Mike Kanze
September 28th 04, 01:34 AM
Nick,
Got back my copy of FOTI this weekend and turned to the segment you mention.
From Coonts' narrative, the route sounds a bunch like the OB-16 route.
IIRC, OB-16 started in northern Oregon and ended at the B-16 nuclear
bullseye at NAS Fallon, NV. The early legs of this route took one into the
canyons of the John Day River system, including one particular canyon that
runs almost exactly N-S. After watching canyon walls go by for about 20 nm,
the terrain begins to broaden and you change course to roughly SSE for a ~70
nm leg to Harney Lake. The few charts I saved of this area confirm the
existence of some low hills and shallow valleys along this otherwise
flattening route. I would guess these are the hills Coonts was visualizing
as threats to Jake and Morg when he wrote this segment.
(For those among you who are limited to the likes of a Rand-McNally road
atlas, the route starts at a little burg named Kimberly which is about 60 nm
SSW of Umatilla, OR.)
There's no specific thing that Coonts mentions in his narrative that would
cause Morg to scream for a pull-up. Morg has just put his head back into
the hood, so he is not looking at the pilot's VDI. (Neither apparently is
Jake, since he is not maintaining the 1,000 feet of clearance he has cranked
into the VDI's offset impact bar.) Since Jake is viewing SRTC on the VDI,
Morg is limited to a PPI display on his DVI. Morg may have noted a
way-too-strong radar return too close-in for comfort. Or maybe things just
"didn't look right" to him, the sound of that little voice we all carry
within us. Or maybe this was just some artistic license taken by Coonts.
Night or IMC conditions are absolutely the most demanding environment for
low-level flight. Jake clearly has let his scan deteriorate away from the
SRTC info and (as the narrative states) dwell too much upon other things
like engine instruments and fuel state. Unless you're heading directly for
a canyon wall, your radar altimeter readings do not deteriorate from 1,000
feet to 100 feet in only an instant.
Coonts' narrative is one of many good examples of the value of having two
pairs of eyeballs sitting side by side for attack work. For low-level, all
wx ops this was the gold standard of that era. The
situational awareness such an arrangement facilitates - and demands - of
both pilot and B/N undoubtedly saved many a mission, bird and crew.
--
Mike Kanze
"It was like being a rat living under a bowling alley."
- Willem Dafoe, commenting on what it was like to sleep in a compartment
just below the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
"Nick Coleman" > wrote in message
...
> Many thanks for this very detailed explanation, Mike. I can visualise
> exactly what you are saying when reading the book.
>
> (The episode I mentioned is on p 33 of the hardback edition, where Jake
> is remembering a training flight in which Morgan is giving a running
> commentary from his scope and then saves their lives by looking into
> his scope* and screaming, "Pull up" after Jake had relaxed and
> forgotten his scan. Sounds like Coonts may have used a bit of poetic
> licence in giving the BN's scope elevation info.)
>
> Thanks again,
> Nick
>
> * Coonts' terminology
>
>
> Mike Kanze wrote:
>
>> Nick,
>>
>> I've loaned out my copy of FOTI so I can't immediately refer to it in
>> trying
>> to answer your question. Try I will, though.
>>
>> First, the setting for FOTI is the later years of the VN conflict.
>> This is
>> important because the A-6A was the current Intruder model at that
>> time. The A-6E had not yet entered fleet service and some of the
>> whistles and bells of the A system were eliminated or very greatly
>> changed in the E system - including a couple of terrain-clearance toys
>> that Coonts likely describes in FOTI.
>>
>> Second, one must remember that the A-6A was the "first" of its kind -
>> the first aircraft with full integration of its various sensors into a
>> digital
>> (not analog, like the Norden bombsight) computer. In this respect it
>> was also very much "bleeding edge." The personal computing dictum
>> about being especially wary of Version 1 of anything could as well
>> have been written by those of us in the A-6A.
>>
>> Search Radar Terrain Clearance
>>
>> One terrain clearance toy was a feature called Search Radar Terrain
>> Clearance (SRTC). As its name implies, SRTC used the A's AN/APQ-92
>> search radar to generate a synthetic terrain display on the pilot's
>> Vertical Display Indicator (VDI), the very large cathode ray tube
>> (CRT) display in
>> the center of the pilot's console, right under the gunsight. The
>> synthetic display showed vertical terrain development in a 53 degree
>> by 26 degree
>> window about the projected flight path. For example, if the Intruder
>> was heading for a valley between two hills, the pilot would see return
>> generally in the shape of two hills (one on either side of the
>> display), with a
>> curving "V" notch in the center between them. (This is somewhat
>> difficult to describe without a graphic.) The return would slide
>> "down" toward the bottom of the VDI as the flight progressed and radar
>> return for these terrain features was processed.
>>
>> The B/N would not normally monitor the VDI, unless he happened to look
>> over
>> at the pilot's console. Instead the same radar return was presented
>> on the B/N's Direct View Indicator (DVI), the CRT in the center of the
>> B/N's console as a Plan Position Indicator (PPI) information covering
>> an arc of
>> about 50 degrees and a range of about 27 miles. (A PPI display looks
>> like a
>> slice of pie whose point is at the bottom of the DVI. The "point" of
>> the pie slice is where your aircraft is now and the 50 degree arc
>> covers the
>> terrain ahead of the projected flight path.) PPI information does not
>> give the crew any indication of terrain elevation so its use alone for
>> terrain clearance monitoring was not conducive to mission prosecution
>> or crew longevity. <g>
>>
>> By the time I completed type training in the A-6 (1972), we were not
>> using
>> or receiving significant training with SRTC. The primary reason for
>> this was
>> SRTC's inability to detect smaller man-made features - like cables
>> that the
>> bad guys could suspend across a valley. Every now and then, though,
>> we'd light up SRTC especially if we were flying a training route like
>> Whidbey's OB-16 whose features were well-known and for which both crew
>> would establish
>> a mutually agreeable safety margin. (Humorous example: "300
>> additional feet of clearance for each wife, plus 100 additional feet
>> for each kid.")
>>
>> Elevation Scan
>>
>> Another feature in the A was Elevation Scan (E-scan). With E-scan the
>> A's AN/APQ-112 track radar was used to generate vertical terrain
>> development on the Pilot's Horizontal Display (PHD) the CRT
>> immediately below the VDI on
>> the pilot's side. The pilot read vertical development "left to right"
>> on the PHD, with obstructions closer to the aircraft appearing on the
>> left side
>> of the PHD and those at greater range lying more to the right.
>> (Again, I
>> apologize. This is hard to describe without a graphic.) E-scan
>> return would gradually slide from right side of the display (farther
>> away) to the left (closer) as the flight progressed and new return for
>> the same terrain
>> was processed. The information displayed on the PHD in E-scan also
>> included
>> a flight path line and a clearance line. The pilot would scan both
>> the VDI and the PHD while flying in E-scan mode, performing the
>> necessary spatial interpretation gymnastics to deduce how close the A
>> was to a possible prang.
>>
>> The B/N could not observe E-scan on his DVI. His viewing pleasure was
>> limited to search radar input, usually shown as PPI information while
>> the A was in E-scan mode.
>>
>> Like SRTC, E-scan's day had passed by the time I reached type training
>> - if
>> in fact it ever had a "day" to enjoy. Aside from being a clumsy way
>> of figuring out how close to pranging you might be, E-scan was further
>> limited by the track radar's relatively poor reliability.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>
> --
> Nick
> Mandrake 9.2
> KDE 3.1.3
Got back my copy of FOTI this weekend and turned to the segment you mention.
From Coonts' narrative, the route sounds a bunch like the OB-16 route.
IIRC, OB-16 started in northern Oregon and ended at the B-16 nuclear
bullseye at NAS Fallon, NV. The early legs of this route took one into the
canyons of the John Day River system, including one particular canyon that
runs almost exactly N-S. After watching canyon walls go by for about 20 nm,
the terrain begins to broaden and you change course to roughly SSE for a ~70
nm leg to Harney Lake. The few charts I saved of this area confirm the
existence of some low hills and shallow valleys along this otherwise
flattening route. I would guess these are the hills Coonts was visualizing
as threats to Jake and Morg when he wrote this segment.
(For those among you who are limited to the likes of a Rand-McNally road
atlas, the route starts at a little burg named Kimberly which is about 60 nm
SSW of Umatilla, OR.)
There's no specific thing that Coonts mentions in his narrative that would
cause Morg to scream for a pull-up. Morg has just put his head back into
the hood, so he is not looking at the pilot's VDI. (Neither apparently is
Jake, since he is not maintaining the 1,000 feet of clearance he has cranked
into the VDI's offset impact bar.) Since Jake is viewing SRTC on the VDI,
Morg is limited to a PPI display on his DVI. Morg may have noted a
way-too-strong radar return too close-in for comfort. Or maybe things just
"didn't look right" to him, the sound of that little voice we all carry
within us. Or maybe this was just some artistic license taken by Coonts.
Night or IMC conditions are absolutely the most demanding environment for
low-level flight. Jake clearly has let his scan deteriorate away from the
SRTC info and (as the narrative states) dwell too much upon other things
like engine instruments and fuel state. Unless you're heading directly for
a canyon wall, your radar altimeter readings do not deteriorate from 1,000
feet to 100 feet in only an instant.
Coonts' narrative is one of many good examples of the value of having two
pairs of eyeballs sitting side by side for attack work. For low-level, all
wx ops this was the gold standard of that era. The
situational awareness such an arrangement facilitates - and demands - of
both pilot and B/N undoubtedly saved many a mission, bird and crew.
--
Mike Kanze
"It was like being a rat living under a bowling alley."
- Willem Dafoe, commenting on what it was like to sleep in a compartment
just below the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
"Nick Coleman" > wrote in message
...
> Many thanks for this very detailed explanation, Mike. I can visualise
> exactly what you are saying when reading the book.
>
> (The episode I mentioned is on p 33 of the hardback edition, where Jake
> is remembering a training flight in which Morgan is giving a running
> commentary from his scope and then saves their lives by looking into
> his scope* and screaming, "Pull up" after Jake had relaxed and
> forgotten his scan. Sounds like Coonts may have used a bit of poetic
> licence in giving the BN's scope elevation info.)
>
> Thanks again,
> Nick
>
> * Coonts' terminology
>
>
> Mike Kanze wrote:
>
>> Nick,
>>
>> I've loaned out my copy of FOTI so I can't immediately refer to it in
>> trying
>> to answer your question. Try I will, though.
>>
>> First, the setting for FOTI is the later years of the VN conflict.
>> This is
>> important because the A-6A was the current Intruder model at that
>> time. The A-6E had not yet entered fleet service and some of the
>> whistles and bells of the A system were eliminated or very greatly
>> changed in the E system - including a couple of terrain-clearance toys
>> that Coonts likely describes in FOTI.
>>
>> Second, one must remember that the A-6A was the "first" of its kind -
>> the first aircraft with full integration of its various sensors into a
>> digital
>> (not analog, like the Norden bombsight) computer. In this respect it
>> was also very much "bleeding edge." The personal computing dictum
>> about being especially wary of Version 1 of anything could as well
>> have been written by those of us in the A-6A.
>>
>> Search Radar Terrain Clearance
>>
>> One terrain clearance toy was a feature called Search Radar Terrain
>> Clearance (SRTC). As its name implies, SRTC used the A's AN/APQ-92
>> search radar to generate a synthetic terrain display on the pilot's
>> Vertical Display Indicator (VDI), the very large cathode ray tube
>> (CRT) display in
>> the center of the pilot's console, right under the gunsight. The
>> synthetic display showed vertical terrain development in a 53 degree
>> by 26 degree
>> window about the projected flight path. For example, if the Intruder
>> was heading for a valley between two hills, the pilot would see return
>> generally in the shape of two hills (one on either side of the
>> display), with a
>> curving "V" notch in the center between them. (This is somewhat
>> difficult to describe without a graphic.) The return would slide
>> "down" toward the bottom of the VDI as the flight progressed and radar
>> return for these terrain features was processed.
>>
>> The B/N would not normally monitor the VDI, unless he happened to look
>> over
>> at the pilot's console. Instead the same radar return was presented
>> on the B/N's Direct View Indicator (DVI), the CRT in the center of the
>> B/N's console as a Plan Position Indicator (PPI) information covering
>> an arc of
>> about 50 degrees and a range of about 27 miles. (A PPI display looks
>> like a
>> slice of pie whose point is at the bottom of the DVI. The "point" of
>> the pie slice is where your aircraft is now and the 50 degree arc
>> covers the
>> terrain ahead of the projected flight path.) PPI information does not
>> give the crew any indication of terrain elevation so its use alone for
>> terrain clearance monitoring was not conducive to mission prosecution
>> or crew longevity. <g>
>>
>> By the time I completed type training in the A-6 (1972), we were not
>> using
>> or receiving significant training with SRTC. The primary reason for
>> this was
>> SRTC's inability to detect smaller man-made features - like cables
>> that the
>> bad guys could suspend across a valley. Every now and then, though,
>> we'd light up SRTC especially if we were flying a training route like
>> Whidbey's OB-16 whose features were well-known and for which both crew
>> would establish
>> a mutually agreeable safety margin. (Humorous example: "300
>> additional feet of clearance for each wife, plus 100 additional feet
>> for each kid.")
>>
>> Elevation Scan
>>
>> Another feature in the A was Elevation Scan (E-scan). With E-scan the
>> A's AN/APQ-112 track radar was used to generate vertical terrain
>> development on the Pilot's Horizontal Display (PHD) the CRT
>> immediately below the VDI on
>> the pilot's side. The pilot read vertical development "left to right"
>> on the PHD, with obstructions closer to the aircraft appearing on the
>> left side
>> of the PHD and those at greater range lying more to the right.
>> (Again, I
>> apologize. This is hard to describe without a graphic.) E-scan
>> return would gradually slide from right side of the display (farther
>> away) to the left (closer) as the flight progressed and new return for
>> the same terrain
>> was processed. The information displayed on the PHD in E-scan also
>> included
>> a flight path line and a clearance line. The pilot would scan both
>> the VDI and the PHD while flying in E-scan mode, performing the
>> necessary spatial interpretation gymnastics to deduce how close the A
>> was to a possible prang.
>>
>> The B/N could not observe E-scan on his DVI. His viewing pleasure was
>> limited to search radar input, usually shown as PPI information while
>> the A was in E-scan mode.
>>
>> Like SRTC, E-scan's day had passed by the time I reached type training
>> - if
>> in fact it ever had a "day" to enjoy. Aside from being a clumsy way
>> of figuring out how close to pranging you might be, E-scan was further
>> limited by the track radar's relatively poor reliability.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>
> --
> Nick
> Mandrake 9.2
> KDE 3.1.3