"There I was" stories from a Vietnam era A-4 Driver

[FLY_USMC]

I'm pretty sure I've had numerous bad dreams that were this exact dilemma....and others starting the same way but turned bad when I got into the air and realized something was really fning wrong.

Edited to add the most recent dream I had relating to this was insted of CQ'ing in the Hornet like I thought I was, I showed up to the boat just in time to find out they were all taken and I had to CQ in a Tomcat? WTF? Needless to say..."in my dream"....I was scared.

 

[Pags]

*for the record, I feel comfortable taking most any fleet aircraft save maybe a P3/C130/V22 up, but I have a lot more "breadth" of flying experience than the average JO.. Depth is lacking thought. And there is a huge diff on "fam hop" vice "go do something useful with this".

Would I take a 60B/F/H on a fam hop? Sure. Would I feel comfortable FCFing one? After a few flights.

Could I start one of the Phrogs next door? Not by myself. Would I want to FCF it? Not anytime soon.

 

[BusyBee604]

Reserrection!

For the Newbies & those who have joined AW since this thread expired, I'm taking the liberty of resurrecting it. There are some good sea (air} stories both combat & non... herein. This is why Brownshoe, Rondebmar. & A4s invited me to join AW, several years ago. ropeller

You'll find the link to my "great adventure" on post #50, and a major Alpha on #46.
Others scattered within. I think you may enjoy the thread, my initiation into AW! :icon_smil
BzB
Yankee Air irate_12

 

[twobecrazy]

For the Newbies & those who have joined AW since this thread expired, I'm taking the liberty of resurrecting it. There are some good sea (air} stories both combat & non... herein. This is why Brownshoe, Rondebmar. & A4s invited me to join AW, several years ago. ropeller

You'll find the link to my "great adventure" on post #50, and a major Alpha on #46.
Others scattered within. I think you may enjoy the thread, my initiation into AW! :icon_smil
BzB
Yankee Air irate_12

Thanks for the resurrection. I was wanting some good reading after all the trolls here lately! I'm going to get started.

 

[GreenLantern330]

Hugh and I just spoke on the phone, he's now given permisson for this to be posted in open forum. Some of you PM'd wanting the story.

Steve

That was a great read! I felt like I was there! To second what two said, a nice refresher from the trolling lately.

 

[Catmando]

OK you old timers. Who was the oft quoted Naval Aviator over the North that said:

"I'm hit, but I'm rolling in anyway."

Was that just a sea story? From a movie? Or did someone really transmit that? Anybody know?

 

[BusyBee604]

OK you old timers. Who was the oft quoted Naval Aviator over the North that said:

"I'm hit, but I'm rolling in anyway."

Was that just a sea story? From a movie? Or did someone really transmit that? Anybody know?

I've heard that many times back in the day, always in Ready Room joking, referring to "medal hunters/glory hounds". Never any specific person or conflict, more of a passed down myth. Whether it's true or not...who knows, I don't.
BzB

 

[Catmando]

I've heard that many times back in the day, always in Ready Room joking, referring to "medal hunters/glory hounds". Never any specific person or conflict, more of a passed down myth. Whether it's true or not...who knows, I don't.
BzB

Thanks. That's what I thought but wasn't sure. I thought it may have came from the cruise prior to mine when they lost some guys doing multiple runs on flak sites. But if you heard it, it was around a bit earlier. Who knows, maybe even back to WWII or Korea?

Like you, it was our common RR joke.

 

[zpatman]

For the Newbies & those who have joined AW since this thread expired, I'm taking the liberty of resurrecting it. There are some good sea (air} stories both combat & non... herein. This is why Brownshoe, Rondebmar. & A4s invited me to join AW, several years ago. ropeller

You'll find the link to my "great adventure" on post #50, and a major Alpha on #46.
Others scattered within. I think you may enjoy the thread, my initiation into AW! :icon_smil
BzB
Yankee Air irate_12

Thank you for the stories...always great to hear a good yarn...now how bout a few that start with "and this is no shit"

 

[A4sForever]

"I'm hit, but I'm rollin' in anyway" !!!

Thanks. That's what I thought but wasn't sure.....Like you, it was our common RR joke.

Well ... actually, the way I heard it, it originated w/ the CORAL-MARU CAG on their '65 (?) cruise ... a flight involving VA-153, the BLUE TAIL FLIES ...

The hop was evidently a complete cluster-fuck (road recce, I think) w/ airborne mechanicals & WX whereupon they broke out of the clag & CAG announced: "I'm rollin' in on a bridge !!" ... followed by the transmission: "FLAK" ... and then nothing. The other flight members tried to raise him to no avail ... he was gone.

I think it morphed into the: "I'm hit, but I'm rollin' in anyway" later on as a macabre reference to the 'original'. It eventually became a 'joke' referencing the eternal glory/medal hound (NOT that the original CAG was in any way, shape, or form a 'glory hound) ... but it came to represent the 'guy' who was gonna get his Air Medal and at least a DFC for that strike, no matter what !!!

The phrase became, indeed, something of a Ready Room joke and urban legend to describe guys who loved the image in the mirror more than life itself, back before the term 'urban legend' existed.

Hell, I thought I was hit the first time I salvoed 4 X Mk84's off in a 500 KIAS dive ... but I didn't say anything except: 'SHIT' !!! But still -- many times over the next several years, I keyed the mic and said "I'm hit, but ... etc." when rolling up onto my back at the moment of truth during the 'Fallon Wars' or Red Flag ... just to mess w/ guys' heads (primarily newbies' heads).

In that case: very jolly.

 

[BusyBee604]

BUMP to get ready! Later today, hope to post here with two links on the post, one to access the loss of BzB 604 story, and the other to allow the browser to share in the UHF SAR freq. recording (20 min.) of the SAR ... from BzB flight's (8 A-4C) arrival on-scene, until helo pickup.

We have requested this thread be made a 'sticky', so that these links don't slowly slide into oblivion. Also, some good TINS stories & interesting chatter on this thread, that should remain handy & be of interest, especially for wannabees, newbies, & SNA/SNFOs! Standby...
BzB

 

[Gatordev]

Stuck.

 

[BusyBee604]

Stuck.

???!

 

[Recovering LSO]

???!

he "stickied" it

 

[Gatordev]

he "stickied" it

That's what she said.