MasterBates
Well-Known Member
E-2s. I think the COD guys have helo helmets, theirs look different.
At a safety stand down in HT-8, an IP told us this story (this excerpt from Naval Aviation News May/June 1998)
A T-34C Turbo-Mentor of Training Squadron 6, NAS Whiting Field, Fla., suffered a bird strike just after takeoff on a night training flight on 26 March. The instructor pilot in the front seat, Lt. James Deyo, USCG, was knocked unconscious. The student, 2nd Lt. Bill Howlett, USMC, with only 15 hours of daylight flight time, took over the controls and prepared to land. On approach, the instructor regained consciousness and landed the plane despite
serious facial injuries
The IP's helmet was knocked off of his head into the back cockpit and he actually lost an eye from the bird. Sorry, can't remember if his visor was up or down.
Bubba, for another incident of an SNA Air Medal, check my post on Current News forum, Passenger Lands Plane... thread posted 04-13, 9:17am.Flash, if this is the same incident I read about in the Gazette, he did receive an Air Medal. I want to say that the article mentioned it being one of the only times a SNA has received it.
Updated version. Roles reversed.Do you have access to old Approach magazines? There would be an article in there from sometime in the late 80-early 82 time frame on a bird strike on a VT-6 T-34 by a turkey buzzard. Broke the windscreen, knocked the student out and broke his collarbone, continued through to the back seat, hits the instructor in the visor, which breaks (but protected him from worse injuries). He is blinded by blood from the cuts. Aircraft has rolled inverted at this point; instructor (who can't see) yells over the ICS for the student. With the wind coming through (from the broken windshield), no response from the student, and aircraft inverted, he makes educated guess that the student has bailed out. So he bails out. Land safely in a farmer's field. In the meantime, the student regains consciousness. Uninverts the aircraft, no instructor, so he flies back solo (with a broken collarbone.)
I had the instructor for a couple of flights about six months later - really good instructor.