Forum: Military Aircraft of the Cold War

Tweet (www.af.mil verifies this)

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maddog2840 wrote:

Q: What does the F-22, F-16, F-14 and T-37 all have in common?
A: The prototype crashed.

(in my best Mike Myers/Linda Richmond/Coffee Talk voice)
Yes but the Raptah and Vipah prototypes, didn't each one belly land? And didn't each one get rebuilt to fly anuthah day? So does a belly landing the jet survives technically count as a "crash"?

Discuss....... Wink

If it can not leave the area it has landed in under its own power, that is still considered a crash.

Lots of aircraft fly again after a crash, that's how crew chiefs and aircraft maintainers earn their pay.

Keep 'em flying, boys and girls- you deserve that take off salute. Salute

Salute!

Well, Stoly, guess I'll have to call my deadstick landing in the A-37 a "crash".

No power, shot up right main gear, came to unceremonious stop on middle of the runway. Then, I had to help the fire troops to push the damn thing off the runway so other folks could land.

Plane flew again in a few days once they fixed the gear and patched up all the fuel lines and 7.62 mm holes I had.

Gums sends ...

Gums wrote:

Salute!

Well, Stoly, guess I'll have to call my deadstick landing in the A-37 a "crash".

No power, shot up right main gear, came to unceremonious stop on middle of the runway. Then, I had to help the fire troops to push the damn thing off the runway so other folks could land.

Plane flew again in a few days once they fixed the gear and patched up all the fuel lines and 7.62 mm holes I had.

Gums sends ...

Technically, yes- still counts as a crash.

BUT- only because you had damage incurred while on your flight. Had it just been the dead stick landing it would have just been a call for "roadside assistance". Or would that be "runway assistance"? Either way it only proves that you have gyros for testicles- and you can quote me on that.

That being said, tomorrow I shall be honoring your name with a Stoli Gold salute... this fairly rare bottle has been in the freezer waiting for just such an occasion. You sir, are definitely worth its dedication(and draining).

"To Gums... SALUTE!!!" Salute

Quote:

I shall be honoring your name with a Stoli Gold salute... this fairly rare bottle has been in the freezer waiting for just such an occasion. You sir, are definitely worth its dedication(and draining).

Woo-Hoo, Party at Stoli's house in Gums honor... Cheers

But on a more serious note, I too would like to raise a glass in tribute to Gums. SALUTE Sir. Salute

And another! Salute

And to all the others who serve! Salute

Well, it was one helluva saluting session last night!

I had almost forgotten how Stoli Gold goes down like water...

until I looked at the empty fifth this mornng. Crazy Pilot

Life is good- time to blast some James Brown!!! Cool

Salute!

TNX for the toast. CYA one day in that neat hootch bar in the sky.

********************

The deal with the flameout is repeated here for those interested.

Close air support mission maybe 25 - 30 miles SW of Saigon.

Dropped our 500 pounders, then went down real low for CBU passes. Like 200-300 feet and maybe 340 knots or so. Saw these "birds" I was flying thru and didn't realize they were tracers from all the AK-47's. I was still a newbie.

Low fuel light starts blinking, but no biggie, as we had the original fuselage tank from the Tweet model and our J-85's burned it lots faster at mil power.

Next pass I could smell fuel fumes and went 100% oxygen. Something was wrong, huh?

Made last pass and told flight lead something was bad. Pulled off and he joined. Said to shut down one motor as it was smoking real bad. Did as ordered. Told me to jett CBU pods and external tanks. Did so. Then he asks for fuel check and it was something like 2000 pounds total, but fuse tank was low and "low light" was still blinking.

Head for home and used best range speed for single engine cruise. Bad move, as fuel was being pumped outta the fuel lines between wing tanks and fuse tank, as well as from fuse tank to the motors. Ya see, I had lottsa holes. Should have used 100% power and made it to Bien Hoa.

In 20 miles I pumped out that 2000 pounds of gas and was at 14K over Tan Son Nhut IAP. We decided to land there. Told lead I couldn't get down before outta gas, so he advises to get gear down using normal hydraulics. Did so, then a few seconds later the motor coughs and it gets real quiet.

Having plenty of feet, we do a 360 to see how many feet we lose ( no Dash-1 procedure written at this time). Use the T-33 glide speeds - 135 to 140 KIAS, no flaps. So it's 3500 feet or so, same as for the T-bird which I had flown and practiced the maneuver.

Spiral down and lead advises if it doesn't look good on base turn to punch.

Nice turn to final and pulled up for grease job. Sucker bleeds off speed like you wouldn't believe and I touch about 1000 feet down the runway. Slowing past 70 knots I notice that right main tire is flat. Hell, there goes my arrival airshow, huh?

Come to rest, climb out and then help fire folks to push the thing off the runway so's commercial airliners could land.

Lead offers me his empty right seat and we scoot back to Bien Hoa. He doesn't cancel me and we launch again about 15 minutes after landing at Bien Hoa. Back to the same damned place!!!

Helluva day, folks.

Gums sends ....

P.S. paperwork got screwed up and I never even got an Air Medal for that day.

Makes me want to go hunting over the NH border for another fifth of Stoli Gold!

That way there could be a repeat of last night!!! Twisted Evil

Respect.

Gums wrote:

paperwork got screwed up and I never even got an Air Medal for that day.

Air Medal? Sheesh, you should've earned a DFC for that one!

Just like handling your LEF failure...Sierra Hotel!

Pops would tell a story about the first IFE he ever saw in progress. An A-7 from MB landed at Shaw, mid 70s timeframe with hydraulic problems. Driver put it down, and the brakes caught fire. Pops said the pilot had obviously seen much more hairy experiences in 'Nam, because he brought the plane to a complete stop, raised the canopy, shut down, then unstrapped and climbed down like nothing was the matter...cool as the other side of the pillow.

I can't help but think that this pilot and you must have run in the same circles. Thumb

Forum: Military Aircraft of the Cold War

A-37 - 'Smallest Fighter, Fastest Gun'