Flying Story

Here is a flying story for you to enjoy -- I hope. I am almost finished
with a complete book. Anyone know how to get an agent of a publisher?

Danny Deger

7. Replacement Training Unit, RTU, Graduation

RTU was fairly straight forward. Lots of academics on aircraft systems and
combat maneuvering - both air-to-air and air-to-ground. It turned out I had
a good since of geometry that served me well in the cockpit. I did well in
dropping bombs and flying air-to-air combat.

I must confess something at this point. I am not by nature a violent
person. I have only been in two fights in my life and in both I was
attacked by the other person. I was forced to defend myself. I was raised
going to church on Sunday and read the bible. I thought the teaching of
non-violence made since and I tried my best to follow them. Becoming a
warrior in the form of a fighter pilot was really against my nature, but it
was a necessary step to becoming an astronaut. I also realized I didn't
want the world to fall to communism and if I had to shoot down a couple of
airplanes or drop a few bombs to help stop communism I would do that. I
didn't realize what I was getting into until it was too late. The primary
mission of F-4s in the Air Force at that time was nuclear strike! If the
big war broke out in Europe, I wouldn't be shooting down another airplane,
or dropping a few bombs on enemy ground forces, I would be in the middle of
general nuclear combat that would probably end the world as we knew it.

My introduction to nuclear combat came in the form of an instructor that
loved his job. This guy was really kind of scary. He liked the nukes. He
thought if a war was started, nukes were the way to go. "Don't mess around
with those little firecrackers if you want to kill something. Go for the
big bang. With one of these babies a single F-4 can single handily win the
war." He didn't bother to mention the Russians had their fair share of
nukes and would also use them to win the war.

I was told anything and everything about how to drop a nuke was classified.
I must respect this and say nothing about it. Even though a lot of
information is available in open literature, I will respect the need for
secrecy and say nothing except this -- the checks and controls on the
release of nuclear weapons is as close to fool proof as it can be. The
chances of an accidental or unauthorized release is close to zero.

After learning how to drop nuclear bombs as well as conventional bombs, it
was time for our final flight at RTU. This was a final exam and a flight
that for the first time exercised a large number of aircraft hitting the
target in a coordinated fashion. I remember the flight well. I was number
2 of a 2 ship formation and we were in the middle of the strike package. We
flew a low level training route to the range with other aircraft flying
different low level routes to the same range. Spacing was done with timing.
My lead was responsible for timing between our flight and the other flights.
I just flew formation off of him. We flew tactical spread - I stayed line
abreast of him separated by about a mile. This is the standard formation
used today by combat aircraft. There is enough room for independent
maneuvering and each aircraft can watch the others tail for an attacking
aircraft coming from behind. The problem is turning the formation. After
the turn both aircraft need to end back up line abreast again. The Air
Force has developed a set of check turns and weaving to do this.

The battle plan was for my lead to attack the target first. We were only
dropping 25 pound practice bombs that put out a little smoke. But, they
simulated regular bombs that generate a large amount of fragmentation. I
needed to pass over the target after lead's bombs fragments had time to get
below my altitude. To get this spacing I turned hard into lead and crossed
behind him at a 90 degree angle. I flew about a mile to the side and made a
hard turn to parallel his path, but now well behind him. We both used a
standard popup attack. At about 5 miles from the target I made a hard 30
degree turn away from the target and pulled the nose up 30 degrees. Look
toward the target area and find the target. I see it, but the angles are
wrong. Climb to 4,000 feet and pull into the target. The angles are
getting worse. I can't roll out and be on final. Intuitively I realize I
need to do a small and quick barrel roll to line up on the target. This is
not the way it is supposed to work. I have never done a roll in the middle
of a bomb pass. Without much thought I do it. I have enough sense to tell
my back seat instructor, "Rolling onto final." Without this call I was
afraid he might think I was out of control and bailout on me.

The roll works great. It occurs to me the instructor might find my roll as
unsafe and bust me on the ride, but I end up on final and drop my string of
practice bombs. I find out later I hit the target. Now it is time to
egress and get back into formation. I turn to the egress heading and
advance the throttles to military power. The plan is for lead to do two 90
degree turns to fall back and get us back into formation. I see lead and
watch his turns. Not enough - I am still way back. Time for more speed. I
move the throttles past the military power detent and take them to full
afterburner. I feel the comforting push back in the seat. I am still way
back but have lots of fuel for afterburner. I leave the throttles parked
full forward. I am supposed to be line abreast with lead and I hate being
out of formation.

The planned altitude is 500 feet. Looking outside it looks about like 500
feet, but I check my altimeter. It reads 1,500 feet. I don't think I am
that high but altimeters don't lie - I start a slow decent. The ground is
starting to look pretty close so I check the altimeter again - 1,300 feet.
I am starting to think something is wrong with the altimeter because if I go
any lower I will be below the trees. One more glance at the altimeter. I
see it bouncing between 100 feet and 1,300 feet. I suddenly realize what is
wrong. I am right at Mach 1 and the shock wave is bouncing around the
altimeter's static port on the nose of the plane. A little bit faster and
the shockwave will move in front of the plane and clean up the static port.
I am supersonic on the deck at about 100 feet!!!

About this time I realize I am leaving the range and starting to head down
the Kissimmee river back to Homestead AFB. I see a lock on the canal.
There are 4 cars in a parking lot and several chairs with people fishing. I
am going so fast I barely take it in before going straight over the top of
them. I have a good idea of what those poor fisherman went through -- the
work loud I am sure doesn't even come close. I have heard F-4s in the
traffic pattern at 1,500 feet and a modest power settings. This is so loud
you can't carry on a normal conversation. Supersonic at 100 feet in full
burner has got to be really, really bad on the old eardrums. One thing I
know for sure, they didn't hear me coming. I was going faster than the
speed of sound.

My efforts finally paid off. Lead slowed down some and I finally caught up.
We did a short low level to egress the target area and made a landing back
at Homestead without incident. I was concerned about busting the ride for
one of many reasons - rolling on final, being out of formation, and going
supersonic off the range. None of this was a problem. The instructor
passed me and I was soon off to the tobacco fields of North Carolina.