Salute!
Thank you, "Once".
I have to go with the disdain for the "cowboy" attitude, and we may never had known about the mishap flight or previous flights without recovering the HUD video and other recorders. I flew one of the first planes with the HUD and radar and flight data recorders. We recovered most, so if you lived you couldn't lie at the accident board. Have a sad one of a friend barely missing recovery and last thing you see is that the sage brush is now visible.
I really didn't get "scared' enuf to stop showboating, but had sound leadership and counsel. And that was that! Survived first combat tour and became an IP in that jet back stateside with only about 1500 total hours, 400 hours in type. Then another tour and another "sentence" to be an IP for next 700 hours in a new jet. Along the way, I saw many good management and leadership examples involving training and in combat. Our training went to good progressions of skill levels and increasing difficulty or envelope considerations as a result of that war. We also preached that the Pk of the rocks was 99.999% and being hit by a SAM or AAA was lots less than that.
I was surprised that the ridgecrossing maneuvers involved so many gees. I made many, and can't recall ever getting more than 2 or 3 gees except for initial pull. Hell, my best wingie and I would be coming home and roll in formation ( about 1000 feet line abreast) completely inverted and coast over a ridge, then roll back and press on. Staying at 500 feet was last thing we thot of. So being overly aggressive can get you in trouble quickly, like burying the nose and being 50 knots slower that you paraticed. And then you have to really know the envelope, which did not seem part of this IP's kit.
Oh well, RIP
Gums opines...
Last edited by gums; 17th Apr 2018 at 18:44.
Reason: spelling