This one is for Paul & all our other aviators here.

[AzHadEnuf]

https://www.facebook.com/JamesHCartw...11856236978997

Great story.

[nick c]

[CRM114]

I'd previously read the transcript of that story as told but not heard actual audio. Makes it even funnier. Thanks! As an ex-Hornet driver I'm sure Paul with have something to say.

[TheVTCGuy]

Oh.. Oh yeah!?!?!?!? Well.... well.... at least I carried weapons!!!! Ahem....

True... my Hornet was Vmax at (Mach) 1.6, which I never got close to that, even in combat. The Blackbid was Mach 3+, so I couldn't compete with speed. Hard for a fighter pilot to admit to being bested in anything. The thing I was trying to figure out is what squadron he was talking about. I was at Lemoore my entire career, Warhawks of VFA-97. He used a call sign of "Dusty", which I don't remember any squadron using. It could have been a special call for a unique flight I guess, but I will have to try and find out which group he was referring to. Here is the list of calls per squadron.

http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=8648


And THIS, and ONLY THIS, is the ONLY time I will EVER admit to Air-Force besting the Navy!!!!!!!

[BravoOne]

Old story, but still very funny, We have a couple of Sled drivers where I work and they can and do, tell many a funny tail. Makes me feel so inferior in my F8 :)

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by BravoOne

Old story, but still very funny, We have a couple o Sled drivers where I work and they can and do, tell many a funny tail. Makes me feel so inferior in my F8 :)

Crusaders? I have heard that was an incredible bird to fly! A much better dogfighter then the Phantom or even my FBW Hornet. I congratulate you sir!

I also heard it was a nightmare to trap, usually catching the one wire, or maybe the four, or even more often "Bolter Bolter!" My hat's off to you from one Navy Pilot to another, thank you for your service

[BravoOne]

Thanks Paul,

[BravoOne]

Thanks Paul. You always had to bring your best game when flying the Crusader. We lost a number of pilots far better and more experienced than I due to simply bad luck. I was 22, years old, (Nav Cad) and ready to take on the world. What could go wrong?
,
#2 wire was always your best bet. The Hancock (CV19) was an old Essex class ship. Also, lousy air conditioning, noisy, crowded and under powered. Other than that she was a good old girl.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by BravoOne

Thanks Paul. You always had to bring your best game when flying the Crusader. We lost a number of pilots far better and more experienced than I due to simply bad luck. I was 22, years old, (Nav Cad) and ready to take on the world. What could go wrong?
,
#2 wire was always your best bet. The Hancock (CV19) was an old Essex class ship. Also, lousy air conditioning, noisy, crowded and under powered. Other than that she was a good old girl.

I hear you sir, I was invincible at 23 when I got my wings. Was on Saratoga during Desert Storm, sounds a lot like the Hank. Finished my 12 year service on Carl Vinson, CVN-70. Being on a nuke was a completely different experience. One of these days you and I will have to swap stories at a GTG

[kneedeep]

Hilarious, thanks for sharing. I may have a chance to meet an SR-71 pilot through a friend and would love to listen to his flying stories!

[encarter13]

Meanwhile, I am the guy over here doing 108knt in my Piper....

[BravoOne]

Just got an email from a good friend that flew the sled for a couple years. His comments below;

"Not sure if that ever happened. The guys talked about it but it may be more fiction than fact. Center didn’t talk to us much since we were on the central frequency that transmitted to all the other freqs. Like when you talked to Chicago center and they handed you off to another Chicago freq. We only changed once and the navigator was the one talking on center. We didn’t give our altitude but just checked on. All the controllers from all the centers that worked with us were briefed on our operation and some of them got to come out to Beale".

Still a funny story and told is such away that you just had to laugh out loud!

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by BravoOne

Just got an email from a good friend that flew the sled for a couple years. His comments below;

"Not sure if that ever happened. The guys talked about it but it may be more fiction than fact. Center didn’t talk to us much since we were on the central frequency that transmitted to all the other freqs. Like when you talked to Chicago center and they handed you off to another Chicago freq. We only changed once and the navigator was the one talking on center. We didn’t give our altitude but just checked on. All the controllers from all the centers that worked with us were briefed on our operation and some of them got to come out to Beale".

Still a funny story and told is such away that you just had to laugh out loud!

I heard another Blackbird story that I think is also an urban-aviation myth. SR-71 contacts center and requests FL 800. Controller responds: "If you can get that high, you can have it" to which the 71 replies: "Roger... Descending" Based on what your buddy said and a lot of other reasons I always found that one hard to believe.

[BravoOne]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wigZsFypdyI

More SR71 tales from Brian Shul. His scars from a previous F4 accident during Vietnam.