Approach articles from September 2000

Approach archives from September 2000

Overdoing It.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... "A man's gotta know his limitations." It was that time in the turn-around cycle, about four months since the return from the last deployment. Our squadron was going to take advantage of a carrier-qualification opportunity aboard an...

Coast Guard Field Goal Yields 3 Points.
September 1, 2000... Following tours in Cape Cod and Kodiak, I figured a tour in San Diego was going to be a snap. I was eagerly looking forward to much better weather and the challenge of teaching nuggets. That task, I figured, would be far less demanding than the...

Hitchhiker FOD.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... "Now all hands muster on the bow for a FOD walkdown." These familiar words echo over the carrier's 1MC as we begin another day of routine flight operations. As a carrier aviator and now the Air Boss, I had participated in hundreds of FOD...

Weighing the Options.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The preface of every aircraft NATOPS manual contains the following statement: This manual contains information on all aircraft systems, performance data, and operating procedures required for safe and effective operations. However, it is not a...

Ooh, Look a Waterspout!
September 1, 2000... I couldn't believe my luck as I climbed into the crystal-clear skies over South Texas. There I was, a bright-eyed T-45 student hitting the road for five days to finish up the instrument-rating portion of the jet syllabus with a good-deal...

25K Feet and Feeling No Pain.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... I was in the lead jet of a section of Prowlers on a routine Operation Northern Watch mission. It was my pilot's first into northern Iraq and the first time back for the rest of the crew since our previous deployment. Right from the start...

Mother Nature Tracks Us Down.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... It was a dark and stormy night, really. I was nearing the end of my FRS experience at NS-1 and looking forward to getting into the fleet. We briefed at 1800 for a 2000 go. My instructor for the evening was known for his extensive (read "long")...

Cracked Canopy Over Kosovo.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The air wing had been conducting sustained combat operations over Serbia in support of Operation Allied Force for five weeks. The briefings and debriefings had become routine, and this day was no exception. My junior wingman and I were excited...

CLIMB OR DIVE?(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Having recently received my PQM (Pilot Qualified in Model) letter in the SH-60B, I was anxious to embark on my first underway: a five-week fleet exercise in the Puerto Rico Op Area. Still adjusting to flying as a member of a crew instead of a...

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... On a very dark night, the air wing launched another sizable strike-familiarization package in support of Operation Southern Watch (OSW). However; the composition of this package was unique. Not only did we have a dozen or so of the standard...

If I Knew Then What I Know Now.
September 1, 2000... Some years ago, I got an excellent lesson in the role of human factors in naval aviation. Our forward-deployed air wing had just finished an at-sea period off the Philippine coast after making the final port visit of an American aircraft...

Dehydrated Much?(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Picture yourself in the Persian Gulf, waiting to launch, and surprise, surprise, the temperature is pegged on your outside air temp gauge. This scene is ops normal for just about every air wing in WestPac these days. How many times have you...

Single-Engine Snafu.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... We were on the proverbial routine training mission in the Arabian Gulf a little more than four months into cruise. We had launched off the ship for a double-cycle, airborne-intercept-control hop and a night trap for one of our nugget pilots....

BRAVO Zulu.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... VS-41 Lt. Carelli (pilot) and LCdr. Drew (copilot) were making a night, straight-in approach to NAS North Island when their S-3's trailing-edge flaps locked at 5 percent. After orbiting overhead, they planned to make an arrested landing...

That Sinking Feeling.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The day started like any other springtime SOCAL day: lots of high-level clouds and a slight possibility of rain, according to the weather-guessers. North Island Metro said the ceiling wasn't forecast to go any lower than 2,000 feet, with a slim...

BROWNSHOES IN ACTION COMIX.(Poem)
September 1, 2000... One day in the P.R. Shop... Man, carrying this stuff on a hop really makes you think, doesn't it? About what? Have you ever considered what might happen if you got bagged, Dangerboy? I sure have. In fact I'm more than ready...