KC-135 Lands with Handheld GPS

[D_Rob]

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61526

Good outside the box thinking.

From the article I got the gist that the plane didn't have a standby compass. Seems to me that if you had a map an a compass and you had a pretty good idea where you were, you should be able to navigate at least a bit.

 

[Alpha_Echo_606]

Dense cloud cover below them made it impossible for crewmembers to use geographic landmarks to find their way back to Manas Air Base, from which they had taken off. Even if they could find Manas, dense clouds and rain made a visual landing impossible.

Wet compass and map wouldn't have helped much in these conditions. The hand held GPS was their best hope to stay out of Chinese and Iranian airspace. Indeed it was good thinking.

Makes me wonder why they lost all lost all electronic navigation systems.

 

[phrogdriver]

I didn't gather anything about a wet compass one way or another. Even with it, the circular error without navaids or visual references is going to get really huge really fast. In the time it takes to recognize the problem, say "WTF's up with George," cycle a couple switches, and tap the glass, you've already gone a couple miles. Over the kind of terrain prevalent over there, a blind let-down would be an ass-puckerer.

One question, having not worked there for a long time. Were there no radar services at all there? They weren't lost comm. A -135 has legs. Even an AWACS or E2 probably could've vectored them somewhere with better weather, I would think. Or one of their customers could've joined on them and led home.

Maybe all those were tried or weren't available. Just thinking of other options.

Then again, maybe one of the pilots had an unauthorized aircraft handheld civilian GPS. "When we land, tell them you got the GPS radio out of your vest, okay?"

 

[FLYTPAY]

I am really not impressed. I know guys who have had bigger problems....landed....gotten another jet and went back out to do the mission.

 

[PropAddict]

I am really not impressed.

Agreed. I don't really see why it's newsworthy.

Makes me want to write up an article about the time I lost both gyros and both compass systems on a GCA in the T-44. It looks like Stars and Stripes would publish it and I could get an 0-5 to say I'm awesome for landing it.:sleep_125:sleep_125

 

[phrogdriver]

So the consensus is no big deal. Is the AF practicing PAO inflation like they do medal inflation? Will their press releases start looking like Onion headlines?

"Airman successfully cleans urinal with no scrub brush, receives Air Force Achievement Medal"

"Flight Crew Takes Off, Lands Successfully."

 

[UMichfly]

I'm just waiting to see what some enterprising PAO is going to do with today's C-17 debacle. "Flight crew miraculously uncrashes airplane" or better yet "Flight crew flies really low....and lives to tell about it".

 

[stalk]

I loved the two lines: "...it was pretty tense" and "...pulled a rabbit out of the hat". I can see it now as they strayed across the border...The tanker is intercepted by Chinese fighters who force it to land. The crew is captured and interrogated of days about the secrets of fuel density and flash points of JP. The crew and aircraft are repatriated after tense negotiations but not before the Chinese have dissected the aircraft and blue printed the pumping system.

Good on them but I guess it was a slow news day for S&S.

 

[Schnugg]

Sounds like a normal hop in an F-14A back in the day...now where's MY air medal???




Don't know if they got an AM, but assume they will....

 

[helmet91]

Makes me wonder why they lost all lost all electronic navigation systems.

Good stuff... and to think my dad was replaced by this freaking computer.

 

[MAKE VAPES]

Yeah!!! What Shnugg said...

Amidst AF bafoonery now... we need some grrrreat PAO's to drown out the chairforce with the stuff we do in the Navy each and every day....

 

[Pugs]

Don't know if they got an AM, but assume they will....

Don't forget it's the USAF. This is the stuff DFC's are made of (with end of tour MSM's for all the crew)

 

[SteveG75]

What was once old is new again. Good thing those AF bubbas didn't have to rely on a lat/long from a SWO:

There we were…we launched off the Coral Sea as a target for an Taiwanese Air Defense Exercise. Unfortunately the Air Boss gave us the wrong launch position on the 5MC. We were one degree farther North (i.e. 60 NM closer to Red China) than we thought. Our low alt ingress (with radar off in order to delay our detection) combined with a bit of salt spray on the windscreen caused us to be only about 9 miles from land before we could see it. Unfortunately we were expecting to see Taiwan on our right and saw Red China off to our left. Almost simultaneously we heard lots of garble on guard and “Hot Dog” calls. None of whose meaning was briefed by CVIC etc. We were intercepted by numerous F-5’s and who either thought we were lost or disoriented. One took trail position while the others tried to get us to follow them. They gave us the international sign for you have been intercepted and we want you to land there... pointing to Taipei. When they did that, Steve gave me some great advice... just look straight ahead... don’t even look at them. As we disregarded their signals, we proceeded south over-flying the entire island of Taiwan at medium altitude. Once feet wet we descended and flew to the ship as low and fast as our trusty Intruder could go. Soon they turned around as we ran them out of gas. We thought we’d be home free and nobody would be the wiser.

Not so fast. Immediately after we got on deck they wanted to see Richmond and Ackerbauer in the war room. It seems that the SDO had heard that we’d landed at Taipei. Intel had learned that the Red Chinese had launched every
up MIG on the west coast to have a piece of us. Luckily we had turned East just in time and they were unable to catch us. We had obviously violated Red Chinese airspace and were close to being shot down. Our skipper, CDR Westfall, stuck up for us and threw his command pin on the table with the words, “You can take this pin but you won’t touch my guys.” We were called to the warroom just about every night at midnight for a week while the State Dept and DOD asked us inane and irrelevant questions about the incident. Fortunately that was our only punishment because the skipper stuck up for his boys and we never read about it again... except in the welcome home skit.

(Acks version) RICHMOND /ACKERBAUER VA-95 1975

There we were...at 20’above the water headed for Red China. We were supposed to be sneaking up on the Chinese Nationals on Taiwan. When we manned up for launch the ship’s posit was announced over the 5MC by the air boss. I saw Ack write it on his hand. It was about 60 miles off from our true position. We got an alignment and launched off on a DR heading for our first turn point. I made Ack turn off the radar, TACAN to receive, IFF off, we were really going to sneak up on those guys!

We saw a coastline but we weren’t sure what it was. I eased up a little higher and got a TACAN azimuth only lock-on pointing back behind our wing. Bad news! This coastline must not be Taiwan, but Red China. We turned and started to “buster” for the USS Coral Sea just as we were intercepted by a couple of National Chinese fighters. They were calling us on guard using our BuNo telling us to land at Taipei. Fat Chance!! Ack and I knew our careers were over but we were going to tell our story on the boat. I told Ack not to answer on the radio and not to look at the guys joined on our wing. We just proceeded straight “back sheep”. I was never so happy to see two F-4s join-upon us and escort us back to the ship. That got rid of the CHINATS.

Fast forward to the Admiral’s stateroom where we were drilled, on and off, for seven nights in a row. The CHINATS thought we were trying to start WW III. Our skipper, Van Westfall, backed us 100%. At one point he tossed his command button on the table and told the Admiral, “Don’t try to hang this crew. I’ll put the navigator, the ship, everybody involved on report ! “ The Admiral basically answered, “Not to worry…nobody was going to hang. “ Turns out he was right, but at the time it looked like the end of two illustrious careers.

Take my word for it. You never want to be involved in an “International Incident”.

RICHMOND / ACKERBAUER VA-95 1975

 

[FLYTPAY]

Don't forget it's the USAF. This is the stuff DFC's are made of (with end of tour MSM's for all the crew)

And they promote to O-4 a year earlier than USN

 

[ea6bflyr]

"For him to pull out the handheld GPS shows a level of maturity and quick thinking not usually seen in junior aircraft commanders."

BS....Someone forgot the basics of Dead Reckoning. The STANDBY compass wasn't broken. Maybe they should go back to flight school. You think planes in 1911 had electronic compasses? Jeez.

-ea6bflyr