True Story: At the Oceana, Va, Naval Air Station, I was training a young ground-crew member on how to direct an F-14 into the fuel pit. I glanced over to check wing clearance and, when looked back, discovered that he had taxied the aircraft too far forward from the fuel hose to reach.

"You'll have to send him around again," I informed the trainee.

"What?" he said, surprised. "They spend millions on these things and you can't put them in reverse?"