NFO Instructor Pilot Makes Final Flight of 54-Year Career

[BusyBee604]

*Pensacola News Journal July 14, 2011

A Naval flight officer instructor made his final flight at Pensacola Naval Air Station last month following a 54-year Navy flying career

Retired Cmdr. Douglas Barron, 75, took to the air for the last time May 31 in a T-39 Sabreliner painted in a vintage paint scheme for the Centennial of Naval Aviation.

Barron retired from the Navy as a decorated combat pilot after the Vietnam War. He spent the following 30 years as a Navy civilian contract pilot training Naval flight officer students.

Per Navy tradition, Barron's jet was greeted by fire engines spraying arcs of water and a crowd of well-wishers after returning from his final flight.

"There is no place that I would rather complete it than flying for Training Wing 6 at NAS Pensacola." Barron said. "I have made life-long friends from among the students and mission commanders and have shared aviation adventures with many of them."

Navy officials estimate Barron has contributed to the training of more than 10,000 flight officer students.
Written by Reporter Travis Griggs

Doug Barron was a Squadronmate of mine in VA-94 & VA-125 from 1958 to 1965 in FJ-4 Furys then A-4 Skyhawks. In 1965, we both went to war, he in VA-22 and I in VA-146. We have remained close friends and kept in touch over the years.

What a fantastic career. I thought I had it made with 11 straight years in an A-4 cockpit!
BzB

 

[Pugs]

I remember him from 25 years ago. I can't imagine there's many NFO's on the tactical pipeline he didn't fly with. I can't recall if they put the pilot's name or the instructors in our logbooks. I'll have to look tonight.

 

[RadicalDude]

Flew with him last month, man's a legend.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Great American! I flew with him as a student and as an instructor.

-ea6bflyr

 

[Recovering LSO]

alright - I'll be the party pooper - and this is not intended to reflect any disrespect for the man or his distinguished service, but 75 years old flying low levels in jets with students sitting next to him....?

 

[Pugs]

alright - I'll be the party pooper - and this is not intended to reflect any disrespect for the man or his distinguished service, but 75 years old flying low levels in jets with students sitting next to him....?

Too be fair, 500' - 360 kt single ship low levels that he had flown thousands of times but I understand where you're going.

 

[BusyBee604]

???

alright - I'll be the party pooper - and this is not intended to reflect any disrespect for the man or his distinguished service, but 75 years old flying low levels in jets with students sitting next to him....?

Recovering LSO brings up a fair concern. Ea6bflyr, do these flights have a qualified Co-Pilot/2P on board? Or would the NFO Instructor aboard be qualified to take over, RTB & land in the event the Pilot became ill or incapacitated in-flight?

I recall an incident when I was in basic ('57) where a NAVCAD was on an instrument X/C with a CDR Instructor in a TV-2 (T-33). While in holding for a jet penetration/approach to El Paso, the IP suffered a heart attack and died almost instantly. The student came out from "under the bag", shot the approach, and landed from the back seat without incident. He was awarded the Air Medal for that achievement.
BzB

 

[Pugs]

I flew the short-lived T-47A with these guys and not the T-39 but I suspect it's the same arrangement. There is always someone in the right seat, student if that X is a front seat X or if we were in back, as you were for the first few mountain radar flights then there was an instructor in the right seat.

In my first couple flights we got some stick time and a full brief on the autopilot and some hands on time to make sure we could run it all. I have no doubt that between the instructor and I we could have flown and landed the jet safely. The T-47A was an upgrade Citation IISP (bigger motors, three feet cut off each wing to get the roll rate to 90/sec for RIO training and an APG-66 radar) and in it's civilian trim was rated for single pilot so you could get to everything from the right seat. You could also fly an autothrottle coupled approach to touchdown if the airport was so equipped.

 

[nittany03]

ea6bflyr will know more, but I recall that the INFOs are mandated to get stick time in the sim in St. Louis when they do their annual quals.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Recovering LSO brings up a fair concern. Ea6bflyr, do these flights have a qualified Co-Pilot/2P on board? Or would the NFO Instructor aboard be qualified to take over, RTB & land in the event the Pilot became ill or incapacitated in-flight?

I recall an incident when I was in basic ('57) where a NAVCAD was on an instrument X/C with a CDR Instructor in a TV-2 (T-33). While in holding for a jet penetration/approach to El Paso, the IP suffered a heart attack and died almost instantly. The student came out from "under the bag", shot the approach, and landed from the back seat without incident. He was awarded the Air Medal for that achievement.
BzB

Yes, all CTW-6 I-NFO's are trained on how to take over in case of pilot incapacitation with or without use of autopilot. CTW-6 trains and briefs students on how to recover the jet and we brief the emergency plan of action. As an instructor from 2008-2011, I had occasion to fly with Doug multiple times and while he was the oldest, he was also sharp as a tack and flew the plane like most people drive a car. I had the utmost confidence in his abilities and never doubted him for a moment. Nittany is correct; all instructors get an annual EP sim at FSI in St. Louis with the focus of landing the jet in an emergency.

-ea6bflyr

 

[red_ryder]

Was that Spud? I know I definitely flew with him a couple flights, good times.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Was that Spud? I know I definitely flew with him a couple flights, good times.

No it wasn't Spud Heizerling (sp?). Doug went by Doug. Spud had no hair and Doug had a full head of silver hair and thick glasses.

-ea6bflyr

 

[red_ryder]

Oh ok, that's right. Another good one though.

 

[MidWestEwo]

He was a great guy to fly with. The crazy thing is, he wasn't the oldest contract pilot at all.

 

[Hozer]

I remember having to wake him on a couple of canned instrument jet routes (or was it the other way around?), awesome guy. Great stories.