreans. We went to some lengths to avoid contact with the Koreans and the Chinese. On flights from Taiwan, we were usually covered by a flight of Chinese Nationalist F-86s.’

On Jun. 16, 1959, the North Korean People’s Air Force (NKPAF) MiG-17s attacked a US Navy P4M-1Q Mercator flying an electronic reconnaissance mission 50 miles off the east coast of Korea. While its crew managed to recover safely in Japan, despite the aircraft being heavily damaged (it was later declared a write-off) and the tail gunner being wounded, the attack – which occurred while US Marine Corps Skyknight crews were flying similar missions – drove home the serious turns these flights could take. Although the Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron (VMCJ) aircrews managed to avoid such unpleasantness, one particular PARPRO mission drew a fire of another sort from an unexpected source – the US National Security Agency (NSA).

In late January 1965, VMCJ-1 marked a single EF-10B with some interesting graffiti that raised eyebrows both in the USSR and at home. Chuck Houseman, who flew the marked-up aircraft on a ‘Shark Fin’ toward Vladivostok, recalled;

‘This was not authorized, but we thought we’d jazz up the situation a little bit, so we somehow or another were able to come up with the Russian language that said ‘JOIN THE U.S. MARINE CORPS’ and painted it on the side of the fuel tanks on the F-10s [the F3D-2Q had been redesignated the EF-10B in September 1962]. There was a conversation, and we learned later on when the interceptors came up – they got a little closer than usual and were reading it off to the ground controller. They reported it, and there was no response, so they reported it again, and there was still no response, so they dropped it.

‘The painting on the fuel tanks caused some big turmoil in the background in Washington, D.C., with the NSA wondering what the hell was going on. By the time the information rolled down to us, the second flight was up there with those same markings, and they didn’t want to turn him around when he was already on his way out, but they passed the word down, “Paint that damned thing over and get rid of it”.’

Judicious flying helped prevent MiG encounters, with pilots denying intercepts by beginning their turns back toward Japan before the relatively short-legged MiGs could close the distance on them. As EF-10B pilot then Capt Art Bloomer recalled from his 1961–62 tour with VMCJ-1;

‘I flew a lot of the “Shark Fin” missions out of Misawa, where we headed straight out towards Vladivostok, getting to within 20 miles of it. I never did get intercepted, as I was always turned before then, and we’d have MiGs on our tail. They followed us for 50–60 miles out to sea when we were headed back to Misawa, then they would break off and go somewhere else.’

F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units of the Korean and Vietnam Wars is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force

One of the unwritten requirements to become an SR-71 Blackbird crew member/maintainer was to have an outrageous sense of humor.

The SR-71 Blackbird is still considered the world’s fastest aircraft, and still holds several speed and altitude records; record speed over a 15-mile course (2,193 MPH), maximum sustained height (85,069 feet), speed record from New York to London (one hour, 55 minutes), and London to Los Angeles (three hours, 47 minutes).

An SR-71 crew consists of a pilot and a reconnaissance systems officer (RSO).

One of the unwritten requirements to become an SR-71 crew member/maintainer was to have an outrageous sense of humor. This was displayed numerous times by flags, flunking inspections, silhouettes of U-2s on your driveway, etc.

Here’s another funny story by Danny C. Williams DS that appears on the SR71.com website.

“Drag Chute Deployed”

‘When the SR-71 lands, the Drag Chute is deployed to slow the aircraft down to taxi speeds. Then, a pickup truck races down the runway and picks up the Drag Chute, returning it to maintenance operations for repacking.

‘Once upon a time at a remote operating location, a few devious Crew Chiefs of the Blackbird banded together to frag a pilot. It seems this particular pilot (name withheld) was of mind and attitude of being quite superior to all lower-grade maintenance personnel, and he had this particular air about him that definitely was out of step with how other pilot’s treated Crew Chiefs.

‘The camaraderie between pilots (Habu’s) of the SR-71 and ground maintenance personnel was always first rate. The rapport was always without question one of a friendly relationship.

‘During the preflight and preparation for this pilot’s flight, the drag chute was loaded into the chute bay. A few nights earlier several Crew Chiefs had contacted the Women’s (WAF) barracks and requested some unmentionable items for a priority project concerning the Blackbird. Gleefully, the ladies knew that something was up and a quantity of items was secured for the project.

‘The Drag Chute was loaded into the SR-71 along with white pieces of clothing packed around the encased Drag Chute. Upon landing and subsequent pilot deployment of the chute (which is Orange), the chute deployed as normal, and also a quantity of White Items flew all over the runway. The Transient Alert person in the chase truck inquired to the pilot of the Blackbird if he wanted him to also pick up all the white items. His response was silence.

‘At debriefing the pilot inquired as to what the white items were deployed on the runway. “Ladies Underwear, Sir” was the response. Had it not been for some fast talking by the Maintenance Superintendent, some disciplinary action would have been taken against those involved. However, the message was clear: the pilot’s attitude adjusted and the Drag Chute compartment was never again packed with anything other than the Chute.

‘First-hand knowledge of this episode is denied by the author. The picture was not from the incident.’

Check out Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

I have a semi-confirmed report from a woman who lives in the Philippines that one of the SR-71 #974 ejection seats is at the Mayor’s house!

On Apr. 21, 1989, SR-71 #61-7974, better known as Ichiban, departed Kadena Air Base (AB) on a mission.

I have written about the tragic crash of SR-71 #974 before. I have been looking for more information… I ran across the following YouTube video.

At the controls of SR-71 #974 were Pilot Lt. Col. Dan House, and RSO Blair Bozek. As #974 accelerated through three times the speed of sound, the left compressor bearing froze, causing the immediate disintegration of the port engine, and the resultant explosion from the catastrophic failure, sending shrapnel through critical hydraulic lines.

Lt. Col. House managed to slow #974, and even descend below 10 thousand feet. Both crews ejected safely over the ocean and were quickly rescued by local fishermen in the waters below.

It just happened to be that a Russian ship was patrolling the area at the exact time of the ejection of the two men. They were in their flight suits and in the ocean when, fortunately, native fishermen pulled up to the airmen and pulled them into their boat.

The fishermen were very excited about their unexpected guest SO… they just had to show the Mayor! With no time to alert Kadena that they were safe… they were whisked off to an impromptu party! After the party at the Mayor’s house, they were able to use their radios from a rice patty to confirm that they were safe.

The Russian ship was still prowling around. Search and rescue asked some of the fishermen “Do you know where the jet is?” “Sure,” they replied in perfect English, “We put three sticks in the sand here. We will show them to you the Blackbird’s wreckage is 2 miles out from the sticks.” The SR-71 was found in 120 feet of water.

Thanks to the US Navy’s assistance the wreckage was subsequently transported to the harbor and transferred to a waiting vessel.

I have a semi-confirmed report from a woman who lives in the Philippines that one of the ejection seats is at the Mayor’s house! What a story, what a party. Unfortunately, we lost a valuable SR-71, but both men are safe and that’s what really matters.

Check out Habubrats‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Tony Landis / U.S. Air Photo and U.S. Navy

‘I looked out the left window and saw a French Mirage III sitting ten feet off my left wing. He came up on our frequency and asked us for our Diplomatic Clearance Number. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to stand by…,’ Lt. Colonel William Burk Jr., former SR-71 pilot.

The SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft was the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft and the most advanced member of the Blackbird family developed by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s clandestine “Skunk Works” division. Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world’s highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour. The aircraft was designed to fly deep into hostile territory, avoiding interception with its tremendous speed and high altitude.

During its operational lifetime, the SR-71 provided intelligence about the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, the US raid on Libya in 1986, and the revelation of Iranian Silkworm missile batteries in 1987. The USAF ceased SR-71 operations in January 1990.

One of the most entertaining stories about flying the Blackbird comes from Lt. Colonel William Burk Jr., who shares about a particular mission he flew [according to SR-71 pilot Stormy Boudreaux, Tom Henichek was Burk’s RSO for that mission] over Lebanon back in 1982 in the book Skunk Works by Ben Rich.

‘In the fall of ’82, I flew from Mildenhall on a mission over Lebanon in response to the Marine barracks bombing. President Reagan ordered photo coverage of all the terrorist bases in the region. The French refused to allow us to overfly, so our mission profile was to refuel off the south coast of England, a Mach 3 cruise leg down the coast of Portugal and Spain, left turn through the Straits of Gibraltar, refuel in the Western Mediterranean, right turn into Lebanon and fly right down main street Beirut, exit along the southern Mediterranean with another refueling over Malta, supersonic back out the straits, and return to England.

‘Because Syria had a Soviet SA-5 missile system just west of Damascus that we would be penetrating (we were unsure of Syria’s intentions in this conflict), we programmed to fly above 80,000 feet and at Mach 3 plus to be on the safe side, knowing that this advanced missile had the range and speed to nail us.

‘As we entered Lebanon’s airspace my Recon Systems Officer in the rear cockpit informed me that our defensive systems display showed we were being tracked by that SA-5. About 15 seconds later we got a warning of active guidance signals from the SA-5 site. We couldn’t tell whether there was an actual launch or the missile was still on the rails, but they were actively tracking us. We didn’t waste any time wondering, but climbed and pushed that throttle, and said a couple of “Hail Kellys.”

‘We completed our pass over Beirut and turned toward Malta when I got a warning low-oil-pressure light on my right engine.  Even though the engine was running fine I slowed down and lowered our altitude and made a direct line for England. We decided to cross France without clearance instead of going the roundabout way.

‘We made it almost across when I looked out the left window and saw a French Mirage III sitting ten feet off my left wing. He came up on our frequency and asked us for our Diplomatic Clearance Number. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to stand by. I asked my backseater, who said, “Don’t worry about it. I just gave it to him.” What he had given him was “the bird” with his middle finger: I lit the afterburners and left that Mirage standing still. Two minutes later, we were crossing the Channel.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force and French Air Force Via FAST Museum Twitter Account

Thanks to Linda Sheffield Miller from Habubrats Facebook Page for helping with this article

The X-32 earned the nickname “Monica” after a certain White House intern who was famous for her… Uh… Oratory skills.

The Boeing X-32 was a multi-purpose jet fighter in the Joint Strike Fighter contest. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the F-35 Lightning II. Boeing assembled two concept demonstration aircraft, X-32A and X-32B, at its plant in Palmdale, Calif.

On Sep. 18, 2000, the X-32A made its first flight, and it made a total of 66 flights during four months of testing. The flights demonstrated the aircraft’s handling qualities for inflight refueling, weapons bay operations, and supersonic flight.

The X-32B aircraft made its first flight on March 29, 2001. It made 78 test flights in four months, including a transcontinental ferry flight from Edwards Air Force Base to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The aircraft successfully transitioned to and from STOVL flight mode by using its direct-lift system to redirect thrust from the aircraft’s cruise nozzle to the lift nozzles. The X-32B also demonstrated its ability to hover and make vertical landings.

The X-32 earned the nickname “Monica” after a certain White House intern who was famous for her… Uh… Oratory skills, as Cameron Beck, a private pilot, explains on Quora.

‘There’s an old adage in the world of business: s*x sells. Never truer than in the fighter jet business.

‘In 1993, the Pentagon established a massive $200 Billion winner-take-all Joint Strike Fighter competition. Two candidates, Boeing’s X-32 and Lockheed Martin’s X-35 went nose-to-nose.

‘I looked at them. Without knowing anything about them, I knew, I knew the Lockheed would win. Hands down. End of discussion.

‘Why so certain? Well, look at them. The Lockheed is sleek and sexy in its graphite paint scheme, its come-hither canopy, and raked tails. It’s a fighter jock’s dream! The X-32 is anything but—forgive me, Boeing.’

Beck continues;

‘Strangely, the drooling jocks didn’t name the Lockheed plane and pilots love to name their craft. Examples: the unlovely Fairchild Republic A-10 is lovingly called Warthog, or simply Hawg. The Boeing B-52 is the BUFF: Big Ugly Fat F****r—oops! I meant “Fellah.”

‘(A pilot wouldn’t be caught dead uttering a warplane’s official name: A-10 Thunderbolt II, B-52 Stratofortress)

‘The jocks did name Boeing’s X-32 and it wasn’t a nice name like Hawg. The test pilots called her…Monica. I tell you, that name was her death knell.

‘Why Monica? A jock would happily tell you with a wink and snicker: she’s got a big mouth, she’s ugly, and… she s***s. Scratching your head? Remember Bill C*****n’s presidency? Yeah? Good. That Monica. Aha!

‘Now, if you’re still scratching at my stupid hinting, please Google up “Monica C*****n.” There’s your answer. And dear reader, I’m not being coy; we’re talking airplane s*******y here, not human. We’re not going there.’

Beck concludes;

‘Cool Cat won, of course. (pilots had begun calling her Panther).

‘She’s now the most expensive Pentagon program in history: $1 Trillion.

‘Sure, Monica would have been way cheaper—Boeing had emphasized cost control—but trust me, there would have been a pilot mutiny if Air Force brass had embraced the Vomiting Frog over Panther.’

However, although not selected for full-scale development of the JSF, Boeing viewed its involvement in the competition as a strategic investment. The program yielded many advances in stealth technology and design and manufacturing methods. These achievements have been applied to other Boeing programs, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, or UCAV.

In 2005, the Boeing X-32A was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. Its condition deteriorated due to being outside for several years following the end of the JSF competition, but it is now indoors and planned to be restored.

The X-32B was transferred to the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum adjacent to NAS Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County, Maryland in 2005. It underwent restoration at the museum’s restoration facility in June 2009 and is now on display.

Photo by U.S. Air Force, Boeing and Balon Greyjoy via Wikipedia

‘During the last bursts on the leader, gun stoppages occurred. Both port and starboard guns were charged in an attempt to clear them before firing again,’ David McCampbell, US Navy’s leading ace, and top F6F Hellcat ace.

After aircraft from Task Force 58 (TF 58) seven fleet carriers and eight light carriers had pummeled the Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in the lead-up to the First Battle of the Philippine Sea, US forces were able to successfully undertake an amphibious landing on Saipan on Jun. 15, 1944. As told by Mark Chambers with Tony Holmes in their book Yokosuka D4Y ‘Judy’ Units, this event triggered A-Go.

It would appear that the very first Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force (IJNAF) aircraft lost on Jun. 19 was a ”Judy’—probably a D4Y1-C sent out by 121st Kokutai from Palau to locate TF 58. It was claimed by two pilots from VF-28 at 0547 hrs. Almost 13 hours later, at 1825 hrs, a solitary ‘Judy’ was amongst nine IJNAF aircraft downed by VF-51 to end the day’s scoring. By then, 380 Japanese aircraft had been claimed by fighters from TF 58 in what was dubbed the ‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’. Amongst the aircraft credited to US Naval Aviators as destroyed were 57 ‘Judys’ and 19 ‘Tonys’, with the latter claims almost certainly being for D4Y1s too.

Lt. Zenji Abe was involved in the action on this fateful day, as he describes in the following extract from The Emperor’s Sea Eagle;

‘On 13 June [Vice Admiral Jisaburo] Ozawa’s fleet weighed anchor and sortied from its Tawi-Tawi anchorage. Upon receiving information that Saipan, Tinian, and Guam were being subjected to fierce gunfire from US warships, Ozawa steamed north of the Sulu Sea, sailing east of the San Bernardino Straits, which form the centerline of the Philippines.

‘Onboard Taiho, Ozawa broke out a “Z” flag [symbolizing the IJN’s victory over the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905—this flag flown alone meant, “The fate of the Empire rests on the outcome of this battle”] on the mainmast as his fleet advanced to the waters north of Palau. Once there, he employed numerous search aircraft [including nine D4Y1-Cs] whose labors ultimately bore fruit when, during the early morning hours of 19 June, they detected three US naval carrier task forces steaming west of Saipan. Ozawa gave the order for immediate attacks.

‘The First Stage Attack was composed of three waves. At 0825 hrs, the first wave totaling 64 aircraft [none of which were D4Y1s], and all from 3rd Koku Sentai, took off. This strike force was intercepted by many, many F6F Hellcats lying in wait 150 miles ahead of the enemy fleet, resulting in the destruction of 41 aircraft. According to US sources, one fighter bomber [erroneously identified as a “Judy”] broke through the American screen and scored a direct hit on the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57).

‘At 0845 hrs, our 1st Koku Sentai launched 128 aircraft [this second wave included 53 Suisei]. Although this group located the enemy carriers, they were greeted by countless Hellcats and a wall of fierce anti-aircraft fire which cost our forces 23 Zeroes, 41 Suisei, and 23 Tenzans [B6N “Jill” torpedo/level-bombers], including the group commander. One Tenzan crashed into the battleship USS Indiana (BB-58) amidships at the waterline, with the Essex-class carriers USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) and USS Wasp (CV-18) also being attacked.’

The vast majority of the Suisei destroyed in this second wave attack fell to VF-15, embarked in USS Essex (CV-9), and VF-16, embarked in USS Lexington (CV-16). Three pilots achieved coveted ‘ace in a day’ status during this one-sided clash, downing five or more ‘Judys’. One of them was Cdr David McCampbell, the US Navy’s future ranking ace. Commander of Carrier Air Group 15, he had led a division of 12 aircraft into the air from Essex shortly after 0915 hrs and climbed up to 25,000 ft to commence his assigned CAP ahead of TG 58.2. McCampbell was duly given a vector to follow in order to intercept the approaching second wave, and these aircraft – 50+ D4Y1s and their A6M5 escorts – were spotted at 1139 hrs 45 miles from Essex. Minutes later, McCampbell nosed his Hellcat over and led his division into action. He subsequently noted in his Aircraft Action Report;

‘My first target was a Judy on the left flank and approximately halfway back in the formation. I intended, after completing the run on this plane, to pass under it, retire across the formation, and take under fire a plane on the right flank with a low-side attack. My plans were upset, however, when the first plane I fired at blew up practically in my face and forced me to pull out above the entire formation. I remember being unable to get to the other side fast enough, feeling as though every gunner had his fire directed at me.

‘I made my second attack on a Judy on the right flank of the formation, which burned favorably on one pass and fell away from the formation out of control. Retirement was then made below and ahead, and I directed my efforts toward retaining as much speed as possible and working myself ahead and into position for an attack on the leader. I made a third pass from below and the rear on a Judy, which I hit, and it smoked as it pulled out and down from the formation.

‘I pulled up and onto the side, shortly placing my aircraft in position for an above-rear run on the leader, who was closely formed with his port wingman and the other wingman trailing somewhat to the right rear. While reaching for a favorable position on the leader, it was noted that the formation really consisted of two groups, with the lower one being laterally displaced by about 1000 yards and about 500 to 800 ft below. After my first pass on the leader with no visible damage observed, I pulled out below and to the left. Deciding it would be easier to concentrate on the port wingman rather than the leader, my next pass was an above-rear run from seven o’clock. The wingman exploded, enveloped in flames.

‘Breaking away down and to the left placed me in position for a below-rear run on the leader from eight o’clock. I worked onto his tail and continued to fire until he burned furiously and spiraled downward out of control.

‘During the last bursts on the leader, gun stoppages occurred. Both port and starboard guns were charged in an attempt to clear them before firing again.

‘A brief survey of the situation at this point revealed that the formation had been decimated, and the attack was effectively broken up. One Judy, who appeared to have been leading the lower formation because of his position ahead and near alignment with the leader of the high group, offered himself as a target to me. By this time, I was at four o’clock, down, and I made a modified high-side run on him. Only my starboard guns fired on this run, which threw me into a violent skid, and I pulled out early after a short burst. Guns were charged twice again, and since my target had pushed over and gained high speed, a stern chase ensued. Bursts of my starboard gun alone, before all guns ceased to fire, caused him to burn and pull up into a high wing-over before plummeting into the sea.’

Yokosuka D4Y ‘Judy’ Units is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy and Wikipedia

Top Gun: Maverick trailer in Lego required months of painstaking work to be created.

The cool video in this post features a side-by-side comparison between Top Gun: Maverick’s original trailer and Top Gun: Maverick’s official trailer in LEGO.

According to Onbeatman, who posted Top Gun: Maverick – Official Trailer IN LEGO on his YouTube Channel, the video required “months of painstaking work… I recreated the TOP GUN: MAVERICK trailer in Lego, one frame at a time. This was created 100% independently out of my love for Top Gun, cinema, and LEGO.”

As we reported last July, Paramount Studios delayed “Top Gun: Maverick” to this year in a dramatic shift in film release dates amid the re-surging coronavirus pandemic.

Top Gun 2 which Paramount had already delayed because of the COVID-19 crisis from Jun. 24 to Dec. 23, 2020, is now scheduled for Jul. 2, 2021.

In a statement, Paramount distribution executives Chris Aronson and Mark Viane reaffirmed the studio’s commitment “to the theatrical experience and our exhibition partners, and want to stress that we are confident that, when the time comes, audiences everywhere will once again enjoy the singular joy of seeing Paramount films on the big screen.”

The making of “Top Gun: Maverick” cost over $150 million, so Paramount is counting on massive ticket sales to turn a profit.

The internet was set ablaze on Dec. 16, 2019, when the latest trailer of Top Gun: Maverick debuted (the first one was released on Jul. 18, 2019).

The two-minute trailer boasts blockbuster scenes with Maverick taking to the skies in an F/A-18 Super Hornet, an F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft, and an ‘Area 51’-type jet.

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

There were plenty of shiny USAF fighters but I knew exactly what he meant. They didn’t count because they were test articles and hadn’t been dirtied up or bloodied.

Chuck Yeager… fighter pilot: “The first time I ever saw a jet, I shot it down.”

Yeager… test pilot: “You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.”

I had a chance to get a glimpse of Yeager the man: Early in my career, just after my first deployment, I was asked to take one of our brand new F-14Ds to Edwards Air Force Base for their annual air show. I was eager to go. I couldn’t wait to see Edwards and show off the Navy’s newest and baddest machine.

Unfortunately, our “brand new” Super Tomcat had just returned from six months at sea and was horribly splotched with anti-corrosion treatments and 6 months of grease that was embedded in the porous paint. It was leaking hydraulic fluid and fuel and if you looked closely enough, you could find a little rust. It was a machine of war, not for decoration, and it looked it.

Well, when we got to the air show flight line, we were relegated to the very last spot, well away from all the high-gloss USAF test aircraft and their air show birds. We were at least two hundred yards away from the air show proper and the crowds. As we were committed to staying by our machine to answer questions, it looked like it was going to be kind of a quiet day for us.

Chuck Yeager used to open the Edwards show with a sonic boom. That day, he was in an F-16 and kicked off the show with a very nice pass. A few minutes later, General Yeager was in a golf cart being driven down the flight line waving to the crowd. We were a long way away, too far away to see or be seen, but just as they were going out of sight, I thought I saw Yeager look in our direction, elbow the driver, and point at us.

The friggin’ golf cart suddenly turns towards our filthy machine. He cut through the crowd and continued looking our way. I had a distinct “oh crap” moment and wished so badly I could have washed the jet before we came. We were the only Navy jet there, and while more capable than anything on the field, we hardly looked it. He drove by shiny jet after shiny jet, each one with USAF aircrew standing out in front, ignoring each one, driving straight for us. He pulled up in front, got out with a HUGE smile, and asked me how I like my new hotrod. He asked a few questions about our deployment and how it performed over Iraq and asked about me and my RIO, and where we were from, all while looking around the Super Tom. He marveled at the size of our hook, (they all do), was fascinated by our long-wave IR search and track system, and generally ignored our fighter’s poor material condition. Toward the end of our brief visit, I wanted to apologize for my machine’s appearance, and was about to say something when he looked me straight in the eye and said,

“Thanks for bringing a real fighter to the show, Jungle. You’re the only one here.”

There were plenty of shiny USAF fighters, but I knew exactly what he meant. They didn’t count because they were test articles and hadn’t been dirtied up or bloodied. At first, I thought our encounter was because he was being some kind of gracious host, wanting us to feel welcome. But I quickly realized as I watched him drive away that even after all the fame and success he enjoyed as a test pilot, he was really just a fighter pilot who missed being in the fight.

God Speed, Chuck.

Photo by Robert Jones, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy