We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:59:10 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification What's odd about this pic? If you want to see it a little clearer - click here. Just in case you really aren't clear... click here. Yep. That's a B-52 doing a low(!)-level flyby of an aircraft carrier. It only looks like its about to dive into the ocean. One of the odd things about the B-52 is that it flies in a nose down attitude in level flight. Just like all three aircraft in this pic are in level flight. I'll let the aviators chime in and explain all the fiddly details. I'm just impressed with that bomber pilot's... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:49:54 -0600 I never saw a Buff (Big Ugly Fat F''ker) when I was on the Lone Ranger (BB-62)or the Bonnie Dick (CVA-31)when I was deployed in 68-70, But. In 63 as a kid I was the sole witness on the end of the runway when the ready alert birds scrambled at Kincheloe AFB in the UP of Michigan. All 5 B-52H's were supposed to be gone in 3 Minutes of the klaxon sounding. It took under 2. The spacing on the runway was less than 400 ft as all 5 were ducks in a row at full military power rolling and into the air in less than 5000 ft. In four minutes the sky was empty. That same year some bored SAC BUFF boy took his bird under the Mackinac Bridge (ship under clearance 155 ft.) They never caught him. I still think it was my Dad. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46658 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46658 Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:31:05 -0600 Not that I would ever read that, in a manual way. I'm saving myself for the Sweety. Honest. No Kiddin. No sh*t! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46651 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46651 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 22:18:07 -0600 There's no necessity for blued balsa if one has sufficient manual skills. RTMF. (Read the manual f*%#ing) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46650 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46650 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 22:09:01 -0600 Blued Balsa! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46645 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46645 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 21:28:13 -0600 Oh, yeah, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley was famous for appearing to be diving when flying level. Something to do with engineering trade-offs having to do with length of landing gear, or something, but they set the wing at a big angle of incidence, relative to the fuselage. On flying into the ground: People who build model airplanes are familiar with Sig balsa. Glenn Sig(afoose) and his wife, Hazel, used to have matched Pitts Specials, which they flew at airshows together. Glenn was doing rolls at zero feet or something like that,caught a wingtip on the ground and rolled himself and plane into a flaming strewage of wreckage. The kit for the R/C scale Pitts Special disappeared from the Sig product line immediately. Can't really blame Hazel. I think about moving to Montezuma, Iowa. There are two cool places at which to work, there. One is Brownell's, and the other is Sig. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46643 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46643 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 21:13:09 -0600 almost knew what they knew but couldn't get through to understanding the danger. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46642 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46642 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 21:02:10 -0600 Thanks for posting the link, Chap; it's in my bookmarks, but haven't remembered to look at it for a while. To generalize, what *does* one do when one's commanding officer actually is a dangerous lunatic? Is the Hornblower method appropriate? (Y'all know about how Captain Sawyer happened to fall down the hatchway. Hornblower never was asked if he, Hornblower, actually pushed him) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46639 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46639 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:11:23 -0600 I finally got to look at the photos, Yours look about a decade or two before mine were taken. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46638 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46638 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:55:05 -0600 Holy crap! Is this picture for real? That doesn't leave a lot of margin for error. I have a feeling the wing commander would NOT be happy seeing a photo like this. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46637 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46637 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:54:30 -0600 http://garytakahashi.md/braden/jag3.jpg http://garytakahashi.md/braden/jag6.jpg]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46615 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46615 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 14:49:16 -0600 He *Is* flying straight an level, its just that the carrier and photographer are experiencing one of those swells we took in the North Atlantic. I will never forget the experience of walking from aft to bow and noticing that the movement aft was a twisting motion and towards the bow- it was up and down. I thought the ship might break itself in two pieces (and parts of the whole don't float very well). I was on the 'Sinkin Sara' CV-60 at the time... which didn't help me feel any better about it! When I was stationed on Al Masirah in the Gulf doing.. ahhh.. 'stuff' during the first G-war, the Omani Airforce flew their trainers through hangers and have since lost a picture of a guy on a large ladder taking a photo of a Brit Tornado flying BELOW him! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46596 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46596 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:49:17 -0600 Those lessons are heartbreaking. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46593 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46593 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 11:25:56 -0600 For the tail of a BUFF to be the only thing that's above the flight deck is a non-trivial feat... And a radar-avoidance survival skill. But they still haven't perfected the art of zipping along at *true* nap-of-the-earth--although I've had A-7 and A-10 drivers try to play down in the weeds with me and promptly climb back to altitude when they realized that I had tucked in below some overhanging oak limbs and tracking them with the M197...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46564 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46564 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 06:43:49 -0600 Verra same guy mighta flown past me own boat, way back in the way-back-when. I was sitting on the starboard side, waiting to get broken down (off chocks and chains) for the launch, when I saw a vertical tail go by on the port side. And naught else. We're only 60 feet high on a carrier deck. For the tail of a BUFF to be the only thing that's above the flight deck is a non-trivial feat... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46552 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46552 Mon, 19 Jun 2006 01:41:58 -0600 Boqui, that would be "aft", the adverb. "Abaft" is the preposition, and "after" is the adjective. I hesitate and shy away from being annoyingly pedantic, but June 18th *is* Autistic Pride Day! You may slap me, if you can find me. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46540 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46540 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:45:58 -0600 I can't help thinking of that famous episode of a B-52 pilot who flew just a little bit too low when practicing for an air show, caught a wingtip on the ground in a steep bank, and destroyed himself, the airplane, and all aboard. The video of it is on the Net in lotsa places, the discussion, too. I just imagine what the other guys were thinking, viz. "OMG, the Aircraft Commander is a Dangerous Lunatic, I'd better ej....." http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46539 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46539 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:13:57 -0600 Hmmm sez Moe: Just like Christie Allie,dat Boyd must be very heavy abaft. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46538 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46538 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:11:47 -0600 Oh, and just to put things in scale, its about 80 feet from the flight deck to the waterline on the Ranger. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46536 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46536 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:09:11 -0600 Oh, and just to put things in scale, its about 80 feet from the flight deck to the waterline on the Ranger. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46535 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46535 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:08:45 -0600 I don't know if that picture was taken in '90, but I remember B-52s doing the same sort of low level fly-byes while I WAS aboard Ranger in the '85-'89 timeframe. Of course the Bears did this sort of thing too--just not so low. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46534 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46534 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:06:10 -0600 Ranger, CV-61, retired in 1992. Searching the Web I found a post on a bulletin board, trustworthiness unknown, that said this incident took place during a war-at-sea exercise in spring 1990. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46532 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46532 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:11:39 -0600 I saw a flyby just like that from the USS Tarawa, two or three days out of Pearl on the way back home to Pendleton. Looking DOWN from the flight deck to see an aircraft was quite a shock. My kid brother was along on a Tiger Cruise; what a show! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46531 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/06/old_pilots_bold_pilots.html#comment-46531 Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:57:07 -0600