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military

The former SR-71 Blackbird pilot who flew a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire to become the first NATO serviceman

by Till Daisd January 6, 2024

The USAF’s 8th Air Force Commander and former SR-71 Blackbird pilot, Lt.-Gen. Thomas J. Keck, became the first NATO serviceman to fly a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bomber on August 22, 2001

A wave of democratic reform surged across some former Eastern Bloc countries in the mid-1980s. Gradually, democratic reforms also started to emerge in the Soviet Union.

Significant changes occurred in the USSR’s foreign and home policies and the military field following Mikhail S. Gorbachov’s ascension to power in 1985. All of this resulted in the Berlin Wall’s fall, the Warsaw Pact military bloc’s dissolution, and the signing of new arms reduction treaties.

Two Crew Members killed in Tu-22M3 Backfire Supersonic Bomber crash in Murmansk Region — Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire

The Soviet MoD created albums with different views and performance data of many kinds of Soviet weapons and military hardware, including combat aircraft, in accordance with the agreements made with the West. Every basic type and version of Soviet Air Force fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter was photographed from different angles, including the upper view; in every picture, an obligatory scale ruler was positioned close to the aircraft to define its dimensions and enable the use of surveillance satellite imagery to track the aircraft’s presence at specific airbases. Comprehensive data on Soviet military hardware, including its accurate Soviet designations, were sent to the NATO command.

Gradually, the absolute secrecy that had surrounded the Soviet Armed Forces started to dissolve.

In their book Tupolev Tu-22M Soviet/Russian Swing-Wing Heavy Bomber, Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov tell how this showed Russia’s willingness to be transparent in military politics and their non-aggressive intents toward their former Cold War adversaries.

Shaw-SR-71 — Photo on the left: Thomas J. Keck (pilot, left) and Timothy J. Shaw (RSO, right) in front of their SR-71 Blackbird. Photo on the right: in 2001 Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Keck was commander of the USAF’s 8th Air Force

A six-person American military delegation led by Lt.-Gen. Thomas J. Keck, Commander of the USAF’s 8th Air Force and a former SR-71 Blackbird pilot, accepted an invitation from the Russian Ministry of Defense on August 20, 2001, and traveled to Russia for six days in order to promote military contacts. On August 22, the delegation went to the 43rd TsBP I PLS of Long-Range Aviation at Dyagilevo AB, among other Russian Air Force bases. There, the general became the first NATO serviceman to fly the Backfire on a familiarization flight in a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber.

Live bomb drops were part of the sortie at a practice range. In an initiation procedure sometimes imposed on new arrivals, the Russian pilots offered Keck a shot of vodka after landing at Dyagilevo, then grabbed his arms and legs and swung him, bumping his behind against the aircraft’s nosewheels. Lt.-Gen. Keck took all this with good humor, as similar traditions existed back home. ‘Sometimes you get very wet being dunked in water; sometimes your necktie is cut off; sometimes even the tail of your shirt is cut off’, he said. (As a former SR-71 pilot, Keck referred to the tie-cutting ceremony as one of many traditions perpetuated by Blackbird crews.)

‘I was very impressed with everything from the beginning, from the ground crew preparing the aircraft to the aviators in the sky, the ones who make it all happen’, Thomas Keck told reporters after meeting the then Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Army Gen. Anatoliy M. Kornukov in Moscow. ‘The opportunity to see your units firsthand and fly your aircraft has been incredible — something I will never forget for the rest of my life.’ Kornukov said that, apart from the official side of the visit, the unofficial meetings with pilots and air force officers were also important and pledged friendship between Russian and US military aviation professionals. ‘Our meetings are a guarantee that we will not be looking at each other through the crosshairs of a gunsight, but rather facing each other like we do now’, he said.

Tupolev Tu-22M Soviet/Russian Swing-Wing Heavy Bomber is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Dmitriy Pichugin via Wikipedia

January 6, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The F-15E Strike Eagle’s 2000-lb laser-guided bombing of an Iraqi Mi-24 during Operation Desert Storm

by Till Daisd January 5, 2024

written by Till Daisd

One of the most unique air-to-air kills in aviation history is ascribed to “Chiefs” from 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS, now known as 335th Fighter Squadron, FS) during Operation Desert Storm F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487, or “487” for short

The F-15E Strike Eagle was created to satisfy the US Air Force’s (USAF) requirement for air-to-ground missions. It took off for the first time in December 1986 from St. Louis. In addition to having an infrared targeting and advanced navigation system, which enables the Strike Eagle to fly at night or in bad weather at a low altitude while maintaining a high speed, the Strike Eagle can carry 23,000 pounds of air-to-ground and air-to-air weaponry, shielding it from enemy defenses.

April 1988 saw the delivery of the F-15E’s first production model to the 405th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB in Arizona.

During Operation Desert Storm, which was launched between January 17, 1991, and February 28, 1991, with the intention of freeing Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion, the F-15E was used for the first time in combat. One of the most unique air-to-air kills in aviation history was attributed to F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487, or “487” for short, from the 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS, now known as the 335th Fighter Squadron, FS) “Chiefs” during this combat.

The first air-to-air kill for an F-15E Strike Eagle took place on February 14, 1991, during an air encounter by Capts. Richard T. Bennett, pilot, and Daniel B. Bakke, weapon systems operator (WSO).

“On one flight, we used a laser-guided bomb [LGB] to shoot down a helicopter,” Bennet explained to Barry D. Smith for his article Tim Bennett’s War. “This occurred on February 14, Valentine’s Day. The mission was a Scud CAP [combat air patrol] in northwestern Iraq. During the Scud CAPs, we would look around with either the FLIR targeting pod or the radar to find the mobile Scuds. My wingman had twelve Mk. 82s, and I had four GBU-10s-2,000-pound LGBs-four AIM-9s, and two external fuel tanks. I was leading the flight.

“Our CAP time on this mission was 1:00 to 3:00 in the morning. We went up and hit the tanker, then proceeded north. Our patrol area started up at Al Qaim, near the Syrian border, and ran east about halfway to Baghdad, south to just beyond H-2, and then back to the Syrian border.

“The weather was bad that night, with clouds from about 4,000 feet to about 18,000 feet. We were cruising above the weather, waiting for AWACS [an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft] or someone else to pass us some coordinates on some Scuds.

“AWACS gave us a call and said that a Special Forces team was in trouble. They had been found by the Iraqis, who were moving to cut them off. We had ten to fifteen Special Forces teams in the general area looking for Scuds. This team was about 300 miles across the border.

“Five Iraqi helicopters were in their area-about fifty miles to our west. As we headed in their direction, I put my wingman in a four-mile trail formation behind me because I had to go down through the weather. When I was about fifty miles from the team, Capt. Dan Bakke, my back-seater, began working the radar to look for the helicopters. We got contacts on them moving west to east, just like the AWACS had said.

“Dan and I started talking about what we were going to do. We knew there were helicopters down there, but if we were going to shoot them down, we wanted confirmation that they were bad guys. We called up AWACS, call sign Cougar, and asked them if there were any friendly helicopters in the area. The AWACS controller said, ‘We don’t have any friendlies in the area. Any helicopters you find, you are cleared to shoot.’

“We got a little closer and kept going down to get below the weather. I wanted to confirm, one more time, before we lost contact with AWACS, that these were definitely bad guys and not some of our Special Forces helicopters coming to get the team. We had a few based in Syria that would have been following the same general course and could have gotten to the area fairly quickly. AWACS confirmed there were no friendlies in the area.

“We continued to press in and were down to about 2,500 feet along the major road between Baghdad and the Syrian border. That area was always hot with a lot of AAA. I was working the radar, and Dan was working the high-resolution FLIR in the targeting pod to find the helicopters. When we popped out of the clouds fifteen to twenty miles from the team, Dan could see the helicopters with the pod. They were moving pretty much abreast, with the lead out in front in the middle. They were still moving west to east. They were moving and stopping at regular intervals.

“There was also a group of troops on the ground to the east of the team. We started getting AAA fire from these troops. To us, it looked as if they were trying to herd the team with the helicopters into the troops to the east. The helicopters were keeping an even distance from each other, and we figured they might be dropping off troops to help herd the team.

“The image on the pod was good enough to identify the helicopters as probable [Mi-24] ‘Hinds,’ five to ten miles out. Hinds can carry troops and are heavily armed with rockets and machine guns. As soon as the helicopters picked up and started moving, we were getting hits off them on the radar. The radar would stay locked on them when they were on the ground because the moving rotor blades were picked up.

“Dan and I discussed how we wanted to conduct the attack. We decided to hit the lead helicopter with a GBU-10 while he was on the ground. If we hit him, he would be destroyed. If he moved off before the bomb landed, it would still get the troops he just left on the ground. It would also give the other helicopters something to think about, which might give the team a chance to get away in the confusion. We would then circle around and pop the others as we could. We passed our plan to our wingman and told him to get the first helicopter he saw with an AIM-9.

“By this time, we were screaming over the ground, doing about 600 knots–almost 700 mph. The AAA was still coming up pretty thick. Our course took us right over the top of the Iraqi troops to the east of the team.

F-15E Mi-24 killer — F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 armed for a close air support mission over Afghanistan.

“[…] Dan was lasing the lead helicopter. We let the bomb go from about four miles out while the leader was on the ground. Because of our speed, it had a hell of a range on it-more range than an AIM-9. I got AIM-9 guidance going and uncaged a Sidewinder. I was ready to fire the missile as soon as we were in range.

“Just as we released the bomb, the airspeed readout on the radar showed the target at 100 knots and climbing. The lead chopper had picked up and started moving. I said, ‘There’s no chance the bomb will get him now,’ even though Dan was working hard to keep the laser spot on him. I got a good lock with my missile and was about to pickle off a Sidewinder when the bomb flew into my field of view on the targeting IR screen.

“There was a big flash, and I could see pieces flying in different directions. It blew the helicopter to hell, damn near vaporized it.

“We sat there for a few seconds, just staring. By that time, the AAA was getting real heavy and the other helicopters were starting to scatter. I told my wingman to put three Mk. 82 500-pounders on that same spot to get any troops that the helos dropped off.

“We beat up the area with bombs and were going to circle around and come down on them again. I popped up above 10,000 feet and talked to AWACS to tell them what was going on. They said, ‘I understand you visually ID’ed that as an Iraqi helo.’

“I said, ‘No, it’s still dark out here, but I saw a FLIR image of what I took to be a Hind.’

“At that point, my stomach hit the floor. I told AWACS to get the AWACS commander on the radio. Dan and I were thinking, ‘We hit a friendly helo.’ But when we got the AWACS commander on the air, he confirmed that there were no friendlies in the area.

“With that confirmed, I told Dan, ‘OK, let’s go back down and get the rest of the helos.’ We got down low and the AAA was just as bad as before. The helicopters scattered and were running north. My wingman and I were sorting them out and waiting to get within AIM-9 range. We were about ten miles behind and closing fast.

“I was running in on them and getting ready to be a hero and knock a few more down when, all of a sudden, I started seeing flashes on both sides of us. I thought, ‘What have they done? Here we are in the middle of a bunch of SAMs!’

“Then it hit me: Those weren’t SAMs. They were bombs! AWACS had sent another flight in and told them to drop bombs on a set of coordinates. Those coordinates happened to be us!”

Bennet concludes:

“I figured we had pushed our luck far enough, and we got the hell out of there. AWACS gave the orders to that other flight on another frequency. If it had been on ours, I would have heard the bombers’ side of the conversation and could have canceled the drop. I decided we had had enough for one day, but our night wasn’t over yet. We still had fifteen minutes left on our Scud CAP and were directed to a site near H-2. We found a mobile Scud on a launchpad, attacked it, and then headed home.

“The Special Forces team got out OK and went back to Central Air Forces headquarters to say thanks and confirm our kill for us. They saw the helicopter go down. When the helos had bugged out, the team moved back to the west and was extracted.”

Today, “487”is still assigned to the same squadron it made history with in 1991. It’s the Chiefs’ flagship and still has a small green star adorned on the aircraft’s port side representing that moment in the squadron’s history.

F-15E Driver explains how he shot down an Iraqi Mi-24 attack helicopter with a 2000lb laser-guided bomb — The green star on Aircraft #89-0487 represents an air-to-air victory achieved during Operation Desert Storm.

Photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung, James D’Angina and MSGT STEVEN TURNER / U.S. Air Force

January 5, 2024 0 comment

SR-71-penultimate-Mildenhall-18-01-1990-Copy

Cold War

The slowest Lockheed Blackbird speed ever recorded

by Till Daisd January 4, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The backseater later indicated a slow speed of 155 knots; the pilot saw 152 knots or 175 mph. The SR-71 at that point was gently floating down; control certainly would have been lost completely had not Blackbird pilot Brian Shul firewalled the throttles

One of the most sophisticated members of the Blackbird family, the SR-71 (along with the A-12 and YF-12) was created by a team of Lockheed personnel under the direction of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, who was vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced Development Company Projects at the time. Known as the “Skunk Works,” this unit is now part of Lockheed Martin.

Beginning in the late 1950s, the A-12 reconnaissance aircraft—which made its first flight in April 1962 and remained classified until 1976—served as the model for the Blackbird. The YF-12A interceptor variant was first made public by President Lyndon Johnson on February 29, 1964, which was more than six months after it made its first flight. The SR-71 completed its first flight on Dec. 22, 1964.

The Blackbird was built to reach altitudes of up to 85,000 feet and cruise at “Mach 3+,” which is just over three times the speed of sound or more than 2,200 miles per hour.

Probably the most common question regarding the “Blackbird family” when discussing them is how high and fast they actually fly.

But what about the slowest Blackbird speed ever recorded?

‘I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my backseater, Walt Watson. We were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from home base,’ remembers Brian Shul, former SR-71 Blackbird pilot, in his book Sled Driver.

Rex Lowe, former USAF Staff Sergeant, explains what happened later on Quora.

‘The aircrew was asked to make a low level pass of a British airfield where cadets were training. Having difficulty actually sighting the field, though navigation was dead on, the pilot, Brian Shul, realized the aircraft was below advertised flying airspeed, he lit the burners and darted off. The backseater later indicated slow speed of 155 knots, pilot saw 152 knots or 175 mph. The aircraft at that point was gently floating down, control certainly would have been lost completely had not Shul firewalled the throttles.’

This is most likely the slowest Lockheed Blackbird has ever flown.

However, after landing, Shul and Watson were met by their commander.

Shul remembers;

‘We were both certain he was reaching for our wings. Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-past he had ever seen, especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking. […]Walt and I both understood the concept of “breathtaking” very well that morning and sheepishly replied that they were just excited to see our low approach.’

Photo by courtesy of Robin Harbour

January 4, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

SR-71 pilot tells when he revealed Blackbird’s true top speed

by Till Daisd January 3, 2024

written by Till Daisd

‘At some point in the evening, the F-111 guys began to press me, in a good-natured way, for classified information about the SR-71. Probably the most frequently asked Blackbird question is, how high and how fast does it really fly?’ Gil Bertelson, former SR-71 Blackbird pilot

No reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity as the SR-71, the world’s fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird represented the highest point in aviation technology development during the Cold War due to its performance and operational accomplishments.

The SR-71 could cover 100,000 square miles of land per hour while traveling at Mach 3+, or three times the speed of sound, or more than 2,000 mph, at an altitude of 80,000 feet.

Now, the question that people ask most often when discussing the SR-71 Blackbird is probably, “How high and how fast does it really fly?“

In the book SR-71 Blackbird Stories, Tales and Legends by Richard H. Graham, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Gil Bertelson, a former SR-71 pilot, recalls:

‘When I first joined the SR-71 program, there was one permanent operating location for SR-71s at Kadena AB. The unit at Kadena was known as Detachment 1 (or Det 1) of the 9th SRW. Habus were deployed to Det 1 for six weeks at a time, and each crew made the trip four to six times a year. About twice a year, there was a requirement to temporarily activate an additional Det at RAF Mildenhall in England. Although we’d had two SR-71s permanently stationed at RAF Mildenhall since 1981, it wasn’t until April 5, 1984, that Prime Minister Thatcher formally announced SR-71s would be permanently based at Mildenhall. This unit was known as Det. 4 of the 9th SRW. Dets 2 and 3 of the 9th SRW were U-2 operating locations at Osan AB, Korea, and RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, respectively.

The incredible story of the SR-71 Blackbird that flew an eleven-hour-long mission from Kadena to the Persian Gulf and back

‘There was a significantly different flying environment between the two detachments. The weather was almost at opposite ends of the spectrum. The missions were not quite as “routine” as many of the Okinawa missions.

‘Because of the more demanding missions at Mildenhall, each new SR-71 crew had to fly its first operational sorties at Kadena. Every SR crew lobbied long and hard to get on the schedule for Mildenhall. And London was not far away!

‘Frank Stampf, my RSO crewmate on the SR-71, and I were fortunate to get on the schedule for Mildenhall after only two trips to Okinawa. For both of us, it was like going home. Just before entering the SR-71 program, Frank had been stationed at RAF Alconbury for about four years as an RF-4 crew dog. And I had been stationed at RAF Lakenheath for a couple of years. As the “crow flies,” Alconbury is only 30 miles from Mildenhall, and Lakenheath is only 3 miles from Mildenhall. We were both anxious to visit the old flying buddies we had known and worked with in our careers before we became Habus.

‘On one occasion, I arranged to meet several of my F-111 friends at Lakenheath Officers’ Club for dinner. We met in the bar and had a few drinks (as a real, live, dyed-in-the-wool teetotaler, I assume I was drinking grapefruit juice or 7-Up). We shared numerous laughs while trying to outdo each other with tales of unequaled courage and great feats of airmanship. I’m sure our hands were getting a good workout—pilots gesticulate a lot!

‘At some point in the evening, the Aardvark (F-111 nickname) guys began to press me, in a good-natured way, for classified information about the SR-71. Probably the most frequently asked Blackbird question is: How high and how fast does it really fly? That question was being actively pursued that night at Lakenheath.

‘I need to back up about a year and a half to set the stage as to why they seemed intent on pushing that particular question. In most Air Force buildings, at least the flying squadron buildings I used to frequent, there were numerous locations where the base fire marshal had posted information regarding fire classifications and appropriate reactions upon discovering different types of fires. These posters were displayed in the restrooms, in the halls, near the duty desks, in the crew briefing rooms, and next to all of the fire extinguishers. I can’t remember all the specifics other than there was one fire classification identified as a category or type 3.

‘At some point in my application for assignment to the SR-71, I was requested to go to Beale for my “tryout” for the Blackbird program. The whole process, from departing Lakenheath until returning back to Lakenheath took about two weeks. During the visit to Beale, I heard and read a number of times that the unclassified speed of the SR-71 was listed as Mach 3-plus. A “3+” patch is displayed on flight suits worn by SR-71 squadron crewmembers.

Remembering Gil Bertelson, the SR-71 driver that saw three sunrises on one particular Blackbird mission

‘When I arrived back to Lakenheath, I was really pumped up and excited about the prospects of being selected to fly the SR-71. I didn’t want to forget the experiences I had at Beale or to lose sight of my goal. To help me remember and to keep my attention focused on what I wanted to do, I began adding a black grease pencil + sign to all of the 3s on the fire code posters. There were many added + signs around the base that the very diligent safety officer in 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron actually called the base fire marshal to get information about this “new classification.” When he was told there was no such thing as a code 3+, he finally figured it out and started looking for me. I was given a “cease and desist” order and one by one, he began erasing my “unauthorized” + signs.

‘Now back to the “O” Club a year and a half later. My dinner partners remembered the fuss over the posters and figured now was an appropriate time and place to get the real scoop as to how high and how fast the Blackbird really did fly. They were curious as to what kind of speed that little + sign actually equated to.

‘I played along for a while, dragging out the inevitable answer of Mach 3-plus, which, when all was said and done, was all I really could tell them anyway. I finally got them leaning in toward me as we sat around the dinner table. I did a pretty good acting job as I began nervously looking around the room be sure no one else was eavesdropping on what they thought would be a classified conversation.

‘I have to momentarily divert again. A wonderful aviation poem was written the early days of powered flight. The author is John Gillespie Magee Jr. The poem is entitled “High Flight.” Some of you may remember this poem being recited by Orson Wells late in the evening by TV stations that were about to sign off the air for the night. Yes, there actually was a time when television didn’t operate 24 hours a day. As Orson Wells recited this poem with his marvellously deep and resonant voice, the final TV pictures for the day were that a T-38 dashing in and out of clouds and doing aileron rolls, etc. It was a combination of sight and sound that stirred the blood and emotions of everyone who had the slightest interest in airplanes and the wonders of flight. The poem is as follows:

“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter, silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds—and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or eagle flew.

And while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”

‘Back to the “O” Club again. With the guys leaning in to hang on every word I was about to speak, I said something like, “You’ve got to promise not to tell a soul what I am going to tell you now. If you do, I’ll deny it till the day I die. I’m sure you know I shouldn’t be talking about this at all. You know how high the pile will be that they’ll stick me in if you tell anyone else.” As they gathered closer to make sure they didn’t miss anything, I said, “I can’t specific numbers, but I can give you a point of reference you can use to figure it out. You know the part in ‘High Flight’—where it talks about putting out your hand to touch the face of God?” Well,” I added, “when we’re at speed and altitude in the SR, we have to slow down and descend in order to do that.”

‘So, the word’s out. Feel free to share this information with anyone you’d care to tell. You can even use me as the source document. I’m retired now, so who cares?’

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

January 3, 2024 0 comment

History

The final mission out of Vietnam before Saigon fell was flown by this C-130A Hercules

by Till Daisd January 2, 2024

written by Till Daisd

Before Saigon fell, on April 29, 1975, C-130A Hercules with tail number 56-0518 completed the final mission out of Vietnam

C-130A Hercules, tail number 56-0518, completed the final mission out of Vietnam on April 29, 1975, just before Saigon fell.

On August 23, 1957, 56-0518 was admitted into the US Air Force (USAF) inventory. According to Master Sgt. Jeff Walston, the 913th Airlift Group was initially stationed at the 314th Troop Carrier Wing at Sewart AFB, Tennessee, as mentioned in the article Last “Herk” out of Vietnam. It was in service with multiple Air Force units from 1964 to 1972. The aircraft was sent to the South Vietnamese Air Force on November 2, 1972, as part of the Nixon administration’s effort to support that nation’s defense through the Military Assistance Program against the communist forces who were invading the country from the North.

The day before Saigon fell, on April 29, 1975, North Vietnamese forces destroyed almost every aircraft on the Tan Son Nhut Air Base flightline, totaling over 100 aircraft. The only C-130 to escape destruction was 0-5-1-8.

Maj. Phuong, a South Vietnamese instructor pilot, and his crew were getting ready to take away the last operational aircraft from the demolished Tan Son Nhut air base.

Hundreds of fleeing refugees scrambled in a frenzy to board this last operational C-130, their only hope for freedom. The throng pressed themselves into every nook and cranny, to the point that the humans positioned on the rear ramp prevented it from closing.

The loadmaster alerted Phoung, who had little choice except to slowly taxi the aircraft forward before using the brakes and forcing the passengers forward. The ramp closed.

It would require all of Phuong’s flying skill and more runway than was available to get the laden aircraft off the ground, but the C-130 managed to take to the skies.

Phoung was lost over the Gulf of Siam, delaying his intended 80-minute flight to the safety of Thailand. After locating a map and making adjustments, the C-130 touched down at Utapao Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand three and a half hours later.

There were 452 people on board in total, 32 of whom were in the cockpit. The airplane needed to use every foot of the runway in order to take off because it was overloaded by at least 10,000 pounds. On this historic flight, no lives were lost.

Following the landing, the aircraft was reclaimed by the US Air Force and subsequently assigned to the Oklahoma Air National Guard in 1976. In 1979, the aircraft was assigned to Nashville, Tennessee’s 118th Tactical Airlift Group (ANG). The aircraft, which was retired to Little Rock AFB in 1989, is on display at the main gate. It was originally assigned to the 62d Troop Carrier Squadron and the 314th Troop Carrier Wing.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

January 2, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The US Navy A-4 pilot who fell asleep on a cross-country flight and was woken up by ATC

by Till Daisd January 1, 2024

written by Till Daisd

‘This one pilot had made the Yuma run in a TA-4J on Friday and was returning to Jacksonville on Sunday. Due to the time zone shift it’s likely that he was tired,’ David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot

According to a 2013 survey conducted by a pilots’ union, almost half of airline and commercial pilots fall asleep while piloting an aircraft. Out of the 56% of pilots who acknowledged sleeping, 29% said to the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) that they wake up to discover their fellow pilot dozing.

What about military pilots? What happens if a fighter jet pilot falls asleep while flying?

‘Here’s a sea story, or as they say, “this is a no-shitter”,’ David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot, says on Quora.

‘I had just arrived at NAS Cecil Field in 1974 to begin training in the A-7E. There was also an A-4 squadron stationed there, VA-45.

‘One weekend, an A-4 pilot (whose name I can’t definitively recall) was scheduled to make a “parts run” to MCAS Yuma where the A-7 RAG squadron had a detachment. Ready-to-replace parts were often loaded in an external store and ferried out to the Yuma detachment over the weekend, returning with a load of the replacement items. Fun stuff and good cross-country flying.

‘When you returned from MCAS Yuma to NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, FL, you almost always arrived at night due to the three-zone time difference. Often quite late at night, depending on when you depart the west. It’s nearly a full “across the US flight” from Arizona to Florida.

‘This one pilot had made the Yuma run in a TA-4J on Friday and was returning to Jacksonville on Sunday. There’s no evidence he was intoxicated; in fact, he was pretty straight-laced, but due to the time zone shift, it’s likely that he was at least tired.

‘The flight from Yuma to Jacksonville in a TA-4J requires two legs, with a refueling stop mid-way at, say, Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City or a similar military base located in the mid-west.

‘On the second leg of the flight that Sunday evening, with the autopilot flying the airplane due east and night falling, the pilot apparently fell asleep. ATC could not raise radio contact and started treating the aircraft as a lost radio incident as the aircraft crossed Louisiana and into northern Florida.

‘However, as the aircraft approached Jacksonville, it did not descend to land (weather was VFR). Instead, the aircraft continued to fly straight-and-level right over Jacksonville and out over the Atlantic Ocean.

‘Well, now ATC is in a panic—has the pilot become incapacitated? What’s gone wrong here?

‘FINALLY, about 50 miles out over the Atlantic, ATC awakened the pilot, who finally woke up and astonishingly acted like nothing had happened!! He turned the airplane around, and despite being way, way too low on fuel DID NOT declare an emergency!

‘He overflew two military airports on his way back to NAS Cecil, …and low and behold finally made it back to NAS Cecil Field, landed safely, taxied into the flight line. Shut down the aircraft. Filled out the paper work and went home… just another day at the office.

‘From when the pilot awakened until he landed at NAS Cecil Field was well over 150 miles, all with the low fuel light illuminated, and well over 30 minutes.

‘Scared the living bejeezus out of everyone.

‘When the details of this emerged, as you can imagine, the Squadron CO, Jax Approach, CO of NAS Cecil Field, were absolutely livid. The Squadron CO even went so far to dip the fuel tank (used a stick to measure the fuel remaining) and found there was 4 gallons left. FOUR GALLONS! What really fried the CO’s ass was that this pilot never declared an emergency despite the extreme low fuel state, and overflew two perfectly good military divert bases instead of landing immediately.

‘Not sure what happened after that. There was no damage done to Navy property, just some very poor judgment and headwork, followed by a major, major ass chewing.

‘But man, that was quite the story around Naval Aviation and particularly at NAS Cecil Field, always ending with a “he did what?”.’

Photo by U.S. Navy

January 1, 2024 0 comment

History

SR-71 vs. A-12: Project Nice Girl

by Till Daisd December 31, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Code-named “Nice Girl,” the recon fly-off between the A-12 and the SR-71 took place between October 20 and November 3, 1967

Unofficially referred to as the “Blackbird,” the SR-71 is a sophisticated, long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Dec. 22, 1964, saw the first SR-71 flight, and in January 1966, the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California, received the aircraft. On January 26, 1990, the US Air Force (USAF) retired its fleet of SR-71 aircraft due to rising operating expenses and a dwindling defense budget.

For almost 24 years, the SR-71 held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world. It could cover 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from 80,000 feet. The SR-71 was derived from the A-12 Oxcart, another Mach 3 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

The CIA operated the A-12, but its operational lifetime was short-lived because the CORONA reconnaissance satellite, which was first launched in June 1959, began providing worldwide imagery without much of the risk associated with airborne reconnaissance. The A-12 was retired in 1968 as a result of the SR-71 joining the US Air Force (USAF) at the same time. Why did the A-12 Oxcart lose out to the SR-71 Blackbird?

Code-named “Nice Girl,” the recon fly-off between the A-12 and the SR-71 took place over the United States from October 20 to November 3, 1967. It involved refueling and flying identical routes one hour apart on three different days, and both aircraft completed the entire sortie with collection sensors operational.

The SR-71 performed well on the first attempt, but the A-12 had an issue. The situation was the opposite on the second day. Both aircraft completed the trip successfully on day three. That day, there was an undercast over the northern region (from California to Kentucky); therefore, the SR-71 was able to collect ELINT and SLR data while the A-12 could only take pictures of the clouds. Both increased speed and altitude over the Gulf of Mexico after receiving air refueling. The weather was CAVU from New Orleans to the San Francisco area, and both aircraft were able to provide all of the data they needed for the evaluation.

The aircrews that took part in the program were:

Lt. Col. Al Hichew and I, Maj. Tom Schmittou, flew mission #1.
Maj. John Storrie and Maj. Coz Mallozzi flew mission #2 Maj.
Bill Campbell and Capt. Al Pennington flew mission #3.
Jack Weeks flew all three A-12 missions.

The first two flight days were inconclusive. Intelligence evaluators concluded that the SR-71 was a better overall investment after the third day of flying. While the A-12s’ cameras were superior due to their wider swath and higher resolution, the SR-71 was able to gather a greater variety of intelligence than the CIA aircraft. These additional sensors included side-looking airborne radar, infrared detectors, and ELINT-collection devices required for the SR-71 post-nuclear strike reconnaissance mission.

The conclusion was that they picked the SR-71 to continue flying. The A-12s were retired. The A-12s were put in hangars until 1984.

Check out the Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

December 31, 2023 0 comment

History

The F-15 that broke eight Time-to-Climb World Records

by Till Daisd December 29, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-15 Streak Eagle was extensively modified, with as much weight reduction as possible, to carry out his mission.

When McDonnell Aircraft was chosen to compete in the second phase of the US Air Force’s FX competition in 1967, the company developed the concept for the F-15. Faced with the F-4 Phantom II, which was becoming known as a formidable fighter, McDonnell applied lessons acquired from the Vietnam War on the changing nature of jet-age air-to-air combat for his competition against Fairchild Hiller and North American Rockwell. Following over two years of rigorous testing and assessment, the Air Force awarded McDonnell Douglas the contract for the F-15 Advanced Tactical Fighter on December 23, 1969. Out of the three competitors, the McDonnell Douglas team had the lowest contract price and placed first in each phase of the competition.

The F-15 proved to be an extremely useful test aircraft in addition to being the world’s greatest air superiority fighter.

F-15 Streak Eagle aircrews — Streak Eagle Drivers: Maj. Roger Smith, Maj. Dave W. Peterson, and Maj. William R. “Mack” MacFarlane

The 19th pre-production aircraft, airframe 72-0119, was involved in one of the most interesting experimental programs of the Eagle. The F-15A was designated as “Streak Eagle,” and the name perfectly captured the type of flights the aircraft would have performed: breaking the previous F-4 and MiG-25 time-to-climb records while setting new ones. In order to complete its mission, the Streak Eagle underwent extensive modifications to minimize its weight.

According to Steve Markman and Bill Holder’s explanation in their book One Of A Kind Research Aircraft: A History Of In Flight Simulators, Testbeds & Prototypes, all superfluous components were taken out of this F-15, including the radar, cannon, tail hook, utility hydraulic system, flap and speed brake actuators, and missiles. Additionally, the aircraft gained an additional 40 pounds by not being painted.

The aircraft also had some instrumentation installed, including a nose boom equipped with alpha and beta probes to measure sideslip and angle of attack, as well as specific battery packs and controls. The aircraft also had a restraint device inserted in place of the tail hook. Additional special tools included a camera mounted over the shoulder, a G-meter, a standby attitude gyro, altitude verification equipment, and ballast.

After making these modifications, the Streak Eagle saved 2,800 pounds of fuel, compared to the 3,000–6,000 pounds of fuel carried in each record attempt. Three USAF F-15 pilots—Major Roger Smith, Major W.R. Macfarlane, and Major Dave Peterson—who flew the Streak Eagle from January 16 to February 1, 1975, achieved the eight new records for altitude and time stated below.

3,000 meters (9,843 feet) 27.57 seconds

6,000 meters (19,685 feet) 39.33 seconds

9,000 meters (29,685 feet) 48.86 seconds

12,000 meters (39,370 feet) 59.38 seconds

15,000 meters (49,212 feet) 77.02 seconds

20,000 meters (65,617 feet) 122.94 seconds

25,000 meters (82,021 feet) 161.02 seconds

30,000 meters (98,425 feet) 207.80 seconds

When compared to the upward numbers, the Streak Eagle reached 9,000 meters in less than a minute, but a Boeing 727 takes over 15 minutes. The National Museum of the US Air Force now has the F-15 Streak Eagle on display.

The story of the F-15 Streak Eagle record flights is presented in the video below.

One-of-a-kind Research Aircraft A History Of In Flight Simulators, Testbeds & Prototypes is published by Schiffer Military and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

December 29, 2023 0 comment

History

Tomcat RIO shares true story behind Top Gun’s famous inverted flight scene

by Till Daisd December 28, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘Of course, for safety reasons, there wasn’t any aircraft flying inverted one above the other, and that iconic scene was obtained thanks to one of the few special effects in the film,’ Dave “Bio” Baranek, F-14 Tomcat RIO

After serving in the Navy for 20 years, Dave “Bio” Baranek had a successful and fulfilling career. He was assigned to F-14 Tomcat squadrons and the prestigious TOPGUN training program, and he also served with the US 7th Fleet and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He once oversaw an F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron, which was responsible for fourteen aircraft valued at over $700 million and close to 300 personnel. Upon his retirement, he scored 2,499.7 flying hours in an F-14 Tomcat and 688 carrier landings. In addition, 461.8 flight hours in the F-5F Tiger II are recorded in his logbook.

He retired from the Navy in 1999.

In 1985, he got the unique opportunity to fly aerial sequences used in the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun,” which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. He was a TOPGUN air-to-air combat instructor. He also served as a dialogue advisor on the project and took some of the few available photographs of the movie’s black F-5 fighters in flight.

In his book Topgun Days: Dogfighting, Cheating Death and Hollywood Glory as One of America’s Best Fighter Jocks, Bio provides some never-before-told details about Top Gun.

One of the best-known sequences in the movie, for example, is when Maverick and Goose’s F-14 flies upside-down over the black, two-seat F-5F (also known as the MiG-28). Naturally, none of the aircraft were flying inverted, one atop the other. For safety reasons, one of the few special effects in the movie was used to create that memorable scene.

As Bio explains, many of the movie’s flying scenes were filmed on a specially equipped Learjet by former fighter pilot Clay Lacy. “I was to fly (aboard the F-5F) with Rat (actually Bob “Rat” Willard was the Topgun squadron’s primary coordinator for the movie), who briefed the flight. […] We would have two F-14s and four F-5s available, but the first scene would involve only the two-seat F-5F flying in formation alongside the Learjet. On a call from the Lear, both Rat and I would look up, acting as startled as we could. Although there would be nothing above us, Rat explained how this shot would be used for the scene where Maverick’s Tomcat is inverted above the MiG-28. The F-14 would be added later in one of the few special effects in the film.”

Rat radioed for the three F-5Es to be detached so they could join the Tomcats once the aircraft took off, and he and Bio formed a tight formation on Lear’s right side, where Baranek saw “the glass window that made up a large panel on this side of the fuselage. One high-quality camera sat behind the glass; others were mounted on the top and belly of the Lear.”

Then, as Bio explains, a voice came from the Learjet. “‘A little forward. That’s good. When I count to three, both of you look up as quickly as you can. Remember, you’re startled. One, two, three!’ I looked up. It was hard to act startled in all my flight gear and oxygen mask. No feedback, just a small voice: ‘OK, let’s do it again. Remember, you are startled that there is an F-14 above you. One, two, three!’ They didn’t teach us this in Pensacola.”

Photo by Paramount and David “Bio” Baranek

December 28, 2023 0 comment

History

Test pilot Phil Oestricher recalls the first unintentional flight of the YF-16

by Till Daisd December 27, 2023

written by Till Daisd

When the YF-16 lifted off the runway while test pilot Phil Oestricher was conducting high-speed taxi tests, he decided to go around and make a standard landing instead of running the risk of damaging the aircraft

On January 20, 1974, the General Dynamics YF-16 made its maiden flight when it took off unintentionally from Edwards Air Force Base (AFB). The test pilot was Phil Oestricher.

The aircraft lifted off the runway as Oestricher was carrying out high-speed taxi testing, as he describes in the video included in this article. Rather than run the risk of damaging the aircraft, Oestricher chose to lift off and go around for a standard landing. On February 2, the first “official” flight took place.

John G. Williams, a structural flight test engineer on the YF-16, recalls in the article What A Wonderful Airplane: YF-16 First Flight (Flight 0) by Joe Stout appeared on www.codeonemagazine.com: “During the first high-speed taxi test, a violent lateral oscillation had set in as a direct result of pilot-commanded oscillations (several maximum left/right commands) as the airplane reached rotation speed (~120 kt). Remember, this was the first airplane to have a fixed stick, and there was no opportunity for Phil to gain any feel for the airplane until that high-speed taxi test. As the nose of the aircraft rose, the tailplane inadvertently scraped on the runway. The left wingtip missile and the right tail static probe also lightly contacted the runway. Phil chose to take off because the bird had begun to veer off to the left side of the runway, and he was faced with plowing through the desert or flying. Thankfully, he chose to fly and possibly saved the entire program. After takeoff, Phil regained control, and stayed up for six minutes, and landed uneventfully. Prior to the next flight, the stick sensitivity was reduced by 5% with gear down. Later, after complaints of not enough sensitivity, it was returned to the original.”

Secretary of the Air Force John L. McLucas declared at Edwards AFB on January 13, 1975, that the YF-16 had defeated the Northrop YF-17 in the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) competition for being developed on a full scale as the USAF’s next Air Combat Fighter.

The LWF program aimed to create an air superiority day fighter that was lightweight, compact, inexpensive, and easy to maintain. numerous in the fighter community felt that aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle were too large and expensive for numerous combat tasks, which led to the creation of the LWF.

In October 1980, the F-16 Fighting Falcon was declared combat-ready. Since then, the F-16 has been acquired by other foreign countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel.

Thanks to the H/T from Earl Belz

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

December 27, 2023 0 comment

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