Forum: General F-16 forum

I'm still trying collect Bio info for my web site. I personaly if I can get an interview with him over the net! Yah, cut and paste the interview onto the "Honor a Fighter Pilot" I am reading and taking notes from the O'grady books!

Thanks!

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Good grief Gal!

We have tried to help you, even sending email with URL's and pics and whatever.

Sorry if the neanderthal pigs are hitting on you, but fir chrissakes! ever use 'google'?

Besides, Scott was a neat story, but he showed far less in his career than many others. I would avoid him as a centerpiece of your site.

How about a personal interview with the current Deputy Chief of Staff of USAF? Huh? A student of mine and was the Air component commander of Iraqi 2. Or, you could talk with Gen Horner, same position for Iraqi 1. Be my guest, and you have my email addy.

Oh yeah, only USAF pilot ace of VietNam. He has a site and is a publicity hound. Would talk to anyone. Then Randy Cunningham, the only Navy ace. A US House congressman and will also talk with you.

A few others are out there for personal interviews - Robin Olds, McWhorter, even more from WW2, Korea, 'nam, Iraqi 1 ( try 33rd Wing Co, Rick Parsons, whose group shot down more Migs than rest of Allies combined), and the beat goes on.

'nuff for now.

Neat idea you have there, Gal, keep pressing......

Robin Olds Rules !!!!! LOVE reading stuff about him. Awesome leader. Funny Vietnam F-4 ops story. Too many radios making noise so on the bomb run he would turn most of them off Very Happy

Listen. As much as fighter pilots like to talk about ourselves, we prefer it face to face. The net is a dangerous place to make friends and tell stories. That's probably why most of us shut our yappers, unless humor is involved. At the club (or in our sq bar) I have some control over you and your article/interview, etc. On the net, here, I have nothing... SO until you buy me (us) a Jack-and-coke, you get nothing.. no offense... it's the price of business.

Cylon

Active Member Joined: Jan 06, 2004 - 03:22 PM Posts: 209

Cylon has it exactly right, But it's not just the whole internet thing. (even tho that's a good reason) I've found that when you're in the bar (or any social situation) it's usually the quiet guy at the end who's NOT saying anything that has the most to say in the long run. Don't be too quick to believe the talkitive guy who goes on about all those 'MiG kills'.

Google everything and check it twice.

Cylon, Mcallan 12 year old all right?

Google everything and spell-check it twice. Wink

Active Member Joined: Jan 06, 2004 - 03:22 PM Posts: 209

h2 that's tough for those of us who keep typing in 'cartoon' english!

Not to be a buzz kill here, but personally, I think that Scott O'Grady was simply made into a press hound by a presidential administration (just think about the guy who was in the oval office at the time) that was trying to get something positive out of an unpopular situation over in the former Yugoslavia. Sort of like Jessica Lynch with Gulf War II. O'Grady came back, and was IMO, overhyped for doing what he was trained to do in a survival situation. You know, if he had done a better job avoiding the SAM, you never would have heard his name. If you want to talk about a guy who did his all (and more) in a survival situation, look up USAF Captain Lance Peter Sijan (CMH, North Vietnam 1968.) Scott O'Grady looks like a Brownie Scout compared to him...Actually, we all do...

Sorry, and no offense intended if I stepped on any toes there

In a way, O'Grady did write a book about how to hide from the enemy. After he came back, he recommended a few changes to the USAF Survival Manual that we pack into survival kits, not the least of which, to change the color of the book from white to green. Bottom line, was it an interesting story? Sure. A good book to read on the subject is "Return With Honor," which BTW, is also the motto of the 31st FW at Aviano (formerly of Homestead) which was his unit at the time of the incident. But was the incident worthy of all the press hype? Probably not. Once again, it was pretty much like the Pfc. Jessica Lych story.

ECM works if turned on...

LOL. That's funny. Did he forget to turn on his ECM? I know it looks cool in the movies to start jinking around after a SAM launch, but you DO have to use some countermeasures too. The guy who wrote the book on avoiding SAMs was CDR. Randy "Duke" Cunningham. He used to tell his Top Gun students to watch the SAM launch, kick out some chaff, and wait. Then, at the last minute, pull into a hard turn, and that Mach 3 missile, which has to turn at 3x the G's you do, won't make the corner. The only SAM that ever hit him, he said was an unseen one.

Heh heh, TC

Ya got that right. Cunningham and McCain and Bud Day and about 8 of my classmates are still alive, and they have more to offer in an interview than O'Grady.

Tried to tell 'gal' about Steve richey and some other folks from the 'nam era, plus General Horner from closeby Shalimar.

Oh well,

out

O'Grady and his buddy were flying above a cloud layer and there wasn't an weapon aquisition tone ( example a traditional CW mode from the ground painting the jet. ) , ( launch based on the ground search radar info only ? ) so it must have been one of the many improved SA-6 seekers with a different terminal seeker.... or the RWR wasn't updated. Take your pick. Wink

Actually...I don't think Scott is that good of a pilot, I hear many folks talk about him in a negative light. He screwed up that flight where he got shot down, I think the USAF turned sour grapes into grape juice if you get my drift.

They (USAF) needed some good "PR", the real credit is the SAR (Search and Rescue) team folks that pulled his butt out of Bosnia.

The way I hear it...he screwed up? The French flier that was with him (so I am told) warned him of a threat and the French pilot peeled away.

Our pilot refused to believe he had been locked onto, he thought his equipment was failing. He was then shot down, that's the way I heard it. Of course, no country wants to lose a flyer or aircraft, he was rescued, as he should have been but soon he transfered to the 419th at Hill...where I keep hearing stories of his so called adventure.

Who knows what really happened but him and his French counter-part but one thing is for sure...the PJ's and SAR are the real hero's of this tale....not this pilot (although he did good to not get captured)...I don't think the USAF was too proud of this guy is what I heard is true....what do you think?

I'm with you word for word Tom. He didn't listen to his advice, he didn't properly use his equipment, and was shot down, and nearly captured/killed as a result. PJs and Marines were there to take the brunt of the fire to pull him out, but they received no attention for their job. O'Grady came back and was turned into a media hound by an administration that was, virtually at the same time, trying to wipe egg off of their faces for LewinskyGate. OOPS! Did I say that out loud?

I suggest everyone read the story of Capt. Lance Sijan. Then, we'll talk about a real hero in a survival situation...

Beers and MiGs were made to be pounded!

Forum: General F-16 forum

Is there an offical web site on Scott O' Grady?