While training routes have obvious dangers, interlopers sometimes also breeze through active Restricted Areas.

During VA-95's workups prior to its 1973 cruise, Pizza Pentimonti and I were out laying MK-76s into the evil commie bus hulks infesting the Boardman target area. During the run-in for our third or fourth pass, some bozo in a 172 comes toodling north right across our run-in line about 500' below us. We saw him and pulled up just as he passed under our big A-6 nose. After assessing the state of our laundry, we called the incident in to Seattle Center, who then painted him in to Yakima.

Turned out this was not the first time this twit had messed up. We learned later that the Administrator pulled the guy's ticket.

--
Mike Kanze

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

- Benjamin Franklin

"John" wrote in message ...
On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 22:58:13 GMT, wrote:

Here's a very close call as recorded through the HUD camera of a T-38C.

Graphic illustration of the dangers of low-level navigation.
Unfortunately, though these routes are published, most civil pilots
either are not aware of them or just ignore them.

Back in the 70's, My student and I nearly collided with a helo over
the gulf somewhere east of Victora TX in a TA-4J. We were at 500' MSL
on a published, highly used low-level navigation training route. When
I called FSS about the near-miss, they told me that the helos flying
to the rigs seldom filed flight plans and never talked to them. They
also told me that they nearly always flew at 500-1000' - which was
within the published altitudes for that route!

John Alger USN(ret)
1972-1997 // 1310,1320
TA-4J, A-7E, EC-130Q, P-3B