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Two F-104s scored four simulated kills against an F-15B in a single training mission

by Till Daisd February 26, 2022

The debriefing was a hoot. I especially liked the part where the Eagle guy played his recorder and we heard the backseater say “Break, we just got gunned again”!

The first operational fighter plane that could maintain speeds higher than Mach 2 was the Lockheed F-104.

With this capability, the Starfighter represented a significant advancement over the previous generation of subsonic and “forgiving” aircraft. Nevertheless, when the air-to-air engagements took place at subsonic speeds, the lack of wing area put the F-104 at a disadvantage against more traditional fighters since its turn ability in this regime was critical. Hence the importance of not allowing the Starfighter to slow below Mach 1 to take advantage of its speed and vertical climb that were unrivaled at the time.

Thanks to its speed and vertical climb, the aircraft was able to hold its own also against more modern fighters, as Andy Bush, former F-104 pilot and instructor in the USAF Fighter Weapons School (FWS), recalls:

Starfighter 4 Eagle 0: that time two F-104s scored four simulated kills against an F-15B in a single training mission

“I don’t know when the first instance of the F-104 and the F-15 engaging in DACT happened…but I do know when it happened early on at Luke.

“When the F-15 training operation began at Luke in the latter 70s, the initial squadron was the 555th, known as ‘the Nickle’. Sometime in 78 or so, the Nickle guys were looking for DACT with a variety of fighter types, and so they came down the street to the F-104 Fighter Weapons School in the 69 TFTS, also at Luke.

“They wanted to fly against us, and so we agreed to put up a two-ship for a trial mission. Two FWS instructors were selected, one a German instructor (Hartmut Troehler) and one USAF instructor (me).

“The Nickle hosted the mission. We briefed at their squadron with two of their instructors (both F-4 FWS grads). They were going to use the two-seat model for the engagement. We would both have dedicated GCI. We were to simulate Floggers…not a bad idea since the G model that we flew was a good representation of the A2A capability of the MiG-23. Our simulated armament was to be Apex, Aphid, and the gun.

“After the main briefing, Hartmut and I had our own briefing. I was the flight lead and intended to use as much deception as I could. We knew that the F-15 guys were really proud of their radar capabilities…the PD radar was new to the fighter community at that time. I thought that the two Nickle guys would be heavily relying on their radar to enter the fight…as it turned out, I was right.

“My plan was to put Hartmut in close formation and run head-on at the F-15 using GCI for vectoring. Our radar could search out to 40nm but we couldn’t lock on until 20nm.

“We took the first GCI vector and accelerated through the match. Intended to fight fast… high-speed extensions and hook turns. At 20nm, the F-15 made a large blip on my radar and I was able to get a lock. The plan was to Fox-1 at about 16nm and then have Hartmut peel off into a hard 360 to follow me.

“I called the Apex at 16nm, told Hartmut to deploy, and then pushed it up to over 700KIAS. My hope was that the Eagle guys would hold their lock on me and not see Hartmut separate. We could slave our gunsight to the radar lock-on angle… which let me fly right at the F-15. I picked him up visually…he was high, to the right, and had started a conversion turn. I unloaded, and extended away figuring they would try to follow…and they did.

“What that did, of course, was get them sandwiched between me and Hartmut. My guess was that they would get all excited and jump on me without asking where my wingman was. They found out soon enough as their GCI relayed to them Hartmut’s gun attack call.

“I was looking back and saw their break turn that resulted. I went idle and boards slowed to .85M, dropped my maneuver flaps, put my lift vector on the Eagle, and then pulled the jet into a hard 7g turn using a burner to hold my speed. I knew I could sustain that g at around 400KIAS.

“I pulled into a lead snapshot position on the Eagle, closed in, and went guns. The Eagle broke again as their GCI relayed the second gun call.

“By this time, Hartmut was pitching back into the fight. He saw me extend away, went in for his second gun attack, and then extended away after me. I tallied him, gave him a check turn to put us back into line abreast, and then we became a dot.

“The Eagle tried to call a Fox-2 as we separated but with us well over 700KIAS, it was way out of parameters.

“The result was the two Fox-1s and three unobserved gun kills by us. They had no valid shots.

“The debriefing was a hoot. I especially liked the part where the Nickle guy played his recorder and we heard the backseater say “Break, we just got gunned again!”

“Of course, all of this should not have happened. The F-15 should have had us for lunch. But they didn’t, and it was all because they didn’t play to their strengths…and they severely underestimated their opponents. They didn’t do that again and that was a good thing.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

February 26, 2022 0 comment

History

The Last Doolittle Raider, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, Passes Away at 103

by Till Daisd February 23, 2022

written by Till Daisd

A legendary chapter in Air Force history has come to an end

Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” E., retired The “Doolittle Raid’s” last survivor, Cole, passed away on April 9 in San Antonio.

“Lt. Col. Dick Cole reunited with the Doolittle Raiders in the clear blue skies today,” said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. “My heart goes out to his friends and family as our Air Force mourns with them. We will honor him and the courageous Doolittle Raiders as pioneers in aviation who continue to guide our bright future.”

In retaliation for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raiders and the U.S. Army Air Forces launched an attack on Tokyo on April 18, 1942. This action increased American morale in the early stages of World War II.

“There’s another hole in our formation,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein. “Our last remaining Doolittle Raider has slipped the surly bonds of Earth and has reunited with his fellow Raiders. And what a reunion they must be having. Seventy-seven years ago this Saturday, 80 intrepid Airmen changed the course of history as they executed a one-way mission without hesitation against enormous odds. We are so proud to carry the torch he and his fellow Raiders handed us.”

Lt Col Dick Cole, the Last Doolittle Raider, Dies at 103 — *The aircraft carrier USS Hornet had 16 AAF B-25s on deck, ready for the Tokyo Raid.*

Cole was born in Dayton, Ohio, on September 7, 1915. He graduated from Steele High School in Dayton in 1938 and went on to Ohio University for two years of college before joining as an aviation cadet on November 22, 1940. As told by Master Sgt. Andrew Stephens, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs, in the article Lt Col Dick Cole, last surviving Doolittle Raider, passes away at age 103.

Cole was instructed to go to Parks Air College in East St. Louis, Illinois, for training before traveling to Randolph Field, Texas, and later Kelly Field, Texas, shortly after he enlisted. In July 1941, he received his second lieutenant commission after completing his flying training.

Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese while Cole was with the 17th Bombardment Group in Pendleton, Oregon, on a training mission.

Up until February 1942, when Cole was informed that he would be relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, the 17th BG flew anti-submarine patrols. He and his group volunteered for a mission there, the specifics of which were unknown. Later, Cole would claim that he mistakenly believed his squad was traveling to North Africa.

Cole spent weeks practicing flying maneuvers on the B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine, five-person bomber operated by the U.S. Army Air Corps that could take off from an aircraft carrier at sea. This exercise is sometimes referred to as the “first joint action” that evaluated the Army and Navy’s ability to work together. The mission’s Airmen and Sailors weren’t informed that their carrier, the USS Hornet, and all of its bombers were traveling in the direction of Tokyo until two days after the carrier finally set sail to bring 16 bombers closer so they could extend their range.

The USS Hornet weighed less than one-fourth of today’s fortress-like aircraft carriers in an era before mid-air refueling and GPS. The B-25 Mitchell bomber #40-2344, with Cole serving as Jimmy Doolittle’s copilot, would lift off with just 467 feet of takeoff distance.

A sighting by a Japanese patrol boat that prompted the task force commander, U.S., made the mission even more challenging. Admiral William F. 10 hours ahead of schedule and 170 nautical miles away from Japan, “Bull” Halsey launched the mission more than 650 nautical miles away. The Mitchells were initially planned to land, refuel, and then continue on to western China, providing the Army Air Corps with a squadron of B-25s and a commander. But as they attempted to reach the airfields of unoccupied China, the aircrews were now confronted with stronger opposition. Cole and his companions kept at their task, nevertheless.

Cole and the Raiders flew at a wave-top level of around 200 feet with their radios off, avoiding detection for as much of the distance as they could. The bombers attacked Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe as well as Tokyo itself, focusing on dry docks, armories, oil refineries, and aircraft factories in groups of two to four aircraft. Because the Raiders caught the Japanese air defense off guard, minimal anti-aircraft fire was exchanged, and just one Japanese Zero was pursued. The Raiders took off after delivering their bombs and headed for safety in China.

Cole himself jumped out at about 9,000 feet, one of many Airmen who were forced to parachute out into the night. With Cole’s own aircraft landing in a rice field filled with night soil, all planes were deemed lost. Eight of the 80 Airmen who participated in the operation were caught by Japanese forces; five were put to death, and three were imprisoned (where one died of malnutrition). With the aid of Chinese farmers and guerrillas, all 72 more Airmen were able to escape to safety and continued to fight for the duration of World War II.

The raid dealt the Japanese a psychological blow, and they moved four fighter units and called back their best officials from the Pacific to defend the cities in case the American bomber forces came again.

After the Doolittle Raid, Cole remained in the China-Burma-India Theater supporting the 5318th Provisional Air Unit as a C-47 pilot flying “The Hump,” a treacherous airway through the Himalayan Mountains. The USAAF created the 5318th PAU to support the Chindits, the long-range penetration groups that were special operations units of the British and Indian armies, with Cole as one of the first members of the U.S. special operations community. On Mar. 25, 1944, the 5318th PAU was designated as the 1st Air Commando Group by USAAF commander Gen. Henry H. Arnold, who felt that an Air Force supporting a commando unit in the jungles of Burma should properly be called “air commandos.” Cole’s piloting skills blended well with the unconventional aerial tactics of Flying Tiger veterans as they provided fighter cover, bombing runs, airdrops, and landing of troops, food, and equipment as well as the evacuation of casualties.

As a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in 30 different aircraft, more than 250 combat missions, and more than 500 combat hours, Cole left the Air Force on December 31, 1966. His decorations include the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, First Grade, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Air Force Commendation, Medal. Additionally, in May 2014, the Congressional Gold Medal was given to each Doolittle Raider.

He continued to attend San Antonio-area Air Force functions in his latter years and visited Air Force schools and stations to encourage the spirit of service in upcoming Airmen. Cole attended the naming ceremony for the Northup Grumman B-21 Raider, which was named in homage to the Doolittle Raiders, on September 19, 2016.

“We will miss Lt. Col. Cole, and offer our eternal thanks and condolences to his family,” Goldfein said. “The Legacy of the Doolittle Raiders – his legacy – will live forever in the hearts and minds of Airmen, long after we’ve all departed. May we never forget the long blue line, because it’s who we are.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

February 23, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

How to land a C-7 Caribou on an austere field over a hilltop

by Till Daisd February 20, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“We had stopped with just enough runway overrun remaining to turn sharply to taxi back to the cargo ramp area. Another five feet and we’d have been bouncing down the slope into the jungle, and infamy,” Jay Lacklen, former C-7 pilot

Jay Lacklen is a former C-7 pilot with 12,500 flying hours and the author of two books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command. He’s working on the last book of the trilogy.

“Caribou Ops, 1971

The Central Highlands could present challenges. The often austere fields lay between ridgelines or, in one case, sat on a planed-off hilltop that sloped away in all directions.

I once watched my aircraft commander make three attempts to land on one. The steeply sloping terrain made judging the landing difficult. All normal visual cues told the brain you were still far above the field, and yet, suddenly there it was, immediately below you, leaving the plane too high to land. Finally, on the third frustrating try, the pilot, although still too high, decided to put it down anyway. I couldn’t believe he would try it, but I had no control over the situation except, perhaps, to scream.

The pilot dove the aircraft at the 1,500-foot runway, then yanked back hard on the yoke just above it. Unfortunately, the dive had increased our airspeed, so the plane floated down the short runway, possibly catastrophically.

We touched down with about seven hundred feet remaining on the slippery PSP metal runway before the terrain dropped steeply into the jungle. The pilot slammed on the brakes and yanked the engines into reverse. The plane skidded and rotated slowly sideways as the reversed props threw up a huge dust cloud that enveloped us. Even though I couldn’t see the precipice through the dust, I knew it was approaching and we’d be lucky not to roll off the end and down the steep slope.

We stopped, blessedly, on level ground. The pilot took the throttles out of reverse, and the dust cloud slowly dissipated as we both sat gasping and speechless. Looking forward, I could not see the level ground, only the jungle a hundred feet below. We had stopped with just enough runway overrun remaining to turn sharply to taxi back to the cargo ramp area. Another five feet, and we’d have been bouncing down the slope into the jungle, and infamy.”

February 20, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

The Alraigo incident

by Till Daisd February 9, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Ian “Soapy” Watson, the Sea Harrier pilot, had completed only 75 percent of the recommended flying hours.

The Royal Navy Sea Harrier ZA176 made an emergency landing aboard the cargo ship Alraigo on June 7, 1983. This post’s news video shows Sea Harrier ZA176 and Sub-Lt. Ian Watson’s rescue following the Alraigo’s June 1983 docking in Santa Cruz, Tenerife.

Particularly, senior officers reprimanded inexperienced Royal Navy pilot Ian “Soapy” Watson for his incompetence after he lost control of a £7 million Sea Harrier jump jet and landed onto a container ship’s deck.

However, as The Telegraph revealed in 2007, they were secretly shifting the responsibility in an attempt to avoid paying out £570,000 in compensation.

A file released on May 31, 2007, at the National Archives, describes how Sub-Lt. Watson, 25, “incurred the Commander in Chief of the Fleet’s Displeasure” for displaying an unsatisfactory standard of fundamental airmanship.

However, the Ministry of Defense file reveals that before being called into service, he had only accrued 75% of the recommended flying hours in training and had been given permission to fly an aircraft with a known radio defect.

An unnamed senior officer commented: “I am speechless, as was Watson.” Sub-Lt. Watson had taken off from the carrier HMS Illustrious off the Spanish coast on Jun. 7, 1983, to conduct a NATO search exercise.

After winning a salvage claim, the crew of the 2,300-ton Spanish container ship Alraigo shared £340,000, with the owners receiving the remaining £230,000.

Photo by JF Aleman-Canary Islands Spotting, via aviationcorner.net

Photo by JF Aleman-Canary Islands Spotting, via aviationcorner.net

February 9, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

This F-106B was struck by lightning 714 Times

by Till Daisd January 12, 2022

written by Till Daisd

In a single flight in 1984, the F-106B N816NA was struck 72 times in the space of only 45 minutes while penetrating a thunderstorm at 38,000 feet!

The interesting photo in this post features F-106B 57-2516, known as NASA 816 Lightning Strike Burns.

After this F-106B flew as N616NA for NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland for several years in supersonic transport-related studies, it was transferred to Langley Research Center and renumbered N816NA for a role it would serve for nearly six years starting in January 1979, as JP Santiago explains in an interesting article that appeared on his website Tails Through Time. N816NA became a part of NASA’s Storm Hazards Program in order to research how lightning strikes affect aircraft.

According to Bill Yenne’s narrative in Convair Deltas: From SeaDart to Hustler, the program started in 1978 using De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, which were used to plan N816NA’s penetration flights by flying on the fringes of thunderstorms and collecting lightning data. To trigger lightning strikes, the altered Delta Dart would be flown into thunderstorms.

The Delta Dart operated mostly off the coast of Virginia and at various locations in the US Midwest. During its penetration flights, it would descend as low as 3,500 feet and ascend as high as 50,000 feet. During its time in the Storm Hazards Program, N816NA made 1,496 thunderstorm penetrations and was struck by lightning 714 times. It was struck 72 times in 45 minutes during one flight in 1984, passing through a thunderstorm at 38,000 feet!

The data collected during the program proved to be extremely valuable to both commercial and military aviation and represented a significant step in aviation safety.

Photo by NASA

January 12, 2022 0 comment

History

A WWII fighter pilot whose last combat mission was in August 1945, was buried in Arlington Cemetery

by Till Daisd January 6, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Even though his flying career was short, Capt. Jerry Yellin saw more turmoil than anyone should ever have to see in their lifetime

On January 15 at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, Capt. Jerry Yellin, a World War II fighter pilot who flew the final combat mission in August 1945, was buried with full military honors.

Yellin, who turned 18 two months after Pearl Harbor, enlisted. He completed his fighter pilot training at Arizona’s Luke Air Field in August 1943, and he spent the rest of the war flying combat flights in the Pacific with the 78th Fighter Squadron in the P-40, P-47, and P-51 aircraft. On April 7, 1945, he took part in the first land-based fighter mission over Japan, and on August 14, 1945, he served as the lead.

He received the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters in addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross, according to a News release from the U.S. Air Force.

Even though his flying career was short, he saw more turmoil than anyone should ever have. Before it was acknowledged as such, Yellin had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when he was discharged in December 1945.

His wife introduced him to the idea of transcendental meditation after thirty years of suffering, and it proved to be the secret to a better life. Yellin worked relentlessly to assist other servicemen suffering from PTSD and spoke at motivational events about his great experience with transcendental meditation.

He also wrote two books about his wartime experiences, and in volume 5 of “Veterans in Blue,” he was recognized for his contributions to the Air Force’s legacy.

On December 21, 2017, Yellin passed away at the age of 93. The former Helene Schulman, his wife of 65 years, was buried next to him. At Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, four A-10 aircraft from the 23rd Wing performed a flyover to pay him their final tribute.

Capt Jerry Yellin, WW II Fighter Pilot to fly last Combat Mission in August 1945 and PTSD Advocate, laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery — *Capt Jerry Yellin, World War II fighter pilot, who flew the last combat mission in August 1945, was laid to rest with full military honors Jan. 15, at Arlington Cemetery, Va.*

Photo by U.S. Air Force

January 6, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

During Vietnam War, a B-52 aircrew fell asleep while RTB was on a bomb run

by Till Daisd January 5, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“We were lead aircraft with #2 and #3 echeloned loosely behind us. Looking out my right window, I discovered #2 was slowly drawing abeam. Both #2 aircraft’s pilots were dead-ass asleep, with the plane on autopilot,” Jay Lacklen former B-52 pilot

Jay Lacklen is a former B-52 pilot with 12,500 flying hours and the author of two books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command. He’s working on the last book of the trilogy.

“Returning to Guam after my first bomb run, 1973.

On the following morning of this first bombing mission, as we flew east over the Pacific toward Guam into the rising sun, the utter exhaustion began to show.

We were lead aircraft with #2 and #3 echeloned loosely behind us. Looking out my right window, I discovered that #2 was slowly drawing abeam. I waited until he started getting ahead of us to start calling him. My calls went unanswered. For a while, both we and #3 tried to raise him on the radio without success. Both #2 aircraft’s pilots were dead-ass asleep, with the plane on autopilot.

Finally, about ten minutes later, #2’s wings began to dip left and right, as the pilots had awakened and were looking for the rest of us, hoping they were still in formation and could get away with having both gone to sleep. No such luck. We ribbed them severely as they moved back into the formation.

My policy, which I would instruct my students to follow when I became an instructor, demanded that you always inform the other pilot if you were going to take a nap. Sleeping was approved, and necessary, but not for both pilots at the same time.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

January 5, 2022 0 comment

History

Robin Olds ranked #2 out of 34 for best pilot mustache

by Till Daisd December 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The list includes legendary pilots such as Adolf Galland, Chesley Sullenberger, Glenn Curtiss, René Fonck and…. Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf

Military men have worn mustaches throughout history. The male pilot should have a mustache, a feeling of dash, a disdain for authority, and a dog.

Ai lettori di Hush-Kit è stato chiesto di classificare i 10 migliori baffi da pilota. I risultati del sondaggio sono estremamente intriganti. Piloti leggendari come Adolf Galland, Chesley Sullenberger, Glenn Curtiss, René Fonck e altri fanno parte di questa divertente lista, che è passata da 10 a ben 34 baffi. Il famoso Triple Ace Robin Olds, noto anche come Mike “Viper” Metcalf (sì, l’istruttore di Maverick nel film Top Gun), si trova al secondo posto assoluto su 34 piloti, dietro solo a Orville Wright.

Col. Olds was renowned for his extravagantly waxed handlebar mustache that he wore while serving in Vietnam. Because it was believed that only “real men” would return home alive at the time, and “real men” wore mustaches, many Airmen sported what was known back then as a “bulletproof mustache.” However, mustaches were against military regulations in the 1960s, so many were required to shave them off. As he was stationed far from his home base (Olds assumed command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in the fall of 1966), Col. Olds decided to keep his mustache because he believed it reflected his unique personality.

The base’s kids loved it. Most people started to grow mustaches. Olds began growing the mustache after Operation Bolo’s success and allowed it to get longer than it should have because, as he explained, “It became the middle finger I couldn’t raise in the PR photographs. The mustache became my silent last word in the verbal battles…with higher headquarters on rules, targets, and fighting the war.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

December 25, 2021 0 comment

Cold War

Capt. Thomas, the co-pilot of Charcoal 01, the first B-52 shot down during Operation Linebacker II

by Till Daisd December 25, 2021

written by Till Daisd

He was the father of Derrick Thomas, a linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs who was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2009. Capt Thomas never got to see his son play football

An American flag serves as a backdrop to an image of Capt. Robert J. Thomas and a B-52G Stratofortress. During Operation Linebacker II over North Vietnam in 1972, Thomas was the co-pilot of Charcoal 01, the first B-52 shot down. After being declared missing in action for almost 6 years, the captain’s remains were finally recognized in 1978 and given back to his family by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. John Q. Public claims that on January 27, 1997, when the captain’s son, linebacker Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs, visited Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, the picture was a part of a display given to him.

He was the father of Derrick Thomas, a linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs who was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2009. Capt Thomas never got to see his son play football.

Seventy-five Airmen died supporting the operation, 33 of whom died in the 15 downed B-52 Stratofortress bombers—the primary bombers flown during Operation Linebacker II. More than 700 sorties were flown out of Andersen AFB and U-Tapao Royal Thai Airbase, Thailand, during the operation, which is also known as the 11-Day War or 11 Days of Christmas. Fifteen thousand tons of munitions were dropped mainly on military targets in North Vietnam by the completion of the operation.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

December 25, 2021 0 comment

Cold War

F-4 Vs F-8: the first “All-Weather Interceptor” vs the “Last of the Gunfighters”

by Till Daisd December 24, 2021

written by Till Daisd

*“The F-4s got off to a horrid start when running into F-8s. Their reputation was dog-s**t,” Jerry B. “Devil” Houston, former F-8 driver*

One of the most versatile fighters ever constructed was the McDonnell two-place, twinjet, all-weather F-4 Phantom II, which could reach high speeds of over twice the speed of sound. It served in the first line of more Western air forces than any other jet. The F-4 became the fastest, highest-flying, and longest-range fighter in the U.S. Navy only 31 months after its maiden flight. It first flew on May 27, 1958, and entered service in 1961.

In contrast to the F-4’s “all-weather interceptor” role, many of the Phantom’s early cruises were as paired squadrons with F-8 units, which were considered “day fighter” (or, in the F-8 pilots’ opinion, “fighter”) units, as explained by Peter E. Davies in his book Gray Ghosts, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F-4 Phantoms. When the F-4 started to outnumber the Crusader and F-8 drivers began switching to the Phantom, the antagonism between the two communities grew more intense. Before making the switch, Jerry B. “Devil” Houston, who flew Crusaders with VF-11, summed up the situation as follows:

“The F-8 stole your heart from the get-go with its beauty and, for its time, power (God, an afterburner!), but it quickly earned an ensign-killer reputation, rightly or wrongly. In the long run, that reputation contributed greatly to fighter pilot development in the Navy: only the top ten percent of pilot graduates were even considered for the F-8 pipeline—the créme de la créme. And as luck would have it a damn solid base of mid-level stick-and-throttle talent groomed the hungry youngsters into frothing-at-the-mouth tacticians. Without experiencing it, anyone would be hard-pressed to understand the aura that surrounded that early F-8 Crusader community. An ensign in F-8s took no crap from a Lieutenant Commander who flew anything else. Period.

“Among that small, but growing privileged group, anyone in the first few squadrons knew damn near exactly where they stood in the overall tactics ladder. Killing, capability meant everything: King of the Mountain, in spades. Gunnery, tactics, gunnery, tactics, just enough intercept training to get you into the sky with another victim. F-8s didn’t bomb then—hell, the plane didn’t even have hardpoints on the wings. In other words, everything funneled the best pilots and the best airplanes through a narrow training spout, and out popped the world’s best fighter pilots. They all ate, breathed, thought, and dreamed about fighting airplanes. All the time.

“The F-4, on the other hand, was an ugly, two-seated, gas-hog monster that hit the Fleet with a bunch of F3H Demon interceptor pilots. Consequently, the F-4s got off to a horrid start when running into F-8s. Their reputation was dog-s**t, and the ex-Demon drivers didn’t have a clue about changing it. So they practiced intercepts, avoided tactics, and groomed follow-on clods in their own image. All the while that lovely top ten percent advantage kept aircrew infusing the Crusader community with superior talent, which rapidly molded into long-clawed killers. The rich got richer—and even richer. Better people, better training, frightful competition. Crusader pilots didn’t have to brag; they owned the sky. So it remained, until finally, an F-8 jock got into an F-4, screaming and dragging his heels all the way. The rest is history.”

F-4 Vs F-8: the rivalry between the first

F-8 pilots and tactics, which were initially transferred from their squadrons to the Phantom, undoubtedly sped up the development of F-4 ACM training. In 1971, Jerry Houston referred to his VF-51 as a “double-barreled Crusader squadron with an extra set of eyeballs in each plane” as the unit transitioned from the F-8J to the F-4B. However, the need for ACM was recognized far earlier than then, and it certainly predated the late 1960s initiatives that gave rise to the Top Gun ACM training project.

Photo by U.S. Navy

December 24, 2021 0 comment

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