F-4 Phantom fighter pilot ACE, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, has died at age 83. His decorated Navy career in the Vietnam war became the stuff of legend, after shooting down 5 enemy MiGs – and being shot down himself.
He would go on to become a Top Gun instructor and commander of VF-126, with a distinguished 20-year military career. His later life as a politician, however, would see him shot down again, convicted of taking bribes from defense contractors (later pardoned by President Trump).
Vietnam War gets its first Ace
Cunningham was the first fighter ACE in Vietnam, and the Navy’s top-scoring fighter pilot of the war. The young Lieutenant was flying F-4J Phantoms off the USS Constellation, assigned to VF-96 FIGHTING FALCONS, when he flew into aviation history.
It was his second tour, and it wasn’t long before he and his RIO, Lieutenant “Willy” Driscoll, began stacking up kills. The first came on January 19, 1972, when they engaged two MiG-21s and shot down one with a sidewinder.
Their next kill came 4 months later, when they engaged 3 MiGs on May 8. Two of the MiGs were chasing them, while Cunningham chased and shot down the third MiG, which was chasing their wingman.
They wouldn’t have to wait another 4 months to earn their next kills. The next 3 would all come on the same flight, just 2 days later.
Flying as call sign “Showtime 100”, Cunningham and Driscoll racked up their next kills on a flak suppression mission south of Hanoi. They engaged in an intense aerial battle with over 20 enemy fighters, shooting down 2 MiGs and saving their Executive Officer, before heading to the coast back to the boat.
Another MiG, however, had other ideas. Cunningham and Driscoll were in for the dogfight of their lives, and it was flying at them head-on.
One of the most epic dogfights of the jet age
What took place next is arguably one of the most epic dogfights of the jet age. As the MiG approached Cunningham pulled straight up, as bullets whizzed by his canopy. The MiG, which sucked in climb performance compared to a Phantom, followed anyway.
Here is Cunningham’s account of the battle which made him an Ace, from the books Fighter Aces of the U.S.A. and “…And Kill MiGs.”
“I pulled hard up in the vertical, figuring that the MiG would keep right on going for home. I looked back and…there was the MiG… canopy to canopy with me! He couldn’t have been more than thirty feet away…I could see the pilot clearly…leather helmet, goggles, scarf… we were both going straight up, but I was outzooming him. He fell behind, and as I came over the top, he started shooting. I had given him a predictable flight path and lie had taken advantage of it. The tracers were missing me, but not by much! I rolled out, and he pulled in right behind me.
I pulled down and I was holding top rudder, trying to knuckle at the nose. As soon as I committed my nose, he pulled right into me! I waited for his nose to commit, then I pulled up into him. We separated, turned around, and engaged again. Same thing. Up into a rolling scissors…advantage, disadvantage…advantage disadvantage… disadvantage… disadvantage… disengaged, came hack, engaged again, and went up in the vertical again. This is one of the very few MiGs that ever fought in the vertical. We kept engaging. and I never could get enough advantage on him to get a shot. Everything my airplane did, he reacted to instinctively.
The next time we started up in the vertical, an idea came to me. I went to idle and speed brakes, and he shot out in front of me! I think it really surprised him… being out in front for the first time. Anyway, we’re both going straight up and losing speed fast. I was down to 150 knots and I knew I was going to have to go to full burner to hold it. I did, and we both pitched over the top. As he came over, I used rudder to get the airplane to turn to his belly side. He lost lift coming over the top, and, I think, departed the airplane a bit. He had stayed too long. He was low on fuel, and I think he decided to run. He pitched over the top and started straight down. I went after him and, though I didn’t think the Sidewinder would guide straight down with all the heat of the ground to look at, I squeezed one off anyway.
The missile came oil the rail and went to his airplane. There was just a little flash, and I thought, ‘God, it missed him!’ I started to fire my last Sidewinder and suddenly…a big flash of flame and black smoke erupted from his airplane. He didn’t seem to go out of control, but he flew straight down into the ground. He didn’t get out.”
Showtime 100 was shot down, shortly after scoring the Ace kill
Showtime 100 did not have long to celebrate. They were not safe yet, and were shot down by a SAM on their way back to the carrier.
The jet, however, was still operating, just crippled. Cunningham worked hard to keep it in the air, as he wanted to avoid becoming a POW. Eventually the jet gave out, going into an uncontrollable spin. Both crew ejected, and were picked up by a search and rescue helicopter.
For his efforts on that day, Cunningham received the Navy Cross.
From decorated Navy ace fighter pilot to convicted crooked Congressman
Both airmen would go on and become instructors at Top Gun. Cunningham went on to serve with VF-154 and eventually became CO of VF-126, an adversary unit playing the role of bad guys to train pilots in aerial combat.
Cunningham retired from the Navy as a commander in 1987. He started an aviation marketing company and became a Dean at an aviation school. He also became a regular on mainstream news as a military expert, bringing him to the attention of many politicians.
He won election easily in 1991, becoming a Republican congressman representing the wealthy suburbs north of San Diego.
His goals however, were not driven by public service, but by greed, and it ended up putting him in prison for several years. Cunningham resigned from the House in late 2005, after pleading guilty to federal charges for accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and under reporting his income. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion, conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud. Cunningham received a sentence of 8 years, 4 month in prison and pay $1.8 million in restitution.
He ended up serving 7 years, and was later pardoned by President Trump.
After release, he moved to Arkansas, and devoted much of his time to family, faith, and spoke often to military and civic groups about his life experiences. He was also President of the American Fighter Aces Association (AFAA).
