Approach articles from June 2003

Approach archives from June 2003

Too close for comfort: I looked at the instructor; he was white as a ghost. We completed the hop in near silence, contemplating our own mortality.
June 1, 2003... I can remember walking away from my last flight in the HTs, thinking my mind was made up on what my dream sheet preferences would be. All helicopter pilots are familiar with the flatbed truck of a landing surface known as IX-514. This...

Hornet mishaps ... what's the answer?
June 1, 2003... Unless you've been taking an exceptionally long re-rack this year, you've noticed the FA-18 safety record hasn't been good. Through the halfway point of this fiscal year, we've had 10 Class A mishaps, nine of which were flight mishaps, and one...

Single-engine over Afghanistan.
June 1, 2003... CVW-14 had been supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) for two weeks on board USS Abraham Lincoln. The Tomcatters of VF-31 were fragged for night CAS, working with ground operations. The F-14D Super Tomcat carried a forward air controller...

Semper paratus?
June 1, 2003... Aviators must be prepared for any eventuality: emergencies, broken planes on man-up, weather, whatever. From day one of primary, our trusty IPs beat the concept of preparation into our heads, either in flight or by covering many "what ifs"...

Something just doesn't feel quite right here: ... I suddenly heard two loud "bangs" as the aircraft began violently shaking and two fireballs shot out the back of the jet.
June 1, 2003... As a nugget, in the squadron with the Navy's newest FA-18C, I never thought I'd be single-engine, on the ball, at night, during my first cruise, but that's what happened, and I lost my right engine at 1,200 feet with my gear and flaps down, as...

If you're going to Dayton, don't try the hot wings.
June 1, 2003... The crew was briefed, the jet was packed, and the flight plan was filed for a cross-country trip to an air show in Dayton, Ohio. We planned for a one-leg, two-hour, routine airways-navigation flight at 26,000 feet. The weather en route would...

Crew Resource Management: every decision counts.
June 1, 2003... We make decisions on a daily basis, sometimes without much thought or process. However, many of the decisions we make while flying can be the difference between life and death. In over 10 years of military service, I've had two close...

In harm's way.
June 1, 2003... The Tigertails were controlling the airways in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on a bright, sunny day over Afghanistan. As the primary controller of the AEW South airspace, I provided flight-following and administrative services for Air...

Letters.
June 1, 2003... I am responding to the article "Sonobuoys: Friend or Foe?" in Approach. November 2002. Sonobuoys are electro-mechanical devices used to detect and track submarines. They are a critical component of naval aviation's...

Just say it.
June 1, 2003... A year had passed since arriving at NAS Whidbey Island, and I finally was getting my NATOPS check in the EA-6B. I had completed the F-15E RTU (replacement-training unit, the Air Force equivalent of the FRS) barely three years before, so I was...

Tales of a wayward Yak.
June 1, 2003... The Boeing 757 rumbled down the runway, and I was on my way. Destination: Livermore, Calif. Grinning from ear to ear, this moment was the one I had waited for. Over two years of research, preparation and hard work finally was coming to...

ORM corner. (Breaking Out).
June 1, 2003... We manned up for an uneventful Operation Southern Watch mission--that was the plan. My crew was operating from the picturesque Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our squadron was well into the first month of a...

Mishap-free milestones.
June 1, 2003... Mishap-Free Milestones HT 8 28 years 900,000 hours VP-47 30 years 176,000 hours HSL-42 17 years 135,054 hours HSL-51 12 years 75,000 hours VD-10 30 years 91,000 hcurs VAQ-139 11 years 18,100...

The vortex ring state fallacy.
June 1, 2003... A CH-53E in a steep approach to a pinnacle suddenly has a high rate of descent and hits hard in the landing zone. The mishap investigation indicates the helo had sufficient power to hover out of ground effect. While trying to maintain tight...

What could go wrong now?
June 1, 2003... Another blustery September morning in Whidbey Island found me going on my first cross-country in the Prowler. The plan called for an early launch, gas-and-goes at Hill AFB and Grand Junction, then on to NAS Fort Worth. I would be ECMO 1 for the...

Overcome and adapt: a cautionary tale.
June 1, 2003... Despite our fleet tasking during COMPTUEX, our Ops O finagled a 4 v 2 A1C hop for us: two Hornets, two Tomcats, and our two TA-4J Skyhawks. Dedicated dissimilar-air-combat training hops are a rarity in sunny Puerto Rico, so I hopped in the back...

Overcome and adapt: the motivated maintainers.
June 1, 2003... Over a year earlier, the fuel cell on this TA-4J had been opened during other maintenance. Procedures call for the cork gasket surrounding the opening to be replaced each time the fuel cell is opened. However, the Navy supply system had...

Check-in day at the RAG. (Classic: Brownshoes in Action Comix).
June 1, 2003... "During your training here we'll teach you everything you need to know about this state-of-the-art platform and its missions." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "In no time your instructors will have you handling this aircraft as nimbly as what...