crewdawg

This right here! Even in some of the remote areas of our low levels, we've had videos pop up on the interwebs. A video is making the rounds on FB of an A-10 that looks like it did a 100 foot pass over a boat. It was posted on the web by a (well meaning) lady in the boat that thought it was cool. I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before the AF figures out who it is and has an inquisition. There is zero% sense of humor among military leadership right now. I tell all our young punks, that our job is cool enough when you color within the lines...if you go outside those, just assume it is being recorded and will end up on the web and/or the bosses desk. Be thankful you guys got to fly in the era where not everyone had a camera at their fingertips.

This, coupled with so many other "issues" that are more important to our leadership, is why retirement can't get here fast enough. It's been a fun ride, but I'm counting the days.

Jdman

The new aircraft cockpit check out was real. My father flew in WWII in the Navy as well, several years in training command in Stearmans, then a tour in an FM2 on a boat in the Atlantic. War ends, he goes inactive reserve. Runs an FBO in Indiana selling instruction in Cubs and Aeroncas. Korea starts, gets activated to Great Lakes. Shows up and is thrown a manual for an F4U, he is told grab one off the line and get 20 hours or so in the pattern and get comfortable and then we are heading to the boat.

Adlerdriver

I love Robin Olds' story about talking his way into an F-84(?) - I think - while in the UK. Not exactly sure of the model.
"Hey, that's a pretty cool looking new toy - think I'll give it a try".

USMCFLYR

I always say that I wouldn't have survive a week in WWI as I have always struggled with visually acquiring aircraft - I needed that TD box and some good radar SA )

I also say I wouldn't have done well in this era of throwing the book at you and getting a few hours, if any at all, before taking that new plane across the pond or into combat! I don't even like the thought of being currently being dual qual'ed in two aircraft at the same time.

It was a special time, but as another poster said - the level of risk accepted was a different thing too. Just stop by the museum at Walnut Ridge Rgnl (KARG) and look at the memorial they have out front for TRAINING deaths in a short period of time at the old base.

UAL T38 Phlyer

He told us a story about flying a Vampire on a zero/zero day...he had just arrived for an exchange tour. Brits were egging him on, thinking he knew it was sarcasm. He took it as “Go on, ops-normal, you colonial pansy!” Got airborne in the goo on his first flight (Solo!) and barely made it home!

I think that story is in his book, too.

John Carr

If you read some of the WW2 books on the Luftwaffe and the first guys to go to the jets (Galland et al), it was the same. Them sitting on the wing leaning into the cockpit teaching while the student taxied the plane around for familiarization before flying it the first time, solo.

crewdawg

I've seen some pretty awesome logbooks from back in the day. I'm amazed to see all the different aircraft some of these guys got to fly. On one page, there might be a few different fighters and a couple other random aircraft. Crazy!

If you haven't read Rupert Red 2, I'd check it out. Dude was slated to be a B-17 pilot, but the war ended as he was finishing training in the 17. So they sent him to Germany to be a P-47 pilot. His first flight, the IP (who didn't want anything to do with flying) gave him the cockpit check out, then right after takeoff claimed a mechanical problem and immediately landed. The author ended up out in the airspace by himself and made it happen lol.


You're not kidding. Depending on what numbers you believe, between Dec41 and Aug45, we killed ~11 aircrew/day, just in the CONUS! Just outside my hometown there is a crash site from WW2. Dude got disoriented in the weather and flew his entire 4-ship of P-39s into ground. Sad.

2StgTurbine

Years ago, my wife got me a cool DVD collection from the Library of Congress. In it was a "Transition to Jets" Army training video for the P-80. It gave an overview for what to expect for your first flight in a jet. The only thing I could think was that most flight schools require a longer lesson for a simple C-172 check out.

USMCFLYR

Well......LAWYERS and the COURTS have something to say about that.

rickair7777

The lakes and canyons in the sierra nevadas occasionally still turn up WW2 aircraft from the training fields in the central valley. No shortage of mishaps from that era.