The B-52 low-level missions were exhilarating, requiring intense concentration from all six crewmembers for almost an hour and a half. Each of the three bombing runs started by arriving at the Initial Point (IP) on time. The IP was the last navigation point before we reached the target and the beginning of the bombing run.
From there, the radar navigator provided steering data to the pilot’s display upstairs. As long as the pilot kept the two lines centered and flew the speeds we requested, the bomber arrived at the release point on time. The pre-release checklist was succinctly choreographed, with each step called out by me, the navigator, and replied to over interphone by the appropriate crewmember.
Where Were You When the Space Shuttle Challenger Exploded? 4
Although the B-52 (with a 185-foot wingspan) flew low to evade simulated enemy radar, the bomb release altitude was a bit higher. Seconds before the release the pilots began a short, abrupt climb. This allowed the bombs to be pitched or lobbed toward the target. Finally, the radar nav would announce, “Bombs away,” indicating the weapon had been released.
Practice Makes Perfect
During training missions, the only thing released was an electronic signal for scoring. On a real-world combat mission, a drag chute deployed on the bombs, and they would drift slowly down to the ground as the bomber escaped.
The pilots quickly changed course to the next target and pitched down to 400 feet again, creating negative Gs, and a floating sensation in the cockpit. Any unsecured objects (ink pens or my sharp pointed dividers) floated around the cockpit if we weren’t careful. It was quite a roller coaster ride! About twenty minutes later the sequence repeated itself until the final simulated bomb release.
After the last “Bombs away!” call-out, instead of pitching over, the pilots continued climbing the eight-engine bomber out of the low-level route and back up to high altitude for the flight back to our base. During this climb, I would drop my mask, lean back from my tabletop, and take a long swig of water from a nearby bottle. I could finally relax a bit for the flight home.
Where Were You When the Space Shuttle Challenger Exploded? 5
You Had To Be At Your Best Before A Checkride
B-52 missions required detailed planning from all six crewmembers because the training route covered so much territory as the mission progressed from air refueling to high altitude bomb and missile releases to low level routes and then back to base. Planning a mission took an entire day before the actual flight.
My Heart Sank After Hearing About The Challenger Accident
My final B-52 checkride from Castle AFB was scheduled for January 29, 1986. Mission-planning day was January 28, and as we all huddled around the charts that morning, a major walked in at around 8:45 a.m. telling us the Space Shuttle Challenger had just exploded. It was a somber moment as we let the news sink in.
Where Were You When the Space Shuttle Challenger Exploded? 6
We were told that if we did not feel up to taking our checkride the next day it would be understandable. Although it was a terrible tragedy, we completed the planning, then headed home to watch the news updates about the shuttle explosion and the repeated scenes of the horrific mishap. Our crew knew we were well-prepared for our final evaluation, and all showed up early the next morning to fly our seven-hour checkride. By the end of January, I was a qualified BUFF Nav and my wife, Karin, and I packed up our Monte Carlo SS for the move to Barksdale AFB, near Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Super Bowl match up is set. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 11th at 3:30pm PT. Over 65,000 people are expected to attend the game itself with many more attending various Super Bowl 58 events in and around the gambling hotspot. Airlines typically add additional flight segments to the Super Bowl city.
This year is no different. American, Delta, Southwest, and United will all be adding additional flights between the team’s hometowns and the Super Bowl host city. What makes this year unique is the flight numbers for some of these added segments.
American Flights Reference NFL’s Romance Story of the Year
Taylor Swift
American Airlines added three unique non-stop flights from Kansas City, MO to Las Vegas on February 10th and returning on the 12th. Of those flights, one flight is clearly in homage to superstar Taylor Swift and Chief’s receiver Travis Kelce. Flight 1989 ireferences Taylor Swift multi-platinum album. The flight departs Kansas City at 12:30pm CT and arrives at Las Vegas at 1:35pm PT. The return flight is Flight 87, a nod to Chiefs receiver Travis Kelce. That flight departs Vegas just after midnight on Monday, February 12th. Flight 87 will either be a flight of celebration or as somber as funeral depending on the outcome of the game.
Southwest Adds Flights To Existing Service
Image by Tomás Del Coro via Wikipedia
Southwest Airlines already has extensive service between the team’s cities and Las Vegas. The airline is adding additional segments into Vegas for the game. The flights will be split with 3 additional flights between Kansas City on the Friday before and one on Saturday to Vegas. They are also adding 8 additional flights split between Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose before the game. Return flights after the game will ensure that fans can get home after spending at least $9,800 a ticket.
Other Airlines Get In On The Action
N101DU wears Delta colors. Image via Delta
Delta is adding three non-stop flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl and a total of 16 flights to Vegas from across the United States. United is also adding three non-stop flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas before the game with three additional flight options for the return home. They are also getting in on the action with unique flight numbers that they posted today on Instagram.
Super Bowl: Added Flights To Vegas, Some With Taylor Swift Flight Numbers 11
Other prominent options to the game from both Kansas City and the Bay Area include Spirit Airlines and Allegiant.
Entire Generations of Aviators Learned to Fly in This Classic Radial Engine Giant– The Mighty T-28 Trojan
When North American Aviation (NAA) began developing what would eventually become the T-28 Trojan trainer in late 1947, they could not have known that their next trainer design would serve in multiple roles for more than 30 years with nearly 30 countries around the world. The Trojan would replace NAA’s previous trainer design, the hugely successful T-6/SNJ Texan, in both United States Air Force (USAF) and US Navy/Marine Corps service.
Image courtesy Boeing
A Taildragger Trojan?
The first T-28 prototype was actually designated XSN2J-1- later changed to XT-28. This development of the T-6 was configured as a taildragger, like the T-6, but all subsequent prototype and production T-28s were equipped with tricycle landing gear. The XT-28 first flew on 24 September 1949. Subsequent USAF suitability testing, performed at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) by the 3200th Fighter Test Squadron during mid-1950, resulted in contracts being issued for the first of what would become a total of 1,948 T-28 airframes (all models) built between 1950 and 1957.
Official US Air Force photograph
T-28 Trojan for the Air Force
Jet-powered aircraft were in service, and the T-28 Trojan was the first trainer designed to train pilots to fly those early jets. The initial version of the Trojan, the T-28A, was powered by an air-cooled 900-horsepower Wright R-1300-1 Cyclone radial seven-piston engine turning an Aeroproducts two-bladed propeller. The four-stack exhaust configuration of the T-28A resulted in the A model never sounding like it was running smoothly, but that didn’t stop the USAF from taking delivery of some 1,194 T-28As between 1950 and 1953.
Official US Air Force photograph
A Relatively Short Career with ATC
In USAF Air Training Command (ATC) service, the T-28A was reportedly somewhat sluggish in flight but honest, predictable, and generally easy to fly and maintain. During the mid-1950s, with the USAF transitioning to jets, the Air National Guard (ANG) began flying T-28As while runways were being built to accommodate the new jets. Replaced in the USAF pilot training role by the combination of the piston-engine Beech T-34 Mentor and the jet-powered Cessna T-37 Tweet, Air Force T-28As were all but retired by the end of the 1950s, with many stored in the desert outside Tucson in Arizona.
Official US Navy photograph
Powering Up the Navy Trojan
Meanwhile, the Navy was looking at the T-28, but with significant changes to the power plant. Navy T-28B and T-28C variants would be powered by the beefier air-cooled 1,425-horsepower Wright R-1820-86A or -9HD Cyclone radial nine-piston engine turning a three-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller. The T-28B flew for the first time on 6 April 1953. Weighing in at a little more than 8,000 pounds, the Bravo was capable of 300 knots (346 miles per hour) and a service ceiling of 37,000 feet.
Grateful for the many mentors in aviation that launched my flying career.
“Would you like to see our jet?” I asked.
“I suppose so,” Mr. Lovell answered quietly with a smile, and we walked slowly out to the beautiful blue and white Gulfstream G-V with United States of America painted above the line of six oval windows.
We climbed the short fold-out staircase and turned left so he could see the modern glass cockpit of six screens in front of the pilot seats and the panels overhead consisting of only black push-button squares. It was a very smooth, clean cockpit.
I then guided Mr. and Mrs. Lovell down the blue carpeted, cramped hallway and into the VIP cabin adorned with mahogany wood and 12 blue leather First Class-sized chairs, each with its own spacious window. The Lovells each took a seat and looked around the cabin.
“What do you think?” I asked my old mentor.
Mr. Lovell sat with his cane between his legs and replied, “Well, they all fly the same. Keep the shiny side up and wheels on the bottom.” He was trying not to sound impressed.
Reaching out to an old mentor
One of the final trips of my 20-year career was to take Air Force General Ed Eberhart, commander of Northern Command (NORTHCOM) on visits to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases in the southeast and south-central United States. Our planned final stop would be Ellington Field, just south of my hometown of Houston, Texas. As we flew toward New Orleans, I told the other pilot, my good friend Major “Ice” Icenhour, that I learned to fly at LaPorte Municipal Airport, not far from Ellington. He said, “That’s cool! You should call up your old flight instructor!”
I told him my instructor, Richard Lovell, was a Korean War Navy veteran, and I wasn’t sure if he was even still alive. I had last seen Richard and Sylvia in 1990, when we took our baby boy, Daniel, to visit them in Pasadena, Texas. Ice told me I had to call him and tell him we’d be at Ellington tomorrow.
I really dreaded making that phone call, fearing Sylvia might answer and sadly tell me that Mr. Lovell had passed away. With Ice’s continued prompting, I got up my courage and dialed his number. On the second ring Mr. Lovell answered the phone. What a relief!
Air Force C-37, Image: SSgt Kenny Holston
I told Mr. Lovell we would be flying a new Gulfstream V (Air Force C-37A) into Ellington the next day with a four-star general onboard. Without me prompting, Mr. Lovell asked, “Can we get together for dinner?”
I smiled and told him, “That would be great! And I’d like to show you the aircraft after we land.”
Ellington Field is an joint civilian and military air base open to the public, allowing visitors to park near Base Operations. We taxied our G-V up to the painted cement “red carpet”, where an entourage of colonels waited to greet their visiting four-star general.
The group whisked General Eberhart away to visit the F-16 squadron that had escorted President Bush’s Air Force One 747 on 9/11.
The man that launched my flying career
Once the passengers left, I walked along the red carpet to find Mr. and Mrs. Lovell sitting on an outdoor wooden bench, looking like Ma and Pa Kettle. Mr. Lovell’s once curly hair was now thin and he leaned forward on the bench, supported by his wooden cane.
I owe my flying career to Mr. Lovell. I never called him or knew him as Richard, only Mr. Lovell. He was the owner of a beautiful 1973 Piper 180 horsepower Challenger, a white four-seater with a black and gray stripe down the side. Mr. Lovell was in the Navy during the Korean War, but not as a pilot, and he didn’t deploy overseas.
He laughed about earning the National Defense Service Medal for never going anywhere. He was a short, tough old man; a Navy boxing champ with a permanently crooked nose to prove it. Day in and day out, he dipped Copenhagen … and swallowed it.
During flying lessons over the Texas Gulf Coast as he gave me instructions, he’d suddenly let out a burp, filling the cockpit with the smell of Copenhagen. To this day my Pavlovian response is to equate the smell of dipping tobacco with a Piper four-seater.
A demanding mentor that made me a better pilot
Mr. Lovell was demanding, telling me to “fight for centerline” when landing in a crosswind, and commenting if my landings were a foot or two off centerline. As tough as he was, though, he was also very kind. Mr. Lovell donated his instructor time for free, as a way of giving back to the Aviation Explorers Scouting program.
My flight lessons from 1978 to 1980 started at $22 an hour and eventually rose to $25 an hour. This, at a time of high inflation, when CDs earned 13% and I was making around $3 an hour at the restaurant.
It had been 26 years since he took over as the leader of our Aviation Explorer Post in south Houston. Twenty-four years had passed since I last flew with the 5’ 6” former Navy boxing champion with a permanently crooked nose.
The tough old cuss no longer dipped and swallowed Copenhagen chewing tobacco, but he sucked on the inside of his lower lip out of habit.
As was the case with a lot of young pilots, my training stagnated before I earned my license. Sometimes it was due to family vacations and other times it was because I had to put my restaurant paycheck into car repairs instead of flying lessons.
The result of my poor consistency led to retaking lessons to regain flying proficiency, a common occurrence in private flying.
Appreciating The Man That Launched My Flying Career 19
The FAA requires students to have 20 hours of flight instruction and 20 hours of solo time, including cross-countries, to take their Private License checkride. By the summer of 1980, after my high school graduation, I was approaching 60 hours of flying time and would be leaving for college by mid-August.
He was tough on me, but rightly so
Mr. Lovell was the one who kicked me in the pants to complete the rating, telling me, “If you don’t finish it before starting college then you’ll never finish it!”
He was right. I would have regretted for the rest of my life if I hadn’t finished what I started. I am a pilot today because of that caring, tough old man.
After a quick tour of our jet, I changed clothes and the three of us went out for seafood along the Kemah Boardwalk, between Houston and Galveston. We spent the evening catching up over a fish dinner.
I told them all about my family and my international flying since September 11th. I gladly treated the Lovells to dinner that night as a very small repayment for his patience and graciousness during my teenage years.
Full circle moment: The man who launched my flying career saw me flying a jet
After dinner, Mr. Lovell brought their large four-door Ford sedan up near the restaurant door as I waited with Sylvia. I held the passenger door open for Sylvia and as she started to climb in, she squeezed my elbow, leaned in close to me, and whispered, “You’ll never know how much this means to him.”
My flying career had come full circle. As I prepared to retire from the Air Force and join the ranks of airline pilots, I happily thanked the gruff old guy who taught me to fly.
Damaged Blades Doesn’t Take Away From Mission’s Amazing Accomplishments
The first aircraft to ever fly on another world has wrapped up its historic mission on Mars. NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter exceeded expectations, operating for nearly 3 years on what was originally just a 30 day flight test campaign.
It carried with it a swatch from the original Wright Flyer, following in its footsteps as the first aircraft to prove flight is possible on another world.
photo from INGENUITY showing the shadow of the broken rotor blade
It could have flown for even longer too, but it recently damaged its rotor upon landing from its 72nd and now final flight.
Unfortunately, there are no mechanics on the Red Planet… yet! Ingenuity is, however, still able to communicate with Earth and is standing upright.
Photo of ingenuity captured by nasa’s rover “PERSEVERANCE”
“That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
“Through missions like Ingenuity, NASA is paving the way for future flight in our solar system and smarter, safer human exploration to Mars and beyond.”
The 4-pound chopper was launched with NASA’s Perseverance rover on July 20, 2020 from Cape Canaveral. They landed on the floor of Mars’ Jezero Crater the following February.
On its last sortie, Ingenuity lost communication with Perseverance as it was landing. When communication was re-established, Ingenuity was on the ground, but damaged. NASA is trying to understand why the communication blacked out.
Ingenuity and perseverance
Ingenuity accomplished far more than NASA expected
The little helicopter was a technology demonstrator. Its original mission called for 5 experimental test flights over 30 days. NASA, however, is known for over-engineering spacecraft to operate for as long as possible, years beyond their design.
The little helicopter not only flew 72 flights, but it flew more than 14 times farther than planned. In total it flew about 11 miles, and logged more than 2 hours of total flight time.
According to NASA, Ingenuity was able to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, deal with dead sensors, and clean itself after dust storms. It operated from 48 different airfields too, and conducted 3 emergency landings.
Aircraft on other worlds will be a normal occurrence in the future
Either way, the chopper far exceeded what was expected of it. NASA is already working on the next aircraft too, and such vehicles will no doubt become a part of future mission to not only Mars, but potentially other missions planned within the solar system.
Ingenuity on mars (nasa)
Other worlds present new flight challenges. Each world has different weather, air density, solar intensity, and many other variables and unknowns. Flying in the vacuum of space is one thing, but doing so in different atmospheres is another, demanding new technology and engineering.
Whatever the future holds for flight on other worlds, Ingenuity was the foundation to pave the way, just like the Wright Flyer did for Earth.
There are a few cases in which pilot error is the sole reason for a fatal plane crash. One such example is Russian carrier Aeroflot Flight 6502, which ended in a fiery crash landing, killing 70 people in Soviet Russia. At the time, the KGB strictly controlled media images and photos of the crash were withheld from public view.
Fire Department Chief Colonel AK Karpov met with KGB officers who arrived on the scene within minutes of the crash. Karpov then smuggled these photos out of the area, and the pictures resurfaced in the public realm many years later.
The crash of Aeroflot Flight 6502Rescue efforts after the crash of Aeroflot Flight 6502
On 20 October 1986, 87 passengers and seven crew members took off from Yekaterinburg headed to Grozny via Samara (which was called Kuybyshev at the time). When coming in for a landing, Captain Alexander Kliuyev made a deadly bet with the First Officer, insisting that he planned to land the Tu-134-A aircraft with no visual contact with the ground. Two minutes before landing at 1548 local time at an altitude of 1,300 feet, Kliuyev ordered the flight engineer to pull the curtains over the cockpit windscreen, boasting that he would have no problem landing the plane using instruments only.
A dumb and deadly decision to continue the approach
Alarms were going off, but the pilot ignored them. The air traffic controller suggested he utilize an NDB approach, which is a non-precision approach that lacks vertical guidance. A proximity warning was issued at an altitude of around 200 feet, and ATC suggested that he go around. But Kliuyev disagreed and continued his fateful approach. The plane was grossly unstable and touched down way too fast. The aircraft flipped upside down after overrunning the runway and burst into flames.
Rescuers searching the wreckage of Aeroflot Flight 6502
Because of the captain’s overconfidence and petulant refusal to listen to others’ suggestions, 63 people died at the time of the accident, and seven more died in the hospital later. Kliuyev was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was released after only 6 years. Co-pilot Gennady Zhirnov did his best to save the passengers but wound up dying of a heart attack on the way to the hospital.
Soviet officials discovered at the trial that Klyuyev tried to make the blind landing to test his ability as a pilot and win a bet. He appeared cool and composed during the trial, even though the Soviet media blamed the tragic crash on his overblown sense of self-assurance. A report issued at the time found that Klyuyev broke every rule on his blind landing. The chain of events that led to the crash of Aeroflot Flight 6502 could have been broken, but no one spoke up, leading to the tragic deaths of so many innocent lives.
My Epic Two Year Journey To Fly On The Dying Breed of Airbus A340-600 Widebodies
October 2021 – Initial Plans:
In October of 2021, Covid seemed to be in its waning moments. Many countries had begun to re-open their borders, albeit many with strict mandatory testing requirements, but open, nonetheless. Being the travel loving, wanderlust filled person I am, I was itching to get back to international travel. So, after making sure I understood current Covid restrictions, I decided to book flights on Lufthansa, from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany and back for February 2022.
Flying The Rare Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 33
The point of this trip was to fly on Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-600, as I’d long wanted to, but had never had things work out. And having seen what Covid had done to the aviation industry, I didn’t want to wait much longer as four engine aircraft like the A340 were the first on the chopping block when Covid caused travel to all but disappear.
Unfortunately, this was all done about two weeks before the Omicron variant was announced to the world, which once again, changed many things where travel was concerned. This new variant brought on a whole new host of travel restrictions and because demand once again plummeted, Lufthansa downgraded my planned flights to Airbus A330-300’s.
January 2022 – Plans Change:
After waiting awhile to see how things played out, in January of 2022, I decided to move my flights back to May of 2022, as the A340-600 was still scheduled to operate JFK-FRA at that point. Since the main point of this trip was to fly on The A340-600, I didn’t see much benefit to spending $1,100 for two A330-300 flights. Plus, while I was in Europe, I planned to take several other flights that were on my bucket list, including Air France’s A318-100, Swiss’s A220-300, and Helvetic’s E-190-E2. Plus, Europe was still a patchwork disaster of different travel restrictions and rules… It just didn’t make sense to go in February.
May 2022 – It Just Didn’t Work Out:
Flying The Rare Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 34
In the end, the Omicron wave was relatively short lived and by May travel demand has roared back. Unfortunately for me, this had the opposite effect as before. Lufthansa had now upgraded my flights to Boeing 747-8’s. By this time, there were also no longer any waivers or credits for Covid when changing flights. Had I changed my flights again, I would’ve had to pay a hefty fee.
So, although I was disappointed to miss the A340-600, I was excited to fly the 747-8 for the first time. I took the trip in May, marking off the 747-8 & A318-100 from my list. Equipment swaps on Swiss and Helvetic caused me to miss the others. In the end, it was a great trip, but the A340-600 remained at large!
Flying The Rare Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 35
July 2023 – Let’s Plan Again:
Over a year later, I was planning a large “around the world” trip for fall of 2023, and I was determined to fit the Lufthansa A340-600 into the trip. I was not letting it get away again! Lufthansa had now been utilizing their A340-600’s out of their Munich hub for quite some time, so I incorporated a flight from Munich to Newark as part of the 24,500-mile journey. And I’m happy to report that this time, there were no equipment changes!
October 2023 – Success!:
Almost exactly two years to the day from when I booked the first trip from New York to Frankfurt, I flew on Lufthansa flight 412. Airbus A340-600 service from Munich, Germany to Newark, New Jersey.
Flight Date – October 3, 2023
Aircraft Operator – Lufthansa
Flight Number – 412
City Pair – Munich, Germany (MUC) – Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
Seat – 36K
Seat Class – Economy
Flight Schedule – 3:45pm-6:45pm
Flight Block Time – 9 Hours 00 Minutes
Actual Flight Time – 8 Hours 23 Minutes
Equipment – Airbus A340-642
Tail Number – D-AIHT
Equipment Age – 15 Years 5 Months
Livery – Lufthansa (1990 Livery)
Flying Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-600 In 2023:
Once in Munich, I’ll admit that I stood at the window looking at the A340-600 parked at gate L23 for quite some time. Personally, I think the A340-600 is one of the best-looking aircraft ever built. That long skinny fuselage, with those four large engines. Plus, the realization of something I’d been attempting to do for two years, was finally happening. D-AIHT, a 15-year-old Airbus A340-642, still wearing Lufthansa’s old livery would be the aircraft taking me to Newark.
Flying The Rare Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 36
Boarding started late, and I found my seat in economy. I’d be taking the 9-hour flight in 36K, directly behind the wing. The dated looking seat was actually very comfortable, and the A340 features 2-4-2. Something I as a usually solo traveler, much prefer over 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 seating layouts. With 31 inches of pitch, it is standard for long-haul international economy. For reference, British Airways also offers 31 inches of pitch on their brand-new Airbus A350-1000 economy seats. Lufthansa also provided a pillow and blanket. Every seat also had a built-in inflight entertainment system that could be operated by touch. The seat also provided a USB charging port next to the IFE screen, as well as a conventional plug underneath the seat.
Flying The Rare Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 37
The flight departed about 45 minutes late, but the captain informed us that we should still arrive on time, as the headwinds were not bad over the Atlantic on this day. About an hour into the flight dinner was served. I chose the beef and potatoes option, and I have to say… It wasn’t one of the better airline meals I’ve had. It was bland and overall lackluster. The pasta & mushroom dish I had on my previous Lufthansa 747 flights was much better. That didn’t spoil my attitude though! The next 8.5-hours flew by, and this was truly one of those moments where I wasn’t ready for the flight to be over.
The Only Reliable Way To Fly the A340-600
In 2024, Lufthansa is really the only “reliable/easily bookable” A340-600 operator left, and even with travel booming, the old four engine gas guzzlers time is short. It likely won’t be long before they are gone from the skies forever. And although that will be good in terms of efficiency, it will be sad to see the beautiful aircraft fade into history. I’m glad I was finally able to mark it off my list, and the full flight from Munich to Newark will be posted in 4K 60fps to Skylite Productions on December 16, 2023, if you want to see the flight in video form.
The Story of One Pilot’s Incredible Mission During the Corsair II’s Last War.
Carrier aviation is rife with stories about perilously anomalous events. Cold cat shots. Cross deck pendants parting. Busted tailhooks. Sliding around on slick flight decks coming far too close to the edge (or other aircraft) for comfort. You’ve probably heard a few. Many start with, “Back when I was on Ranger with the Freelancers during that ’79 WestPac” or “Remember that A-6 crew that punched out down toward the water as the jet stalled and rolled past 90 degrees?” Well here’s a story that begins with one of those perilously anomalous events. It also ends with one.
VA-72 A-7Es (image via US Navy)
The SLUF at War. Again. For the Last Time.
In January 1991, aboard the carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67), two attack squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing THREE (CVW-3) flew the last combat missions for the Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) A-7E Corsair II.
Their SLUFs were long in the tooth, but getting the job done and done well. Attack Squadron FOUR SIX (VA-46) Clansmen and VA-72 Blue Hawks had been operating A-7s since 1968 and 1970, respectively. But they were absolutely crushing it during Operation Desert Storm. In fact, they would end up flying 725 sorties totaling more than 3,000 combat flight hours at a 99.7% mission completion rate.
Every Naval Aviator flying from carrier decks has at least one of those days they’ll never forget. One of the VA-72 SLUF drivers was Navy Lieutenant Thomas N. Dostie. One of those 725 sorties was going to be one of his very own those days.
A-7E hooking up (image via US Navy)
Steamer’s Tale
“Steamer” Dostie was scheduled to fly mission 12.41- a strike against a target in western Iraq flying VA-72 side number 403 (BuNo 158830) as Decoy 403 on 24 January 1991. AC 403 wasn’t the high-time jet in the squadron but it had nearly 8,000 hours on the clock after serving with four squadrons since 1976.
Unlike you and me, one thing age doesn’t (usually) affect is a jet’s takeoff weight. Unfortunately for this go the takeoff weight for Steamer’s SLUF was somehow miscalculated. As a result, Cat 1 (starboard side bow catapult) was set for too weak a stroke for AC 403’s weight when Steamer’s cat shot commenced.
Instead of getting pulled all the way down the catapult, the jet received a shove and at first actually outran the shuttle. But when the shuttle caught up near the bow of the ship, it impacted AC 403’s nose gear and broke off the port nose wheel. Thankfully, the jet initially received enough assistance to get airborne instead of dribbling off the deck and into the water right in front of the 81,000-ton carrier.
Rigged Barricade (image via US Navy)
There I Was…
There Steamer was…flying but with damaged nose gear and very few options. The absence of the port nose wheel was confirmed as Dostie made several gear-down (of course he didn’t raise the gear) low-speed passes close aboard the boat. Having Decoy 403 divert to an airfield was discussed but rejected as an option.
While Steamer circled the boat it was decided to take him aboard using the barricade. The jet was still armed with a Mark 84 2,000-pound general purpose bomb on station 6 (starboard side closest to the fuselage) and an AIM-9M-4 Sidewinder heat seeker on station 5 (starboard side cheek rail). Not to mention the full load of 20 millimeter cannon rounds in the drum behind Steamer’s ejection seat. All that was left to do was take a deep breath and come aboard.
AC 403 in the barricade (image via US Navy)
Barricade Blues
Now when listing the bottom three things Naval Aviators like to do, an arrestment in the barricade has to be right down there near the bottom (with night approaches and rolling pitching decks- or worse both at the same time). In any case, Steamer was going to have to play the hand he’d been dealt. At least it was a day trap! His approach was a “rails pass” if ever there was one.
His touchdown was flawless.
He snagged the 1 wire and even managed to fight his instincts and NOT firewall the throttle when he contacted the deck, as he had been trained to do since Day One as a Naval Aviator. As he came to a stop in the safe embrace of the barricade the nose gear collapsed as the remaining nose wheel detached and rocketed forward down the angle and over the side.
Cropped/enhanced Image showing ordnance on AC 403 (image via US NAvy)
The End of an Era and a Fitting Tribute
Steamer was now back aboard. He was extricated from AC 403 and checked out fine but the jet was considerably worse for wear. The live ordnance was safed and carefully downloaded. But a quandary remained.
The venerable SLUF was on its final deployment- indeed, the last two squadrons flying them were VA-46 and VA-72. AC 403 sustained heavy damage, making it economically unsound to send her back to some NADEP somewhere Stateside for rework.
So VA-72 CO CDR John R. Sanders had the jet stripped of everything salvageable or usable (to the tune of more than $3 million worth of parts). It was decided that the jet would be buried at sea—with full military honors. By this time, 158830 was liberally covered with graffiti; Sanders had her repainted with special “End of an Era” squadron markings for the occasion.
AC 403 being secured on the deck of JFK (image via US Navy)
Click here to see how the SLUF’s burial at sea didn’t go as planned (video included).
As we strolled through Albuquerque International Sunport (KABQ) this week my copilot asked, “Have you ever attended the famous balloon festival in Albuquerque?”
I hadn’t, but I told her that I crewed for a champion balloonist in Houston back in the late 1970s. I was a teenager and member of the Aviation Explorer Post, a coed group, (now Adventure Scouting) with a mutual interest in aviation.
Early on Labor Day, September 2, 1979, we all gathered outside of Houston, near Katy, to help the master balloonists fill their balloons for a race that day. My group just happened to be paired with a national champion balloonist, Mr. Barnes. In the early dawn hours, the dew coating the fields and soaking our tennis shoes, we spread out his balloon.
Up, Up, And Away
Pilots then loudly fired their propane burners to fill the envelopes with hot air, raising them vertically. Beneath each towering multicolor balloon was a heavy wicker basket, serving as the gondola for the balloonist. Several of us held down the gondola as this master balloonist checked over his equipment. Barnes was not much of a people-person, and looking directly at me, his only invitation was a question, “Well, are you getting in or not?”
That was my clue to scramble over the side and into his thick wicker “cockpit” before he lifted off. On his command, everyone anchoring us to Mother Earth let go of the basket, and his 1977 Balloon Works Firefly (N2027H) rose into the air on that very still, moist September morning.
The competition for the day was a Fox and Hounds race. A leader had departed earlier, flying out to the west side of Houston, using the wind currents at various altitudes to change direction. When he got to the field of his choice, he released a red plastic streamer that floated to the ground and marked the target for others to aim for.
First Sound of Silence On a Flight
"Are You Getting In Or Not?" 45
The Champion Balloonist and I rose over the quiet countryside of what is certainly now crowded rooftop to rooftop suburbs. We heard dogs barking and cows mooing as we glided over the silent countryside. The only sound was the burners igniting from surrounding competitors, similar to the sound of Darth Vader breathing.
Read More From David Dale:
I was struck by how well the sound traveled vertically on that quiet morning as the sun rose. I remember seeing a Houstonian step out on his front sidewalk, retrieving the morning paper. We yelled a “Good Morning!” as he looked up and waved in surprise. Finally, we spied the red streamer lying in a field and Barnes did his best to position his gondola near the target. At the correct time, like a WWI pilot hand-delivering a bomb, he dropped a bag of flour that landed very close to the red streamer. Mission accomplished!
Prepare For Landing
Now it was time to find a place to land. As the Balloonist picked his field, we slid through the tops of large oak tree, the gondola scraping the high branches and we swayed violently back-and-forth. I held on tightly to the sides of our protective wicker basket. If you have ever wondered about the landing of a hot air balloon, let me just say there are no soft landings and it is indeed a controlled crash.
A vent at the top of the envelope was opened by Barnes pulling a rope dangling in the gondola, allowing the hot air to escape from the balloon. My pilot ignited his burner to slow our decent rate, but eventually there is no stopping the crash landing as the gondola made contact with Terra Firma. We held on tightly and struck the Earth at rate of around 500 foot per minute. The gondola dragged across the farmer’s field, finally slowing to a stop as the balloon collapsed.
The stillness of the morning, and the scraping and creaking of the wicker contacting the Earth are the sensations I remember most about that quiet dewy morning outside of Houston. Mr. Barnes added an entry to my fledgling pilot logbook: Orientation to balloons and racing techniques. 1 Landing and 0.5 Total time.
Our time in the desert took place before cell phones, the internet, or email. I wrote and received a lot of letters, most to and from friends and family in the States, but others were exchanged with kind-hearted Americans writing letters addressed “To Any Serviceman.” These were pen pal-type letters written by school kids, military veterans and even another David Dale that I wasn’t related to.
Time For One More Phone Call
Camp Nacirema had one telephone tent with phones placed in wooden cubicle-style booths. A camp member could sign up for a 10-minute time slot and call home collect. The trick to holding down the cost was to call my family, give them my international phone number in Oman and have them call me back quickly at the cheaper rate.
I spoke to my mom in Houston on January 15 and called my dad in Denver at 9:30 p.m. Oman time (10:30 a.m. Mountain Time) on January 16. I spoke briefly to him, relaying my number and hung up, then waited for the callback. I sat by the quiet phone for my allotted ten minutes but it never rang.
Once my time slot closed, I headed back to my cot and off to sleep. Meanwhile back in the U.S., my dad couldn’t get the call to go through, so he called Karin in Louisiana. What they discovered is that he was dialing 001 followed by the phone number, but 001 is for calls going to the States.
He needed to dial 011 followed by my number in Oman. This was all figured out once I was in bed. Two hours later the telephone tent was shut down for what would turn out to be two weeks.
My First Night Of Desert Storm 48
Sometime after midnight, Major Jan Swickard, our DO, stepped quietly into our tent of eight sleeping crewmembers and gently woke up Randy, Eric, Mike, and me. We were chosen to fly our camp’s first mission of Desert Storm. We slipped on our flightsuits, pulled on our boots, and I quickly wrote out what might have been a last letter home to my wife and stuck it in my deployment bag.
Last Letter Home: January 16, 1991 (fortunately, never mailed)
My Dearest Karin, This is it. Randy & I were just notified that we will be flying the first real mission in support of the offensive. Everyone has studied, and our crew is one of the best prepared here. Randy has read and asked a lot of questions about tactics.
Mike has been a real positive influence on the crew with his “let’s do it” attitude. Eric is a good boom operator who takes his job seriously in the air. Randy and I proofed the flight plans for the operations folks and pointed out pretty useful corrections.
Except for our wedding day and the birth of Daniel, this has been one of the most important times of my life. I’ve been able to make real contributions at a time when they really count. I’m so sorry we’re not together. I honestly have not had a single day in the last 49 days when I have not thought of you and our great son Daniel.
No matter how mad I’ve ever gotten at you in the last 6 years, you have always been one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. I thank you for the fantastic support you’ve given me, especially in the tough times. Our year at UPT seemed to be our best. I hope Daniel continues to grow big and strong. He is the pride of our lives. Tell him I LOVE HIM more than anything in the world. Take care always.
Love Forever, David PS: Mom, Dad, Lucy, Hannah, and Jack – I LOVE YOU ALL
Suited Up And Ready To Go
We gathered in the operations tent for the mission briefing and signed out the necessary communications gear, enabling our KC-10 radios to make and receive encrypted radio calls undetectable to the Iraqis.
We piled into the blue Air Force pick-up truck and drove out to our waiting KC-10 to begin the preflight. In our haste to get moving, we forgot our bag of protective chemical gear. We needed it if we returned to a base that had received a chemical attack while we were gone, which was a real possibility. The Supervisor of Flying, or SOF, quickly brought us the large green canvas bag of gasmasks, large black rubber gloves, and green rubber boots.
This story and more in David Dale’s Book on Amazon and Amazon Kindle
We took off in the dead of night and headed northwest to refuel F-15s from the 1st Fighter Wing, deployed from Langley AFB, Virginia. Our mission that night lasted seven and a half hours and was all accomplished in radio silence. Other than checking in with the E-3A AWACS providing air traffic control in the sky that night, it was pretty quiet on the radios.
The F-15s provided a Combat Air Patrol, or CAP — a protective air cover to the warfighters in the desert below. Like hummingbirds returning to a feeder, the four fighter jets came to us two at a time throughout our mission as we orbited in a left-hand 30-mile racetrack over northern Saudi Arabia.
My First Night Of Desert Storm 49
By the time we landed at sunrise in Oman, we weren’t really certain that the war had actually begun. We completed our mission debrief and turned in our classified communications gear, then headed to the TV Tent to watch the CNN coverage of the beginning of Operation Desert Storm.
Like everyone in the U.S., we watched the reports from Bernard Shaw and Wolf Blitzer showing the snaking green anti-aircraft tracers arcing over Baghdad, something we would eventually see ourselves. For now, it was time for breakfast and sleep.
Saba, a Dutch Caribbean island 28 miles southwest of Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles, has several claims to fame. Its towering volcanic peak, Mt. Scenery, which juts 2,910 feet out of the ocean, is the tallest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It offers some of the best diving anywhere in the world, and its silhouette was that of Skull Island in the original 1933 movie King Kong. It’s also home to a rather famous road. Called “The Road,” the 8-mile-long windy piece of pavement is the only road on the island.
It begins at the Saba airport, runs up and over the dormant volcano’s peak, and back down the other side of the island. But, back in 2019, I was not interested in visiting the tiny island for any of these reasons. Saba is also home to the shortest commercial airport runway in the world.
Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport – The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 57
At just 1,312 feet long, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport holds the title for the shortest commercial runway in regular use anywhere in the world. For comparison, the runway at nearby Princess Juliana International Airport on Sint Maarten—famous in its own right for being short—measures 7,546 feet. Even the deck of the USS Enterprise, one of the largest aircraft carriers ever built, is only 1,101 feet long—making Saba’s runway just 189 feet longer than a floating airstrip.
Your Journey To Saba Airport Starts at Sint Maarten
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 58
Anyone wanting to visit Saba Airport first needs to visit Sint Maarten. Shared by two nations, one-half of the Caribbean island is French (Saint Martin), while the other half is Dutch (Sint Maarten).
The island is well-known in the aviation community as the home of Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), arguably the most famous planespotting location in the world. Just beyond the runway lies Maho Beach–better known as “airplane beach”– where aviation enthusiasts, spotters, and thrill seekers gather to watch jets land just overhead.
Even if you’ve never heard of Saba, chances are you’ve heard of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. Thanks to its size and infrastructure, Sint Maarten and Princess Juliana International Airport serve as the primary hub for nearby islands. Every day, aircraft like Twin Otters, Grand Caravans, and Islanders take off from SXM, connecting smaller islands like Saba and Saint Barthélemy to the rest of the Caribbean.
Winair Is The Carrier To Get There
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 59
If you’re heading to Saba, you’re flying with Winair, short for Windward Islands Airways. This government-owned Dutch airline operates daily flights from Sint Maarten to Saba and other nearby islands, using a fleet of rugged De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters.
These aircraft are perfect for this kind of flying. The Twin Otter is legendary for its STOL (short takeoff and landing) performance. It is one of the few planes capable of handling the challenging approach into Saba’s ultra-short runway.
I Traveled on PJ-WIQ
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 60
I flew to Saba in 2019 aboard PJ-WIQ, one of Winair’s Twin Otters. At the time, the aircraft was already 43 years old—and more than five years later, it’s still in service (2025 update: the aircraft is still in service). Talk about a workhorse.
The seating on Winair’s Twin Otters is first come, first served, so if you find yourself taking this flight and you want the best seat in the house, just be sure to board first. Row 1 on the Twin Otter is only two feet behind the completely open cockpit, and sitting in row 1 gives you incredible views directly out of the cockpit windows.
Flying to Saba Airport
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 61
The flight from Sint Maarten to Saba is very short, taking only 12 minutes from wheels up to wheels down. SXM’s 7,546-foot runway feels enormous compared to the 1,312 feet you’ll land on at Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport.
Saba Airport is located on the only flat surface the island offers. The runway is flanked by sheer drop-offs on each side, so there is no room for error when operating here. As such, Winair’s pilots are required to have a special endorsement on their license before they are allowed to operate flights in or out of the airport.
Once the island’s unmissable silhouette fills the cockpit windows, you turn east to line up with the runway, and the pilots carefully approach, touching down as close to the threshold as possible.
Reverse thrust is immediately applied to the Twin Otter’s powerful engines, and the pilots slam the brakes hard. It is truly amazing how little space the Twin Otter needs to slow down and stop. The crew then performs a 180 on the narrow runway and back taxis to the small terminal building, which has just enough room for two aircraft at a time.
Departing Saba Airport – An Epic Ride
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 62
Departures are just as thrilling. The crew uses every inch of runway. As the plane turns to face the wind, you’ll see sheer drop-offs on both sides. Brakes on. Full power. Then, the release—and in less than 20 seconds, you’re airborne and watching the island disappear behind you.
There is very little time to abort the takeoff at Saba, as the end of the runway will be under the main gear in less than 20 seconds.
Take The Same Flight I did
There’s very little I can do to convey the thrill of flying in and out of Saba using words. So, I invite you to watch the 10-minute video I’ve put together, which is attached to this article. In the video, I show parts of Saba, but more importantly, I show the arrival and departure footage I captured in 2019. Both are shown from the cockpit view and the passenger cabin view.
Why You Should Visit Saba
Fly To Saba Airport – Home Of The World’s Shortest Commercial Runway 63
Visiting Saba ended up being one of the most memorable places I’ve ever visited—and not just because I’m an aviation enthusiast who wanted to fly to the world’s shortest commercial airport runway. I spent that whole day there, and it was truly a wonderful place.
The locals were incredibly friendly and welcoming and truly loved sharing information about their little island. Still to this day, it is one of my favorite places that I’ve ever visited.
If you ever have a chance to visit Sint Maarten, carve out at least a day to fly to Saba. Once you land, simply ask any of the taxi drivers to give you the grand tour, and they’ll happily show you every corner of their island.
The F-105 ‘Thud’ had quite an amazing career of dropping bombs and breaking cadet windows.
The best-laid military plans… often get changed!
Consider the B-52, built as a strategic nuclear weapons carrier, adapted to carpet bombing with conventional bombs. Similarly, the Air Force’s Republic F-105 Thunderchief was originally designed as a single-seat, supersonic fighter-bomber designed to deliver a single, internally mounted, nuclear weapon—a role, fortunately, for which it was never used.
The F-105, also known as the “Thud,” was a fighter-bomber capable of speeds up to Mach 2. While it never served in its intended nuclear role, it carried out the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the war in Vietnam. The “Thud” could deliver a heavier bomb load than the World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Like other early Century Series fighters, such as the F-100, it was also armed with missiles and a cannon.
A fully armed F-105 enroute to a target (USAF Photo)
More than 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown over Vietnam. It was also the only combat aircraft pulled from combat due to high losses. Some 382 aircraft out of 833 were produced. As a low-altitude attack aircraft, it was not intended to be a fighter, and, although less agile than smaller MiG fighters, USAF F-105s were credited with 27.5 kills. Of these, 24.5 were shot down with cannon fire (one victory was shared with an F-4), and three with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. One F-105F is unofficially credited with downing three MiGs—one by air-to-air missile, the second by cannon fire, and the third by jettisoning the centerline rack full of bombs directly into the path of a surprised MiG.
Air-to-Air refueling was just part of the routine in Southeast Asia (USAF Photo).
A typical mission involved refueling at least once before reaching the target area and possible another refueling to make it back to base.
The F-105D/F variants were the first aircraft to be converted to a two-seat Wild Weasel configuration. The Wild Weasel specialized in electronic suppression of enemy air defenses, flying with and protecting F-4 fighter-bombers on strike missions. F-105 Wild Weasels remained in service until 1984, when they were replaced by F-5G Wild Weasels.
Note: The USAF used the F-105 for the Thunderbirds’ six airshows in 1964. After a structural failure of an F-105 during a practice session, the team switched back to the F-100.
The USAF briefly used the F-105 for the Thunderbirds (USAF Photo)
Every good airplane deserves a good story. On 31 May 1968, a dedication ceremony took place at the United States Air Force Academy to honor graduates who had served in Vietnam. The ceremony included the entire cadet wing, the superintendent and commandant of cadets of the USAFA, a representative of Republic Aircraft, members of the press, among others. To conclude the ceremony, a flight of four F-105s were to fly over in formation at 1,000 feet and then fly over singly at 250 feet.
The formation portion was flown as planned. But the flight leader, Lt Col James “Black Matt” Matthews, came back for the single-file pass and exceeded the speed of sound at less than 100 feet. The ensuing sonic boom broke hundreds of windows. (Herts, Ray (1 June 1968). “Sonic Boom in Fly-Over Damages Academy Buildings” (scan). Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. pp. 1,16.)
More than 100 F-105s are on display across the country in museums or parked or mounted on display. The National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB has a beautiful example on display.
F-105 “Thud” at the Udvar Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum (Jeff Richmond)
The F-105 was officially retired on 4 June 1983, accompanied by a flight of 24 aircraft flying over Hill AFB, Utah, in a Diamonds-on-Diamonds formation.
Flyover of F-105s during the aircraft’s retirement ceremony at Hill AFB, Utah.
