The Intake Issue Eight

Journal of the Super Sabre Society Published Thrice a Year: March, July and November

— Hun “Landmark Tour” Collection — Any Season’s Foliage Colors Below the Timberline Give Way to Glacial

Gorges, Ice & Snow for a Four-Ship of F-100s Cavorting in the High Country of Mount McKinley, North America’s Highest Peak – 20,320'. Photo: Joe Broker

Fall 2008

The Intake Fall 2008, Vol. 1, Issue 8 JOURNAL OF THE SUPER SABRE SOCIETY 3 Staff Corner 4 Incoming/Outgoing

Correspondence 6 Stake Your Claim By R. Medley Gatewood 9 Current Events – Misty Report

By Jack Doub 11 A Short Story about My Hun

Time By Joe Kittinger “…Golden Age of the USAF.”

13 The Original Sabre Dance

By Jack Doub “Now, Barty was a bit confused.”

15 “Converting to the Century”

By Frank Byrne 5th AF Flight Safety News, Apr., ‘57

18 The Way We Were

Popular Department Returns! 20 ‘58 TDY Aviano Adventures-Fini

By Alan “Lad” Duaine “Them were the days!”

24 Wheelus Daze By Bill Gorton Lots of Fun and Games

26 Schulzie’s Poem By Bill Haynes

Poet’s Corner 28 Odds and Ends 29 Hun Driver High Jinks

New Department! 30 Book Review Time

By Ron Standerfer “The Hellish Vortex”

31 Hun Pilots & the Future of

Humans in Space By Bob Krone

33 SSS Reunions: Review of 2007 & Preview of 2009 Editor’s reflections & projections.

34 Reunion Registration Form

Please Copy, Complete & Send! 35 Fleagle and More

SSS Contacts, Credits, Reminders, Closing Remarks

B

The Intake and its contents, unless otherwise credited, are copyrighted by the Super Sabre Society Inc., d.b.a. Super Sabre Society, P.O. Box 3100, Georgetown, TX 78627. The society is open to all F-100 Fighter Pilots, F-100 Wild Weasel Bears and F-100 Squadron Flight Surgeons. Associate memberships will be offered at the discretion of the Membership Committee. There is no political agenda, although we support and respect the office of the President of the United States. There is no religious agenda, although men who trusted their lives to a slatted wing and a single J57 engine also trust in a higher authority. There is no social agenda, except to meet each other in mutual respect and admiration. We are the men who flew the mighty Hun! Visit our Web site frequently at www.supersabresociety.com.

The front cover’s Hun “Landmark

Tour” Collection photo was taken by Joe Broker in 1974. After finishing a “Brave Shield” exercise, the SD Air Guard wanted to fly some more, so

Joe(and a chase?) shadowed the four-ship exploring the heights of 20,320’

“Denali, the Great One.” And it is! The near-diamond is up there somewhere on this magnificent peak—tallest in North America. Thanks again, Joe.

The Fuse Is Ticking!

Your Dues Situation and The Intake

No lecture this time, but take care of paying for 2009 soon. $25 is due on or before January 1, 2009 !!! Some folks

have paid a few years in advance. If you’re not sure of your dues status,

take action to find out! Contact: Treasurer (Lee Graves) at email

hgraves@austin.rr.com / phone (512) 784-3943, or

Editor (R. Medley Gatewood) at rgatewood@comcast.net /phone (505)

293-8396.

Leadership President Bill Gorton Vice President Jack Van Loan Exec. Director Les Frazier Treasurer Lee Graves Secretary Art Oken Counsel Ross Crossland Procurement Dave Hatten Membership Pete Davitto Sloan Brooks Webmaster Ron Doughty

The Intake - Journal of the SSS Editor R. Medley

Gatewood Photo Editor Shaun Ryan Asst. Editors John J. Schulz Jim Quick Contributing Jack Doub Editors Jack Hartmann Bob Krone Wally Mason Ron Standerfer Associate & Honorary Editors

Rosemary Stewart

Ann Thompson Graphic Designer Sara Gosselin Printing Consultant

Jim Allen, Allied Printers

2

Insight, Opinions, Policy

From the President’s Desk We are right on schedule for our second reunion in Las Vegas. I am sure we will have another great get-together. I encourage all to go to our web site and sign up now or copy the Registration Form on page 34 of this issue, complete it and send it in per the instructions on that page. There is a limit to the number that Red Flag can handle on each of our two scheduled tours, so if you want to go on one of those, it is best to get your name(s) on the list of your choice sooner rather than later. A full preview of Reunion 2009 is on page 33. It covers the general schedule of all events that will take place during the reunion. Those include a Board of Directors meeting, various committee meetings and a first-ever general membership meeting, Specific times and locations for these important “governance” meetings will be published in the March issue of The Intake. As you will note in the Election of SSS Officers Progress Report below this column, we have completed our nomination process for three officer positions on the Board of Directors. It looks like no one wanted to compete with Les Frazier and Art Oken for Executive Director or Secretary respectively. Conversely, it looks like a couple of SSS members are willing to take on the vast duties of the Vice President’s position currently held by Jack Van Loan. You will be able to vote for your favorite candidate according to the process explained in the Election Progress Report. I have it on good authority that there will be no face-to-face debates scheduled, so you will just have to do your own research. The “winners” will be announced at the reunion. May the best men win! By the time you’re reading this, we will have come to the end of a seemingly endless run-up to the election of the next President of our great country. I sincerely hope each SSS member voted their conscience. Given the current state of our nation, this may well have been the most important vote you ever cast. I know it seemed so for me. Cheers, Bill, SSS President

From the Editor

It’s been a busy time since we rolled out Issue Seven in mid-July, on time, at cost! Thank goodness our labor bill is not a significant part of the operation! But labor, skilled and professional labor, is a publication ingredient the SSS is blessed with in abundance. That asset, of course, includes our mostly volunteer staff for The Intake, but it also includes a lot of talent throughout our ranks of members. I’m talking about all those of you who have taken your valuable time to create and send in the bits and pieces that comprise an Intake-quality article or story. Thanks to all your generous gifts of time and effort, our story and photo bins are at comfortably high levels at present. Such a blessing is not without a hitch, that being a back-log of wonderful tales that will take some time to surface at the “standard” rate of three 36-page issues per year. Sometimes a story gets priority for special reasons; like current events, or after action reports, or timeliness, or human interests, or a bunch of other considerations. But I assure you all that the general rule of “first in, first out” remains our guiding usage principal. So please be patient to see your story(s) published. We think our system keeps good track of every input, but we don’t claim zero defects. Sometimes some things just seem to fall through the proverbial crack. If you get the feeling that might have happened to some of your materials, please inquire of me

***2009 Election of SSS Officers – Progress Report***

The nomination period for the three open positions on the Board of Directors has ended. The slate of candidates for this election follows.

As an example, here is a photo that was lost, but now is found. Dick McNulty sent it in too late for the Reunion-2007 report, but it has since inspired a neat contest for R-2009.

Vice President/Vice Chairman: Jack Van Loan — Incumbent Charles P. “Pete” Winters Elmer “Gus” Guenther Secretary: Art Oken — Running unopposed Executive Director: Less Frazier — Running unopposed Voting for this slate of officers will begin on 1 January 2009 and end on 1 March 2009. Voting will be conducted over the Internet at the SSS Web site and via USPS mail for members without computers. Ballots returned by USPS mail must be post-marked NLT 1 March 2009.Special Toss-Bombs or letters will advise of voting process details. Results of this election will be announced at the SSS Reunion. See Issue Seven in this space for names and contact information for members of the Nominating Committee to which questions may be sent.

See page 33 for “the rest of the story.” Ed.

Staff Corner

3

Letters, Emails, Phone Calls, Other Media

3 Incoming/Outgoing – Correspondence

We are pleased to receive long, short, mostly great, and a few not quite so great, correspondence items via various media sources. The overwhelming majority of feedback is very positive. Here are some incoming samples, and outgoing replies, since the last issue. We also include some important items in need of discussion. Ed.

General Comments on Issue Seven Within a couple of days after the mailing of Issue Seven on July 16, the Incoming started arriving at a healthy rate. The general theme, some worded slightly differently, but some identically, was that The Intake “just keeps getting better and better.” Your volunteer staff appreciates that consensus, and we’ve been replying separately and immediately to many of the inputs, especially those that contained questions or otherwise elicited a reply. Some samples of those are below. One email that we would like to share in it’s entirety came from that “Archetypical Fighter Pilot” whose photo appeared on Page 34 of Issue Six and was identified on Page four of Issue Seven as Brad, … er, Bill Hosmer. In his response to our email seeking to get Brad and Bill’s relationship straight from Bill himself, he wrote back: Hey Medley, What a treat to hear from our editor of the greatest and funniest reading publication known to man. But enough accolades. Brad Hosmer's dad is my dad's brother, which makes him my first cousin. The other difference is that my cousin retired as a Three Star, and that's given me a lot of pleasure, i.e., getting confused with him, although, his pay check is better than mine. Thanks to you and all the staff for super efforts on our INTAKE. All of us put down our copy just read, and say to ourselves, where in the hell is the next one? I'm through with this one. No other publication gives that kind of a response and reaction. Cheers and gratitude. — Bill Hosmer

Comments on Tom Swalm’s Cold War Tale At least one other SSSer was there when it happened: Was at Hahn when General Landon came over from HQ USAFE at Wiesbaden for that F-100F ride. Was #815 spiffed up for his flight or what! (17th AF was down at Ramstein.) It was 4.2 marks to the dollar in those long ago days! Not so good these days — Dave Menard It was 2.2 to 1 in 2001 before Germany converted to Euros! Ed. Paul “PK” Kimminau had a technical question on this story: Got the INTAKE, good work! The question I have comes as a result of the article about General Landon's visit and ride at Hahn. Was there a bomb dispenser on the aircraft? If not, how did they carry and release for a practice nuke delivery? If there was a dispenser on the aircraft, how did they go supersonic? I seem to remember an airspeed limit on those things. Keep up the good work. — PK We checked this out with Dave Menard and Tom Swalm and the answer was simple: Supersonic-certified centerline pylon with a single BDU-33. That passed on to PK and now to others who might have wondered the same thing. If you get your magnifying glass out (I do so more than I used to), you can make out the pylon in the after-landing photo! Ed.

A Couple of Surprises…One about Dues! *** Required Reading Got “Intake” issue #7 yesterday and got two surprises. One was that I was in "Arrears One"...totally forgot about sending in my dues. After firing in a check for ‘08 and ‘09, I got my second surprise reading the letters to the editor. I was totally clueless when a writer wrote about the "F-4 Pukes" at Luke. I checked my folder of past issues of The Intake only to find that I didn't have an issue #6. I never got it! Since I'm keeping all of these issues in a binder, is there any way that I can get an issue #6? I'd be glad to pay any expenses. Thanx, — Jim Pollak PS...Keep up the great work. Reading Intake takes me back to my 20s when I was sharp and invincible. Now I have trouble even remembering to send in my dues! And so do a lot of other people. Right now we have about 61 guys in Arrears One, and they won’t be getting any more issues of The Intake till they get paid-up for 2008. Your 2009 dues are payable on or before January 1 of that year. So why not get ahead of the power curve and send your dues right after you finish reading this! Send $25 per year made out to SSS and mail to P.O. Box 3100, Georgetown, TX 78627. You’ll be glad you planned your flight, so you can fly your plan (keep getting The Intake). Remember that sage advice? Oh yes, and Jim got a replacement copy of Issue Six about two days after we replied to his message. As we reminded him when we sent it, members in good standing with a current password can view all archived copies of our journal at the SSS web site under the link titled The Intake Journal. Ed.

Referring to the Bomb Burst Story… The Thunderbird issue is full of wonderful pictures! I was stationed at Nellis when in August, 1959, "Fish" Salmon, leader of the Thunderbirds, went in. I watched as Hoot Gibson led the flight back to the base; I was very proud of his leadership as they did the usual T-bird pattern and landing. Professionals—to the end. Must have been a traumatic experience to lose the flight lead that way, yet they did their "thing" on landing. Proud, proud! — Bud Stoddard

4

Departures The following Hun Drivers, associates,

or honorees have truly “slipped the surly bonds of Earth” and departed the final approach fix en-route to their last

PCS and permanent resting places. They will not be forgotten. Our sincere condolences to their families and close

friends.

Robert Irving “Bob” Marshall June 2, 2007

(Learned of lately, The Intake Returned to Sender.)

Claude A. “Dad” Ward

June 2, 2008

Horace Keyes “H.K.” Fawcett, Jr. July 20, 2008

Hansel W. “Turk” Turley

August 11, 2008

Please provide departure information to the SSS leadership or The Intake staff as soon as it is known. We’ll do our best to

honor our fallen comrades in a timely and professional manner.

I just finished reading Issue Seven of The Intake. I continue to be impressed by the quality of the publication. General McPeak’s article titled “Bomb Burst” brought back memories about the wing box problems in the F-100. During 1967, the 308th TFS at Tuy Hoa had two losses which, although attributed to ground fire, could actually have been caused by structural failure of the wing box. On May 10, 1967, Maj. Len Niski’s F-100 blew up as it was on a low angle weapons delivery (probably napalm). On June 13, 1967, the same thing happened to Lt. Jim Cumiskey. Back then we were dropping un-finned napalm using the “high blow” settings on the pylons. When we used this setting, it was not unusual to return with the “G” indicator pegged at 10Gs. Later, when the wing box problem was identified (partially a beneficial result of General McPeak’s accident), not only did we have airspeed and G restrictions on the aircraft, but we stopped using the high blow setting and went to finned napalm. And, shortly thereafter, airplanes were being sent to IRAN in Taiwan to have the boxes fixed. We will never know, but if an accident investigation team had been able to inspect both aircraft, I would be willing to bet there was failure of the wing box. Keep up the good work with The Intake. Thanks, Bob Salisbury Your stories and content are very good. Finding the right move to survive in some situations is very interesting. The corrective action from the lessons learned is what really saves lives and moves us forward in our quest for perfection. The center wing box on Tony Mc Peak’s aircraft is one; the runaway hot cockpit is another. Allen Strasser Well said, Allen. The cost of the lessons learned programs over the years wasn’t just in dollars. Thank God for the corrective actions programs too! We’ve had several stories about learning curve issues. One such in this issue is the original Sabre Dance story on page 13. As I’ve mentioned before, the film of that accident saved my butt one day before Thanksgiving of ’68. We are working on a follow-on to our Original Sabre Dance story. In that follow-on story, the pilot survived such a dance to fly another day. Stay tuned. Ed.

A Tuy Hoa Ace…Remembered Thanks for including in Issue Seven some excerpts from George Elsea’s A Tuy Hoa Ace. Tuy Hoa AB opened in late ’66 when the 308th TFS arrived from Homestead AFB, FL, in December. Since the base was still under construction, we were flying off aluminum matting, living in “six man” tents, and dining in a small trailer in shifts. At one end of our dining trailer was a bulletin board where George posted his “take” on the significant event of the day. The Tuy Hoa Ace is the WW I fighter pilot with five trees painted on the side of his Spad. Obviously, he had several successful “tree busting” missions. Although some of the cartoons are specific to Tuy Hoa, many can be appreciated by those who had a tour anywhere, particularly in SEA. Thanks again, and thanks to George…he made us smile a lot! — Jim Lapine And there will be lots more of Elsea’s wit! See page 27, this issue. Ed.

Kudos to Fighter Maintenance Good for Perry Lusby's kudos to Crew Chief S/Sgt. Peterson in Issue Seven (Summer 2008). From Hun checkout at George in 1957 to departing Itazuke in 1962 I can't remember an F-100D or F abort. Could have been some, since we pilots didn’t track aborts. But here's a true story. In my 125 SEA missions in the Thud, 14 Nov 1965 to 3 June 1966, not one abort! Our USAF maintenance leaders and crews were heroes deserving of more thanks and praise than they got. — Bob Krone Amen! Ed.

You Won’t Believe They Are Just Models! Forwarded by Dave Menard. “For those of us who flew this bird and loved it, these guys are keeping the memories alive. Hard to believe these are just models.” http://www.bvmjets.com/Pages/kits/f-100%20hot%20shots.htm. A MUST Visit Site!

◘

5

And The Beat Keeps Going On!

By R. Medley Gatewood

Once more, into the breach, Gatewood. I’m beginning to feel like a moving target, especially for Stake Your Claim (SYC) BS flags. So, let’s get right to the heart of the most contested claim, ever—so far! That being, of course, the “new” category of Fewest Number of Dual Rides and Hours before Solo, Period! This was offered in Issue Seven as a minor renaming of Leo Kimminau’s original category which was Smallest number of Official Dual Rides and Hours before [Hun] Solo. Right after Issue Seven came out; we started getting lots of claims from guys, starting with Lew Shattuck via Les Frazier. Lew pointed out that he and a bunch of others never had a dual ride in an F-model before soloing in a Hun. This was quickly followed by similar claims from Dick Hefton, Bob Tulberg and Curt Burns, who correctly said that I’d be getting claims from a bunch more Hun drivers. I dutifully replied to all of them that there was no question that lots of folks had soloed the Hun with zero “F” rides, but that the category was “Smallest Number of Official Dual Rides and Hours before Hun Solo” and thanked them for their interest. I remained puzzled as to why the sudden influx of zero ride claims had started, but concluded I must have given them a good answer because I never heard back from anyone rebutting my defense of Leo’s original claim. Finally, on September 1, we got a lengthy and pleasant email from Homer Whitlow who had graduated from the USAFE “F-less” schoolhouse at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco, in the early days. Here’s part of what he wrote. “Our checkout was to taxi out and line up for take off. We were to push the throttle to full military, release brakes, go into afterburner, roll until we had 180 kts, come out of AB, pull the throttle to idle, deploy the chute, brake as needed and jettison our chutes. This process continued until all pilots had completed their 180 kts taxi check. Pilots were then scheduled individually to line up on the runway and go through the same taxi process but continue their roll and take a solo ride in an F-100C. So it would appear that all F-86 pilots in this era could be marked down as checking out in the F-100C with zero dual rides.” After reading this, I started writing the standard reply to Homer, but finally cracked the code as you will see in my revised reply to him. Read on. “You are not the first to point out that lots of folks soloed the Hun with no dual rides and zero hours of Hun time. These claims seemed to start coming to us right after Issue Seven came out, wherein I thought I'd settled the original challenge to Leo Kimminau's claim problem. There must have been eight or 10 of them. I replied back to each of them repeating the logic of the case I made in Issue Seven, thinking I had put this puppy to bed (Boy, was I WRONG!).

“However, when your message came, I went back to Issue Seven’s Stake Your Claim Department and read it all again very carefully. Good that I did, as I discovered the sudden source of all these Zero Dual/Zero Hours claims—a rather significant SNAFU on my part at the end of the discussion. That mistake is the omission of one word, that word being ‘official.’ I intended the re-title of Leo's original claim to be Fewest Number of Official Dual Rides and Hours before Solo. So much for good intentions! Maybe it's a good thing, because even if I had included the intended word, I have a felling that this category of claim would persist as a bone of contention. “I think we'll just leave it as changed (Fewest Number of Dual Rides and Hours before Solo, Period), and grant a tie to the several hundreds/thousands of fearless fliers (F-86 pilots and probably some others) who soloed the Hun with Zero Dual Rides and Zero Hours. Case closed, I hope.”

And thank you again Homer, for jolting me out of my furrow-like thinking. One word, one lousy little word omitted! So there’s room for improvement, and I pledge to do so. Yet, it was an interesting exercise that I’m sure all you sharp eyed and logical Zero-Zero Hun drivers (and the others too) have enjoyed. But we can’t quite leave Leo’s original claim alone (here we go again?). In his own words, here are a couple of claims from Ron Lord that appear to top two previous claim-holder’s records. “First Category - Youngest member to fly the F-100 per Don Wolf in Issue Four. Well, after looking at my original USAF Form 5, here we go: I was born on 4

Stake Your Claim 5

Homer’s Historic and Official Graduation Certificate for Zero Dual Rides and Zero Time before Hun Solo!

(You may have to break out your magnifying glass. Ed.)

6

November 1936 and first flew the F-100F on 15 April 1958 for 2:25 hours, making me 21 years, 5 months and 11 days old when I first flew the Hun. In addition, I first soloed the Hun (F-100A) on 16 April 1958 (next day) making me 21 years, 5 months and 12 days old when I soled the "Beast". “Claim:Youngest to fly the Hun = 21 years, 5 months and 11 days; youngest to Solo the Hun = 21 years, 5 months and 12 days. [Don’s was 21 years, 10 months, 18 days at minimum. Ed.] “Second Category - Fewest Number of Official Dual Rides and Hours before Hun Solo per Leo Kimminau’s corrected category. As in the First Claim above, according to official USAF Records, I had 1 (one) F-100F ride for 2:25 hours (2 landings) at Nellis AFB on 15 April 1958 and soloed the F-100A for 0.5 hours (1 landing) the next day on 16 April 1958. “Claim:One Dual Ride in the F-100F for 2:25 hours before Hun solo. [Woohoo!, Beats Leo’s three dual/4.7 hours. Ed.] “The above info comes from my USAF Form 5 which I presume is accurate. “I had just finished the F-86F Checkout Program at Williams AFB, AZ (last flight on 3 April 1958) after Aviation Cadet Training and was at Nellis AFB in the Hun Checkout Program before going to Misawa AB, Japan in July 1958. So I guess someone thought we had our ‘Sierra’ together!” Congratulations, Ron! I guess your claim of one dual ride can only be tied, but both the age and hours before solo categories remain technically vulnerable. Backtracking to Issue Seven, we had a couple of claims for which we didn’t have room to run. The first was from Ed White of Wild Weasel fame in a letter in which he claimed to be the only person to check out in Wild Weasel F-100Fs, F-105Fs, and F-4Gs. Go for it, Weasels! The other hold-over was from Joe Haines who had what may have been a unique opportunity to shoot down a drone with only a 12 foot wingspan, armed with a D-model Hun with four 20mm cannons blazing. This deed occurred during some propaganda operations involving “Project Fullscope”at Eglin in 1963. Read all about it in the Odds and Ends Department on Page 28 and let us know if anyone can tie or top that claim. Allen Strasser (an AFROTC classmate from my Colorado University days) wrote a cordial letter on several SYC points. He made one claim in his letter and is working on another very interesting and somewhat complicated claim story. His claim for this issue is for the shortest flight in a Hun without RTB with an emergency. Allen’s tale, details of which he sent in, involved a briefed rendezvous for a little “challenge” hassle to “knock heads” with his ops officer who had received some bad promotion news and wanted to “work it off” in true fighter pilot fashion. The ops officer took off first as a single ship. Allen taxied a few minutes later intending to meet his ops officer at the agreed upon rendezvous, but instead, he

noticed his target circling the field at 4,000 feet and got bounced on the take-off roll (mobile so advised of the pending merge). There ensued a no-holds-barred rat race of epic proportions, which today we’d call the Mother of All Hassles. Allen reports that he eventually got the first “guns –guns” tracking call, and that he landed with 200 pounds in the center tank, observing that only eight minutes had elapsed since he punched the clock on brakes release to touchdown. This is less than the 10 minute record held by Skip Cornelison as reported in Issue Six. Allen didn’t say in his letter specifically what time he logged, but this category requires the addition of five minutes for STTO to keep the playing field level. So, I’ve told Allen that fact, and he accepts that the resulting 13 minutes does not break the existing record for this category. In any case, his description of the “action” was a pretty exciting read. Thanks for a good-hearted assault on the record, Allen. Here are a couple of new categories sent in by Bill “Swede” Swender. “My first SYC is the longest time period between flights in the F-100C model: 11yrs., 2mos. and 19 days. That's if my math is right. Last flight in the C-model during first encounter was 7/14/1960 at Soesterberg AB, The Netherlands, and the next flight in the C-model was at NMANG 10/02/1971. No recurrency checkout, just jumped in and flew!!!” “My second SYC is the most times checking out/getting recurrent in the HUN: Four. One: 2/4/58; F-100C at Soesterberg, The Netherlands (until 7/14/60). Two: 10/16/61; F-100D/F at England AFB, LA (until 5/03/65). Three: 01/13/71; F-100D/F at Luke AFB, AZ (also flew C-model during that time until 3/19/72). Four: 05/08/78; F-100D/F at Fort Smith, AR (until 4/20/79).” Very succinct, Swede. And thanks. You’re on record for the above two claims. (It appears some guys have finally found their Form 5 Folders and are researching them with fine-toothed combs. That‘s OK, and fun too. Ed.) We’ve received a few more SYCs from the troops, and we’ll probably see a few more show up before it’s press time. But two pages are all we can allocate for this popular department (and we already had to move the Departures Department to page five). So stand by till Issue Nine comes out in mid-March for a gripping claim by Ron Greene about his night flame-out landing. And, oh yes, there’ll be a slithering claim from Jim Lapine regarding the longest ride given to a live snake in an F-100. It’ll make the hairs on your head stand right up! Lastly, Jack Baker claims a bunch of ocean crossings. We’re still studying his claim message which you’ll see in its entirety in the next issue. It all depends on what the meaning of “ocean crossing” is. Meanwhile, get the Form 5 Folders out and see what else of SYC record potential lies between their tattered covers. I’m sure the BS flag throwers and the golf shoe- stomping guys will be ever ready to continue this fun.◘

7

“Profiles” is a new department for The Intake. We will run it when it seems appropriate to highlight people for various reasons, be they historical or contemporary. Our first Profile is that of a new honorary member of the SSS. She is the sixth such to be welcomed. We look forward to her special association with the SSS and to meet her, soon. SSS By-laws provide that,: “Honorary membership may be offered at the discretion of the Membership Committee as approved by the Board of Directors.” Pete Davitto, of the Membership Committee, learned of a possible new candidate in this category last summer. After evaluating her background and activities that relate to our mission statement, the Membership Committee concluded she was just the sort of person who deserved honorary membership in our society.

They voted unanimously to extend an Honorary Membership to Mrs. Anne Cohagan-Coleman. The Board of Directors then approved this invitation, and Mrs. Cohagan-Coleman has accepted. In a nutshell here are her qualifications. She was instrumental in the development of the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) located in Tyler, TX. Almost single handedly, she was responsible for the acquisition, refurbishment and public display of an F-100 at the museum. She worked hard and long, spent her own money, rallied the troops and made it happen. It took perseverance and “true grit” in this effort to turn her dream of honoring US Aviators into a reality. For more information and photos of this extraordinary achievement, please see the following web site. http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20080525/NEWS08/805240372 Here, then, is Anne’s Profile, provided by herself and Pete Davitto. Ed.

Going to war in Vietnam can be scary, especially if your dad is the one going and you’re his eight-year-old daughter. “I’m proud of my dad (Lt. Col. Paul Cohagan), who flew the F-100 Super Sabre in combat in defense of our country, our citizens and in support of the South Vietnamese people,” said Anne Cohagan-Coleman. “In 1965, just before Dad deployed to Vietnam, I gave him a small aluminum four-leaf clover that I found in a box of Cracker Jacks. It was my ‘good luck charm’ to bring him home safely. He came home after two tours in Vietnam a changed man, but he was home. He continued to fly even after retirement until he passed away in 2005. That clover is framed with his Air Force picture and hangs in my office to this day. “Dad always said that the F-100 was his favorite aircraft and was the true beginning of the jet age, even though he’d previously flown the F-84 and F-86. He remained devoted to the Air Force until the day he died. Being the daughter of a career military man was tough at times, but I now really miss the camaraderie Dad and I shared. We just understood each other….” To honor her father and all military aviators, as well as the F-100 aircraft, Anne Cohagan-Coleman funded the rescue and restoration of an F-100 that was destined for the bone yard. Along with the efforts of Col. John Mustard and Col. Bob Finley (both USAF, Ret.) of the HAMM museum of Tyler, TX, the war bird is now painted in the markings and symbols of Lt. Col. Paul Cohagan’s 481st TFS stationed at Tan Son Nhut, including the identifying green “flash” on the tail. However, there is one significant change from the original “Lying c” nose art—it was replaced with a green four leaf clover. “We Cohagan’s are Irish, and value our lucky charms,” Anne said with a smile. The gleaming Hun, a tribute to the admiration and high esteem she holds for USAF pilots and all veterans, is on display at the HAMM in Tyler, Texas. Mrs. Coleman is an Associate of Vietnam Veterans of America #991, a Legion of Honor recipient named by the Chapel of Four Chaplains, the Adjutant for Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary #63, a volunteer driver for the VA Clinic in Palestine, TX, founder of the Veterans' Historic Education Center in Palestine, TX, and [now] an Honorary Member of the Super Sabre Society. ◘ Thanks for the super effort on the airplane and for your other volunteer efforts, Anne. Again, welcome aboard on behalf of the entire SSS membership. Members should take note and circle Tyler, TX, as a “must stop” when traveling nearby. Ed.

Profiles — New Honorary Member … Anne Cohagan-Coleman

In her father’s flying jacket, Anne and her

memorial Hun arrive at HAMM.

Lots of work yet to go.

Almost ready for dedication day.

8

By Jack Doub The Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is a world-class facility whose mission is “To inspire and educate, to promote and preserve aviation and space history, and to honor the patriotic service of our veterans.” Among its many artifacts and educational programs, it is the home of Howard Hughes’ famous “Spruce Goose,” and is that monster awesome, especially when seen close-up! Check it all out at http://www.sprucegoose.org/ and plan an enjoyable visit, if you’re ever in that neck of the woods. Ed. Back in 2007, the directors of the Evergreen Air and Space Museum announced they were restoring an F-100F and would be dedicating it to the Misty Fast FACs when the work was complete. With the help of former Misty commander, Tony McPeak, Del Smith, founder of Evergreen International Aviation and chairman of the museum’s Board of Trustees, arranged to host Bud Day, Misty 01, and other Misty crews to a tour and banquet during the unveiling ceremony in August, 2008. It was with eager anticipation that many Mistys headed off to this special event. The museum is a truly beautiful facility located just outside McMinnville, Oregon. The Evergreen folks did a masterful job of rebuilding and restoring two old F-100F hulks into as pretty a display aircraft as you're likely to see. In one of the accompanying action-capturing photos, the names of two former Mistys (at the time Major Tony McPeak and Captain Ron Fogleman) are emblazoned under the respective front and back cockpits of the restored F-100 Super Sabre. (Both men later became USAF Chiefs of Staff, or COS.) When asked why his name was under the rear cockpit, Fogleman noted wryly, “Well, Tony was COS 14 and I was 15...and rank doth have its privileges.”

Current Events — 2008 Misty F-100F Dedication

Evergreen’s main hanger, venue for the dedication banquet.

The Evergreen folks did a marvelous job of preserving a bit of Misty history and made the entire Misty group feel like heroes. We give them an A+ for both efforts. In addition to an Evergreen hosted banquet, which, interestingly enough was held just next to the left wing of the old Misty warhorse, and under the wing of the famed Spruce Goose, the Misty crews enjoyed a tour of Oregon wine country. This mobile outing was ably arranged by the resident Misty wine entrepreneur, Lanny Lancaster, Misty 44. Cheers, Lanny! The visiting Mistys stayed in Lake Oswego, Oregon, at a particularly nice lakeside inn. The hospitality suite was the expected busy spot...war stories and adult beverages flowing freely. Not only did General Tony arrange a great get-together, he and his wife hosted the entire group for dinner at his gorgeous river-side townhouse. Thank you, sir, for helping to organize and pull off another great Misty event.

Jack Doub and Bud Day relaxing in the wine tasting

room!

9

The Misty group awaits the bus outside their hotel.

Ed Risinger and Lanny Lancaster discuss fine wines!

Tony McPeak and Ron Fogleman in front of the “Misty” F-100F with their respective names on the canopy rail.

A local TV station’s (KGW) take on this is really nice. See http://www.kgw.com/video/?z=y&nvid=282231. ◘

PIF regulars, all…Nophsker, Doub, PJ, Shepperd and

Greene.

Bill Douglass’ new "do"..."Curly," we call him now!

In purple shirt, Dick Rutan casually samples the vintage

fare!

Tony McPeak, Charlie Neel and Bud Day in front of the

Evergreen Museum.

10

“This was the ‘golden age’ of the USAF.”

A Short Story about My Hun Time from Joe Kittinger

Having been asked by the editor of this august journal to do a short story about my association with the F-100 Super Sabre, I decided to break out a tattered copy of my AF Form 5, the “Pilot Individual Flight Record.” I then researched the pages to chronicle my flight experience in this great aircraft and to make sure that what I wrote would be accurate. Looking at my flight logs was a trip back in time, and it prompted me to remember a lot of fun times flying this aircraft—and the one mission that really wasn’t so much fun. I ended up with 7,678.6 hours in my Air Force career, with a total of 4,472.9 hours in jet aircraft, 277.6 hours of which were in the F-100A, C, D and F. I now have 16,800 hours in 93 different aircraft (as the “PIC” [Pilot in Command]) and I still cherish the F-100 missions I flew at Holloman AFB, NM. I was assigned to Holloman in July 1953 after being stationed with the 86th TFW in Germany for three years where I flew the F-47 (Not a typo, Ed.), F-84E and G, and the F-86E and F aircraft. At Holloman I was assigned to the Fighter Test Section and had the absolutely best job in the entire Air Force because I got to fly a variety of different aircraft, ranging from L-19s to F-104s. At one time during my five years at Holloman, I was flying 11 different types of aircraft concurrently. That was a blast. This was the “golden age” of the USAF. Holloman usually got new jet fighters from Edwards AFB after they had completed the experimental test flight programs. As a result, we received the Number Five F-100A from Edwards in May of 1955. I couldn’t wait to checkout in this new toy. On 19 May 1955, I made my first flight in the F-100A. The next day, on my second flight in the bird, I wore a T-1 partial pressure suit while chasing an XF-102 aircraft on a high altitude missile-firing flight. I could barely slow down enough to chase the XF-102. Later, they came up with the “coke bottle design” for the -102 fuselage and the performance of that aircraft improved (still not as good as the Super Sabre). For Armed Forces Day in September of 1955, someone (probably me) came up with the idea of making a supersonic pass down the runway at Holloman to show the locals the great performance of the F-100. The Center Commander approved the mission, provided we tested the concept first. So, Grant Bird flew his H-21 helicopter out to the fifty-mile impact area at the White Sands Missile Range, landed and shut down the engine. I was in radio contact with Grant and made several passes on the deck at mach one. He said that the result was not too severe, so we pressed on to do a supersonic “pass in review” at Holloman for the locals a few days later. Grant was standing next to the Center Commander when I flew down runway 21 at over mach one. The

resulting shock wave busted out all the windows on the flight line, blew the windows out of Grant’s H-21 and caused the Center Commander to get red in the face. It also scared the hell out of the locals who had their pants shaken. I was not asked to do another pass. I was worried that I would be transferred to SAC because of all the damage done by my pass down the runway, but since it was approved by the Center Commander, I survived. I guess all of us should have known better. I am probably the only Air Force pilot who exceeded the speed of sound on the deck, over spectators yet, with permission!

Joe couldn’t find a Hun hero photo, so

this works fine.

I checked out in the F-100C on 25 June ‘56, the F-100D on 28 August ‘57 and the F-100F on 26 November ‘57. My last jF-100 flight was on 2 April ‘58. We did a wide variety of missions in the F-100. We chased other experimental aircraft, observed missile firings at various altitudes and attitudes (including the AIM-7, AIM-9, AIM-4 and the Genie), and flew hot guns on drones and missiles. One of our F-100Cs had a 70mm camera mounted in the left part of the forward cockpit, which gave us the unique capability to take aerial photographs of any experiment that needed photo documentation at high airspeeds and/or high altitudes. The Snark missile was having structural difficulties, and the Air Force needed photo coverage of tank separation. At the time, our F-100C was the only aircraft that could perform this mission. On 6 February 1957, quite unexpectedly, we were directed to fly to Patrick AFB to be available for a Snark firing the next day. My wingman and I departed Holloman and made a fuel stop at England AFB, LA. Upon landing, we discovered a leaking brake on my F-100, the one with the 70mm camera installed. Fortunately, England had F-100s but the repairs were not completed in time for us to depart that evening. We arrived at the flight line at 0500 the next morning to find that the ceiling was zero-zero with fog. A visit to the weather office disclosed that the fog was not forecast to lift until about 10 am. We briefed the command post that it was imperative that we get to Patrick for the Snark mission. They towed the aircraft out to the end of the runway and had the starting units hooked up. We waited, and waited. I had figured that in order to make the Snark flight that the latest that we could take off was 0630. At 0625, I called the command post and informed them that it appeared that the ceiling was improving and that we would like to take off. After all, I had a green card

11

and had no doubts that we could make the zero-zero takeoff. The command post said that their weather report showed that the ceiling and visibility was still zero-zero, but since we were over a mile from the observation point, perhaps the ceiling was better where we were. They cleared us for takeoff. Off we went and flew at full MIL power to Patrick. When we arrived at Patrick, they had refueling trucks, spare drag chutes and power units awaiting us at the end of the runway. We did not need the drag chutes because we both landed without using them. In about 10 minutes we were on the takeoff roll, made one quick 360 and picked up the Snark on its takeoff. It was that close! We flew formation on the Snark, and 30 minutes after takeoff, at about 41,000 feet, its tanks separated and knocked off the Snark’s tail. I had it on film. Problem solved. A few months later, I flew another Snark mission where the Snark flew almost to the west coast of Africa, then turned around and flew back, landing at the crash pad at Patrick. I chased the missile outbound until I was BINGO fuel. I returned to Patrick, refueled and then took off to intercept the Snark when it returned. I had hot guns…in case they might be needed. In July 1957, I was scheduled for a test flight of an F-100, but at the last minute, a project meeting was called that prohibited me from making the flight. I called Buck Buchanan and asked if he would take the mission. He agreed. During the test flight at about 18,000 feet, while in afterburner, he got a fire warning light, lost flight controls and ejected safely. I was on the flight safety board, appointed as the accident investigating officer. The cause of the accident was suspected to be a failure of the “B” nut in the afterburner system. On 19 September 1957, Buck Buchanan was scheduled for an F-100 test flight, but at the last minute he had to cancel (does this sound familiar?). I immediately volunteered for the mission, and that led to my “least fun” flight ever in the F-100. The following statement, taken from my Form 5 explains what happened: “19 Sept. ‘57-Accident, major: F-100C aprx 5 mi NE of Holloman AFB, NM; failure of utility system, on takeoff. Fire warning light and failure of flight control system with elevator in full up position. Pilot ejected. No pilot error.” Actually, on takeoff, after getting airborne, I raised the landing gear handle. The hydraulic pressure went to zero and the gear stayed down. This was immediately followed by a fire warning light. I pulled up and headed for the down wind leg. I wasn’t worried because I had had several similar emergencies in other aircraft and felt confident that I could make a successful landing. After all, I was a Sierra Hotel fighter pilot. I was at about 1,000 feet on the downwind leg when suddenly the stick went full aft, pitching the aircraft up. I

immediately deployed the RAT (Ram Air Turbine) with no effect. With the gear down and the stick in the full aft position I had no option but to eject. I ejected at 800 feet, reached for the lap belt (which had a two second time delay) and it was open. I then reached for the rip cord, but the parachute opened automatically (it also had a two second delay). I took one swing and landed. It was close, but the ejection system worked as advertised. Buck Buchanan was appointed as the aircraft accident investigating officer and determined that I had experienced the same type of failure that he had experienced. Lots of F-100s were lost because of these “B” nut failures. Fortunately, this problem was later solved. During my 30-year Air Force career, I covered the spectrum for ejections and jumps from high altitudes. I had the aforementioned successful 800 foot ejection from an crippled F-100 (low altitude); a supersonic ejection from an F-4D at 18,000 feet (high speed), after being hit by a missile fired by a Mig-21; and three jumps from the fringe of space, the last one from 102,800 feet (very high altitude). I thoroughly enjoyed flying the Super Sabre; it was a super aircraft. I had a very enjoyable 30 year career in the US Air Force and was in the Air Force during the “golden era”–flying great aircraft.

“The Jump”

In closing, I want to acknowledge the contributions of the dedicated crew chiefs who prepared our beloved F-100s for us to fly. Thanks to all of you for your service to our US Air Force and for daily giving us this great aircraft [in which] to soar in the blue. Check 6 — Joe Kittinger Colonel, USAF (Retired) P.S. In reviewing this article, I see that I forgot to mention my utter surprise when I encountered my first compressor stall in the Super Sabre. I am sure that every pilot who experienced a compressor stall will know my surprise, and I am sure that everyone who flew the Hun experienced at least one compressor stall. No briefing will ever prepare a pilot for that first compressor stall in the F-100. The aircraft acted like a sounding board; amplifying the sound and vibrations, which quickly resulted (almost automatically) in the throttle being quickly retarded. ◘

Thanks Joe. Many other SSSers and I are now wiser in early Hun and Air Fore lore and are grateful for your excellent reply to our query about your Hun experiences. Super job! Ed.

12

“Now, Barty was a bit confused.”

By Jack Doub Prologue No incident in USAF history has achieved the visual prominence of the ninfamous “Sabre Dance.” The film strip of this accident has appeared in several movies and TV shows and is still widely viewed on the internet. If you “Google” “F-100 Sabre Dance,” 2,030 responses appear. It is certainly one of the most familiar aviation films of all time. Little is known about the accident and eye witnesses are not readily available so many years after the fact. The following story is based, primarily, on a dog-eared copy of the USAF accident report and interviews with a few folks who were around at the time with personal knowledge of the incident. The Set Up The 10th of January turned out to be a gorgeous day in 1956, with unlimited visibility and just a few thin clouds high in the desert sky over Palmdale, California, home to North American Aviation’s production facility. A young lieutenant noted the calm wind as he walked around a sleek jet fighter with a distinctive intake. What a job he had; flying brand new airplanes from the factory to units converting to that model! These birds even had that “new plane” smell. He absolutely loved this part of his job. First Lieutenant Barty R. Brooks was assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), specifically, its 1708th Ferry Wing, based at Kelly AFB, Texas. His mission today, a real toughie, was to fly this brand new airplane the 50 miles or so to George AFB near Victorville, California. The gleaming silver F-100C, with number 41907 emblazoned on the tail in 12 inch letters, would be joining the growing fleet of George's 479th Fighter-Day Wing, the first TAC wing equipped with the F-100. (Note: the full serial number was 54-1907A. Why the difference is a good story for another day. Ed.) Following his preflight, the young pilot climbed aboard the Super Sabre and strapped in before commencing his engine start procedures. The 27-year-old lieutenant had only been flying for two years since flight school and had already amassed an impressive 672 hours of flying time (but only 39 in the F-100). Since his checkout in the Hun A-model, he'd collected 14 hours in the “C” model. He loved the Super Sabre, the hottest new airplane in the Air Force inventory and the first capable of reaching supersonic speeds in straight and level flight! A perfect day. The perfect airplane. He was a lucky young man. As he taxied out, the bird performed flawlessly, passing all cockpit checks perfectly. North American builds a good airplane, he thought Palmdale tower cleared him for takeoff. He advanced the throttle to full military power. Everything was in the green. He released the brakes, and in jubilation, he slammed the throttle outboard into afterburner range and waited for the spectacular “boom” that would inform him the burner was going full tilt! In just seconds, he was rocketing down the runway. The runway was almost a blur as it streamed past … liftoff speed ... he rotated ... the jet lifted off cleanly, the airspeed really building quickly now ... gear up ... wait for the lights ... what the hell ... something was wrong ... something was wrong with the gear. The nose gear hadn't retracted? Airspeed was approaching the gear down maximum. He came out of burner and raised the nose to keep the airspeed below 230 knots. Now, Barty was a bit confused. Why won’t the nose gear retract? What’s the problem and what to do about it? Analysis and Planning The pilot of a nearby airborne aircraft volunteered to do a visual check and, as he closed with Barty’s Hun, confirmed that the nose gear did not look normal. A closer look revealed that the scissor link was not connected, so the nose strut had extended to its full length—a potentially dangerous landing problem in itself. Best to leave the gear down, they decided, as the overly long nose gear might jam in the wheel well if further retractions were initiated. There was even worse news: without the scissor connection, the twin nose wheels had swiveled and were cocked ninety-degrees to the side! After much discussion, the experts decided Barty should fly the Hun the short distance over to Edwards AFB with its 15,000 foot runway. Edwards also had some of the best crash rescue folks in the business. Palmdale tower coordinated with Edwards, advising that the F-100 was en-route with the wheels down and locked but with cocked nose wheels at the end of a fully extended strut.

The Original Sabre Dance

Charter member Jack is also a contributing editor of The Intake.

He flew 3 Tours in Vietnam, including 102 missions with

Misty. He is attributed with more combat missions in SEA than any

other F-100 Pilot (572).

13

A tactical decision was made. Edwards would foam the runway in case the wheels didn't caster around to the correct alignment upon touchdown and just skidded along the runway sideways. In that case, the nose wheel tires would surely blow, with fire a distinct possibility as the metal rims ground down on the concrete runway. The plan was for Barty to land normally, lower the nose to the foam-covered runway and, hopefully, come to a normal stop. While this drama unfolded, a photography crew at Edwards was setting up cameras for a bomber test run scheduled for later in the day. When they heard of the inbound emergency, they decided to film the landing as a practice run for their system. Thus, the scene was set for one of the fledgling Air Force's most fateful incidents…and it was caught for posterity on film from two high speed cameras. The Fateful Dance At about 16:27 Pacific Time, Barty approached the runway at Edwards. The approach looked fine

until he seemed to level off and stretch his touchdown point just a bit, probably in an attempt to reach the foamed portion of the runway. The flight path still looked okay, but then the nose rotated slightly high and directional control began to wander. He drifted into a slight right bank as he staggered along in an extremely nose-high attitude. Sensing a disaster, Barty lit the afterburner. This action seemed to exaggerate his nose high attitude, and the stricken fighter appeared to balance briefly on the afterburner blast—looking much like a rocket would look just after liftoff. Then, sickeningly, it drifted slowly into a steepening left bank. Clearly out of control now, the F-100 began to drop like a stone in a 90 degree bank, striking the left wingtip and cart-wheeling into a huge ball of fire as the wreckage was strewn along the right side of the runway. When rescue personnel reached Barty, he was still strapped in with his helmet and oxygen mask securely in place. His lifeless body was removed from the wreckage and taken quickly to the Edward's hospital. The fateful Sabre Dance had ended. Epilogue Although rumors persist that Barty threw up in his mask and choked to death, I could find no direct confirmation of that theory. According to a current flight surgeon/trauma specialist interviewed at Edwards AFB, it is unlikely that Barty could have survived such a violent accident in any case. But he agrees that the vomit/oxygen mask theory is quite likely and certainly would have contributed to his demise. A more burning question to me is: should a young MATS pilot have been ferrying the USAF's hottest fighter with only 39 hours in that type? Lieutenant Barty Brooks had not completed a formal aircrew checkout program in the F-100 and was not operationally ready. In any case, his inexperience was definitely a contributing factor in my mind. I wonder if MATS ever adjusted its policy on ferry qualification training as a result of this accident. We’ll probably never know. The author would like to thank Mr. Louie F. Alley, Director of Freedom of Information Services, USAF Safety Center, at Kirtland AFB, NM; and SSSers Ed Lloyd and the resident experts on the PIF. View the videos from which these clips came at http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/tags/test and scroll down to them. ◘

Classic Color Camera

Little-known B&W Camera

14

Converted from the original publication—5th AF Flight Safety News, April ‘57

Converting To The Century By 1/Lt Francis J. Byrne To many pilots already familiar with the F-100D, this article may sound like old stuff, but to those with no “century” time, it should point up some do’s and don’ts to help you in your transitions into the new bird here in the Far East. When it comes time for you to strap yourself to this gorgeous monster (and let’s face it, 15 tons is a lot of bird), there are a few new tricks to have up your sleeve to bring her back in one piece. A few of these tricks can be picked up in the Mobile Training Detachment and a few from the college of hard knocks. But here I am getting ahead of myself, so let’s take the program from the beginning and see what it takes to safely check out in the first of the century models. Before you (meaning a 5th AF unit) receive your first shipment of the potent package, there are a few difficulties that you will encounter. You will need a larger local flying area. It takes quite a big “hunk” of air for this bird to stretch its muscles. An unpopulated supersonic area, preferably over the open water, is a must. Noise will be somewhat bothersome to the local citizenry, and you’ll have to plan your traffic accordingly. New engine test stands must be built. An aircraft run-up pad, compete with ground test harnesses for afterburner checks and an exhaust fence, should also be built—brakes will never hold the ‘100 in afterburner. Certain special equipment, such as tools, testing gear, and pilot’s personal equipment should be in your unit supply before flying is begun. A liquid oxygen setup is a tricky problem. Don’t handle it lightly. Without proper crew briefing and adequate safety equipment, liquid oxygen can be very dangerous. A bore sighting range for the 20mm guns is another facility that you’ll need. As your conversion progresses, and more people are flying the bird, these necessary facilities and equipment may mean the difference between a successful or failing conversion program. A good look at an F-100D squadron, such as the 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron, would be a fine pre-requisite to see, first hand, how the job of converting was done. Enough of the ground work! Let’s get it in the air! When the news of the F-100’s arrival reached the 80th’s Operations Shop, “Takusan” (Meaning “a lot of” in Japanese. Ed.) pandemonium broke loose; but a few undertones of doubt were in the minds of the first Far East guinea pigs too. Things were “snookered” and sewed up with the 84-G. The thought of trading her in on a new

model seemed like a typical “no sweat” job. Little did we know! An F-100D familiarization class was set up with mock-ups and tech orders, and a bunch of adventure-hungry jocks were itching to wring out the new bird before it even arrived. By the time the 10 day course was finished, the classroom “Columbuses” were eager to leap off. They had the procedures indelibly tattooed in the ol’ cerebrum because this bird requires trigger-quick thinking and reflexes. It pays to know your procedures well. Next came 10 hours of recent jet time in any type of aircraft as a limbering up exercise to work out the kinks of the stand-down period (they had been in). Then came the birds [themselves]—in tight diamond formation low over the field! The big day had arrived, and the 80th jocks were soon poring over the new cockpit layout like a “low-cut gown.” In the next few days, takeoffs and landings were observed before caressing fingers touched the stick and throttle. Here, first hand, one could see that taking the F-100 up and down was as different as going from elevators to escalators. You smack fly her to the deck! Some of the takeoffs and landings you see might make you a little skeptical when it comes time for you to take the runway. One thing for sure, you should forget how it was done in the “84” and “86,” or even the “100-A.” This swept wing torch has its own way of taking off and landing.

You will notice the weight of the aircraft in taxiing more than at any other time. It feels heavy. At idle range, taxiing can be accomplished with no trouble at all. In fact, you may find yourself going much too fast, and with all that weight, you have to use the brakes every so often to hold down your taxi speed. The brakes are a marked improvement over the ones in the 100-A. There’s no grab. The anti-skid system is a definite must with an aircraft this heavy. You don’t want to pump these brakes to an excess. They don’t require it, and secondly, you may fail the system. However, to regain the system is simple. Just stay

Checkout with Chase

15

off the brakes for a few seconds, and they will build back to full power.

Tire trouble was experienced in the first few days of conversion. We found the ramps had to be thoroughly cleaned before all the trouble ceased. Our base was undergoing a major runway, taxiway and tarmac overhaul. Rocks and pieces of scrap cement cluttered the taxiways. With the weight of the aircraft and high taxi speeds, these objects can cut a tire to shreds. If you have a crash barrier, try to avoid taxiing over it. Before taking the runway, make sure that the canopy’s all the

way down and locked. A sure-fire way to make this check is to run the canopy [to] down and locked, then hold the switch for a five count after the light goes out. After you have made the necessary pre-takeoff checks, you are ready to get a “big boot” out of this bird. And believe me, that’s what you’ll get! The afterburner really sends you down the runway like you’ve never been sent before. The nose wheel steering is engaged until rudder control is reached, and you attain flying speed almost immediately thereafter. The controls are very sensitive, and you may run into considerable trouble on takeoff. As you reach takeoff speed, gently come back with the stick until the nose starts its rise. You may feel you are too high, or not high enough, but in any case you feel the nose wheel lift off the ground. At this time, hold what you have, and the rest will take care of itself. If you push the stick forward you may very well find yourself back on the runway, and beginning a porpoise. If you pull back on the stick to what you think is too far, you’ll just get airborne that much faster. It’s hard to stall this bird when in afterburner. This does not mean maximum performance takeoffs [are routine], but on the first one, until you get the feel of the aircraft, too much back pressure and holding it, is better than driving back into the runway, [risking] or getting into an uncontrollable or dangerous porpoise close to the ground. Once airborne, the gear should come up quickly. It’s easy to go beyond the [maximum] gear down speed. In one deep breath, you’re beyond it. The aircraft handles like a dream. The turn ratio is exceptionally tight for such a big bird. It does have a

tendency, however, to “dig in” past the three “G” range in turns or over the top maneuvers. At .92 mach, or thereabouts, there’s a slight nose down characteristic; not uncomfortable and not persisting below or beyond this speed range. Handling characteristics are good at altitudes up to 35,000 feet. In no time, you can really get familiar with her. Forced landings are accomplished as in any other aircraft. Strive for a certain spot over the field; establish a certain low key; have the correct glide speed. If you can [achieve and] maintain these all important factors, you’ve got it made. With the engine off, and all the garbage down, it falls like a streamlined safe. So make sure you’ll need those flaps and/or boards before lowering them! The landing pattern is conservative, but will pay off in good safe landings. The one the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing has incorporated is the long, 1,500 foot initial, with the airspeed at 300 knots. The break is wide with the power lever set to give you 70-75% power. Roll out on the downwind and put the gear down under 230 knots. At this time, you’ll need more power to hold 200-210 knots for base leg. Most of the turn to base should be made holding constant altitude, then bring the flaps down and start the descent to final. A long final is advised because it gives you plenty of time to attain the proper airspeed and a stable descent [rate]. The final approach is similar to a G.C.A. final approach. A controlled descent is a good name for it. It is much better to be a little warm in airspeed over the fence, than cool. The reason is because at 135 knots, or thereabouts, a definite nose up and gliding stall condition occurs. The aircraft feels like it wants to keep right on flying, then suddenly, it drops like a wounded duck; a situation to avoid. A minimum final approach speed of 155 knots indicated airspeed is recommended to avoid [an] excessive rate of sink and to stay away from the well-known back side of the power curve. This bird feels differently that other aircraft on landings. At first, you’ll feel robbed of any actual feeling of a good clean landing. When the wheels touch the runway, don’t pull back on the stick or she’ll leap off again. If that happens, you’ll find yourself in a stall. Instead, relax the back pressure, and gently lower the nose to the runway.

To pop the drag chute, snap the handle aft with the palm upward, like you mean business. When the chute deploys, you should have the nose wheel steering in operation. The chute slows the aircraft quickly, and in

Chute Really Cuts Roll-out

The Author

16

some instances you won’t need brakes at all. Upon approaching the drag chute drop area, revolve the handle [with the palm down], and another snap jettisons the silk. Keep the chute canopy full, or it won’t release.

There are several maintenance headaches that always accompany a new aircraft. One that hampered training at the 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron was using the wrong type grease on the A.C. generator shafts by mistake. The wrong oil in the engine could cause a multitude of troubles. Luckily, we found the trouble which caused loss of oil and zero oil pressure readings in the air early in the

game. It was something as simple as an oil screen installed wrong. Oil screens, needing inspection every 15 hours, should be installed with the greatest of care to insure proper fitting. Take pride in your flying machine. Be proud of your birds! Know your aircraft before you fly it! Learn all the emergency procedures before you attempt even to start it; you never know when you may need them. There are many different systems, so there’s a lot that can go wrong. Be sure your ground crews are completely familiar with the aircraft before they work on them. Takeoffs and landings are the hardest things to flying this big bird, but if you follow the simple rules set down by those who know its capabilities, you should have no difficulties. Itazuke Open House Static Display

The F-100D is a great aircraft and will enhance our strength in the Far East. It is the right aircraft for the job assigned to it. The pilots will find it fun to fly, and with more time in it, will really fall in love with it. To you who have yet to check out in the “Superest of the Sabres,” you have a wonderful experience ahead of you. ◘

It’s interesting to note that checking out at/with a unit converting to the Hun in those early days was a whole different experience than that encountered by most of us who checked out at various “school houses,” where many of the lessons to be learned were already learned and taught, proactively! If you’re among the latter, like me, try re-reading this and just imagine what it must have been like in wholesale unit conversions out on the “frontiers of freedom” where young, talented guys like 1/Lt. Byrne were the experts with 5-10 hours in the Hun. It’s amazing how well they succeeded! Ed.

The Mighty Hun

Not an Orange Hat! $15

Large Patch (7.71”x9”)

$15

F-100 Patch (3.5 “)$5

Stick-on Decal (2”) 2/$5

Stick-on Decal (3”)2/$5

Small Patch (3.5”x3”)

$5

Super Sabre Society Store = Hot Deals There are several items for sale on the SSS Web site under the link Auxiliary Equipment. As nice as they all are, some of those items bring no cash to the SSS. However, the items shown below (which are a sub-set of those on the Web site) DO bring somecash into the SSS coffers. So belly up and get a hat that’s Not Orange, and buy some other sew-on or stick-on items to help you celebrate being an SSS member. Sloan Brooks will process and deliver your order if you send a snail-mail letter with your selections and a check to “Auxiliary Equipment,” SSS, PO Box 500044, Austin, TX, 78750, or I’ll bet he’d even take an email order from you addressed to sloanb@swbell.net and send the goodies when he gets your check. Good stuff, good cause, good deal!

New !

Blue or Tan,

Specify

17

18

19

“Them were the days.”

By Alan “Lad” Duaine Once again, “Lad” (from Laurence A. Duaine) entertains us with some “war story” vignettes from Chapter 10 of his unpublished work to be called “Cold Warrior.” Previous chapters appeared as stories in The Intake Issue Three (The Day My Real Life Began), Issue Five (Double Dead-Sticks at Rivolto) and Issue Seven (’58 TDY Aviano Adventures [3 of 8]). If you haven’t enjoyed them, you can check them out on the SSS web site under the link labeled “The Intake Journal” where archived copies of all issues are now accessible using the current SSS password (if you don’t have it, contact the Editor). As promised in the Issue Seven installment, here are the last five of eight short vignettes. Ed. Italian Dollar Rides Some adventures came off better than they might have, like a time Eddie Gillard and I were sent down to beachside Pratica di Mare, home of the Italian 4th Stormo, a fighter outfit with the insignia of a rearing black stallion—Il Cavallino Rampanta. Major Stanfield and Lt. Colonel Laureati, our Italian Air Force liaison officer, had cooked up a cross-cultural military fraternization exercise. Simply put, the idea was to give our NATO compatriots a close-up look at our part of the U.S. Air Force. Eddie and I went down a day early, in one of the F-models. We found a 400-foot, ragged overcast, underneath which raged the wildest wind for landing that I'd ever encountered, fifty knots direct cross, gusting to fifty-five. There was no alternative; the single runway lay parallel to the beach, across which the wind roared straight in from the Tyrrhenian Sea. On our first GCA approach, we broke out at three quarters of a mile, in a god-awful crab. The controller had done a wonderful job of Kentucky windage, but when I tried to kick out of the crab for a wing down runway alignment, I nearly hung a wingtip in the turbulence. It was wild as hell. As we went back up into the turbulent murk for another go, we both knew we were in for a very interesting arrival. After I had boogered two more attempts to land, I told Eddie, sitting quietly in the back seat, that I was beginning to doubt the feasibility of our efforts, a gratuitous remark; for now, we had no alternative. Eddie, a dead ringer for U.S. Grant, answered as the old Union General probably would have, “Well Lad, you're just going to have to get this thing on the ground before you run it out of gas.” Inspired by his phlegmatic analysis, I decided on a different tack. On what had to be the last attempt, I circled wide around beneath the cloud base, playing the horrendous drift to arrive at the touchdown point just as our heading coincided with that of the runway. That solved the terrible problem I'd had, getting runway alignment in the terrific turbulence, but from 300 feet, that base leg was awesome, nothing but roiling sea, mist and spume. The Italians were flying what looked like a knockoff on the F-86D, called the Fiat G-91. It was a damn good

airplane, better than the 86D, but it didn't have a ‘burner. The Italians loved that F-100 AB. Their apt sounding term for it was “post-brucciatore.” The next day, Boyd Van Horn and I alternated flying the Italian brass. They all wanted “post-brucciatore dopo!” We gave two rides per load of fuel, getting a little wilder as we went. We would burn the external tanks dry on an initial ride, leave the engine running while we got another man in back, then leap off for the lightweight ride. I had been saving my new friend, Lt. Ghiaccini, liaison officer from the 4th Stormo, for my last lightweight ride. On takeoff, I thrilled us both with a careful roll, just after I got the gear up “Ooh, hah!” yelled Ghiaccini, “Let's go fast!” Still smarting from my penance over booming Aviano, I was reticent, but Ghiaccini swore "non sudare," ["no sweat"] so I went for it—about 1.3 Mach. He was delighted. On the next sortie, Van Horn, not to be outdone, did the same roll. The only one who didn't have a good time was one of the colonels that I drew. On his ride, I came down the runway on the deck, planning to do a half loop, to fly the length of the runway inverted, then to split-S back down. Hanging from the straps after the pull-up, I made it halfway back up the runway when he bleated, “Basta! Basta! Io vecchio!” [“Stop! Enough! I'm an old man!”] There was a slight delay for translation, and then I rolled the “old man” coronel back right side up. Back at Aviano, Lew Shattuck laughed like hell when I told him about it. “You should have said, ‘It won't go any faster, Colonel.’” Damn, I wish I had thought of that!

’58 TDY Aviano Adventures, Fini

In Riyadh during Ramadan,

2002, “Lad’ wrapped up damn near 50 years in the cockpit. “My final landing there ended ten years of

corporate flying out of Paris Le Bourget and 23 years with

Braniff International, but none of that flying ever

matched my first twelve Air Force years in Superhogs,

Huns, and Thuds.”

20

Driving for Fun Our days off were precious and varied. Some we spent in the snow up at Cortina d'Ampezzo. Once, big Bennie Higgins and I made it to Paris on a great train ride through Switzerland. The best time was when Benny and I went to Rome with little Larry White. I always insisted upon driving everywhere, even though it was Larry's new VW. Larry and Benny couldn't have cared less. They were laidback southern boys who knew how to relax, even when I got into a furious race through the Apennines with an Italian in a Fiat. It took me 20 minutes and 30 hairpin turns to pass him, but Stirling Moss never had a prouder moment. During a particularly strident stretch in second gear, the big air fan was howling. Lolling in the rear seat, all Larry said from behind was, “Hey, Lad, somebody back here is hollering for help.” I was winding it up pretty tight for a new engine. (Larry nailed me that same way back home in the states, too. I had come in raving about my latest ticket from the Dougherty County Highway Patrol. “Those goddam Georgia crackers are persecuting me, just because I'm driving a Corvette!” I fumed. That night I was running down Albany's main drag, going through the gears on the high end of the torque curve, when Larry mumbled out of the side of his mouth, “Lad, you're fixin' to get persecuted again.”) In Rome, we did a whirlwind number on everything from the catacombs to St. Peter's basilica. There, in the Sistine Chapel, where as one, the three of us raised our eyes—up, up, to the heavenly themes painted in that

magnificent dome, there was a defining moment. Involuntarily, I muttered my most habitually fervent tribute, one only an irreligious upstart of my ilk could use. “Goddam!” “Nice going, Lad,” my large young companion Benny growled. As he nervously cleared his throat, I realized somewhere in my mind, the distance between my reaction and his. I was elated at the majesty of that ceiling fresco, like a truly great bull ride, perhaps. He was overcome with the obligatory reverence for that artist's motivating ideal. I saw consummate delivery on a special contract, e.g., to do the goddamndest dome-painting job anyone had ever seen, whereas, he accepted the incredible work as something better appreciated without blasphemy. Sometimes it got lonely, being a loose cannon! Competing Air Shows On Armed Forces Day, Aviano had a hell of an air show, featuring the Skyblazers, USAFE's version of the Thunderbirds, and every bit as good. We got late word that the Italians were also sending an aerial demonstration team, of what description we knew not, for their reputation did not precede them. The team turned out to be the Diavoli Rossi, or “Red Devils.” They flew 84Fs out of Ghedi Air Base, over near Milano. We had had an earlier hint that there were some pretty good jocks over there, when some of our people bounced a solo 84F, to report that despite their best efforts, he just wouldn't be cornered. When the Red Devils came to practice their routine the day before the show, it was sunny and beautiful. Open-mouthed, we watched the brio of the Italians. The solos flew around upside down most of the time. They had an unnerving trick of lining up on the control tower at windowpane height. At about a city block out, they would snap with a blurry half roll to an inverted bunt, just make it over the rotating beacon on top of the tower, sag back down toward the ground on the other side, and with a miraculous, last second recovery, roll right side up. That no tower personnel flung themselves over the rail testified either to their lack of nerves or momentary paralysis. When the team pulled up into a loop, we saw them change shape at the apex from a “card five” formation (looks like a 5 of Spades playing card), which I had never before seen, into a five-ship arrowhead. Ending the show, the team did the exact opposite of the Thunderbird's celebrated bomb burst maneuver by splitting to the four compass points from a vertical dive, to meet from the four directions overhead. We had never seen 84Fs shown so well, including back when the Thunderbirds flew them. The next morning dawned bleak and cloudy. Visibility was diminished in haze; humidity was very high. The Skyblazers came in from Germany for the first show and refueled for a quick turn-around. While they were getting ready, our squadron commander, Major Stanfield, launched in a clean 100, not even a pylon under

Hot back-seater/Italian rider exchange. “Lad” welcomes aboard Lt. Ghiaccini, liaison officer from the 4th Stormo, while the "Basta! Basta! Io vecchio!" colonel wipes his forehead trying to recover from my grand finale on his

previous” heavy” hop.

21

the wings. A few moments later, he came streaking across the field in a ball of mist for the rousing transonic curtain opener, taking everyone by surprise. Under the steadily drooping ceiling, the Skyblazers were limited to their low-level show. No over-the-top maneuvers, of course, but done in beautiful precision rolls, absolutely unshakable formation, and just excellent work.

I had really been looking forward to seeing the Italians fly again, but the way the ceiling was falling, I knew that it was all over for the Diavoli Rossi. Then, we heard the explosions of their compressed air starters, as the Italian 84s fired up in unison. They were apparently going home to Ghedi. I was surprised to see them going out in such crummy weather. We watched them taxi out. I grinned at the fiendish Mephistophelean logo they had on the sides of their aircraft, together with a beautiful lightning bolt. Once again, I admired the pure lines of a clean Republic Thunderstreak. Five Devils rolled en masse, lifting off in that “card five” formation. Right behind them, the two solos rolled as an element. In the next few minutes, we were surprised to see the team reappear out of the murk to give us a couple of rolls, under very low scud. A solo was beating up the tower again. We couldn't tell what was going on; we were not part of the crowd, and the commentary was all in Italian anyway. I couldn't understand why the team was hanging around, even though it was nice of them to give us a farewell buzz. Then, a scene I'll never forget. Down the runway at about fifty feet and 450 knots came the “card five.” Suddenly, they pulled up and disappeared into the clouds, before they had climbed three hundred feet. I turned to Shattuck. "Well, I guess they're on the way home." The noise of their departure diminished quickly; but listening intently, I could still hear them... “Jesus,” I said, “it sounds like they're going over the top!”

“Listen! Doesn't it sound like the backside of a loop to you? They're coming back down!” And so they did—a loop in the soup. Plunging out of the mist, the team came right down the runway, leveling off just where they started, and yes, there they were, in an arrowhead formation. Later, at the club, we met the team in their fitted, indigo blue flight suits. No olive drab, gunnysack USAF flight suits for them. Their leader wore a very neat forage cap, with gold braid; nothing in your face, like the Germans, just elegant. He had a quiet demeanor and beetling brows. He smoked constantly, some dreadful little black cigars. Later, I heard that to come over and fly the show, he had to gain release from house arrest, and after, he had to go back into stir. I wondered if he had boomed his base!

No vertical work for the Skyblazers that day…but the

weather didn’t stop the indomitable Diavoli Rossi...read on! Photo:-Brink-Garber Collection

22

Home-grown Air Show One day at Aviano, we managed our own air show. A spontaneous affair, it was the result of a less than satisfying assignment for the Army, which had some big deal going on over at Vicenza. We gave them a multi-ship flyby, so that every airplane that wasn't sitting on alert was in that lovely formation overhead their base. Dutifully, we drove down the centerline of the parade ground right on time, at the exact 1,500 feet specified. We had been airborne for 35 minutes, and we were through with our tasking. Here we had a dozen airplanes, and nothing to do but go back to Aviano and park. Back at the air patch, we asked for clearance to do a flyby, then a low pass, then simultaneous low passes, from all different directions. Then we ran amuck. The sky churned with yellow-tailed birds, swirling overhead like gulls behind a shrimp boat. I don't know how “Skip” Stanfield got away with it, but I doubt if Aviano ever got beat up like that before or since. On my last pass at our hangar, I had an insane urge to fly through its open bay. It was good that I settled for trying to peel the tin off the ridgeline. The 308th was, if not the hottest fighter squadron in any air force, then it was in our hearts, at least, certainly the most fun! RTB to Turner AFB and Fini As the days sped past, beautiful autumn faded to harsh winter. We had learned that we were the sole surviving active squadron of the 31st Wing. At Turner, where SAC had already taken over, we would disband upon arrival. Our new assignments were in. I was going to some place in North Carolina where they were reported to be the first unit to get the new F-105. I felt some stirring of hope and excitement, but it seemed a long way off. Meanwhile, we had another transatlantic epic in store. One bitter February morning, we headed home. On the first leg to Nouasseur in Morocco, we bucked headwinds of over a hundred knots, my ol' #813 still burning more than her share of fuel, and it was close.

There I ran into Dixie Dickson, from class 55-C days at Marana. On the next leg to Lajes in the Azores, we wore “poopy suits” for the North Atlantic. Just prior to brake release, my cockpit temperature was running high as hell, but I wasn't about to be left behind. En-route, it developed that the temperature controller had run away, full hot. Soon, I wished that I had stayed behind in Morocco, for I was being broiled like a turkey. By diverting as much heat as I could to the windshield defroster, keeping my visor down, and sweating like a horse, I floundered into Lajes. Miraculously, we all made it down in one piece despite crosswinds gusting to near fifty knots. On the next leg to Harmon in Newfoundland, it was the same with the heat, despite the overnight repairs. But, I was much better at coping with that heat by now. I had learned that by opening my sleeves at the wrist, I could direct defroster air into my rubber suit. I was so sweaty that even torrid air produced evaporative cooling. (I would never have made it without that poopy suit! Later that year, some poor devil crossing the pond the other way from the States with the same problem became so dehydrated in his K2B flightsuit that, delirious, he crashed to his death, only 10 miles short of landing at Nouasseur.) [See article on page 14 of Intake Issue Seven. Ed.] At Harmon, we again landed with minimum fuel, beating a blizzard in by eight minutes. The field is closed for two hours, but our day wasn’t over. In three hours, with a repaired temperature control, I launch with the rest. For this leg, we fly in pairs, at three-minute intervals. Approaching Yarmouth, I look over at Bruce Stocks, my wingman. Under his canopy, I am startled to see his bald head, bending down. At 31,000 feet, I'm uneasy about this. I'd like to see him get his helmet back on. Whatever he is doing, without autopilot, his flight is erratic. I glance at him again, line abreast a hundred feet out. I sweep the area, glance back at Stocks. Out of the corner of my eye...something. A quick direct check…what the hell? Shining in the high clear air, a monstrous sequence looms: freeze frames of a huge, oncoming B-52 sailing fifty feet over Stocks's canopy. I quit breathing as, passing over Bruce's ship, its black shadow blots out the sun. At Langley, he asks, “What B-52?” At Turner, orders await, take our aircraft out to California for major overhaul. Upon arrival at L.A. International Airport, the legendary Bob Hoover, North

American's amazing demonstrator pilot, meets us. With his mastery of low altitude, bent wing acrobatics, he has awed a generation of fighter pilots. Retired from test flying by a disastrous dead-stick attempt in the F-100 prototype, his shattered spine mended, he has gone on to become a legend far beyond the fighter pilot fraternity. I remember him especially for showing me the X-15. He took us out on the large assembly floor where we watched a metalworker break two drill bits trying to make a rivet hole in a titanium panel. The nearly complete cockpit was mostly familiar, but strangely accented by rocket technology and implication. There were instruments for reactant pressure and other calibrations of vast promise. On the nose and wingtips were jet nozzles from which the pilot would command pitch, roll, and yaw in the airless regions of its projected ventures. Sitting in the blue-black missile, I imagined that, far out in that deep void, I would someday have my turn, well along the reach of gnawing aspiration.

That morning, I had my photo taken in front of old Eight Thirteen. Earlier, someone had hastily splashed black numerals on her nose to designate a place in the overhaul line. Silent in the morning sun, she sat besmirched, already estranged. Soon all trace of our association would be gone—my name on the canopy rail—the markings of the “Fightin’ 308th.” It was like a funeral, all over but the memories. I gave her hard snout a last thump.

Me and MY Hun

I know she wound up in the Far East, and I wonder how she finally died, and where. I glance across the room at the photo of myself and the yellow-nosed, humpback brute. Them were the days! ◘

So ended what “Lad” thought would be his association with the Hun, as it looked like he was going to become an F-105 pilot. And he did get checked out in the Thud , eventually. But before that, by the luck of a dart throw, Lad got to go back to his beloved Hun as a TDY student at the Nellis Fighter Weapons School in 1959. So, we’ll be blessed in Issue 10 next summer with more of Lad’s excellent aviation adventures, flying the Hun again in the “vast training complex known as Nevada.” Ed.

23

“Now, there sat ‘Yum Yum’ at the bar, sans suit, in his shorts, shoes and his shirt with tie.”

By Bill Gorton

Recently, one of my 8th TFS (Black Sheep) squadron mates, Don Delauter, wrote an article published in The Intake that caused me to look back at some of the fun times we had at Wheelus. So here goes! The following are a few snippets from a fading mind of goings-

on at Wheelus some 50 years ago. (Man, has it really been that long?) Going to Libya to do idiot loops at Wheelus was always a welcome change from Victor Alert and the generally lousy weather at Etain and Spang. In fact, just getting there could be a hoot! To start with, there was Jerry Control. It was always a pleasure to talk to the Italian controllers after the rather surly, if any, response we got from French controllers. We’d check in with the Italians with, “Hey Luigi’!” The Italians seem to enjoy it. Evidently, someone at USAFE HQ didn’t see any humor in it, as they came out with a NOTAM directing us to stop calling Jerry Control “Hey Luigi!” Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Now, flying down the western coast of Italy could be pretty boring, but don’t say that to the jock who, without any warning, was punched out of his Hun at altitude. I guess that was a case where his Hun unassed him! But that’s another story to be told another day, hopefully by the jock who had all the fun. One day, I was Wheelus bound in a “D” with an “F” leading the two shipper. Jim Alder was in the front of the F, I believe, but I know Harvey Housengay was in the back seat. We were at 30 grand flying along the coast of Italy. I was spread out trying to stay awake, when I noticed some unusual movement in the back seat of the F. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on so I closed it up for a better view. There was Harvey, out of his seat, chute, G suit, and most of his flight suit. I thought he was getting the Tripoli Trots early. But no, as soon as I was on the wing he somehow got his big hairy butt up on the canopy and mooned me! A classic “pressed ham under glass!”

Moving on to Wheelus, Don mentioned Tiger Town in his recent article and the marvelous open-bay barracks accommodations that we were provided. But he forgot to mention “The Nomad,” aka “The Gonad,” our Tiger Town O’Club. It wasn’t much of a “club,” but it was a great place to put down a few before heading into town or to the main base to harass the permanent party types. On occasion, some guys would imbibe a bit too much and crash in their nearby sack. That’s where we found Leroy Swartz one night—out like a light. So we decided to relocate Leroy.

We gently picked him up in his bed and put him in the back of the squadron pickup truck. Driving as smoothly as possible so as not to disturb his beauty rest, we drove to the main base and deposited him snug in his bed in the Officer’s Club parking lot. He never even blinked. Sometime around sunrise, Leroy awakened to find himself in a new location. So he did the right thing. He wrapped himself, Arab-like, in his bed sheet and caught the bus back to Tiger Town! I have many fond memories of the main base O’ Club. One of those was the local requirement for us to sign our names on the checks for our meals. It was a place where “George Washington” and “Abraham Lincoln” frequently took time to enjoy the marvelous cuisine! Or at least, those were some names we signed. I am not sure why we had to do that, since the Arab waiters were clueless and really didn’t care what we signed. I supposed they would have paid attention if we had signed “Abdul Nasser!”

Wheelus Dazee

From 1956 to 1961 Bill accrued nearly 2,000

hours in the Hun. First with the 479 FDW at

George and then with the 49 TFW at Etain and

Spang. He also flew Huns with the Turkish

AF at Eskisehir and the Danish AF at Karup.

Tiger Town Barracks were open-bay.

The open-bay made the body-snatch easy.

24

Then there was the time that Chappy James and Ralph Maglione put on a show at the club. Chappy sang “Old Man River” while Maggi, with straw hat and cane, tapped danced! I think that was the best show I ever saw at the Wheelus club—in fact I think it was the only show I ever saw at the club.

There was always a little tension between the permanent party types and us TDY fighter jocks—sometimes more than a little. I remember when they changed the dress rules at the club, after which you had to wear a tie in the evening. This of course led to the inevitable: a direct confrontation with the permanent party weenies over the new dress code. As the story goes, a jock from the 9th Squadron (Iron Knights), who went by the name of “Yum Yum” Smith, was sitting at the bar in his new “Alexander the Tailor” sharkskin suit. Amazingly, a permanent party type sitting next to him commented favorably on his apparel. It is alleged that Yum Yum said, “Do you want to buy it?” Being of the same approximate size, the local stated that he would have to try it on first. Whereby, Yum Yum took off his suit and handed it to the potential buyer. Now, there sat Yum Yum at the bar, sans suit, in his shorts, shoes and his shirt with tie. There followed a series of discussions with higher authorities centered on whether Yum Yum had violated the new dress rules. His defense was simple, for after all, he was wearing a tie. As I recall Yum Yum was finally ushered from the club in any case, but I don’t recall if he sold the suit or not! I could go on about fun and games at Wheelus forever, but The Intake’s Editor has not allowed me that much space. Yet, a final story needs telling here—Bill McCullum’s bachelor party—held off-base, of course. You may recall there were two clubs in Tripoli; the “Oriental” and the Green Lantern. Both were populated by lovely ladies who only drank champagne. The Oriental was located inside the old part of Tripoli. Its décor was early Sidney Greenstreet with a bit of Bogart thrown in. It was a bit more upscale than the Green Lantern (which had dirt floors and a proprietor who looked like Peter Lorre).

When you pulled up to the Green Lantern in your VW Bug, it was very important to hire one of the young Arabs to, “… Watch your car, Mister?” Failure to hire the little entrepreneur would likely result in a flat tire or two. Since Bill McCullum was with us at Wheelus and was soon to rotate back to the states and get married, the question of what to do for his bachelor party came up. As I recall, it was a Saturday afternoon, and we were at the Gonad having a few cool ones. As we discussed the bachelor party possibilities, someone suggested we go to the Green Lantern and buy champagne for all the girls. To which we responded, “Are you nuts? At 20 bucks a bottle, it would cost a small fortune. Besides, they never drink the stuff anyway. Everybody knows that they just swizzle-stick theirs onto the dirt floor when you aren’t looking.” But, it was evident that our party planner had a more devious plan in mind. The core of his plan was for us to make sure the “ladies” got smashed. Our role was to sip a brew while insuring the “ladies” consumed most, if not all, of their bottle of champagne. We were to arrive before the regular Saturday night crowd and, as we entered, to shout, “Champagne for everyone!”

So off we went. The slimy little guy that ran the joint was delighted to hear our call for service. He and his lackeys quickly formed up a long table, ushered forth the young “ladies” to it and brought out the champagne. Well it didn’t take long for the girls to begin to get smashed. Then they started making rude remarks and gestures to the owner and other guests. The owner now realized that he had lost control of his most valued assets, the “lovely ladies,” and that the rest of the evening was going to be a total loss. Finally, as some of the “ladies” began to be very ill, we departed the establishment and repaired to Tiger Town’s Gonad Club. It was a sortie well planned and executed. It is funny though, through the haze of 50 years back to those daze, I don’t recall whether Bill McCullum was actually there. What say you, Bill? Were you there for your bachelor party or not? ◘

I have a feeling that lots more Wheelus stories are going to crop up, especially when we all start digging through our 35mm slide relics. I have a good one about how Crow Wilson and I responded to a tightened dress code’s “Tie and Coat” requirement the O’ Club imposed in the mid-‘60s. The plot includes a stop at Getafe, Spain to pick up an F-Model. Ed.

Cheerful and friendly, mostly native, staff of the O’ Club.

Some of the 8th Squadron guys who planned and

attended the party? Bobby Norman, C.B. Cooper (RIP) and “Can’t Quite Recall.”

25

Poet’s Corner

By William “Bill” Haynes Email Transmit Message “I wrote this poem in 1968 for Captain John Schulz’s going home party. When I read it, the guys warmed up slowly as I went along, but by the time I was half-way through the first episode they were cheering and when I finished they were on their feet and yelling! Schulzie was thrilled to the ears. (Footnoted words for those not into Vietnam era terms are translated at poem’s end.)” Background John J. Schulz (aka Schulzie) is currently one of our Assistant Editors and well qualified for the job; he has a BA in Journalism from Montana, a PhD from Oxford, has been Editor-in-Chief of a prestigious international arms control journal, and Dean of the College of Communications at Boston U. Since his humble beginnings as a Montana quarterback, he has written poetry as an avocation. This he continued to do during his combat tour with the 90th TFS at Bien Hoa ’67/’68, almost half of it under the leadership of Bill Haynes. As a professional wordsmith, as well as being a hell of a Hun pilot who really liked combat, he was tabbed with (some would say railroaded into) additional duty as the 3rd TFW Wing Awards and Decorations Officer. He did a damned fine job at that, but his Ops officer found a way to make up for all the real flying he was missing flying that desk. The answer? Lots of flying off the alert pad, plenty of it at night. The result? Lots of coming home on a wing and a prayer with lots of holes in his trusty steed, seeming always in need of repair. On the long nights when the action was only modest, the poet would muse and out would come doggerel rhyme reflecting his environment and experiences of that time. Some poems were dark (see Requiem for a Fighter Pilot, Issue Four, and Today, A Hun Went Down in the Delta, Issue Six), and some were bright, like the ones he scribbled on the spot to roast departing comrades at farewell parties or otherwise entertain the troops. At this he was very, very good and was dubbed the squadron Poet Laureate for that reason. As time for John’s own farewell party approached, the CC, Bill Haynes, himself a worthy poet, decided to put the shoe on the other foot and apply the old adage of “do unto others as they do unto you.” Keep all this in mind as you read the poem he wrote for John (below). There is one other element of background necessary to interpret and enjoy Bill’s poem for the poet. In John’s own words: The "other thing" was that, most unusual, at my farewell banquet, in addition to the DO and the Wing Commander being there, the full colonel who was Deputy Commander for Maintenance also attended. As people rose from the head table to say things, he also stood and told the group, "You may wonder why I am here this evening. Well, there is a second farewell party going on tonight, over at the metal repair shop. They are also celebrating that this guy is going home." It drew a laugh because it was widely known by then that I had been chastised by 7th AF for having the worst "hit ratio" in all of 7th AF, about 2.7 to 1. I had brought back over 100 planes that needed work in the metal shop for bullet repairs. Some needed pretty serious work. Seventh Air Force had taken note of this individual trend and made it clear by letter to our Ops Officer and Colonel Haynes that they were closely monitoring the situation and “why in hell was it happening.” The answer was obvious: Alert Pad flying is where the action was and that’s where John could and did stay abreast of his share of missions by flying three a day or three in a night (often). “Hence, I got shot up a lot more than the average bear. (And, yes, thought I was bullet proof.)” — John J. Schulz And now enjoy the Poem for the Poet. Ed.

SCHULZIE’S DONE IT AGAIN! When Dice1 men gather to say adieu to yet another who’s year is through, they’d join together to raise a glass and drink a toast to all that passed, between them; and perhaps recall that one, most fabulous mission of all. And as the evening drew to a close, a lanky figure that usually rose

would wave a paper and clearly speak: “Hey, Mr. Vice, the floor I seek!” The conversation would suddenly hush; those who were standing would sit with a rush. Anticipation would build, and then: “It’s Schulzie, Schulzie’s done it again!”

“Schulzie’s Done It Again” — A Poem for the Poet

A WWII vet yet, Bill checked out in the Hun at the end of his Test Pilot

School training, just before heading to Eglin for a four year stint in Fighter Armament Test

Flying (’56-’60). He again flew the Hun as CC of the 90th TFS “Dice Men” at Bien Hoa, ‘67/’68, after

which an end-of-career Pentagon tour concluded his distinguished

military flying adventures.

26

Then followed a poem of doggerel rhyme that kidded him who had run out of time, and sent him merrily on his way with a poem to help him recall the day. But now the shoe’s on the other foot. The time has come for us to put our poet laureate on the spot, and let him sit in the seat that’s hot! I well recall the incident that Dale Rook2 reported in accents flat, soon after the Dice were given to me, “He’s taken a hit? Well that makes three this week and seven this month”, and then: “It’s Schulzie; Schulzie’s done it again!” So Schulzie, here’s a toast to you! Though magnet-assed, you made it through! Another occasion comes to mind when paperwork was to PACAF signed, though lacking in proper coordination, resulting in Wing-level aggravation. The Wing Commander was heard to exclaim: “It’s Schulzie, Schulzie’s done it again!” This last example is classified. A story intelligence tried to hide for fear all other pilots would be filled with professional jealousy! It seems a Chieu Hoy3 reported in, his weapons were gone, his body thin, the last survivor he claimed to be of two full companies of VC. They’d struck a hamlet one murky night. The PF4 compound put up a fight and held the inner perimeter until the ALO5 could call for air.

The Duty Officer’s sage advice: “It’s troops in contact. Scramble the Dice!” But now the Commies were through the wire and laying down a withering fire. Their ultimate triumph lay in sight when Spooky’s6 flare rolled back the night, and out of a lowering overcast two Super Sabers roared with a blast Their engines screaming, they clove the air and filled the Commies with black despair! The Chieu Hoy’s body still shook with fear of CBU7 pellets and napalm’s sear. But as he recalled that awful night, it wasn’t the bombs that filled him with fright, but the icy precision of element lead as he deftly rode his aluminum steed. This man the VC had known of yore. His deadly technique was part of their lore. They cursed as their death rattles began, “It’s Schulzie, Schulzie’s done it again!” Fini Notes: 1 “Dice”: Sq Insignia of the 90th has been the dice showing seven since their inception in 1917 2 My Ops Officer 3 A Viet Cong who defected to the ARVN 4 Popular Forces; local Vietnamese self defense forces 5 Air Liaison Officer; Vietnamese who had radio contact with defense center 6 The C-47’s that furnished flare illumination for night combat 7 Small bomblets spread from wing pods, each like a hand grenade ◘

By Popular Request — More Adventures of Elsea’s “Tuy Hoa Ace”

27

Interesting Extras

Footnotes to History — “Project Fullscope”

By Joseph E. Haines I think “Project Fullscope” kicked off sometime in the first half of 1963. It started as a simple “weapons effects demo” at Eglin AFB. But at about that same time, the Army was telling Congress that they wanted their own air for close air support. They claimed that the USAF couldn't get the job done! So “Project Fullscope” was modified to include all conventional weapons and seemingly every aircraft in the inventory. It was “Showtime!” The plan called for all weapon deliveries (called “shoots,” no matter what the weapon) to be completely documented on film, shot from both the ground and in the air. On each shoot, there would be a primary and secondary shooter, in case of an abort. Project Fullscope had become a pawn in the enduring inter-service rivalry game, and I think they eventually made a sound-track propaganda movie of the whole shebang! A few of us from Luke flew "Fs" to Eglin to fly wing on the ordnance delivery birds with a cameraman in the back seat. Those guys carried bulky 35mm movie cameras, which would present a hell of a problem if we had to eject. (They were told to throw the camera into a rudder well. Good luck!) To alert test observers and coordinate the cameras recording each weapon delivery, the shooter gave a 30 seconds to release call on the common range frequency and then gave a countdown, i.e., “5-4-3-2-1” to release/firing. There were many interesting shoots over the course of the entire project which was commanded (and closely supervised) by one each Brigadier General Joseph Myers. One test, in particular, raised the cost of the project considerably. The configuration and delivery was planned thusly: two MLU-10Bs (an early 750 lb. land mine; later versions were BLU-14B and -31B) with delay/sensor fuses, 10 degree glide release from an F-105, with an F-100F photo-chase. The target was a simple railroad track section. “5-4-3-2-1” and one of the -10Bs hit directly on a rail, the delay fuse malfunctioned, and the bomb detonated immediately, setting off the other in a sympathetic explosion. That SNAFU ruptured the wing tanks on both aircraft involved, whereupon everyone “punched out” successfully (Then came “Miller Time.”) (Incidentally, the pilot of the Hun photo-chase was Burt Field, Sr., whose wife is an Honorary SSS member. Ed.) Another SNAFU was less spectacular, but equally unsuccessful. An F-104 with two GAR-8 missiles (early Sidewinders) on each wing was supposed to shoot down a Ryan Firebee drone controlled from a T-33. “5-4-3-2-1” and four GAR-8s were in the air. As they passed the drone, they didn't even say “Hi,” and self destructed! (Miller Time again.) Boy did it hit the fan. General Myers was furious and announced on Range Common, “Nobody say anything. Everybody land now!!!” [I believe this incident was classified “Top Secret, (at least No Army).” During the subsequent investigation, they first thought that the GAR-8’s had gone beyond their useful shelf life. But, they finally figured out that the IR source on the drone was below the GAR-8’s design acquisition minimum (sounds like the Army is winning!).] After all this, I was scheduled on the next shoot, flying the chase in an F-100F. An F-100D was to shoot down a “camera drone” with 20mm. The problem was complicated because the drone had only a 12' wingspan. The shooter was from the Weapons School, and the plan was to fly something that resembled a low angle strafe pattern. Keeping the drone in sight was the main problem. On final, at open fire slant range, you were more or less in-trail with the target, and the shooter was losing sight of the drone. So, in trying to help, I joined up with the drone to make it easier for the shooter to keep the drone in sight. The drone was flying at about 160kts at around 400'. The controller had an altitude readout for the drone, but he got a little nervous when he lost visual sight of the drone. I was calling the turns for him to make the pattern bigger. We lined up on final, the shooter made his countdown, and I broke right. He got one hit but didn't knock it down. General Myers was so riled that he cancelled the shoot on the spot, even with the airborne spare shooter hanging around. Back in Eglin Ops, we were joining up for Miller Time at the club when General Myers came in and asked for Lt. Haines, whom he knew to have been flying the photo-chase. I figured I was in deep Doo Doo for joining up with the drone totally un-briefed. Instead, he thought I might have learned something and asked, "Lieutenant, based on your experience watching all this up close, do you think you can you shoot that drone down tomorrow?" What could I say, but “Yes, sir”? So, that day’s Miller Time consisted of me finding out what sight setting to use in the F-100D at 160kts, with flaps, in level flight at 400'. The Weapons School guys came up with “electrical cage, and keep your fingers crossed.” This, after a full discussion of “trajectory shift,” “gravity drop” and all those other neat things we used to know so much about. Oh, the good ol’ days. Well, you know the rest of the story. On the do-over, “5-4-3-2-1,” poof. Drone gone! Ok, you F-100 drivers, has anyone else out there, with your beloved Hun using 20mm, shot down anything as small as, or smaller than, a 12' wingspan drone? (And it can’t be a towed target, or a buzzard, or a crow!) If so, let’s hear about it! ◘ (Would you believe Joe snuck a Stake Your Claim in on us with this last barb? Ed.)

Odds and Ends

28

29

Couple of Hun Driver High Jinks — Fun with Intakes

Trio of trouble belching forth from a Hun intake propelled by a hell-of-a compressor stall? George “Pote” Peterson writes:

“Fun photo taken at RAF Lakenheath in 1960. Sid Wright with gloves, me on top with Herb Driskco (RIP 10 years ago) on my left. Herb and I were captains and Sid was a 1st/lieutenant. As you may recall, the 492nd Blue Tails were known as ‘The Hat Squadron.’ We thought this would be a good way to show off our Bowler Hats. And it made the newspapers, resulting in a London Bowler Hat club arriving at the ‘Heath’ with an invitation from the squadron for a blowout party. And it was!”

Rather a unique view from the front of an F-100 compressor section with Wells Jackson posing for scale. Wells reports that one of the armament guys asked him to pose for this shot, which he thought would be a “for sure winner” in a photo contest. We’re not sure who the contest sponsor was or the results, but we at The Intakewould not hesitate to award the armament guy a Blue Ribbon and Best of Show Award! Photo source unknown.

Title: “The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner” Author: Richard M. Baughn, Publisher: Book Surge, LLC Available from: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other Fine Book Stores & Author ISBN, Price, Publication Date: 1‐4196‐4767‐9, $21.00, 2006 Reviewed by: Ron Standerfer (July, ‘08) When Heroes Roamed the Skies over Europe — Five Stars! Brigadier General Richard M Baughn (USAF, Retired; SSS member) is one of those rare authors who can pull a period of World War II history off a dusty book shelf and breathe fresh new life into it. In his latest book, “The Hellish Vortex,” he describes the air campaign in the European theater between 1943 and 1945, during which waves of American B‐17 and B‐24 bombers, escorted by P‐38, P‐47 and P‐51 fighters, pounded Germany. In the same narrative, he chronicles the daily lives of the men who flew them. The result is pure magic; a book well worth reading. How did he do it? It’s simple. For one thing, he is a good writer and for another, he flew P‐51s in Europe during the same period. As the saying goes, he has “been there, done that.” It works every time! The principal character in the book is 2nd Lieutenant Robb Baines, a nineteen-year-old fighter pilot who arrives in the U.K. underage and under-trained for his new assignment flying P‐51s and escorting bombers to Germany. Like most nineteen year olds, Baines (who I suspect is General Baughn’s alter ego) secretly wonders if he is up to the task at hand. But tangling with German ME 109s and ME 110s is dangerous business with no margin for self doubt, as Baines quickly found out. In time, he became a seasoned combat veteran, a confident leader and a candidate for bigger and better things in what would become the United States Air Force in 1947. There are several other characters in the book worth mentioning. There is “The Colonel,” a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the group commander who led his pilots with a calm steady hand; “Big John,” a sergeant whose well-meaning support for the war effort included seducing the wife of a local chicken farmer to get eggs for

his pilots’ predawn breakfasts; and “Rocco,” Baines’ long suffering wing man who lives his life with characteristic gritty, New York City bravado. These characters, and many others like them, add spice to an already well prepared dish. Speaking of spices, there is love, romance and sex in the book as well; but the author is careful not to let these asides draw him off the main theme of the book. One of the rather unique things I like about “The Hellish Vortex,” is that the author periodically inserted excerpts from a paper entitled “The Army Air Forces and 8th Air Force During World War II,” purportedly written at the Armed Forces Staff College, by “Major Robb Baines” in 1955. This is a nice touch, because it affords the reader a chance to take a break and look at the big picture. It was in these excerpts that I learned things I never knew about the growth of American air power between World War I and 1947. And it was also there that I read a statistic I still can’t get out of my mind; namely, “There were 41,802 airmen killed in a force that never exceeded 100,000 pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and aerial gunners.” This grim statistic reinforces something I have always believed, namely: that it is tempting for warriors to tell their stories loudly, garnering praise and admiration wherever and whenever they can. But the plain truth is that not all warriors are heroes; and those that are, often prefer to speak softly in deference to the heroes that never made it home. This is a book about real heroes, written by a soft spoken one who remembers those who could not make it home. This is a book to read and remember. ◘ (Just finished reading Vortex. Ron’s review is right on! Ed.)

Kudos for The Hellish Vortex Author

General Baughn shared the following message with me and asked it be put in The Intake somewhere. Congrats! Ed. Dear Richard, Congratulations! Your book, The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner, in the Genre Fiction, has been chosen as an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 16th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards. Your book will be promoted in the March/April 2009 issue of Writer’s Digest. Your award package will be sent out by the end of the year. If you have any questions, please send a message to me at my email address. Nicole Florence, Customer Service Representative, F+W Publications

Book Review Time — “The Hellish Vortex”

30

“…a huge number of Hun pilots working…on space systems.”

By Bob Krone There is no answer available to the question: “How many space professionals have flown the North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre?” Research at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB for The Intake, Issue Four (Summer 2007) article, “The Right Stuff: Hun Pilots to Astronauts” revealed 2,294 F-100s built by North American Aviation. There were more F-100s flying between 1955 and 1980 than any other F-series jet. Then the F-16 went into full production. During that same period, 1955 to 1980, there were numerous significant space-related events: the Air Force started ICBM design; NASA was born in 1958; seven Mercury astronauts were selected in 1959; Alan Shepard was the first American in space in 1961; President Kennedy told Congress the U.S, would send astronauts to the Moon by 1970; the Mercury program had 23 launches; the Gemini Program conducted 12 flights, 1964 to 1966; Project Apollo, 1969 to 1972 had 18 missions and landed men on the Moon; Skylab became the first space station in the 1970s; and the first Shuttle flight was in 1977. Today, in 2008, the International Space Station is the world’s best international collaboration model. With the absence of a precise number of F-100 pilots who have contributed to space sciences, engineering, management, planning and operations over the past fifty years; the logical answer to the above question is: “There have been a huge number of Hun pilots working within government and industry on space systems.” The Super Sabre Society may want to consider sponsoring future research to establish the extent of the Hun-Space relationship because space holds solutions for many U.S. and global problems. This article is just one illustrative example that may be a catalyst for other Hun pilots to come forward with their stories. Over the last five years there has been an escalation of U.S. and global interest in space for several reasons. First was President George W. Bush’s January 2004 Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) that calls for a return to the Moon with follow-on missions to Mars. It was the first Presidential space policy announcement since President Kennedy’s 25 May 1961 pronouncement: “The United States will land a man on the Moon, and return him safely to earth.” Second was the successful launching of commercial space ventures like applications using the Global Positioning System, satellite phones, and Space Ship One. Then NASA has had three very successful years after the STS Discovery’s return to flight on 26 July 2005 following the standdown of shuttle flights after the 1 Feb 2003 Columbia disaster. The U.S. has been leading the International Space Community in the impressive new construction at the International Space Station, which has been one of the world’s most successful science and engineering international projects. And when a major economic and energy problem recently emerged over the rising price of oil, research into space-based solar energy for earth was seriously resurrected. It was in that environment, and after working with the Aerospace Technology Working Group (www.ATWG.org) since 1990, that I took on the editing job for an ATWG sponsored book, Beyond Earth: The Future of Humans in Space (Apogee Space Press, 2006). I began the preface of that book with the statement: “This has been the most intellectually rewarding experience of my three careers.” The reason was the unique opportunity to work for eighteen months with forty-two contributing authors. All of those space professionals had careers as astronauts, engineers, managers, scientists, authors, researchers or university professors. As a group they had worked on every major space program. Their total experience was calculated to be roughly one thousand person-years involvement with space. That “Beyond Earth” book group of space professionals provided the source for the Beyond Earth Think Tank that formed in 2007. One of the major projects for that group (of which I am a charter member) developed from the entrepreneurial idea of Dr. Richard Kirby, one of the “Beyond Earth” co-authors and Director of the Kepler Academy in Edmonds, Washington, who envisioned “1,000 Earth Space Stations.” Our plan is for the group to be a catalyst such that each of the 50 states will decide to build 20 earth space stations. The purpose of Earth Space Stations will be to create learning centers focusing on exploration of space and space resources for Earth; and to be the conduits for Americans throughout the United States to contribute their ideas, imagination and dreams to the vision and planning for capturing benefits from space for global humanity. The stations will increase space benefits awareness; be independent Education Centers across America; accelerate benefits to earth from space exploration and human settlement; help keep U.S. leadership for international projects to space; and contribute

Hun Pilots and the Future of Humans in Space

Charter member and Contributing Editor to The

Intake , Bob was a Hun driver at Turner AFB and Itazuke, ‘57-‘61, before going to Thuds, in ’65-‘66 distinguishing himself

as the first Squadron CC to log “100 North,” and retired as a Colonel in ’75. After that, Bob

has been and continues to be a major contributor to the U. S.

Space Development Community.

31

to prevention of Dystopian (dire; grim; opposite of Utopian) futures by accident or evil intent. Dan Shaw, Executive Officer to the Kepler Academy, working on a Ph.D. degree in Space Sciences, is our point man on this idea and will be a consultant to leadership in states, cities, communities, corporations, NASA Centers or schools that desire to participate. He can be contacted at danshaw@ashlandhome.net. The reason that there has never been a shortage of young men, and now women, who want to fly F-series jet airplanes or be astronauts, is that the urge to fly and to move from earth toward space is in their genes. Whether it came from the Big Bang that started our universe or evolved as humans looked up at the stars, we don’t know. But Frank White, author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution (Houghton Mifflin, (1987) and Tom Wolfe with his Right Stuff (1979) description of fighter pilots and astronauts (see The Intake, Issue Four, Summer 2007, pp.32-35) have described the special combination of wonder for discovery in space with the unprecedented adventures humans have waiting for them there. The future of humans in space has many roots in the experiences and expertise of lots of ex F-100 pilots. See Figure 1 which depicts such linkages. Any of you previous Hun pilots looking for a new exciting outlet for your creative energies are urged to consider joining our Beyond Earth Think Tank and to contact me at BobKrone@aol.com.

Figure 1 – Indicates that Hun pilots have been and will continue to be players in space-related

projects, and that the prospects for such projects can be bright as explained in Beyond Earth: The Future Of Humans In Space book is edited by SSSer and article author, Bob Krone, PhD.

Extra, Extra, Extra! From a recent Toss-bomb: “Bob Hinckley sent in this video for the SSS. It includes a front/back photo of a one dollar MPC that features a fighter pilot on the obverse and the Thunderbird formation on the reverse. I've often used MPC overseas and have never seen that bill.” — Les Frazier

URL: http://www.navyair.com/Videos/TheHunRememberedMovie.wmv

32

As most folks were saying goodbye when leaving the “first-ever” SSS Reunion, they were pretty much in agreement that it would be hard to top. But given a level playing field by returning to the Gold Coast in Vegas, Pote Pete and his experienced “reunionizing” crew are going to be giving it their best shot to do just that! A close study of the Registration Form on the next page will reveal the major organized events planned. So this column will only highlight a few points of additional interest, and then address some activities NOT evident from studying the form. The Golf Outing venue has been upgraded from the Nellis base course to posh Highland Falls Golf Course with a cushy 19th hole. See www.golfsummerlin.com. Seems the Golf Outing CC lives on the course. Bet he’ll be first choice of lots of players who can this year request their pairing preferences on the form’s back The Red Flag & Nellis Tour is offered twice this year to accommodate eager SSSers. Deadline for signing up for this popular, but limited participant event is 1 Feb ’09, so be early instead of surly! Lunch at the O’ Club is included this year, a nice touch, as is the routine nostalgic pass down the flight line, remembering…. As Bill Gorton noted on page three, there will be some “governance” meetings throughout our days in Vegas. Times and places for Board of Directors and committee meetings will be coordinated between all participants prior to start of the reunion. These will be transparent to the general membership. But, our first-ever General Membership Meeting should be a must for every SSS member. We are still firming up the details for this event, but those will be available and included in your Reunion Packets at the sign-in desk. Several squadrons have inquired about separate meetings. We suggest that you carve out some tables in the Hospitality Suite on Thursday afternoon. As usual, there will be a Dice Hospitality Suite every day with “what ever’s fair” hours. Jack Doub says friends of Dice Men are welcome too. Finally, The Intake Staff would like to propose a modest competition. At the 2007 Banquet, we saw several tables with varying degrees of decorations, some quite impressive, some to slightly lesser degrees. Dick McNulty sent in some photos too late for our after action report, but one (see photo on page 3) was so intriguing that it stimulated this contest idea. The deal is: Do your Very Best! Decorate your table, get a good photo and send it to the Editor. We’ll pick the best table and prominently feature it and the story behind it in the Summer 2009 issue. Such a deal! In closing, we urge all SSS members to join us at the Gold Coast for another great get-together. Will it top that of 2007? Who knows and who’s counting. For sure, 2009 is going to be pretty well remembered—and well documented…come hell or high water. See you there!

33

In a short article written before the first SSS reunion, Ron Standerfer predicted that “It will be the Happy Hour to end all Happy Hours.” And in our after action report, the conclusion was that he had hit the nail on the head. For that matter, darn near everything about that famous first came off almost perfectly. One surprise that Pote Peterson discovered was the distinctive “Reunion Hum” that characterized meetings large and small. Here are a few shots of the action we enjoyed at various venues to recharge memories and whet appetites for more “reunionizing” – Hun style!

2nd SSS Reunion 2009 - Preview 1st SSS Reunion 2007 - Review

Thumbnail photos can not properly convey the total camaraderie that permeated the official and unofficial gatherings that went on practically non-stop for the two and a half days. Official highlights, after checking with the guys at the reunion sign-in desk, included a golf outing, a tour of Nellis Red Flag facilities with an update briefing on current operations and hands-on time at their “threat” museum, and the inaugural banquet. But the heart of it all,any place the attendees gathered, was that Reunion Hum. It seemed to result from hundreds of people engaged in the same thing, namely – “rehashing;” everyone telling of true exploits, deeds of heroism and derring-do, one-uppers, many versions of the same tall tales, fabrications, and the occasional out-right lie. It was a fun time. As all good things seem to, it ended all too quickly. But the powers-that-be vowed we would convene again in early 2009, and “every two years” thereafter, someplace. San Antonio was proposed for the 2nd Reunion site, but the troops there (after a dollar cost analysis and trade study) reported that for our Hun style of “reunionizing,” we couldn’t top the dollar value at our first reunion in ever popular Las Vegas. So read on about more fun and games envisioned for Reunion 2009 at the Gold Coast — again.

2nd SUPER SABRE SOCIETY REUNION REGISTRATION FORM... SIGN ME UP!!! – Copy and Complete, Don’t Tear Out!

31 March – 2 April 2009

Welcome Hun Drivers, Bears, Flight Surgeons, & Guests Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

Last Name:______________________________ First Name:_____________________ MI:______ Address:______________________________ City:_____________________ State:____ ZIP:____ Best Contact Phone:________________ Email Address:__________________________________ Guest(s) Name:___________________________________________________________________ Arrival/Departure Dates:_________________ Hotel:_____________________________________ DATE: ACTIVITIES COSTS: Tuesday, 31 March 09 Welcome Reception - 1500-1900 N/A Hors D’oeuvres & Cash Bar Wednesday, 1 April 09 Golf @ Highland Falls - 0800 Bus Departure - Gold Coast Golfers: USGA Handicap ____ Click on Highland Falls @ www.golfsummerlin.com ____Pair me to play with person(s) I've ($70.00 per Player) There will be a 19th hole after golf. $__________ written on the back of this form. Red Flag & Nellis Tour - 0800 Bus Departure - Gold Coast ($25.00 per Attendee) – Includes Lunch @ Nellis O’Club $__________

NELLIS NOTE: Drop Dead Date for signing up is 1 Feb '09. Information is required for either day. Members: Driver's Lic. #/State _________________________ (or) SSN (last 6 digits): ______________ Guests: Driver's Lic. #/State ___________________________ (or) SSN (last 6 digits): ______________ (Put extra Guest’s information on back) Choice: Wednesday __ Thursday __ (Indicate choice 1st and 2nd) SSS Banquet - 1800-2200 ($55.00 per Attendee) (Cash Bar) $__________ Thursday, 2 April 09 Red Flag & Nellis Tour - 0800 Bus Departure - Gold Coast ($25.00 per Attendee) – Includes Lunch @ Nellis O’Club $__________ Note: The Reunion “officially” ends Hospitality Suite - 0900-1700 at COB today. ($25.00 per Attendee) $__________ Friday, 3 April 09 Afterburner Brunch – 0900-1100 (Informal get together.) ($25.00 per Attendee) $__________ REGISTRATION FEE: Members: $50.00 Guest(s) ea: $25.00 $__________ TOTAL ENCLOSED ** $__________

Registration Sign Up Dead Line is 1 Feb 2009! Make checks payable to: SSS Reunion

Mail to: Super Sabre Society Reunion 2009, P.O. Box 3100, Georgetown, TX 78627 Gold Coast Reservation Instructions: Call (888) 402-6278, M-F, 0600 – 0000 or Sat-Sun, 0700-0000. Have Credit Card ready and give them the SSS code 9SABC04 or “Super Sabre Society”. Cost is $64.00 per Night, plus $5.76 tax. Or, Email the Gold Coast at: coastres@coastcasinos.net include your Name, Address, Phone, Number of guests, Arrival & Departure dates, and Credit Card information, including Expiration Date. The code voids unless you register for the SSS Reunion. Remember: Include the SSS Code 9SABC04 (Room Rates are higher if you do not register for the SSS Reunion.) ** NOTE: Because of our financial commitments, there could be a late cancellation charge of 25% of your SSS Total Costs for cancellations received after 15 Feb 09. This late charge could be in addition to any potential fees charged by the Gold Coast Casino

34

Plan Ahead for Reunions

F-86 Sabre Pilots Association

March 29 – March 31, 2009

Super Sabre Society March 31 – April 2, 2009

Both events will be at the

Gold Coast Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada

Reservation forms to COPY and fill in will be/are in the fall issues of both the Sabre

Jet Classics magazine and The Intake journal and are available now on the respective organization’s web sitesl.

Block your schedules NOW!

Parting Shots on Your Personal Contact

Data and Dues

Remember to check your personal data at the SSS Web site. Current password is “things on the ass end of the airplane that open up when you call for AB.” If they don’t come to mind, or you don’t have web access, give me a call at (505) 293-8396. If something’s wrong with your personal data, send the corrections to Pete Davitto. If you’re dues delinquent, send the money direct to Lee Graves via the Georgetown P.O. Box. Since dues are payable on or before 1 January every year, it might be a good idea to remember that (and take care of it regularly). To do that, try putting the SSS on your Christmas card list and include your check every year. Works good and lasts a long time!

Have a great Holiday season! Ed.

Back Cover Credits

Several months ago, Mike Paradise sent in some pretty neat Hun shots from his private collection. A couple are of Hun “Landmark Tour” Collection caliber centered over Crater Lake; and their time for publication will come. But we couldn’t resist the pure beauty of a C- and F-model pair of Huns at twilight time headed for a night refueling mission overMinnesota in 1973: particularly knowing that James Bond’s “Double Oh Seven” was in good hands that night. Thanks Mike and to Shaun Ryan for scans and touch ups.

TAC Attack – Fourth Fleagle Strip – Sep 1970 Return to those thrilling days of yesteryear with Fleagle! These pages of history are courtesy of the beloved Safety Strip’s creator Stan Hardison and today’s Air Combat Command. Read all about it at URL http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JCA/is_7_12/ai_112090770.

(Black circles are holes in the archived copy.)

SSS & Intake Functional Contacts

General Topics: Les Frazier, supersabresociety@suddenlink.net, (512) 930-3066. Dues, Money Matters: Lee Graves, hgraves@austin.rr.com, (512) 784-3943. Membership/Contact Data: Pete Davitto, pdavitto@alltel.net, (706) 947-1636. The Intake/All Matters: R. Medley Gatewood, rgatewood@comcast.net, (505) 293-8396. Call contacts for their snail mail address or mail your material to Super Sabre Society, P.O. Box 3100, Georgetown TX 78627, Note: The Intake – Journal of the Super Sabre Society is published three times per year. Mailings are planned for delivery (stateside) in late March, July, and November. If you don’t see yours by the end of the next full month, contact the Editor. It might be a simple address problem, or you may be In Arrears!

35