For the News Media: What an F-102 Looks Like

[Ed Rasimus]

A nice link for those unfamiliar with a single-seat, single-engine
aircraft and some folks who qualified to fly them:

http://www.marchfield.org/f102a.htm


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

[Mike Marron]

> Ed Rasimus > wrote:

>A nice link for those unfamiliar with a single-seat, single-engine
>aircraft and some folks who qualified to fly them:

>http://www.marchfield.org/f102a.htm

And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
single-seat, single-engine aircraft....

Truax Jet Crashes; Pilot Safe

PORTAGE -- A Dagger F-102 jet from Truax Field crashed and exploded in
a wooded swamp north of here today, minutes after the pilot, 1st Lt.
Robert Marron, 29, jumped to safety.

The plane crashed about 10 miles from the spot where Marron's
parachute landed. The Air Force put up a security guard around
the wreckage this afternoon. The plane crashed in a sparsely populated
area on the Marquette-Columbia County line.

An Air Force spokesman at Truax Field said the plan suffered
"mechanical difficulties" during a two-plane flight. The spokesman
said Marron stayed with the plane until he had guided it away from
populous areas then bailed out.

The Air Force spokesman indicated that the plane was armed and
probably caused a tremendous explosion when it crashed into the swamp.

An eyewitness, Gary Stevens, was plowing about a quarter mile away,
ran across the swamp and arrived at the plane, "just as the pieces
stopped smouldering." He said that the plane exploded "like a small
atomic bomb" when it hit the ground and that when he reached the scene
"there wasn't a piece of the plane so big you couldn't hold it in your
hand." Stevens watched the pilot come down and said later that he
"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."

Truax Field immediately sent a team to the scene to disarm and
retrieve the armaments and to take wreckage back to Madison where
investigators will attempt to determine the cause of the fire.

Marron, a pilot, with the 325th fighter interceptor squadron, has been
stationed at Truax since he graduated from pilot school in 1957.

[Scott Peterson]

Mike Marron > wrote:

>
>And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
>single-seat, single-engine aircraft....

Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
call and ask them to come and get their plane.

Scott Peterson

--
Puritanism -- The haunting fear that someone,
somewhere, may be happy.
-- H. L. Mencken

391/570

[Mike Marron]

>Scott Peterson > wrote:
>>Mike Marron > wrote:

>>And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
>>single-seat, single-engine aircraft....

>Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
>out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
>a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
>call and ask them to come and get their plane.

Yup. This was actually a common occurrence with F-102 operations
back in the late 50's. Like you said, the ol' Deuce would morph into a
twin engined airplane and then magically land itself with both engines
still running. Amazing, huh?

[[email protected]]

"Scott Peterson" > wrote in message
...
> Mike Marron > wrote:
>
> >
> >And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
> >single-seat, single-engine aircraft....
>
> Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
> out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
> a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
> call and ask them to come and get their plane.
>
> Scott Peterson
>
> --
> Puritanism -- The haunting fear that someone,
> somewhere, may be happy.
> -- H. L. Mencken
>
> 391/570

There was in incident where someone punched out of an F-106, which landed
(belly-up) in a farmer's field with the engine running. The thrust setting
was sufficient that as snow melted under the aircraft, it would slide
forward a few feet. According to the story (in Airpower or Wings), the
aircraft was minimally damaged, and was returned to flying status.

KB

[Tarver Engineering]

"Mike Marron" > wrote in message
...
> >Scott Peterson > wrote:
> >>Mike Marron > wrote:
>
> >>And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
> >>single-seat, single-engine aircraft....
>
> >Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
> >out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
> >a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
> >call and ask them to come and get their plane.
>
> Yup.

No.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf30.htm

The garbage bag pilot is not a chip off the old block.

[John Keeney]

"Mike Marron" > wrote in message
...
> Truax Jet Crashes; Pilot Safe
>
> PORTAGE -- A Dagger F-102 jet from Truax Field crashed and exploded in
> a wooded swamp north of here today, minutes after the pilot, 1st Lt.
> Robert Marron, 29, jumped to safety.
>
> The plane crashed about 10 miles from the spot where Marron's
> parachute landed. The Air Force put up a security guard around
> the wreckage this afternoon. The plane crashed in a sparsely populated
> area on the Marquette-Columbia County line.
>
> An Air Force spokesman at Truax Field said the plan suffered
> "mechanical difficulties" during a two-plane flight. The spokesman
> said Marron stayed with the plane until he had guided it away from
> populous areas then bailed out.
>
> The Air Force spokesman indicated that the plane was armed and
> probably caused a tremendous explosion when it crashed into the swamp.
>
> An eyewitness, Gary Stevens, was plowing about a quarter mile away,
> ran across the swamp and arrived at the plane, "just as the pieces
> stopped smouldering." He said that the plane exploded "like a small
> atomic bomb" when it hit the ground and that when he reached the scene
> "there wasn't a piece of the plane so big you couldn't hold it in your
> hand." Stevens watched the pilot come down and said later that he
> "just got there when the pilot walked over to me."
>
> Truax Field immediately sent a team to the scene to disarm and
> retrieve the armaments and to take wreckage back to Madison where
> investigators will attempt to determine the cause of the fire.
>
> Marron, a pilot, with the 325th fighter interceptor squadron, has been
> stationed at Truax since he graduated from pilot school in 1957.

Some of the details in this don't exactly gel together:
"plane crashed about 10 miles from [where]... parachute landed",
"plowing a quarter mile [from the crash site]",
"watched the pilot come down",
"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."

OK, the pilot ejects and comes down ten miles from the crash
site but is watched coming down by someone a quarter mile
from the crash site. This person, a quarter mile from the crash,
runs to the site and meets the pilot who gets there at about the
same time or even a little before. Granted running through
swamps is slow business but don't you suspect the parachute
came down a tad closer to the plane than ten miles?

[John Keeney]

"Mike Marron" > wrote in message
...
> >Scott Peterson > wrote:
> >>Mike Marron > wrote:
>
> >>And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
> >>single-seat, single-engine aircraft....
>
> >Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
> >out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
> >a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
> >call and ask them to come and get their plane.
>
> Yup. This was actually a common occurrence with F-102 operations
> back in the late 50's. Like you said, the ol' Deuce would morph into a
> twin engined airplane and then magically land itself with both engines
> still running. Amazing, huh?

You're making fun, but the facts are pretty much as Scott wrote them.
The S/N 58-0787 was in an unrecoverable flat spin. The pilot ejected.
The ejection and the following change in aerodynamic loads caused the
plane to recover. The plane was sufficiently close to proper trim that
it flew along until belly landing in a snow covered field and slid to a
stop with the engine still running.
The plane was recovered and flew again and now resides at the USAFM.
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf30.htm

[John Keeney]

"Mike Marron" > wrote in message
...
> >Scott Peterson > wrote:
> >>Mike Marron > wrote:
>
> >>And for those unfamiliar with what happens from time to time in said
> >>single-seat, single-engine aircraft....
>
> >Wasn't there an incident involving an F-102 where the pilot bailed
> >out in an emergency and the corrected itself and eventually landed in
> >a field intact and with the engines still running? The farmer had to
> >call and ask them to come and get their plane.
>
> Yup. This was actually a common occurrence with F-102 operations
> back in the late 50's. Like you said, the ol' Deuce would morph into a
> twin engined airplane and then magically land itself with both engines
> still running. Amazing, huh?

Opps, my mistake, that was a F-106.

[Mike Marron]

>"John Keeney" > wrote:

>Some of the details in this don't exactly gel together:
>"plane crashed about 10 miles from [where]... parachute landed",
>"plowing a quarter mile [from the crash site]",
>"watched the pilot come down",
>"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."

>OK, the pilot ejects and comes down ten miles from the crash
>site but is watched coming down by someone a quarter mile
>from the crash site. This person, a quarter mile from the crash,
>runs to the site and meets the pilot who gets there at about the
>same time or even a little before. Granted running through
>swamps is slow business but don't you suspect the parachute
>came down a tad closer to the plane than ten miles?

Several radio (and maybe television?) also reported that the
pilot (e.g: Dad) was killed. What can I say...it's just an old press
clipping written by some ink-stained wretch back in the 50's.
I can tell ya without a doubt that the the chute (and the helmet/mask
he was wearing when he ejected) was always a big hit with my
young friends around the neighborhood. Dangerous, too. When
that huge orange and white nylon canopy opened up in a stiff breeze
whichever kid happened to be attached to the shroud lines at
the other end was in for the ride/flight of his life!

[Scott R. Wilson]

A site with more and better photos of the pilotless landing as well as a
first hand account or two:

http://www.f-106deltadart.com/71fis_pilotless787.htm

Scott Wilson


"Mike Marron" > wrote in message
...
> >"John Keeney" > wrote:
>
> >Some of the details in this don't exactly gel together:
> >"plane crashed about 10 miles from [where]... parachute landed",
> >"plowing a quarter mile [from the crash site]",
> >"watched the pilot come down",
> >"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."
>
> >OK, the pilot ejects and comes down ten miles from the crash
> >site but is watched coming down by someone a quarter mile
> >from the crash site. This person, a quarter mile from the crash,
> >runs to the site and meets the pilot who gets there at about the
> >same time or even a little before. Granted running through
> >swamps is slow business but don't you suspect the parachute
> >came down a tad closer to the plane than ten miles?
>
> Several radio (and maybe television?) also reported that the
> pilot (e.g: Dad) was killed. What can I say...it's just an old press
> clipping written by some ink-stained wretch back in the 50's.
> I can tell ya without a doubt that the the chute (and the helmet/mask
> he was wearing when he ejected) was always a big hit with my
> young friends around the neighborhood. Dangerous, too. When
> that huge orange and white nylon canopy opened up in a stiff breeze
> whichever kid happened to be attached to the shroud lines at
> the other end was in for the ride/flight of his life!
>
>

[Mike Marron]

>"Scott R. Wilson" > wrote:
>>"Mike Marron" > wrote:
>>>"John Keeney" > wrote:

>>>Some of the details in this don't exactly gel together:
>>>"plane crashed about 10 miles from [where]... parachute landed",
>>>"plowing a quarter mile [from the crash site]",
>>>"watched the pilot come down",
>>>"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."

>>>OK, the pilot ejects and comes down ten miles from the crash
>>>site but is watched coming down by someone a quarter mile
>>>from the crash site. This person, a quarter mile from the crash,
>>>runs to the site and meets the pilot who gets there at about the
>>>same time or even a little before. Granted running through
>>>swamps is slow business but don't you suspect the parachute
>>>came down a tad closer to the plane than ten miles?

>>Several radio (and maybe television?) also reported that the
>>pilot (e.g: Dad) was killed. What can I say...it's just an old press
>>clipping written by some ink-stained wretch back in the 50's.
>>I can tell ya without a doubt that the the chute (and the helmet/mask
>>he was wearing when he ejected) was always a big hit with my
>>young friends around the neighborhood. Dangerous, too. When
>>that huge orange and white nylon canopy opened up in a stiff breeze
>>whichever kid happened to be attached to the shroud lines at
>>the other end was in for the ride/flight of his life!

>A site with more and better photos of the pilotless landing as well as a
>first hand account or two:

>http://www.f-106deltadart.com/71fis_pilotless787.htm


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