Approach articles from September 2002

Approach archives from September 2002

Editorial.(Editorial)
September 1, 2002... I recently watched the movie, "The Legend of Bagger Vance." The young boy who served as the narrator talked about the game of golf, the beauty of the game, and the joy of being on a course. There is no offensive team, no defensive team--just...

Accept no substitutes.
September 1, 2002... Our mighty Orion was at FL195, in the eastern Mediterranean, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The flight engineer called out, "Chips light, No. 3," with no secondary indications the reduction gearbox could be coming apart. Once we...

Smoke gets in your eyes.
September 1, 2002... The smoke from our burning mainmounts was not thick enough to obscure the sparkling Pacific and the small islands offshore. I couldn't help thinking--while giving a thumbs-up to the fire trucks rolling up--had things gone as planned, those...

How close is too close?
September 1, 2002... It was the perfect hop. Red air lead, KC-10 fuel opportunity, and about 10 minutes to get in a good fight before returning to the boat. My wingman, a nugget pilot who had been in the squadron over a year, would join me for the hop. This good...

"It'll probably never happen, but ..." (ORM Corner).(losing electrical power)
September 1, 2002... My squadron recently completed a six-month deployment, and our EA-6Bs were getting a well-deserved avionics upgrade. The robust upgrade included GPS, VHF radio, VOR and ILS capabilities, as well as replacing two essential flight indicators. The...

Mishap-free milestones.
September 1, 2002... Mishap-Free Milestones VP-5 24 years (146,070 hours) VP-45 33 years (211,000 hours) VP-30 38 years (377,000 hours) VMFA(AW)-332 24 years (90,000 hours) VP-1 18 years (110,000...

Did we really lose an engine?
September 1, 2002... The mission was easy: depart Naples, fly out to the boat, pick up the admiral, and fly him and his staff to NAS Sigonella. The weather was nice, and the wind was light. It was a beautiful day to fly. After preflight, we strapped in and...

Isn't this supposed to be a four-stage turbine?(engine problems while landing on an aircraft carrier)
September 1, 2002... After a long delay, we finally were underway aboard USS John F. Kennedy. Before we could "head east," we had to complete phase II of JTFEX. We already had completed one week of the exercise from the beach while the ship underwent repairs and...

How about that battle-damage check! As I climbed out of the jet, our gunner looked at me in amazement and pointed at station three.
September 1, 2002... With two nights of flying left in CVW-8's time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, our flight of two Hornets was tasked with attacking targets in Afghanistan. The air wing primarily had been flying night missions, ours would be the same....

You can't support naval gunfire if the air won't support you.
September 1, 2002... We were tasked to provide target spotting while our ship exercised their 5-inch guns on a rugged Scottish range. It wasn't a common mission for LAMPS helicopters, but we had a naval-gunfire expert onboard to keep us from looking like amateurs...

Never again.
September 1, 2002... We were a few weeks into our cruise, and I was enjoying life as a nugget pilot with VFA-147. Carrier Air Wing Nine and the USS John C. Stennis battle group were crossing the Pacific to relieve a carrier in the Arabian Sea, in support of...

I can hack it.(flying with a common cold)
September 1, 2002... Ever had a cold and felt pressured to fly, saying to yourself, "I can hack it"? I was a first-tour ECMO, flying in the last phase of workups, when I awoke feeling run-down. I had the typical cold symptoms: stuffy nose, headache, tiredness and...

Overstaged and underpowered.
September 1, 2002... It was a dream day in the Gulf of Aden for a 46 driver. Not only did I hold the dubious distinction as the current flight-hour "low man" for the month, but I was scheduled for the biggest vertrep yet of our six-month deployment--over 400...

I think we just dropped on a ship.
September 1, 2002... We were well into Groundhog Day at sea. Operation Enduring Freedom sorties and overhead strike-cap sorties had become routine. Our squadron had been scheduled for some unit-level training hops to brush up on basic tactics. I was scheduled for...

The tool's in the hurricane.
September 1, 2002... It was hurricane season again, and, sure enough, Mother Nature sent one our way. It must have been my lucky day, as I had the honor of "volunteering" to fly an SH-60B aircraft inland. The hurricane evacuation wasn't to start until 1700. I...

Bravo Zulu.
September 1, 2002... The crew of RS-608 was practicing touch-and-go landings in their C-9 at McChord AFB on a NATOPS-instrument check. During a practice-missed approach at 200 feet AGL, Lt. Mishelle Mason (T3P) added full power and started to climb. As LCdr. Brad...

Stork with help from flea presents: brownshoes in action comix: "the kind real aviators like". (Classic).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... "We're manning up our fighters for the afternoon go; I've got my gougest RIO for the radar locks, you know. Strapping on my airplane with the Martin-Baker seat, crank the Pratt and Whitneys; Jee, the whine sounds pretty neat." Any day now,...