Got this from one of my crashpad roomies.
"One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time. This came from a gent who runs a 2000-acre corn farm up around Barron, WI -- not far from Oshkosh. He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and participated in the first Gulf War...Submitted for your enjoyment, and as a reminder that there are other great, magnificent flyers around besides us."
The lesson: If you're forced to fight, give no quarter. It's good to have back-up from your mate though.
Robin Olds was probably looking down from Fighter Pilot Heaven and grinning ear to ear...
"One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time. This came from a gent who runs a 2000-acre corn farm up around Barron, WI -- not far from Oshkosh. He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and participated in the first Gulf War...Submitted for your enjoyment, and as a reminder that there are other great, magnificent flyers around besides us."
"I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle. A golden eagle -- big bastard, about six-foot wingspan -- flew right in front of the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.
"At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.
"I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows which were watching the grounded eagle, also took flight thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.
"The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later.
"Another crow dead.
"The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward in full burner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work -- crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet altitude.
"This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the warbirds show at Oshkosh! The two eagles ripped the crows apart and ate them on the ground, and as I got closer and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by and you could see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss Of The Sky. What a beautiful bird!
"I love it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them."
The lesson: If you're forced to fight, give no quarter. It's good to have back-up from your mate though.
Robin Olds was probably looking down from Fighter Pilot Heaven and grinning ear to ear...
He cocked his head back and gave me a look that said, "Do *that*, sucker!"
Limitations are like scruples -- I don't have *many*, but i do have *some*...
Bill, I know I would have been sorely tempted to meet that eagle's dare, limitations or not...
"A man's gotta know his limitations..." Dirty Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood, Magnum Force
About a month later, a band arrived with the following note: "Gents. I shot one of yer crows on my ranch last week and follered the instructions. I washed, bioled and surved it. It was awful."
As I said, I'm a firm believer in
John Wayne'sDirty Harry Callahan's dictum: "Be sure you're right. Then Google to make double sure."With apologies to Davy Crockett.
But not many, since he's past caring much, one way or the other...
Of course, I had to ask the farmer, "Is she a good housekeeper?" The farmer replied, "She takes care of the nest and drop tho trash out onto the ground. The stuff on the ground becomes my responsibility. One pole per 10 acres and we don't need to fertilize the ground. As I see it, not a bad deal. There were two rules, 1. Don't bother them when they have a fresh kill or 2. Don't bother them when they are getting their young to fly. I don't ever get near them." It is neat when things work together.
Smart farmer there grumpy.
The other thing is a behavior called, "The Dance of the Talons". You have two birds, both fly straight up, then hook their talons. Hooked together, both birds would free fall, tail first fall straight down. Hopefully, one bird will have the sense to let go and fly. I've seen this behavior 3 times, twice, one bird let go and flew away, for another day. Once, both birds refused to let go, something came up to end the "Dance of the Talons", called the ground. Both birds died on impact.