TAC Attack

October 1972

the heavyweight champ pg 16

 ftr efficint tactical air '"'r
HOSG,
The Heavyweight

TflC flllflCK
Champ ... Page 16

CURRENT INTEREST
FIRE IN FLIGHT 4
OCTOBER 1972
VOL. 12, NO. 10 IS THE WANKEL THE AUTO ENGINE
OF THE FUTURE? 8
HE LEARNED HIS LESSON 14
Tactical Air Command
THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP 16

HUMAN ENGINE FAILURE 20

COMMANDER HERE COMES WINTER 28
GENERAL WILLIAM W. MOMYER

VICE COMMANDER DEPARTMENTS

LT GEN DALES. SWEAT Angle of Attack 3

Published by the Chief of Safety T AC Men of the Month 7, 1f

TAC Tips 12
COLONEL E. HILLDING
Aircrewmen of the Month 21
Lessons that Live 22
Chock Talk 24
SPO Corner 26

Weapons Words 29

Letters 30

TAC Tally 31
editor TACRP 1 27-1
Maj Tlm Brady
Articles, accident briefs, and associated material in this magazine are
non-direct i ve in nature. All suggestions and recommendations are intended
a .. lstant editor to remain within the scope of existing directives. Information used to
Capt J im Young brief accidents and incidents does not identify the persons, places, or un it s
involved and may not be construed as incriminating under Article 31 of
the Uniform Code of Military J u stice. Names, dates, and places used in
art editor conjunct ion with accident stories are fictitious. Air Force units are
Stan Hardison encouraged to republish the material contained herein ; however, contents
are not fo r publ ic release. Written permission must be obtained from HQ
TAC befor e material may be republished by other than Department o f
-glng editor Defense organizations.
Mariella W. Andrews Contributions of articles, photos, and it ems of interest from personnel
in the fie l d are encouraged, as are comments and criticism. We reserve t he
layout and product ion • right to edit all manuscripts for clarity and readability. Direct
communication is authorized with: The Editor, TAC ATTACK , HQ TAC
SSgt John Tomkowski (SEPP), Langley AFB, Va. 23365. Autovon 432-2937 \
SSgt Lindsey Cobb Distribution FX, Controlled by SEPP.
flngle of flTTflCK
could ou have
preve ted that
accident?
When you heard the news that a member of your
outfit bought it in an aircraft accident, or rolled himself
up in his Detroit special, did the thought, "I could have
prevented that accident," suddenly burst to the surface?
It's a gut feeling that leaves you stunned for a moment
until all the excuses begin flooding into your mind. "No
one would listen ," you tell yourself. "What could I do
about it?" "Too much paperwork," another voice says. "I
thought someone else would take care of it." Then finally,
"I recognized the problem but didn't have enough time
to do anything about it."
The phony excuses help for a while, but in time they
disappear with the return of the nagging thought, "I could
have prevented that accident." You know that if you had
worked a little harder, or had brought it to the attention
of the proper people, or had been more forceful and
convincing in your arguments, the accident would not
have happened .
If this hasn't happened to you, great; don't let it. Are
you carrying any accidents around in your back pocket
right now? Can you say that you know of no correctable
hazard in your job, no matter what it is? Can you tell me
that there is no accident potential in your outfit? I hope
so!
If you can't, what are you going to do about it?
Nothing, if you are like some people. But if you feel a
responsibility to others and to yourself, you'll start by
getting bent out of shape; then you'll do something. Make
that something count. If you know of a hazard, report it.
Start it on its way to elimination . If you see an unhealthy
situation developing, tell somebody about it, and then dog
it until it no longer exists.
It's much easier than making excuses!

z(
E. HILLDING, olon
Chief of Safety
fire in flight
 by W. E. Cumbie
Military Editor,
APPROACH Magazine

Takeoff in the C-130 Hercules was normal, and f ive the nose slightly. The aircraft passed over the trees at 100
minutes later the aircraft was climbing t hrough 7500 feet. feet with 135-150 knots airspeed.
The after-takeoff checklist was complete and the AC had Just prior to touchdown, the pilots flared the aircraft
just switched seats with 2P (copilot) when a loud slightly and "greased" it onto the field. Impact was
" thump" was heard. The aircraft shuddered. relatively soft, and the C-130 came to a stop after sliding
The 2P, now in the left seat, exclaimed over the ICS about 650 feet.
(intercom), "That felt like a birdstrike!" The AC looked The cockpit was secured, and the crew rapidly
out the right window and noticed a reflection of flames evacuated the aircraft. There were no injuries. The aircraft
on the No. 4 engine nacelle. He thought the No. 3 engine burned for about 30 minutes before the fire was
n fire. He turned to execute engine fire shutdown extinguished by local volunteer firemen.
,dures but noticed there were no fire warning It was later determined that the aircraft would have
~tions for any engine. soon become uncontrollable. The pilots did an
As he looked again at the No . 4 engine, the 2P notified outstanding job of assessing the situation and
him that the left wingtip was on fire. The flight engineer expeditiously getting the aircraft down without injury to
isolated the left wing bleed air system. The AC shut down its 16 occupants.
the No. 1 engine, using engine fire in flight shutdown The most probable cause of the fire was a short in the
procedures. He still had no indication of an eng ine fire but cannon plug for the No. 1 fuel quantity gauge. This
secured it as a precautionary measure in the event it had allowed 115 volts AC current to be routed to the internal
contributed to the fire. At the suggestion of the 2P, power fuel tank wiring. An arc or spark apparently jumped from
was reduced on all eng ines to flight idle. the wiring to ground at some point in the tank.
The 2P put the aircraft in a nose down attitude in an Such an arc or spark would not cause an explosion or
attempt to blow out the fire by increasing airspeed. The fire if submerged in fuel. However, it is suspected that
AC notified approach control of the emergency and got sufficient fuel had been burned to leave space above the
on the controls with the 2P, who was finding the aircraft fuel, which contained a suitab le fuel-air mixture for
increasingly difficult to control. Meanwhile, the wing fire ignition by the arc.
continued to burn brightly. I nves tigation revealed an uncorrected aircraft
Passing 4000 feet, the 2P sighted a farmer's field off to discrepancy of long standing- a malfunctioning fuel tank
the left. This was fortunate because control of the aircraft indicator which was first written up more than 2 months
had become margina l. In spite of both pilots' efforts to before the acc ident . This discrepancy was not considered
maintain a constant heading, the aircraft continued a cause for grounding the aircraft. The discrepancy read,
slight turn to the left. "No. 1 main fuel tank reads off scale at all times."
At about 1000 feet, the pilots started slowing the Corrective action read, "Repaired coax cab le, checks
Hercules. At 400 feet, airspeed was down to 160 knots good," and "Repaired cannon plug, checked good."
and dropping. Since there was a row of tall trees bordering Unfortunately, this discrepancy was not fully
1nding field, the 2P added a little power and raised corrected by such action. The same or related discrepancy

iAC ATTACK 5
 been proven time and again that the verbal system will
FIRE IN FLIGHT break down sooner or later, and usually sooner.
(3) Recognize the value of standard publications ..
was written up five more times during t he next 2 weeks. when a lesson is learned through costly experience, as Jn
In each case, corrective action was taken, but'the problem this case, ensure that it is documented in appropriate
was not eliminated. publications. Secondly, USE these publications on each
The discrepancy was aggravating to be sure, but was appropriate occasion. Only in this way will such lessons be
not considered to be grounding. No one realized that it preserved for future benefit. ~
had the potential to cause an accident. Therefore, in the
face of heavy operational commitments and limited time Courtesy Navy APPROACH
within which to perform corrective maintenance, the
squadron continued to live with this "minor" discrepancy.
Maintenance personnel verbally advised the flight
engineer on the next flight to leave t he fuel quantity
indicator circuit breaker out to "prevent the indicator
from continuing to run." This advice was passed on
verbally from one engineer to the next- for a time. This
system of communication eventually broke down (about
50 days later). Sometime prior to the last flight, the
circuit breaker was pushed in. This allowed 115 volts AC
to be introduced into the fuel tank wiring , which
eventually led to the wing fire.
There are times when it is necessary t o operate aircraft
with minor discrepancies. Nevertheless, this accident
suggests several precautions:
( 1) Beware of repeat discrepancies on a system or piece
of equipment. Each discrepancy in itself may indeed
appear to be minor, but taken altogether, could indicate
major trouble. Don't live indefinitely with aircraft
discrepancies, even the "minor" ones.
(2) Ensure that both the discrepancy and associated
maintenance actions are properly documented. It's the
only way to ensure that all concerned get the word. It has

6 OCTOBER 1972
 TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Maintenance Man Safe~ Award

Technical Sergeant Robert V. Brewer, 4500
Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Langley Air
Force Base, Virginia , has been selected to receive the TAC
Maintenance Man Safety Award for August 1972.
Sergeant Brewer will receive a letter of appreciation from
the Commander of Tactical Air Command and a
Certificate.
TSGT BREWER

TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Crew Chief Safe~ Award

caff Sergeant Montfred M. Liknes, 58
Organizational Maintenance Squadron , Luke Air Force
Base, Arizona, has been selected to receive the T AC Crew
Chief Safety Award for August 1972. Sergeant Liknes will
receive a letter of appreciation from t he Commander of
Tactical Air Command and a Certificate.

SSGT LIKNES

TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Ground Safe~ LV\ an of the .L'V\on th

Sergeant Jerry W. Ballou, 313 Field Maintenance
Squadron, Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, has been
selected to receive the TAC Ground Safety Man of the
Month Award for August 1972. Sergeant Ballou will
receive a letter of appreciation from the Commander of
;cal Air Command and a Certificate.

SGT BALLOU
TAC ATTACK
 CRANKSHAFT

R
evolution doesn't come often in the auto industry.
The last one happened nearly 40 years ago, when
the automatic transmission appeared .
In all the years since the Duryeas developed Amer
first successful gasoline-engine motor vehicle in 1893, ,
passenger-car industry has never experienced an engine
innovation comparable to the switch to diesel for trucks
is the wankel the auto engine of the future?
and trains or to jets for aircraft.
Now the automobile seems face to face with the first
revolutionary change ever to overtake its basic power
plant, a change from pistons that chunk up and down or
back and forth to an engine that just whirs as rotors spin
on a shaft.
The new engine, known as the Wankel or the rotary
combustion, solves some of the most serious problems in
existing auto engines - stop-start motions of many parts
with the attendant vibration and noise and a relatively
much lower limit on how fast the engine can turn over-
without sacrificing economy, power or durability. When
perfected, it may well outlast today's reciprocating
engines, put enormously more power in a smaller package,
give more miles per gallon and run on the cheapest grades
of fuel, as low as 70 octane if such a fuel were available.
And even if, by some engineers' standards, the rotary
engine is not yet perfected for street use, it is already
selling in quantity and seems to be performing well. Most
of the unanswered questions come from a lack of numbers
- not enough engines driven far enough yet to suppo'}a.
final verdict.

8 OCTOBER 1972
 rotor revolves, it creates spaces between itself and its
housing that continually enlarge and diminish .
WANKEL'S INGENIOUS MACHINE An enlarging area sucks in the fuel charge through an
intake port (1 ). Then the space diminishes, compressing
Assuming you don't own a Japanese Mazda RX-2 or a the charge (2) to prepare it for ignition from the spark
German NSU Ro-80, the engine of the car you drive today plug (3). Combustion pushes the rotor on around its
contains four, six or eight pistons that move up and down eccentric circle, and the diminishing space forces the
or back and forth inside cylinders. The pistons connect to exhaust through a port just uncovered by the rotor (4) . As
a crankshaft, where their push-pull movement is converted any side of the triangle is performing one of the intake,
into rotation in the same way a bicyclist's up-down leg compression, combustion or exhaust functions, the other
movement becomes rotary power at the sprocket wheel. two sides are performing the other functions, so that the
four-part process is continuous and smooth.
The Wankel needs no valves because, as the rotor turns,
its seals merely uncover ports that supply intake and
provide for exhaust. Thus there are no pop-open and
slap-shut actions with their accompanying noise and
vibration. All movement is perfectly balanced rotational
motion - as in an electric motor - and the rotary engine
can be operated at speeds that would cause a piston
engine to throw itself to pieces. Its higher rpm's can get
more horsepower per pound or cubic foot of engine than
a conventional engine.

[1) INTAKE
The pistons are pushed by the pressure of expand ing
gases as the gasoline-air mixture burns inside the
combustion chambers. To do its share of the work, each
piston must go through a four-stroke cycle, each stroke
setting off reciprocal actions in the valve train, a long
series of parts that open and shut an intake and exhaust
valve for each cylinder. With six or eight cylinders and 12
or 16 valves, there is lots of action every second. That
means lots of noise and plenty of vibration.
The Wankel has intake and exhaust but doesn 't need
valves, and it has less than half as many parts as a
six-cyli nder piston engine. Moreover, the faster it run s, the
(2) COMPRESSION
better it seems to work - smoother, quieter, mo re The inventor of this ingenious mechanism is a German
powerful. engineer, Dr. Felix Wankel, a stubborn and dedicated man
The accompanying diagrams will help you envision who has been experimenting for almost half a century .
how the Wankel works. A rotor shaped like a slightly fat Long after his theories had been proved sound,
triangle revolves within a housing that's in the shape of a development of his idea was hindered by a few
two-lobed epitrochoid, the outline of an overweight figure simple-sounding mechanical and metallurgical problems
8. Instead of turning in a regular circle, however, the roto r that seemed insurmountable until less than three years
nwolves eccentrically on a shaft so that the three apexes ago.
ts triangle follow the outline of the epitrochoid . As the Beginning in the 1920's, Dr. Wankel worked with his

AC ATTACK 9
\
Is the Wankel the auto two-rotor engine of 573 cubic-centimeter displacement
capacity in each chamber. Exports of earlier serie·
Australia and Thailand had begun in April 1969,
engine of the future? exports to the U.S. began in July 1970. By October 1970
Toyo Kogyo had produced a total to 82,000 rotary-engine
idea until after World War II when his laboratory was cars.
taken over by the occupation forces. By 1951 he was
again set up with a small home workshop when a ENGINEERING A BIG CHANGE
motorcycle maker, NSU Motor Works of Germany, which
was considering going into the manufacture of four-wheel In the meantime Curtiss-Wright was developing its
vehicles, took an interest in his work and an agreement version of the rotary for snowmobiles and other
was signed for joint research and development. nonautomobile uses, and working with NSU to prepare an
In 1957 a model was completed in which both rot or engine that would interest the American motor industry .
and housing rotated - impractical to manufacture and So far, all American manufacturers have taken an
install. But within a year the KKM type, having a extremely conservative view. General Motors has become
stationary housing with only the rotor in motion, was partially committed. GM has paid Audi NSU-Wankel and
completed. By July 1959 endurance tests were under way Curtiss-Wright $15,000,000 for worldwide nonexclusive
at NSU on the KKM 250, the true prototype of today's rights that allow GM or any subsidiary to manufacture
rotary engine. It was confirmed as practical and and sell the rotary engine without royalties, in any size,
introduced to the public. for any purpose excepting aircraft propulsion, to any
The public took little notice. But Curtiss-Wright, the customer. If GM continues with the rotary, it will make
American aircraft engine manufacturer, acquired an three more annua l $10,000,000 payments and a final
exclusive North American license from NSU-Wankel in payment of $5,000,000 in 1975. Approximately 6/11ths
October 1958 and had begun experimentation before the of GM's license fee goes to the German patent holders and
rest of the industry paid much attention. approximately 5/1 1ths to Curtiss-Wright, which holds
The most popular rotary engine on the market today is exclusive rights for manufacture and sale in North
installed in the Mazda RZ-2, a subcompact product of America. Ford has negotiated a more limited license.
Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd., of Hiroshima, Japan. Toyo Kogyo GM can term inate its license agreement whenever
obtained a license from NSU-Wankel to develop a pay ment comes due - at the end of this year, k _
practical automobile engine in 1961, and by October example. Nevertheless, it is a fact that rotary-engine
1963 had a working engine that was praised by both NSU research is going full blast at the GM Technical Center at
and Curtiss-Wright. Warren, Michigan, with at least several hundred technical
Addition of a four-barrel carburetor and continu ing people actively engaged in the project.
improvements led to the RX-2 series in May 1970, with a The engineering problems involved in developing such
a radically different engine have been formidable. A
decade ago the best design Dr. Wankel could come up
with put out prodigious amounts of smoke, had high fuel
and oil consumption, lacked durability and didn't lend
itself to economical mass production. Even so, Toyo
Kogyo went ahead with its plans and NSU later installed
the engines in its Spyder sports ca r and its Ro-80 sedan.
SPARK A slight change by Curtiss-Wright in intake porting and
PLUG
spark plug positioning plus better seals brought improved
fuel and oil economy. But another sealing problem
remained, now solved to Mazda's satisfaction but
continuing to worry GM. At each of the three apexes on
the triangular rotor there must be a sealing device that
presses against the mirror-finished inside of the housing.
Each seal, a quarter-inch bar as long as the rotor is thick,
is spring-loaded to take up ·any slack caused by heat
expansion, imperfect machining and wear. These apex
[3) IGNITION seals are comparable to the compression rings on a pist~
and, like the rings, are subject to wear from heat :

10 OCTOBER 1972
 combustion pressure. The cost of tooling up for the rotary's complicated
wanese engineers found that their early seals tended machining is immense. Another GM paper has pointed
chatter" as they revolved with the rotor, wearing out, however, that the engine permits a wide range of
'- -
wavelike patterns on the inside surface of the housing. engine displacements to be built from a common tool
Redesign solved this problem but the biggest proble m, seal investment by varying the width of a single rotor chamber
wear, remained. or by building one, two or even three chamber engines. In
other words , instead of having a Cadillac engine, several
Chevrolet engines and various engines for the other GM
products, GM could have one or several plants that turn
out a line of GM engines of many sizes to fit the many
body weights and styles offered by the various divisions,
with tooling cost spread across all the automotive
subsidiaries.
GM, obviously concerned about what might happen if
several hundred thousand potential car buyers decide to
"wait another year" for a rotary, is playing it as cool as
possible under the circumstances. Its official public
attitude is: "The rotary engine has definite inherent
advantages but many questions remain. We have not yet
established whether the engine can perform up to our
standards of customer satisfaction, whether it can meet
the durability requirements of the Clean Air Act, or how
much it will cost to build."
Speculation continues, nevertheless. GM is not in the
(4) EXHAUST habit of buying just a few of anything, and when it invites
large bids for large items and services - castings and
Seals in early NSU engines were made of carbon. After machinings, for example - the word leaks out and gives
equivalent of 15,000 to 20,000 miles, resealing was new currency to the conviction that it is on the verge of a
cessary, requiring complete engine tear-down, about a revolutionary announcement.
day's labor. Toyo Kogyo now used a carbon-aluminum Trade gossip has it that GM will introduce a
alloy for its Mazda apex seals and claims road mileage of 185-horsepower rotary next year on a 1974 Vega GT and
60,000 to 100,000. (Mazda's warranty is 12,000 miles or that a year later the GM rotary will be in its own car, a
12 months, same as that of American manufacturers.) front-wheel drive, torque converter model larger than the
NSU claims a longevity simi lar to Mazda's for its Vega.
present-day titanium-carbide alloy. GM flatly refuses to confirm any of this. The fact is,
These claims don't impress General Motors. Using a says GM, it does not know what it is going to do about
very expensive seal material , GM has reportedly achieved the rotary, let alone when.
mileages of up to 500,000 but is looking for a cheaper Ford and Chrysler tell the same story. Admitting that
material with a life at least comparab le to the piston they are busy with research and development, they
engine, which is generally considered to be 100,000 to nonetheless say that they are not yet close to a decision.
125,000 miles. But as a GM official told CHANGING American Motors feels free to adopt a wait-and-see
TIMES: "It's one thing to check an engine on a test st and attitude. If a good rotary is developed by somebody,
in a laboratory. It's anot her- and more valuable- thing American can buy it for current production, see how well
to run engines in cars on test tracks and proving grounds. it sells and develop their own later if they wish.
But it's a completely different thing to turn out 20,000 So the best word for now is this: There's undoubtedly
engines a day and hand them over to the public to use- a U.S.-built Wankel in your future, but don't hold your
and perhaps abuse - on all kinds of streets and highways, breath. In the meantime, if you're curious, you can drive a
in every climatic condition, and in every conceivable Mazda. __::::-
stop-and-go, high-speed and in-between situation."
If the sealing problem can be successfully solved, a "Reprinted by permission from CHANGING TIMES, the Kiplinger
recent GM technical paper observed, "this effort will Magazine, (July 1972 issue). Copyright 1972 by The Kiplinger
Washington Editors, Inc., 1729 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
-•oduce a very attractive power plant for passenger car 20006."

"----"'
TACATTACK 11
 TAC Tips

liPS • • • interest items,

GOT GAS? The nose gear impacted and was of fuel starvation! The pilot did not
immediately sheared, then the right position the fuel selectors to main
Two mishaps which bear similar main gear hit and was ripped off. The tanks prior to descent, which caused
characteristics have occurred in the airplane skidded 32 feet and final ly air to enter the main fuel line to the
past few months. The first concerns came to a stop. Fortunately, there front engine and subsequently caused
an incident in a C-47. was no fire and rescuers pulled the the loss of power.
While turning out of traffic after a unconscious pilot from the wreckage. In both mishaps the final results
touch and go on runway 32, the left The pilot made it (180 days lost time) were caused by fuel mismanagement.
engine on the Gooney Bird quit but the airframe was destroyed . Fuel was in the tanks but the engines
running. The IP shut it down and Cause? The rear engine gave an were deprived because the valves were
declared an emergency while turning overspeed indication because of a not positioned properly at the correct
onto base leg for runway 18. During malfunctioning tachometer generator time. Let's say it another way. The
the turn, the right engine began to cable. The f ront engine quit because checklists weren't followed.
overspeed . Landing was assured so the
I P shut down the right engine and
deadsticked the powerless Goon to a
safe landing.
Th"e cause, fuel starvation! The I P
did not monitor the fuel and allowed
both engines to use fuel from the
same tank,resulting in fuel starvation
of both engines.
The next mishap occurred in an
0-2. The pilot had filed for a two and
a half hour cross-country and was on
an approach at the first stopover
poi nt. While descending to the
downwind leg, the RPM on the rear
prop indicated an overspeed condition
so the jock shut it down and turned
onto downwind. He thought he was at
1000 feet but his actual altitude was
closer to 500 feet . He noticed the
airspeed dropping and advanced
power on the front engine but got no
response. He was too low and too far
out to make the runway so he
selected a grassy area, lowered the
gear, and crash landed.
During the landing, the right wing
struck a tree just prior to touchdown.

12 OCTOBER 1972
 for TAC aircrewmen

MiG ACE
Captain Richard S. (Steve) Ritchie blasted his f ifth
enemy MiG -21 out of the North Vietnamese sky to
become the U.S. Air Force's first Vietnam ace, and t he
first U.S. crewman to destroy five MiG-21 aircraft in
Southeast Asia . The record breaking MiG kill followed a
spectacular air-to-air battle as Ritchie and his backseater,
Captain Charles D. DeBellevue, maneuvered for position
approximately 30 miles west of Hanoi. The kill was
DeBellevue's fourth, and places him in competition to
become an ace. Ritchie and DeBellevue were flying MiG
combat air patrol when they received information on
" Bandits" threatening a strike force of F-4 Phantoms.
"" fter Chuck picked them up on radar, we made a hard
to meet them head on," said Captain Ritchie. " The
.__...Jits were very high, approximately 4000 feet above us
as we climbed . I turned as hard as I could, and I squeezed
off two missiles." Evading the missiles, the MiG made a
slight turn and Captain Ritchie fired two more air-to-air
missiles. "He was pretty far away," continued Captain
Ritchie, "and it took qui te a while for the missile to catch
him . Up there, a minute seems like forever. The MiG went
into a thin overcast and when he came out,one missile
went by his left. He must have seen it because he
immediately broke to the right and that's when the last
missile got him . All I saw was a big fireball." downing MiGs. It's a team effort - Chuck and I and our
Colonel Scott G. Smith, 432nd TRW Commander, said wingmen working as a team. And the ground crews.
he "Couldn't be more elated for the Wing, the Air Force, There's no way we could have done it without them. The
and for Captain Ritchie. To kill a MiG-21 is quite a plane I was flying also has five MiG kills. In fact, I got my
difficult feat. But to bring down five of the Blue Bandits first and fifth MiG in it. Its crew chief, Sergeant Reggie
is an unparalleled achievement." Taylor , has really done a wonderful job keeping the
Ritchie, of Reidsville, N. C., was flying his 338th airplane ready . He was the first one up the ladder when I
combat mission when he shot down his fifth MiG . The landed and you just couldn't believe how happy he
MiG-ace commented, " It was an entirely different was .. . I think he was more excited than 1."
situation, a much higher altitude than any of my other The excitement is just as strong in T AC and now we
MiG -kills and at a much greater range . I don't think the join with the rest of the Air Force in congratulating our
MiG pilot ever really saw us. All he saw was those missiles first MiG ace of the Vietnam war, Captain Richard S.
coming at him and that's what helped us finally get him. Ritchie. Good hunting!
"It was a tremendous effort by the entire flight . I couldn't
1p there as a single ship and have any success in EXTRACTED FROM ALMAJCOM 1433/72

'----"
TAC ATTACK 13
 HE LlA/lNl/J H/9
by Captain W. C. White
18 TATS, Dyess AFB, Texas

He learned his lesson

one mile closing." We were just

starting to break out the bottom now,
so he shou ld be stil l a ways below.
Due to my keen eyesight and
alertness, I spotted our traffic. I don 't
remember whether it was the
proximity or the intensity of the
green light (commonly attached to
the right wing of aircraft) that got my
attention first, but the second thing
that I noticed was the plane attached
to it was in a hard left turn. Using my
own words, GCA was informed of t~
near miss and I was informed th
couldn't use words like that over •
air. Ouick reference to Jane's "All the
World's Aircraft" confi rmed this to be
indeed a C-130 and another look at
60-16 said no, he was not VFR, and
definitely within no-no range of our
aerospace vehicle.
The student was comp leting the
checklist while I was getting my facts
together for the near miss report. A
few small diversions and the attitude
that "he learned his lesson" kept the
S everal months ago on a RON going the same direction. Final report from ever getting written.
stopover mission, we were engaged in controller came in with some good The whole thing was brought back
IF and R flight, just chugging along news, "Traffic now pa rall eling your to memory about two weeks later
minding our own business, when the course closing 6 o'clock, should be when news that a C-130 and T-37 had
GCA man said, " Traffic 9 o'clock 5 VFR." My radio ca ll was beginning to midaired under what sounded like
miles," to which I replied, "No joy, lose some cools as I said, "We're still identical circumstances at the same
we're in the soup," or something in the clouds." To ease my student's base.
equally as suave and debonair. A nerves, some reference was made to It's hard to live with the thought
coup le of seconds later he said, the number of C-130s that frequented that if I had submitted one form, five
"Traffic now 7 o'clock 3 miles passing the skies. We ' re still quite a way out people may not have died. Maybe
behind you ; " then I said , and at a Caribou's airspeed they could writing this will encourage others to
"Outstanding," since I knew even a pass under us, touch and go , and submit the proper forms at the proR
C-7Acan out run something that isn't almost catch us again. "Traffic now time. __::::-

14 OCTOBER 1972
 TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Maintenance Man Safeiy Award

Technical Sergeant Donald P. Lindquist, 35 Avionics
Maintenance Squadron, George Air Force Base, California,
has been selected to receive the TAC Maintenance Man
Safety Award for July 1972. Sergeant Lindquist will
receive a letter of appreciation from the Commander of
Tactical Air Command and a Certificate.
TSGT LINDQUIST

TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Sergeant Roger W. Hill , 363 Organizational

Maintenance Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base, South
Carolina, has been selected to receive the T AC Crew Chief
Safety Award for July 1972. Sergeant Hill will receive a
letter of appreciation f rom the Commander of Tactical
Air Command and a Certificate.
SGT HILL

TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

Ground Safeiy i\1an of the Month

Second Lieutenant Jeffrey E. Fink, 308 Tactical

Fighter Squadron, Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, has
been selected to receive the T AC Ground Safety Man of
the Month Award for July 1972. Lieutenant Fink will
ro~eive a letter of appreciation from the Commander of
ical Air Command and a Certificate.
-....... LT FINK
TACATTACK
 the heavyweight champ

THE HEAVVWEII

fighter planes, like the people who fly them, often

tend to get heavier as they age (the author is a good
example). Each year we add new goodies for the
crewmembers to play with between takeoff and landing,
and those of us flying the heavyweight champ Thud now
see this as a very real challenge to our flying skills.
Although the F-1 05G Wild Weasel Ill aircraft is not the
heaviest airplane in the world, it probably best illustrates
the operational prob lems created by a constant increase in
the capability, and correspondingly, the gross weight of a
tactica l fighter -the F-105G .
For starters, a short comparison. The "little" F-1 050
has grown by five feet in length to become a G model. I
has ga ined about 3000 pounds and the basic drag ind

16 OCTOBER 1972
 mind from brake release until the wheels leave the .ground .
As the afterburner lights, we are naturally curious
about what is going on inside the engine, so we check the
instruments. Because of the operating locations of our
present bases, we normally require augmented thrust
through water injection. So hit the switch and check the
gauges again. Whoops, no water? No, the water injection
light is inop but there are other indications to veri fy
InJection. The EPR rises slightly, EGT increases,
sometimes slowly, often very rapidly. A sensitive Bear
(aren't they all?) can usually tell by the feel whether or
not the water system has functioned. Of course, if the
flame roaring from your tailpipe does not turn from blue

3-HT CHAMP to orange, your wingman or the mobile controller ca n

help you determine whether or not the water is working.
As we near the line speed check point, the EGT is
usually nearing its peak. When the Bear calls off his
airspeed, you can check your tape and then one more
by Captain Martin A. Noel, Jr. glance at the EGT. "What is that?" The EGT warning light
561st TFS, Det 1, APO San Francisco 96288 is on indicating 660°+. A nice thing to know, but we are
allowed 660° for one minute and increasing linearly t o
675° f or 30 seconds with water. Since the EGT normal ly
does not peak until partially through the takeoff roll, and
since the entire roll does not exceed one minute, it is
unlikely that the tech order limits will be exceeded unless
there is a gross fuel control malfunction.
has doubled that of the single seater "sports model" that
If approach ing these limits, we can, after safely
':1 to do Mach 2. The two items that have not increased
airborne, reduce the thrott le slightly or dump the water,
the ones that Thud pilots wanted: more wingspan
and write up the system after we land. Dumping the water
nd/or more thrust.
or pulling the throttle back may appeal to some airpl ane
It is immediat ely obvious to a fighter pilot that
drivers, but Thud jocks and Bears call it a no-no. Pulling
increased weight and drag means "less turn to the
the throttle back is something done BEFORE refusal
17111~1111•• ounce ." Weasels ( F-1 05 types) don't spend much
~ ~ time arguing turn radius these days; it has
speed has been reached. Remember the first step in the
Engine Fire During Takeoff Procedure : Throttle -
, become a rather moot subject for us. The Thud
maintain TAKEOFF thrust t o safe ejection altitude.
has lost most of its turning ability. But increased weight
Loss of water injection on takeoff roll is something
and drag means other things t oo; specifically, takeoffs
worth thinking about. Computing a no-water line speed
and landings in the F-105G, especially under combat
and takeoff roll during preflight mission planning will give
loads, are sporting. Any safety officer will tell you t hat
us a basis for decision making on the runway . If the
these particular areas of aviation are not his favorites.
no-water figures are compatible with the runway (length,
TAKEOFF temperature, pressure altitude, and slope), we can lose
water and continue the takeoff whil e keeping in mind the
Unless you fly the X-15 or a helicopter, you must reduced acceleration and increased roll. If they are not,
make a takeoff ground run (that's what the book calls it) however, we know that we can abort as soon as we can
in order to fly. At a desert or semi-tropical base with a confirm that the water did not function.
lofty field elevation in the middle of the summer, and Loss of water after refusal speed is another situation.
with a full load of ordnance (training or otherwise), you A t this point we are committed to takeoff, but the total
may well wonder, "What am I doing here?" With a 49,000 thrust has decreased by 2000 pounds. Losing water about
pound airplane and an engine which produced 26,500 the time you break ground can be very exciting, as can a
pounds of thrust (in 1960), you have good cause to review surging injecting system late in the takeoff roll. The ra bbit
the takeoff performance of your Thunderchief. catcher and overrun will begin to look very big and a real
Without reiterating the procedures in the pilot's desire to get airborne appears. It is difficult to fight the
dbook , let us talk about what runs through the jock's impu lse to pull back on the pole, but fight it, you must.

-TAC ATTACK 17
 sink rate allowable by the tech order is 540 feet per
the heavyweight champ minute (FPM) at touchdown. The EMERGENCY land '
gross weight of the F is 39,550 pounds with an allowa,
If you are, without a doubt. about to enter the sink rate of only 360 FPM. For any landing weight in
overrun, jettisoning the inboard stores will reduce excess of 39,000 pounds, we have to subtract 15 FPM for
aircraft weight by 5500 - 6000 pounds (depending on every 1000 pounds over 39,000. All these figures and
configuration) and should make the airplane fly. statistics are fine for the engineers but what do they mean
Jettisoning the centerline station is not recommended as it in the plain language of the fighter pilot?
may damage the landing gear, tail hook, or horizontal Let us assume that we are returning from a combat
stabilizer. This means that the "panic button" should not mission on which we did not expend any ordnance. We
be used, and so you would go for the selective jettison know that the weather at the home base is questionable
buttons on the right side. However, removing the right and that there is only one runway; therefore we can't
hand from the stick at such a critical time of flight could burn the fuel down very low because we might have to
prove cha ll enging, especially at night. Perhaps night divert to an alternate. Does this scenario sound familar?
takeoffs shou ld be made with some sort of direct lighting The old Thud is dragging three anti-radiation (ARM)
on the selective jettison buttons. missiles and two drop tanks. The nearest divert base is 150
"Is this thing a tricycle?" In the 45,000 - 50,000 mil es f rom home, requiring 2500- 3000 pounds of fuel
pound takeoff range, the nosewheel (rotation) speed is 10 from missed approach to landing at the alternate. This
knots below takeoff speed. Rotation is defined as the means that we must be on final at the home base with
speed at which the nosewheel leaves the runway. so you about 4500 pounds of fuel, or at approximately 41,000
must start back with the stick sometime prior to that. pounds gross weight. This calls for a touchdown sink rate
When, exact ly? The Dash One doesn't say, but we all of 330 FPM, which translates to S-M-0-0-T-H. The tech
know what happens to a very heavy airplane that flies order calls this event a "high gross weight emergency
before it is supposed to. Isn't it exciting enough when landing;" Thud pilots cal l it a normal procedure.
things go right? When the nose reaches approximately 10 How do we transition from gear and flaps down on
degrees climb (use the attitude indicator as a guide), hold GCA final to turning off the runway under control in this
it there and your challenger for the world land speed situation? Performance data tells us that a 41 ,000 pounP-.
record will become airborne. Weasel should fly f inal at 215 knots ( K) and touchdo'
Since we know that high gross weight and drag make it at 182 K. Now I have everyone's attention . What if tk
difficult for a Thud to achieve flying speed, remember flaps won't come down? Add 32 K (15%) to final (247 K)
that the same two things make it a true ground-lover and touchdown (214 K) speeds. Did you know the tire
should the engine falter. For good review, try the sections limit speed on the F-105 is 217 K?
on engine failure on takeoff and the zoom (YGBSM) Of course no one would attempt a landing under these
maneuver in your trusty handbook. condi t ions unless he had to, but it has happened and the
By the way, did you ever wonder why Thud pilots line likelihood of it happening again is not remote . What this
up with the tail hanging over the overrun and not 500 feet really points up is that we should try to land the F-1 05G
down the runway? as light as we possibly can until a weight reduction
program can be completed. Consideration is being given to
LANDING such a program presently, and hopefully it will reduce the
Landing the two seat version of Republic's gross weight of the G model at some future date. Until
heavyweight contender is a challenge that most of us then, it is up to us to use finesse in flying the US Air
accept with a pretty firm determination. If you don't do Force's Wildest Weasel.
it right, you can be in for some serious ribbing from "the Back to final approach . One of the two accidents we
guys" (not to mention that you become a marked man mentioned previously pointed out that landing with fuel
with t he Bears). Two recent landing accidents in which in a wing tank (to balance an unexpended ARM) is
our I imited resources were destroyed very pointedly questionable due to the fire hazard the fuel can create.
highlight the problems created by constantly landing a However, if 1500 pounds or so is not left in the wing
Thud which is two tons (or more) over its design gross taflk, 12 percent or 26 K must be added to the approach
landing weight . To be blunt, landing gear components are and landing speeds because the wings are asymmetrically
starting to fail. loaded . You can see that we are now back to 241 K final
Because the Dash One does not have a performance and 208 K touchdown. My purpose here is not to
secti on for the G model, we must use F criteria . The establi sh policy, but to demonstrate once again that ~
design landing gross weight of the F is 33,800 pounds, and choice must be made by the pilot. Other things

18 OCTOBER 1972
 consider here are crosswinds and/or gusts, as these call for kind?), is asking for trouble. But landing too slow will
'3ased approach and landing speeds. If you are one of cause a scrape somewhere on the aft section more often
,e who always adds 5 K for Momma and each one of than not. Touching down too slow will cause you to
the kids, you could be building a corner for yourself in exceed the allowable sink rate in many cases.
this airplane. Now we are on the ground. If the touchdown was
Final approach in the G model is somewhat different below 200 K, we can deploy the drag chute. Remember
than normal. The Good Book calls for a "very flat" though, it is the same chute used on the F-105B, an
approach in the case of heavyweight landings (2.5 to 3.0 ai rplane which is several thousand pounds lighter. Pulling
degrees is a normal glideslope). As with any airplane, the chute at high airspeed creates the most drag. Delaying
being too flat can get you into trouble; however, a flatter it for too long will inform you late in the landing roll if it
than normal approach is a must in order to land the has failed. If you landed fast and the drag bag doesn 't
F-1 05G without excessive sink. The shortest route to open, better have a good story for the ops officer.
trouble, though, is a steep final followed by an abrupt After touchdown it is best to hold the landing attitude
roundout, hoping to stop the sink w ith power. Not only is and achieve all t he aerodynamic drag possible. That extra
the Weasel heavy, but it is loaded with 80 drag points in five feet of fuselage we mentioned earlier can be a
this configuration. If you shove the power up at this bugaboo here. Overrotation either before or after
point, it is already too late. touchdown often results in scraping the bottom speed
Thud pilots over the years have discussed whether or brake pedal, ventral fin, tail hook, or sabre drain, so when
not to use speed brakes on landing. Because the G model you give the G model the same handful of back stick that
is heavy, it helps to have the throttle at a high setting on you gave the D, watch out. After the nose is on the
final, and having the speed brakes out will help keep the ground (below 130 K). it helps to bring the stick all th e
throttle up, but speed brakes add drag also. Leaving them way back to add parasite drag with the slab. Although this
retracted reduces drag, but the final approach and landing does not have the effect of the speed brakes, there can be
are made at a slightly lower RPM. J-75 acceleration is times when anything helps.
quite good above 90 percent, but nothing like that of the
single spool engines. Whether or not you use speed brakes
""' final, they should be extended after landing in order
3duce the rollout distance by approximately 4 percent .
...____.. ln transitioning from final approach to landing, be sure
to use all the instruments you have (including the one you
are sitting on). The tape airspeed can be crosschecked
with both standbys and the angle of attack tape (AOA).
Remember, the AOA is compensated for gross weight and
reads true, regardless of attitude, crosswind, etc.
It is difficult and often inadvisable to make a
"dragged-in" approach. Due to the high groundspeed on
final, judgment time is reduced and just exactly when to
flatten the approach is a point of much discussion. An SUMMARY
early "duck" below the glide slope will make a night
approach exciting, just as will shoving the nose fo rward Although what has been said here is not new, the fact
and pulling the throttle to idle over the overrun. These are that we are operating the F-1 05F at high gross weights
things to think about on the leisurely trip home after a and near the fringes of its envelope much of the time, calls
three or four hour night mission. for serious thought especially in the combat environment .
Very few Weasel pilots pull the throttle to idle over the Because our resources are so limited (now nearly
overrun; this only confuses the airplane, which believes it irreplaceable), it behooves us to avoid accidents or
is still flying. Rate of sink should be controlled all the way incidents which will reduce our ability to "Fly and
to touchdown by the throttle. Perfect airspeed control Fight."
will eliminate large power c)langes at the last minute. Until we can produce a new generation of Wild Weasel
Consistently landing a loaded G model on the first aircraft, we, the Thud Drivers, must shoulder the
1000 feet is somewhat akin to a carrier landing in that responsibility of doing the job under less than ideal
there is little room for error. It takes a goodly amount of operating conditions. We can do this only through
r.oncentration to make each landing the same. Landing concentration, good judgment, and thorough knowledge
fast, especially on short runways (are there any other of the airplane. ___::;;....

-TACATTACK 19
 fine person, splendid TOR ing and looking at our aircrews
pilot - darned shame - closely enough?
not t oo old either, a forty-f our year Sure had a tough time with that
old colonel. Walking his dog, you say? A-1 E instructor pilot the other da'---....
Could have been worse, he might have He had been running. He sure gave
been at the controls of an aircraft. a "ration" of short answers. Ask e...
Liked martinis and played golf th ree him why he was running on such a
times a week, that's about all - hot day, and if he enjoyed running.
thought that was enough t o hack it! His answers: "I like what it does for
Apparently it wasn't. me " and "Hell no, I don't enjoy it!"
Met that major a wee k ago. Big Asked him if he took part in any
guy, but he seemed t o be in good enjoyable sports. He did - paddle
shape. Understand he was a bit on t he ball , softball, swimmi ng , golf, weight
heavy side, reg-wise, and had trouble lifting , tennis, boxing, water skiing
handling the Aerobics Journey. and others. I commented that those
Another shame. Wonder if his sports should keep him in good
physical condition had anything to do enough shape. His answer, "Running
with the accident?Too bad we can't keeps me in real shape and I can do it
asl< him or any of the other anytime, any place. (Sounds li ke a
crewmembers. I suppose there is a motto.) The other activities provide
motor skill involved in landing a recreation, social outlets, competition
tail whee) aircraft - seems as though and some condi tioning." Told him I
by Colonel Willam C. Thomas
a guy in good shape should have a had trouble with my Achilles tendons.
USAFSOF, Eglin AFB, Florida
better chance of employing t hat skill. He re plied, "Run through the pain."
Guess it's tough to hit a tennis ball Nice guy?! human engine failure
correctly or land a taildragger Guess the human engine fails for
properly if you're sluggish, physically. many reasons, just li ke the metal ones
Accident boards almost always ask for - fine tuning is required for both -
TORs on aircraft engines and sure dig sure wish there was an easy way
into the wreckage -wonder if we're fine tune this body of mine. __;;;;.

20 OCTOBER 1972
 TACTICAL AIR COMMAND
AIRCREWMEN
of
DISTINCTION
Major Dale E. McDonald (Instructor Pilot) , Capta in
Ronald V. Sloan (Pilot), and Technical Sergeant James M.
Barnes II I (Fl ight Engineer), 11th Tactical Drone
Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, Davis-Mon t han
MAJ McDONALD
Air Force Base, Arizona, have been selected as the
Tactical Ai r Command Aircrewmen of Distinction for
July 1972.
Major McDonald and crew were climbing through 3500
feet on an instrument departure in a CH-3E helicopter
when the flight engineer detected smoke . Major McDonald
began a descending 180 degree turn back toward the
runway as the engineer investigated the problem. Sergeant
Barnes reported that there was a fire in the transmission
area and that he was attempting to extinguish it. After
Major McDonald declared an emergency, Captain S loan
reported tha t the landing gear was indicating unsafe . At
this time the aircraft became very difficult to control and
CAPT SLOAN TSGT BARNES the IP called for assistance from the pilot. About one mi le
from touchdown Captain Sloan noted fluctuations in the
auxil iary hydraulic pressure. He turned the system off,
which resulted in improved aircraft control. Despi te a
vigorous effort, Sergeant Barnes was unable to control the
fire and he reported that it was increasing in intensity.
Major McDonald quickly briefed his crew on evacuation
procedures as the aircraft approached touchdown. On
short fina l, Capta in Sloan increased power to max imum
and reported that the landing gear was now indicating
down and locked. Upon landing, rudder control was lost
and the aircraft turned sharply to the right. Major
McDonald expertly controlled the aircraft to prevent it
from turning over. As the aircraft came to a stop, Capta in
Sloan placed t he speed selector to shut off and then se!
the parking brake. Major McDonald engaged the rotor
brake, turned off the battery and all electric switches, and
ex ited the helicopter after the other crew members.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the oil cooler fan
bearing failed, causing the fan belt to break and rupture a
hydraulic line . T he escaping fluid ignited and fed the fi re.
Rudder control was lost on touchdown when the ta il
rot or drive shaft burned through.
The demonstration of professional competence, sound
judgment, and teamwork exhibited by Major McDonald,
Captain Sloan , and Technical Sergeant Barnes during a
serious inflight emergency readily qualify them as Tactical
Air Command Ai rcrewmen of Distinction.

ACATIACK 21
 Somebody once said, "Even old ideas can be good ideas." In keeping with that philosophy TAC ATTACK is pleased
present a collection of stories published in 1942 by the Army Air Forces under the direction of General "Hap" Arnold.
series is entitled "Lessons That Live" and all totaled there are seventeen stories, all of which will be presented, run nil
consecutive issues of TAC ATTACK.
The series is introduced by General Arnold and although the authors are anonymous, the narrative accounts of their
experiences, told in their own words, are without doubt . ....
Lessons that Live

A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL ARNOLD

A short time ago I asked all pilots to submit,

in narrative form, accounts of their narrowest
escapes from fatal accidents. The response was
instantaneous and tremendously gratifying.
These narratives have already become
dog-eared from intensive study by statisticians,
engineers and other specialists in the field of
accident prevention. The yield from these studies
is a rich harvest of information which will help to
make our Air Forces, already the safest in the
world, even safer in the future.
I promised to publish some of these narratives
and this booklet is the fulfillment of that
promise. Of the hundreds of accounts received, all
well worth printing, these few have been selected,
not because they are the best, but because they
are the most typical.
In reading these stories, note well, as I have,
that accidents or near-accidents are almost
invariably caused by pilot failure rather than
machine failure, the weather, or any other factor.
This being so, it follows logically that accidents
can almost invariably be prevented by better,
No.1 of 17
surer flying. Accidents don't happen; they are
caused. Knowing the causes, it should be easy to Courtesy of Lt Col H. M. Butler, 4500 ABW/SE

prevent them.

H. H. ARNOLD
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army,
Commanding General, Army Air Forces.

22 OCTOBER 1972
 WRONG
NUMBER
It was an out and out boner, and th e fact that I lived to become an older and
vastly wiser pilot is a direct tribute to the Lady that's known as Luck. Shortly
after I finished flying school, I was detailed to assist in the flight testing of
overhauled planes. Upon reporting to the test line one afternoon, the operations
clerk informed me that number so-and-so was ready for an initial check hop. I
wandered out and climbed into a shiny overhauled job. The engine cranked
readily, checked on both switches, and the controls were free.
I took off and climbed to 2,000 feet, leveled out and made a brief check of
general flying qualitites, noting that the left wing was slightly heavy. My first
maneuver was a whip-stall from the nose straight-up attitude . As the nose
dropped sharply, a pair of 8-inch slip-point pliers came from nowhere on the
floor and hovered momentarily before my nose. I snatched them out of space,
pocketed t hem, and made a mental note to raise hob with the responsible
mechanic for being so careless as to leave them where they might jam the
controls. Next I went into a fast dive and as I did so, the spreader bar which
connected the upper and lower ailerons of the left wings came loose and trailed
out behind, flapping in the breeze. I decided I'd better get down from there in a
hurry.
I made a landing approach, coming in "hot" to assure lateral control, and
consequently bounced when the wheels hit with the tail high. I hit the throttle
to ease down again and imagine my surprise when the entire throttle quadrant
dropped loose and dangled on the control rods which ran up through the fire
wall . As I hit the ground again, the oil filter came off and I was blasted with hot
engine oil.
Here was a clear case of plane failure and stupid ground work. Oh yeah!
As I reached the line, burning to crucify the inspector who had passed on a
plane in that condition, the clerk ran out, "Lieutenant." he yelled, "you took
the wrong plane. I said number so-and-so but you took number this-and-that.
This plane hasn't even been finished by the assembly department!"
Yes, sir. I had been flying a plane that was literally falling apart! And the
horse was 100% on me. ~

T/(CATTACK 23
 chock talk ..incidents and incidentals

one small step again and again and again!

A gear up incident recently occurred in another You've all read blurbs in this magazine and others
command . Fortunately, it was only an incident, not an about Murphy, Murphyisms, Murphy strikes again, etc.
accident. Had it been almost any other type aircraft than Well, it should come as no surprise to you that he's done
a T-37, the damage probably would have been much more it once more! This t ime the victim was an F-4. It seems
extensive. The story of how it came about is interesti ng, that t here is a new type wheel with a built-in drive tube
not only for "Tweet" types, but for all blue suiters. Here's (ASSY NO 5000504) in which a 58 Roller Goodyear 6J9
how it happened. bearing (P.N. 9534028) can be erroneously installed . Well,
An instructor pilot and his student were on a GCA. you know what comes next . . . it was installed
When the student tried to lower the gear, the nose gear erroneously! We got away lucky on this one. It only cost
indicated safe (down and locked), both main gears us a wheel assembly, tire, brake assembly, pressure plat~
indicated unsafe, and the hydraulic pressure was zero. rotor, stator disks, and backing plate, a rather upset r:
Emergency gear extension was tried without success. and navigator, and undoubtedly a perturbed chief · ~
Finally , after exhausting all options, the instructor pilot maintenance. The only way to get rid of Murphy is to
landed the airplane on the nose gear and tail skid . You avoid deviations from technical data. Just because
cost conscious types (and who isn't these days?) can eat somet hing seems to fit doesn 't mean it belongs there!
your heart out at the $523.80 price tag for that incident
- and that includes an inadvertently jettisoned canopy
that doesn't otherwise enter the situation . The reason the
main gear didn't come down in the first place was a failed
woe is me!
hydrauli c line which allowed all the hydraulic fluid to I was working on my aircraft (an 0-2) in the revetment,
escape. This line had been crimped at the upper end. The getting ready for an engine run on both engines. I
emergency "blow down" system for the gear failed to removed the front engine cowling and, knowing that if I
work because of severe corrosion of the emergency system placed it in back of the airplane the prop blast would
telefle x conduit assembly. blow it into the rear revetment wall, carefully placed it
Investigation revealed that a right main gear shuttle about 15 feet in front of the aircraft and slightly to th e
valve had been replaced two days prior to this incident. right. Following the check I ist carefully (I hadn't worked
The TO requires an emergency extension check after this on prop engines very long), I got everything ready for the
type of maintenance. Had it been performed , the engine run . Both engines started right up and I advanced
discrepancy in that system would have been found . power on both engines, checking the gauges closely . All of
Two separate failures , one (the crimped line) which a sudden all hell broke loose! I shut down both engines,
should never have occurred, and the second, which should climbed out, and found that the cowling had been sucked
have been discovered , combined to cause a potentially into t he front prop . Funny , everybody always warns you
serious situation. about the suction around jet intakes - guess props can
You never know when skipping one small step from create pretty good suction too.
the tech order or failing to perform required inspections
will lead to disaster. That's true for ANY airplane. Anonyrr

24 OCTOBER 1972
 with a maintenance slant.

"what was that?"

The right front main gear tire of the C-130 had been
changed and the first takeoff and assault landing were
normal. While turning off the runway , the pilot heard a
noise which seemed to come from the cargo
compartment. "What was that?" he said . The loadmaster
responded, "The noise came from one of the wheel well
areas and it sounded like a brake grabbing." The pilot
turned the aircraft again and did not hear the noises, so
another takeoff and assault landing were accomplished.
While turning onto the adjacent runway after landing, the
noises were heard again. This time the flight engineer went
a philosophy out to take a look but could find nothing amiss. After the
third takeoff, the loadmaster observed that the right front
If you work for a man, WORK for him. If he pays you tire stopped rotating quite a bit sooner than the other
wages which supply you bread and butter, work for him; wheels. The pilot decided to put her on the ground and let
speak well of him; stand by him and stand by the maintenance have a look-see. They found that during
institution he represents. If put to a pinch, an ounce of installation of the wheel earlier in the day, the inner wheel
loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. If you must vilify, bearing had not been installed. This resulted in a heavily
condemn and eternally disparage - resign your position, scored axle and badly damaged brakes.
and when you are outside, damn to your heart's content; Metal against metal means heat. The loss of a C-130
but as long as you are part of the organization, do not and crew due to overheated brakes is still fresh in
condemn it. If you do that, you are loosening the tendrils everyone's mind (or it should be). Although the accident
·'~'3 t are holding you to the institution, and at the first was not caused by materiel or maintenance factor, we
1 wind that comes along, you will be uprooted and must continuously guard against a breach of good
.._...JWn away, and probably will never know the reason maintenance procedures which could bring about the
why. same results.

tail to tail by side, inspecting a newly resurfaced 10,000 foot

runway. Both of them spotted a bump and the engineer
You've often heard it said that one of the most whipped the pickup around and headed in the opposite
dangerous traffic situations is two women in two different direction to take a closer look. As he reached the bump he
cars on a head-on approach, attempt ing to maneuver out stopped. Meanwhile, the civilian contractor, who had
of an otherwise empty parking lot. A dented fender is continued in the original direction, stopped his car, threw
almost always the result. But it seems as if we men may it into reverse, and started backing toward the bump.
have to readjust our thinking as a result of this accident. Seconds later, tail to tail, crunch!
A civil engineer in government vehicle (pickup truck) Fortunately a dented fender and a shattered ego were
and a civilian contractor in a private car were driving side the only casualties of this classic lesson in inattentiveness.

CATTACK 25
 spo corner

SPO Corner is the direct line from the Systems Project Officers at TAC Safety to you.
Since every TAC aircraft type is represented by a SPO,you'll be seeing something about
your machine, something which may save you some grief. This direct line has a phone at
both ends to answer your questions and suggestions (Autovon 432-7031 ). Or if something
is bugging you and you want to write, the address is TAC/SEF, Langley AFB, Va 23365.
We need your feedback.

controlling takes a little work (for lo, the winds are never
AERO ClUB X-WIND lANDING
a steady velor:ity and direction) and also a little increase in
TECHNIQUES final approach airspeed to insure control responsiveness.
Little is written about crosswind landings in light During the flare, as you slow to touchdown speed,
aircraft so lend me an ear, Aero-clubbers, and I'll pass on a continue to feed in aileron to insure touching down on
few tips. the upwind gear first. This method has the add~~
Perhaps the most important point to remember is - attraction of keeping the upwind wing from being lif1
you must know both the aircraft and your own X-wind by gust y winds. Once on the ground,directional contrL
limitations. Most tech orders and operator manuals becomes doubly important and judicious use of
address this subject, but when was the last time you nose/tai lwheel steering, rudder, and differential braking
evaluated your own ability (preferably under should bring you to a safe stop. Remember to keep the
supervision)? stick into the upwind wing (or wheel turned into the
Once you have determined which runway presents the upwin d wing).
least problem to you from a crosswind viewpoirt and are Now the crab method. First establish your position on
cleared for your approach, the important factor is the extended runway centerline on glidepath. Now turn
planning . It may be well to mention here that landing into the wind to ki ll your drift and keep you on the
with a quartering tailwind is a no-no!! centerline. Fly this heading unti l starting the flare over the
It is best to set up a long straight in approach . This end of the runway. (NOTE: If you killed the drift you
gives you time to see the effects of the wind; the will be over the runway, if not, you didn't kill the drift.
bouncing, the control problems and effects, the airspeed Go around! Do not pass, go! Do not collect $200, but do
fluctuations, and the drift. Now that we have it made - try aga in!) As you enter the flare.use rudder to align the
wait a minute; it's not "made" until we're safely in the aircraft with the runway while keeping the wings level.
chocks and shut down. We're still a mile out on final! Touchdown should come shortly thereafter and normality
You have a choice of many ways to fly this bird will no doubt prevail once again . This approach looks and
to the runway and I'll leave the selection up to you. I'll feels good, but the rudder must be brought in at the
mention two common ways and let you pick either or any correct moment and there is the distinct possibility of a
combination thereof. gust getting under that upwind wing.
First, the wing low method . This method feels terrible, So, there are the two pure methods; choose either one
but everything looks fairly normal. Ouite simply you turn or a combination, but remember that it all boils down to
the aircraft into the wind using aileron and hence wing good planning and judgment.
down or low,and then turn it back to align the aircraft
with the runway using the rudder. The resulting cross Capt AI Mosh r
26 OCTOBER 1972
 T-33 - STARTER CUTOUT you've lost you r AB or worse. Let's hope that's not the
What does the Marker Beacon Receiver have in case!
common with the T -Bird starter? Easy , it receives it loud Capt AI Mosher
and clear (also 75 MHZ marker beacons) . If you want to
-- + the jump on an early starter cutout (below about 17-
NO COMMENT
) to prevent overtemp, or if you want to be sure the
...___. ter disengages when it is supposed to (to prevent Ever so often all F-4 jocks have to trot over to the
burning it up), turn the interphone panel marker beacon local egress trainer and, amongst other things, practice
switch on . (It's the one in the middle.) That buzz ing you their emergency ground egress procedures. In addition to
hear is your starter/ignition working . being sure we've got the procedures down pat, we have to
decide when we're going to use 'em. Ordinarily, if the
Lt Col Lou Kenison situation is such that you're not climbing out at your
normal parking spot after a normal landing and taxi- in,
emergency egress should at least be considered.
WATCH THAT CHUTE I Recently an F-4 lost the left main gear (it hit a barrier
deck sheave) and subsequently took the approach end
Nothing, but nothing, starts the day off better than to barrier. The aircraft ended up off the runway in pretty sad
be flailing the air in your trusty F-100 when , suddenly, shape.
the drag chute deploys. If you have the altitude and The IP (rear cockpit) opened his canopy using the
airspeed which convert to time, you can analyze the normal lever, and unstrapped from all restraints, using
situation, swallow a couple of times, then press on. good ole' every day non~mergency procedures. The
The 100 does have a safe/arm device which should aircraft commander rapidly went through the emergency
allow the chute to jettison immediately if not ground egress procedures and crawled out; however, he
intentionally deployed . This is a fine feature and it usually had forgotten to release his harness fittings so his
works. It has been known to fail , however, and you know parachute was still with him. He then went back to shut
where the most critical place for that failure is - yep , off the still running left engine. The crew members then
right about the time you retract the gear on takeoff. helped each other off of the aircraft. Neither crew
The Rx for this situat ion is to monitor the EPR. If you member raised the lower ejection guard prior to egress.
ever do feel that surge of deceleration forces and the EPR No additional comments necessary!
is normal, you no doubt have a drag chute trailing at 6
xk- so jettison it smartly . If the EPR is way down, Maj Burt Miller
ACATTACK 27
 HE1RE
COMES

here comes winter

by Capt Jerry E. Albrecht GCA tells you that the ceil ing is 500 feet and the visibility
Hq 5th Weather Wing/DNC one-ha lf mile, it doesn't mean you're going to be able to
Langley AFB, Va. see the runway from one-half mile out. Slant visibility is a
different animal, one not yet tamed, but if you realize it .
you w ill be better able to cope with that disturbing feeling
It's that time of year again, a last look at the warm sun while waiting to see those threshold lights. Again, the best
while the leaves turn their riotous colors, and then a way to avoid problems with low ceilings and visibilities is
3-month visit by that scourge of all airplane drivers, old to plan around them, and don't forget to consider the
man winter . This year a few changes have been made weather at several al t ernates if destination weather looks
which will have a bearing on how this old, cold fellow shaky.
affects you as aircrew members. Because of the upcoming Winter presents us with yet another problem, strong
reductions in weather service, you may no longer be able persistent surface w inds and accompanying turbulence.
to talk to your friend, the forecaster, face to face. Th is When all that cold air spills out of the polar regions, o•
lack of person to person contact places a greater emphasis problems begin . Remembering to wear long johns i~
on your ability to recognize the hazards of winter flying . your only problem; you have to consider the effects L. .
Old man winter doesn't have any new tricks, just a gusty surface winds when planning your flight. Particular
large bag of well-practiced ones that are bad news for the attent ion must be paid to crosswinds at departure and
unwary. Some of the nastier features of winter weather arrival points and to turbulence that might be found
are increased probability of icing, poor visibilities, lurking in an approach zone just for that unwary fellow
increased occurrence of strong surface winds and return ing from a trip through the winter sky .
associated low level turbulence, and more frequent As old man winter settles in, he brings with him a lot
precipitation . of precipitation in any of its several forms of rain, snow,
Icing is a potential hazard from liftoff to touchdown sleet, freezing rain, etc. - all of them bad news for
but most frequently occurs at temperatures warmer than airplanes required to stop on a runway. More rain during
-30°C . Structural icing can be expected any time the the winter increases the probability that some of you will
temperature of the aircraft skin is below freezing and experience hydroplaning on landings. Snow, of course,
liquid water droplets exist in super-coo led form, while lowers the RCR, not to mention the visibility restriction it
induction or carburetor icing can occur at temperatures causes. What the CE people do with piles of the stuff they
above freezing. plow off the runways and taxiways causes obstructions
The best way to avoid that sinking feeling caused by a that weren't there during the long hot summer. Other
rapidly increasing collection of ice is to completely avoid forms of freezing precipitation can raise a lot of worried
areas of forecast or observed icing and, if you should looks on the faces of airplane drivers if encountered
happen to discover an unreported area of icing, give a call during critical letdown or takeoff maneuvers.
to your nearest PFSV station so they can pass the word. I guess what I've been saying over and over is to
Two of the most depressing features of winter weather carefu lly plan that f light to avoid those known hazards of
are low ceilings and poor visibilities, especially after all winter operation, and during preflight get those nasty
those VFR approaches of the last few months. While little ice particles off that bird. Above all, pay attention to
ceilings and visibilities are certainly lower, the most your meteorologist, for he is indeed a friend whether he ·
important thing to remember is that when the tower or across a counter or at the other end of a phone I ine. ____
'
28 OCTOBER 1972
 munitions so long as there is assurance the Air Force is put through a series

~OROS
that adequate engineering effort has of exacting safety tests and
been expended to insure the evaluations to insure all design
munitions are reliable, reasonably safe requirements have been satisfied. The
to handle, and will function as test results and safety evaluations are
designed. To help achieve this goal, recorded in a Technical Munitions
the Air Force established the Safety Study (TMSS), which is
NONNUCLEAR Nonnuclear Munitions Safety Group forwarded to all major commands for
(NNMSG).To quote directly from review and formulation of a command
MUNITIONS AFR 127-102, "A group of qualified
personnel will be appointed to
position. At a subsequent meeting of
the NNMSG, the TMSS is reviewed,
represent designated agencies having a additional supporting data may be
SAFETY GROUP direct interest and/or responsibility
for verify ing the safety of all
presented, and each command
representative casts his vote for or
nonnuclear munitions used by the Air against the munition. Changes to
Force." The Group chairman is improve the safety of the munition
by Lt Col Gordon F. Carmichael appointed by the commander of the are frequently recommended and
Chief, Weapons Safety Air Force Systems Command and each recordec:J in the minutes of the
Division, Hq T AC major command is assigned one meeting. The completed safety study,
voting representative. Headquarters together with Group
USAF representation is provided by recommendations, are then forwarded
A munitions specialist assigned the the Directorate of Aerospace Safety. to the Air Staff for approval.
monotonous task of spotting The Group had its beginning in 1966 To date, many munitions have
25-pound practice bombs noticed a but did not become a decisive been reviewed, some have been
signal (spotting charge cartridge) organization until established as an approved for I imited operational use,
protruding slightly from a bomb Air Force body in 1970. several have been rejected, and
cavity and absent-mindedly tapped One of t he major achievements of numerous recommendations have
signal with his fingers. The signal the Group was the establishment of been made and incorporated to
tioned, causing severe lacerations 11 new mandatory design safety enhance the safety of the munitions.
~wo fingers and extensive burns to standards to help engineers maximize The Air Force munitions program has
his hand and arm. safety in new mun1t1ons (AFR made notable progress in its short
An unfuzed 2000-pound bomb fell 127-102, Atch 2). These standards, 25-year life span; munitions have
off a stack in a munitions storage area together with previously established become more sophisticated, weapons
and exploded low order. The military standards, provide a firm systems more complicated, and
exploding shock-sensitive bomb checklist of design/safety parameters through the efforts of the Nonnuclear
scattered bombs and people in all which must be satisfied before new Munitions Safety Group, munitions
directions. munitions will be accepted for Air now meet the highest safety standards
The munitions in the incidents Force use. considering design, logistics, and
cited above had not been given a Each new munition developed for operational requirements . ....->
detailed safety review by the
Nonnuclear Munitions Safety Group
and all failed to provide an adequate
or expected degree of safety. The Air EXPLOSIVE AUG 72
Force can ill-afford munitions that
lack adequate design safety, that have 75 92 TOTAL 1 22 15
a propensity to become shock-
2 22 40 Personnel 1 14 11
sensitive due to temperature/humidity
cyclic variations, or lack positive 10 33 39 Materi eI 0 8 4
measures to prevent premature arming
or functioning. 0 20 13 Other 0 0 0
It is axiomatic that the handling
and delivery of mun1t1ons is
MISSILE
,'3rdous. Personnel are willing to NUCLEAR
pt the risk of working with

TAC ATTACK 29
 talar
letters In your July issue of TAC ATTACK, you .
an article on the TRN-27 (TALAR). I would li.k. ...

to to commend you on a very fine article; however,

there was a mistake in the paragraph concerning
ground equipment. I was involved in the CAT III

tHe_..t testing of the TRN-27 at the Tactical Airlift

or
Center for one and a half years.

eul After using numerous configurations in the

ground positioning of the transmitter, it was
determined that the transmitter should be placed
on runway centerline extension within plus or
thanks minus 5 feet, approximately 30 feet prior to the
The response to our plea for help (August usable runway surface, as now stated in TO
issue) in finding back issues of TAC ATTACK was 31R4-2TRN27-2. In your article you stated that
gratifying and successful. Captain Wade, Editor, the distance is "approximately 300 feet prior to
ATC APPROACH TO SAFETY, was the first one the runway and on the extended runway
to respond. Colonel J. F. Misenko, TAC DA, was centerline."
the next to rally,proving our long held contention All TAC Combat Control Teams are now
that even TAC Headquarters types read TAC undergoing training in Conventional Approach
ATTACK. Colonel W. E. Haymes, Assistant Control Procedures. We are using the TRN-25 LF
Adjutant General for Air, Virginia ANG, added Beacon as a full service NOB, on the objective
another copy. landing zone. Prior to the mission briefing,we will
To all a debt of thanks. TAC, rest easy; your have approach plates available depicting full
file ofTAC ATTACK is once again complete. Ed. instrument approach procedures. If any aircre ~
have any questions about the procedures us,
the fighter pilot's magazine? I'm sure any combat Control Team can clear
them up.
I noted with mixed interest and consternation Again, I would like to commend you on a fine
page 8 of the August 72 issue, the last line of the and informative article. And may I add, it is the
letter from Lt Col Clements, " ... your first one I have seen since TALAR's conception.
publication - The Fighter Pilot's Magazine -
TAC ATTACK" SSGT Robert W. Blowers
Far be it from me to deny Colonel Clements Combat Control Team No. 8
his prerogative to regard your magazine in any Forbes AFB, Kansas
way he wishes. As a matter of fact even I, a C-130
navigator type, have been able to detect the
unmistakable presence of Fighter Folks within spad reunion
this command. On the other hand, since you did The Fourth Annual A-1E/H Reunion will be
print the statement, does this signal a change in held this fall in San Antonio. Spads, Sandys,
your editorial coverage policy? Hobos, Fireflys, Zorros, Downed and Rescued
Please keep what you've got. Several of us Crewmembers and any other interested parties are
minority groups enjoy TAC ATTACK, too. encouraged to attend. It will be held in late
October or early November. Send inquiries to
Major Ron Hardesty Captain Jim Seith, 103 Oak Circle, University
Directorate of Airlift, Training Division, Hq TAC City, TX 78148. Expect a flyer with details later
There's been no change in editorial policy; TAC ATTACK on in the year confirming explicit dates and
is your magazine. ED. location.

30 OCTOBER 1972

*: U.S . GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1973· 514.003/3

 TAC TALLY MAJOR ACCIDENT
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS
THRU AUGUST
UNITS
THRU AUGUST
*Estimated

RATE COMPARISON 1972 1971 1972 1971

A COTS RATE ACDTS RATE A COTS RATE ACDTS RATE

TAC ANG AFRes 9AF 6 3.4 4 2.3 12AF 10 3.8 5 2.0

197211971 1972 1971 1972 1971
1 TFW 2 7.6 0 0 27TFW 1 6.4 0 0

JAN 0 1.6 0 16.7 0 0 4TFW 0 0 0 35 TFW 1 3.8 1 3.6

49TFW 2 9.3 0 0
FEB 0.8 1.6 0 11.6 0 0 23TFW 1 7 .3 0

58 TFTW 2 5.3 3 9 .0
31 TFW 1 6.3 1 6.4
MAR 1.6 3.1 6 .3 7.0 0 0
' 67TRW 0 0 0 0
33TFW 1 13.8 0 0
APR 2.8 2.7 8. 1 4.9 0 0 0 0 0 0
68 TASG 0 0 0 0
313 TAW 0 0 0 0
MAY 4.0 2.5 6.3 5.7 0 0
316 TAW 0 0 0 0
314 TAW 0 0 0 0
JUN 4.8 2.6 5.1 6.9 0 0 317 TAW 0 0 0 0
355 TFW 1 5.0 0 0
354 TFW 1 5.1 1 6.0
JUL 4.2 2.9 6.2 7 .1 0 0 347 TFW 1 7.4 0 0
363 TRW 0 0 0 0
AUG 4 .6 2.7 6.4 7.8 2.0 2.7 474 T F W 2 9.2 0 0

4403 TFW 0 0 2 18.0 463 TAW 0 0 0 0

SEP 3.2 7.4 2.4

2.1
TAC SPECIAL UNITS
3.2 6.9
1SOW 1 2 .4 3 6.9 4410 SOTG 2 10.6 1 6.0
' r------
NOV 3.3 6.9 2.0 2ADG 0 0 0 0 4485 TS 0 0 0 0

57 FWW 3 23.9 0 0 4500 ABW 0 0 0 0

DEC 3.2 6.4 1.8

TIC ANG
AUG 72
Thru Aug
SUMMARY AUG 72
1972
Thru Aug

1972 1971 1971

5 37 20 TOTAL ACCIDENTS 2 15 17
5 26 14 MAJOR 2 12 14
4 32 6 AIRCREW FATALITIES 0 2 5
4 24 9 AIRCRAFT DESTROYED 1 9 14

2 23 8 TOTAL EJECTIONS 1 6 11
2 15 8 SUCCESSFUL EJECTIONS 1 6 9
'00% 65.2% l 00% PERCENT SUCCESSFUL 100% 100% 81.8%
'------"
TAC ATTACK 31
 © Stan Hardison 1972

"IEFOIU BEGINNING ,f FLIGHT, THE PilOT IN COMMAND

F.fMilMRIZES HIMSElF WITH AU AVAilAIU IMFORMATION
.fPPROPRIATE TO THE INTENDED OPER.fTION.
II

.fFM 60-16