Scariest Day/Night Flying

[HAL Pilot]

As a AW, 197X, in a Sea in WESTPAC, bring chased by a GCI site and MIG-25 who was authorized to shoot us down- Proved the P-3 could do 405Kts at 50" AGL with 4 cherries across the board AND we were in and out of the clouds, so vis horizon was for s**t!

1988 in the Persian Gulf being chased by an Iranian F4 who thought we were Iraqi and ignored all calls on guard from us, the AWACS and the crusier in the area. We had to climb to get over the top of the USS R K Turner. He was only about 5 miles off our tail as we cleared the Turner and she lite him up with every fire control radar she had while having missiles on the rails. That turned him around and ended the chase. Good thing the Iranians did not have any reliable air-to-air missile and was going for the guns kill or he would probably have gotten us.

TIT was exceeded on all engines, inspections were required and engines were changed. But that War Pig did 420 indicated.....

 

[gregsivers]

I've been amazed how incompentent alot of the civ. aviators are down here in Corpus in just the little time I've been here. We have clearly posted MOA's and course rules and at least 3 times, I've been on them only to have some knucklehead noodling his way through them at 80 KIAS, negative mode C...

You do know that the training areas for primary in Corpus aren't MOAs right? They might be alert areas, but not MOAs. So based on that, your argument is moot anyway.

Regardless, HAL has made some excellent points I'll highlight on. When you're talking to Corpus Approach you're using UHF, the dude in his cessna/piper/whatever is using VHF, so he's not going to hear you. The course rules aren't published on any charts anywhere, and 1000' or lower along the beach is appealing to many pilots. On the way to the North areas you fly right past Mustang Beach, and sometimes even do PPELs there. Perfectly legal for civilians to tool around near their fields. I'd even go so far as to say that unless these pilots are local pilots who fly there a lot, they wouldn't even know the extent of the Navy training that goes on there. Take it easy on those guys.

 

[scoober78]

I got it guys... I stand upgraded...some of my points are valid...others aren't.

UNCLE!!!???

 

[P3_to_Apache]

Dont get me started on night flight....I'll take flying nights in a P-3 over FLIR in the Apache anyday...also goggles over FLIR. Treetops 120 ktas...FLIR...wow

 

[scoober78]

1989 in the Persian Gulf being chased by an Iranian F4 who thought we were Iraqi and ignored all calls on guard from us, the AWACS and the crusier in the area. We had to climb to get over the top of the USS R K Turner. He was only about 5 miles off our tail as we cleared the Turner and she lite him up with every fire control radar she had while having missiles on the rails. That turned him around and ended the chase. Good thing the Iranians did not have any reliable air-to-air missile and was going for the guns kill or he would probably have gotten us.

TIT was exceeded on all engines, inspections were required and engines were changed. But that War Pig did 420 indicated.....

WOW!!!!

 

[BlkPny]

Hal
Best Avatar Ever!

 

[BlkPny]

In the bunker on scamble duty in VN. In the middle of the night got a Scamble One, SEALs in contact. Field was closed due to weather, so we got to pick our runway. Launched in a T-storm, stayed low under clouds. As we thought we were getting close, asked Iron Dick (SEAL call sign) to shoot so we could see tracers. Found them, then corkscrewed up to 2000 ft to pop a flare, then back down under the clouds. Got off to the side, flew a racetrack pattern, and fired our rockets at an upward angle to loft them to the target, hoping there weren't any real tall trees where we were flying. RTB, but since field was closed, no tower or nav aids. Flew until we found the Bassac Mekong river, flew down it until we hit the base, landed, got new planes, and went out again. Second time was easier. Had mud and vegetation on three of the four planes. And, by the way an all-LT(jg) flight. Too stupid to know better.
I don't think we ever got above 150' that night.
Youth + Stupidity + Ordnance = Great Memories

 

[HAL Pilot]

Hal
Best Avatar Ever!

Thanks. I wish I could take credit for the pumpkin carving but I saw the picture on another web site.

 

[bunk22]

In the bunker on scamble duty in VN. In the middle of the night got a Scamble One, SEALs in contact. Field was closed due to weather, so we got to pick our runway. Launched in a T-storm, stayed low under clouds. As we thought we were getting close, asked Iron Dick (SEAL call sign) to shoot so we could see tracers. Found them, then corkscrewed up to 2000 ft to pop a flare, then back down under the clouds. Got off to the side, flew a racetrack pattern, and fired our rockets at an upward angle to loft them to the target, hoping there weren't any real tall trees where we were flying. RTB, but since field was closed, no tower or nav aids. Flew until we found the Bassac Mekong river, flew down it until we hit the base, landed, got new planes, and went out again. Second time was easier. Had mud and vegetation on three of the four planes. And, by the way an all-LT(jg) flight. Too stupid to know better.
I don't think we ever got above 150' that night.
Youth + Stupidity + Ordnance = Great Memories

It's going to be hard to beat any of the story's from this gentleman. I'm sure when blkpny walks, we might hear the slight clank resonating from his steel balls smacking together.

Even COD guys can have scary flights. Besides night flying FCLP's around San Clemente.......the boat at night prepares you for the rock at night One day approach to the boat off the coast of Vietnam was no doubt the scariest of my 500+ (left/right seat) flights to the boat. As we checked in with marshall, the call was case I though we could clearly see the giant t-storm luming ahead.......off to the left a bit. As I approached the boat, I dropped down to about 500ft, then lower, to stay out of the clouds. I was told to call a see me at 10. What I saw at 4 miles was a large carrier entering clouds that reached down to the surface. All the while I had my copilot tell marshall that it was case III conditions at best. We ended being marshalled just outside the storm and sarted down the shoot at our EPT. It was dog**** all the way down to 1200', then at 3, at 2, at 1......at 3/4 of mile call the ball........nothing but grey and downpour. I was told to turn my taxi light on......half mile, nothing. When I broke out, I was high and right. I made a left wing dip, added power and trapped. An OK 1 wire.....my first and only OK 1. Looking at the tape, you could barely see my taxi light when it came on but I think paddles rogered up. When I broke out, I trapped maybe 2 secs after. It took about 20 minutes for my legs to stop shaking from the nice adrenalin rush. Of all my traps, day and night, I've always been able to see the ship and ball, at worst, at a mile. This one just wasn't fun.....and it was day time. Supposed to be easy

 

[A4sForever]

....I don't think we ever got above 150' that night.
Youth + Stupidity + Ordnance = Great Memories

Great stuff , even if "scary" ... and here I'd always thought <500' >500 KIAS in the RR Delta was something ....

 

[SuperStallionIP]

Flying in dust storms in Iraq with 1/4 mile vis seeing towers materialize out of the haze as you pass them and having to look up to see the top of them. Not to mention the support wires...

 

[BlkPny]

Thanks. I wish I could take credit for the pumpkin carving but I saw the picture on another web site.

Oh yeah. It was in your latest edition of "Martha Stewart Living", right?

By the way, for all you young guys, be aware that there is a very clear and well-defined difference between being brave ("heroic") and being stupid. Stupid trumps brave every time. Thank God, we were all stupid.

 

[Catmando]

Youth + Stupidity + Ordnance = Great Memories

Indeed they do equal great memories. (And maybe even a few difficult ones, too). It also helps to explain why I thought you guys were absolutely, totally crazy!

However, I also think there was at least one other key thing in your little equation; a quality of character which you seem to have most humbly omitted.

Unfortunately, all the dangerous, ragged edge, and incredible flying you guys did was never as well known as it should have been, and never adequately acknowledged or appreciated, to my mind. Nevertheless, I for one salute you and your Black Pony squadron mates. BZ.

 

[raptor10]

This is why I love airwarriors.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Flying in dust storms in Iraq with 1/4 mile vis seeing towers materialize out of the haze as you pass them and having to look up to see the top of them. Not to mention the support wires...

That's why when I was in Iraq I always briefed lower, slower, circumnavigate to a hard deck at 300 ft. If we're still in the sand storm at 300 ft, time to start climbing and fly the GPS needle back to someplace with an approach. At night, I never went below 300 ft.

Adding on to what BlkPny said - For the young guys, always remember that the ground has a P-sub-k of 1.0, and the best you can do is TIE the lowest flight on record.