Best Moment
Sitting in the base theater, watching a movie, and the 'Scramble Alert' light comes on (a flashing read light next to the screen) and all the duty pilots and crew jump up and run out.
Worst Moment
Crash investigations - I did several
Other Memories
We had the Boeing B-47 as our operational aircraft. Pretty unique - at altitude, if you went too fast, you got Mach buffett, but if you reduced the throttle, just a little, you got stall buffett! Of course, this was before computers controlled flight.
Best Moment
TDY to England, and bought a bike for my son
Worst Moment
Son's bike was stolen from his school
Other Memories
In 1954 our entire Air Wing was scheduled for a rotational TDY (Temporary Duty) from Roswell, New Mexico, to Anderson Air Base, Guam. The entire wing (509th) of B-50 four engine bombers and KC-97 tankers would be involved. I was in maintenance section and would fly in a C-97 passenger type aircraft. On take-off from Walker Air Force Base, and engine failed and we had to return to base. As this aircraft was equipped with the 28 cylinder Pratt & Whitney engine also common to the B-50s and KC-97s, the engine change was completed quickly, and we took off a day late. Landings at Travis AFB, California, and Hickam AFB, Hawaii, then Wake Island and finally Guam were routine. The B-50s took off at intervals and had air crews and huge storage bins in front and rear bomb bays. The bins contained spare parts and anything needed for service of the aircraft. A bin could be replaced with a platform on which things could be lashed down and the platform raised into the bomb bay with the bomb hoists. In several aircraft these platforms contained small motorcycles and scooters. It was neat to have wheels in Guam. One B-50 had refueled at Hickam AFG and took off for Guam, but not far out he also lost an enging and could not maintain altitude with the load of motorcycles, storage bins, and crew - so the aircraft raidoed that they would have to return and dump fuel and the bin or the cycles. A colonel that was a passenger riding the jump seat said to dump the motorcycles, but the aircraft commander said it was his aircraft, and that he would elect to dump the bin, which he did and then he returned to Hickam and landed. The colonel was irate over that decision to dump the bin, for good reason to him because his baggage and his golf clubs were on that bin and they were in the Pacific Ocean! The B-50 had and engine change and some sheet metal work as the engine was torched from a fire. All that had to be repaired plus the colonel had to have some new clothes and essentials.
Other Memories
When I arrived only one aircraft was assigned to the base, a tired C-47 twin engined transport. It was used for the needs of the base and was flown frequently to Anchorage. Some weeks I made two round trips a week, a two plus hour flight one way. On this particular flight we picked up a hitch hiker wanting to go to Anchorage. About an hour into the flight, he came forward to the cockpit and informed us that he had a bad stomach ache and he had to go badly. The airplane was equipped with a urinal, but nothing else, so I told him I would go back and see what could be done. I saw a one gallon can that said "hydraulic fluid" on the side. I had a nice, handy jack knife in my pocket, so I cut out the top of the can which still had two inches of fluid remaining, then left him with the can and went forward. Shortly, he was up front and said he couldn't piddle and relieve himself at the same time, so 'water' was on the floor! We told him to find something to wipe up the 'water'. He told me he couldn't find any paper so had wiped himself with his handkerchief. He went back and did what he could with the 'water'.Sometime later, he was forward again and had to go again. So I returned with him and told him to use the can and to be darn sure he took that can with him and dispose of it at Anchorage. Again he came forward (it was cold in the cabin) and told me he was not good, that he had wiped himself with a love letter to his girl friend. We all cracked up over that! After we landed, I can still see this poor fellow getting out of the aircraft, headed for a hanger with the hydraulic can in hand.
Chain of Command
South Plains Army Air Field at Lubbock, Texas
Other Memories
Glider pilot instructor, also flew tow aircraft such as C-47, in WACO CG4A
My story begins in Sedalia, Missouri, at Sedalia Air Field, now home of Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the B-2 Batwing bombers.
In 1945, Sedalia was home for a glider detachment, plus C-46 and C-47 cargo aircraft used for glider towing. One day I was selected to fly in a C-47 with pickup gear which included a large reel in the cargo compartment with a steel cable to play out on the pickup of a glider. A WACO CG4A -15 place glider - had become detached from a tow plane and was in a farmer's field. To pick up the glider, two 20 foot poles were stuck in the ground and nylon rope strung across the 25 foot glider. Hung beneath the tow plane was a rail to hold the cable with a hook on it similar to a landing hook to arrest aircraft on an aircraft carrier. The trick was to come in over the glider at VERY low altitude, hook the rope between the poles, go to full power and climb out.
We were given the clear signal that all was ready and to come in. We got the nylon with the hook perfectly on the first try. We hit at about 135 mph. The next thing was to reel in the extra cable that was pulled out and the airman stationed at the reel did that and we gained our altitude and flew to the base, the glider dropped off on the downwind leg, we swung over to the rope drop area and landed. Flight ended - or was it?
I was about ready to leave operations when a runner caught up with me and gave a message to report to the Colonel and he said the other pilot had to go, too! We got together and reported to the Colonel with a salute. He asked if we were the ones who picked up the glider and he got a "Yes, Sir"! "And did you have a good flight?" and another "Yes, Sir". "No, you didn't," he said. "After you picked up the glider, you flew low over a turkey farm, the turkeys panicked, flew into each other and 16 were killed!". We looked at each other, stunned. Then the Colonel kind of smiled and said, "The government will pay for the turkeys." What to do with 16 turkeys? We never heard if they got in the mess hall or not.
Other Memories
This occurred in 1942 while in basic flight training.
It was such a day of those high, big fluffy clouds, thunderheads to be exact. I was alone but I wanted to get up there and fly around these beautiful clouds. It's always been known that flying through them is a no-no. Should you do so, you may not make it through the cloud as winds in excess of 100 mph going up and down would tear off your wings. One of the more famous flyers for movie stunts did this. He was seen to fly into a heavy cloud and never made it through, Frank Tallman was his name and we have seen him fly in airshows doing incredible stunts.
At 10,000 feet or so there is no such white on earth and the sight near or around them can never be matched. This day I flew around them, through alleys between them and there I too touched the hand of God. After 10 minutes there, it was time to head back to earth. Getting lower and looking around nothing was familiar, so I flew in the directior from whence I came and finally found the airbase. He had guided me back to where I came from.
This day in my life is as clear today as it was flying around those beautiful clouds. And my flying career has been blessed with wonderful experiences I shall NOT forget.
Sitting in the base theater, watching a movie, and the 'Scramble Alert' light comes on (a flashing read light next to the screen) and all the duty pilots and crew jump up and run out.
Crash investigations - I did several
We had the Boeing B-47 as our operational aircraft. Pretty unique - at altitude, if you went too fast, you got Mach buffett, but if you reduced the throttle, just a little, you got stall buffett! Of course, this was before computers controlled flight.