Approach articles from July 2002

Approach archives from July 2002

Trust your guts.(military exercises)
July 1, 2002... Our air wing was participating in the U.K.--sponsored Joint Maritime Course (JMC) in the waters north of Scotland. It was June 2001, and this NATO exercise was billed as the best post-cold-war NATO exercise around, offering superlative training...

Learning the hard way.(military exercises)
July 1, 2002... A couple of weeks before an Operation Southern Watch mission, a CAG staff pilot stopped by our ready room to discuss an incident he had regarding bad AOA information and incorrect on-speed indications. The incident occurred during his carrier...

In the blink of an eye.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... "Beefsteak, Claw, I'm heading to marshal." "Roger, Claw." Although these comms appear routine, they were preceded by a harrowing episode; a near mid-air overhead a carrier in the South Pacific between our EA-6B Prowler and an S-3B...

The best of intentions: we were one mile inside the IAF and established on the approach when ATC reported the ceiling had fallen below mins.
July 1, 2002... Following one-and-a-half months of events in support of Operation Noble Eagle, I was up for a BITS (back in the saddle) hop following the Thanksgiving holiday downtime. My crew consisted of a lieutenant starting his last year at the command as...

Massive fuel leak over Los Angeles: anticipating an engine failure, we kept the jet high and fast, and we aimed for the last inch of pavement.
July 1, 2002... There were no flashing-red lights, aural warnings, cautions, or advisories to let us know we had four-and-a-half minutes of flight time remaining before we had to eject and send an FA-18D to the bottom of the Pacific. Only by serendipity...

Aviation and aeromedical safety CD-ROM: the ultimate guide to aviation safety.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The ultimate guide to aviation safety is now available from the Naval Safety Center. It was developed by the aviation directorate and is in CD-ROM format. It will provide commanding officers, aviation-safety personnel, and aeromedical...

The final countdown. (ORM Corner).
July 1, 2002... We all walked away, and the helo flew again, but not because we were the pilots ever to walk the face of the earth, nor because we planned for every contingency. We looked back and chalked it up to something greater than luck; maybe God just...

Fast hands in the cockpit.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The day for me to solo was here at last. I had made it through FAMs and was ready to take off and return unassisted in the T-34 Mentor. The ODO instructed me to bounce at our home field and then go to the working areas to enjoy some time on my...

Between a rock and a hard place.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... I've reflected on the various, though infrequent, errors I have made as a naval aviator. A four-letter expletive followed when my kneeboard card blew out the window. I also declared minimum fuel with a 3,000-pound-external load, rather than put...

Truisms of aviation.
July 1, 2002... The December 2001 issue of Approach had an article by Lt. Richard Klauer titled, "(Almost) Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Primary." Lt. Klauer described the many truisms and adages of flying that his instructor had passed along...

Driving a classic. (Crew Resource Management).(Lockheed P-3 Orion)
July 1, 2002... When you drive a classic, you expect a few minor mechanical problems, but, hey, it's a classic, right? It was business as usual, we had just kicked off our Caribbean detachment. The weather was hot, the mission was all too familiar, and...

Farewell to an ol'Herc.(C-130 Aircraft)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... On February 11, 2002, after 40 years of dedicated and loyal service, KC-130 aircraft, bureau number 148895, was stricken from the active duty register. Accepted into the United States Marine Corps on Aug. 1, 1961, 895 served with VMGR's 152,...

Lead-turning the system.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Mid-Tour Guy: I was on a good deal 2 v 2 DACT (dissimilar air combat training) flight in a section of Hornets against F-15s. The tactical portion of the flight went well, with many F-15 kills and no FA-18 kills. The prebriefed return to...

The plan.
July 1, 2002... It was a good deal any JO would jump at: a chance to get off the boat after only five days of a 15-day FRS and air wing CQ detachment. We were to fly two HH-60Hs cross-country from Jacksonville to San Diego. Since there were other commitments...

Mooove over, Bessy!(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... I was only slight left wing down and correcting on what was my best guess at final. I felt a little high-profile but wasn't sure. It was hard to tell exactly where I was because it was a grass field on Mustang Island, and I was attempting to...

Ready room gouge.
July 1, 2002... There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm.