TAC Attack August 1962 A Matter of Control

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 GENERAL WALTER C. SWEENEY JR. COMMANDER
LT GEN GABRIEL P. DISOSWAY VICE COMMANDER
COL JAMES K. JOHNSON CHIEF OFFICE OF SAFETY

VOL 2 NO. 8 AUGUST 1962

CONTENTS

THE FINER POINTS........ .... . 2

OLD TAT .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

VMC FOR ME. . . . . . . . • . . . . 8

TAC TIPS .•.•.... 9

THE UNTAMED ..•. 13

A MATTER OF CONTROL . . . . . . . . . 14

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 18

STOP IN TIME ••. • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . • 20

OL' SARGE. . • • . . . • • • . . . . . . . . • . . • 21 COVER PHOTO

This month we pay tribute to TAC's KB-SO's.
300,000 YEARS . • • . . . . . • • . . . • • . . • . 22

CHOCK TALK . • • • . . • . • • . . . . . . . . • . 24

EDITOR - MAJOR KARL K. DITTMER

MAJOR JAMES G. SWENSEN TSGT HEINZ E. HIRSCH

ASSOCIATE EDITORS- CAPT JAMES W. FLOWERS ART AND PRODUCTION - SSGT RICHARD C. RADER

Use of funds for printing this publication has been approved by Hq USAF . Artic les,accident briefs and associated
material p.ubUshed in this magazine are non-directive in nature. All suggest i ons and recommendations are intended as
he l pful and remain within the scope of existing directives. Information used in briefing accidents is extracted from
USAF 711 Series Forms and may not be construed as incriminating under article 31 of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice. All names, dates and places used in accident stories are fictitious. Air Force units are authorized and
encouraged to republish the material contained herein; however, contents are not for pub I ic re lease. Written
permission must be obtained from Hq TAC before material can be republishe d by other than Air Force organizations.
Contributions are most welcome as are comments and criticism. We reserve t he right to make any editorial changes in
manuscripts which we believe will improve the material without altering the intended meaning. Direct correspondence
with the Editor is authorized. USAF Recurring Pub I ication 62·12
Angle of Attack 1

The greatest of faults, should say,

is to be conscious o one.
-Carlyle

Suppose you were a Flying Safety Officer and hod the

opportunity to sit down and talk shop for a few minutes
with one of the real old Pro's one of the greats in Air
Force history.

We conducted on imaginary interview by letter with just

such a man, a retired. Major General. Here are some of his
flying philosophies:
The pilot Is fully responsible for the operation of
the aircraft.
Know the aircraft and its limitations, then maintain a
high degree of proficiency under conditions required of the
mi ssion.
The better the feel of the aircraft, the safer the pilot.
Prepare for flight not for crash.
Plan the flight in the detail that the mission requires.
Analyze the weather data personally. Believe the
forecaster only when you can check his briefing on the
charts available.
Keep ahead of the flight anticipate what is ahead.
Know emergency procedures but don't practice them
at the expense of proficiency. A good pilot can always do
more with an aircraft under real emergency conditions than
when simulated.
Fly frequently at least one flight per week and
don't spend it all on touch and go's.
Don't be a show-off. Do not compete with other pilots

tack except during scheduled and controlled flights.

Health and fatigue are important factors and should
never be compromised. Important here is physical comfort
in the cockpit to include flying clothing and personal
equi pment.
Crew discipline is vital to safety.
The maintenance crew is responsible and account-
able for the ready status of the aircraft.
The serious emergencies f have exterienced were
attributable to moteriei failure. Therefore, the Air Force
should do everything possible to insure that contractors
deliver reliable equipment.
The active and proficient old pilots (over 40) can
contribute to safety by setting good examples.
Fly only if you love and enjoy it. When it becomes a
chore, 'tis time to stop.

Hope you like them. Now, how about giving us some of

your pet ideas on flying?

Colonel James K. Johnson

Chief
Office of Safely

TAC ATTACK 1
 thefiner points
BY CAPT. GEORGE ANDERSON

ll pilots, regardless of expected, nonstandard clear- dur es in the flight manual, take

A experience and proficien-

cy, have certain things in
their instrument flying which
cause them difficulty. Some
ance can cause a tinge of pink
around the oxygen mask of even
the most experienced when they
begin to read back.
your ideas to your Stand Eval
Officer, giving valid reasons for
changing the procedures . . . If
you don't know your configu-
work to achieve proficiency in The ability to copy a compli- rations, brush the dust off your
these troublesome areas while cated clearance and read it back dash one and do a little reading.
others simply try to ignore them correctly without hesitation is a Too many jet pilots fail to
and hope to get by on the next direct indication of pilot pro- plan ahead. They enter the hold-
instrument check. fessionalism. How do you stand? ing pattern at higher than
Instrument flight examiners If the clearance is your recommended a i r s p e e d s and
can usually spot the weak areas particular p r o b l e m you can don't know which way to turn
common to the average pilot. improve your technique by after hitting high station. Air
Often these areas can be deter- learning the standard clearance Traffic Regulations require
mined by asking flight ex- shorthand published in Section slowing to the proper hold speed
aminers to e x p l a in ''pet II of the F L I P P L ANN IN G about three minutes before
peeves'' . . . the things they feel DOCUMENT. In the near future reaching the station. This, in
to be the most outstanding weak- a short course in clearance most cases, will insure that the
nesses of pilots they have copying will be available in each aircraft stays within the speci-
evaluated. By using this method Base Instrument School. In the fied holding area providing the
I have isolated severalproblem meantime to help sharpen up, cor rect entry method is used..
areas which are well worth you can ask the flight simulator Entry methods are specified
mentioning ... and which could instructor to include clearance in the FLIP PLANNING DOCU-
possibly be affecting your fly- copying in your next simulator MENT and AFM 51-37, IN-
ing. flight . STRUMENT FLYING. Check
Examiners most frequently The examiners' next most your personal copy of AFM
complain about the inability of frequent comp laint is that many 51-37 to see if you have the
many pilots to correctly copy pilots use nonstandard aircraft latest revision. It contains the
and read back an ARTC configurations and airspeeds new holding pattern proce-
clearance. Pilots usually have when they make instrument dur es ... but you'll still have to
their own method of copying a penetrations and approaches. have everything figured out be-
clearance . . . and beforehand This costs them some badly fore you reach the station.
knowledge of the intended route needed points on their Stand Most pilots seem to have one
gives some advance indication Eval and Annual Instr ument outstanding weakness in basic
as to what they can expect. How- Checks. If you don't agree with instrument flying. This is the
ever, the o c cas ion al, un- the configurations and proce- inability to hold a constant angle

2
of bank . . . particularly, they can safely bet that the same much faster rate of turn than it
overbank. Most instrument troop will forget to re-trim for did at altitude. At low level he is
maneuvers demand given rates airspeed and configuration also working closer to the
of turn reqwrmg constant changes too. He spends each station. Things happen fast down
angles of bank-not to exceed 30 session under the hood in a there, but he still plans as he
degrees. Banks of over 30 de- constant losing battle with the did upstairs where about all he
grees can cause extreme or machine. Proper trim is es- had to do was make a position
unusual attitudes and induce sential for precise instrument report every 15 or 20 minutes.
pitch problems. The attitude flying and the trim button is one Last but not least is the
indicator is a direct reading of the best friends you have in pilot who neglects to check the
instrument and should be used the cockpit. Incidentally, most procedure for a missed ap-
to control your angle of bank. pilots in this group pay no heed proach until he is required to
Refer to it more often and watch to the amount of bank they use execute one. Usually he comes
your basic instruments for minor heading changes completely unglued immediate-
improve. either, and will over-control ly after a GCA wave-off. Here
Next on our list is a situation on their GCAoriLSfinals. AFM again he didn't pay attention to
due partly to pilot negligence 51-37 (each pilot is entitled to the emergency procedures when
and partly to our air traffic one) recommends he ad in g they were given ... instead he
control system. With the in- changes be made us ing one just rogered them. No chance to
creased emphasis on T ACAN degree of bank for each degree look them up, they're not pub-
and VOR procedures, we find of heading change not to exceed lished. If the radio is out, so is
that many radio compasses are 30 degrees of bank. Like the he. Regardless of the type ap-
gathering mold. This in turn dash one, this manual contains proach, know what to do, IF.
has led to a definite decrease the lat est recommended pro- Study your missed approach
in pilot proficiency in AI>F and cedures, helpful hints, and some procedures beforehand and pay
RDF procedures. For better or mighty interesting information. attention to what the GCA oper-
worse, the old bird dog will be You have read it recently, ator has to say. He isn'ttalking
with us for some time to come, haven't you? just to hear his teeth chatter.
you should remain proficient in Then we run into the pilot My point in writing this
its use. Divide your training who leaves the fix on a pene- article isn't to be derisive, nor
time among the various navi- tration and doesn't adjust his to set myself up as a super
gation systems available, don't rate of planning to fit a speeded authority on instrument flying.
just concentrate on one or two. up sequence of events. He for- Rather, I have tried to discuss
There are several other gets that at lower true airspeeds some ways most of us can
areas that deserve attention. (low level instrument work) 30 improve.
Like the ones we've mentioned, degrees of bank. will give him a I may or may not have
all are not necessarily in the touched on your p art i c u 1 a r
danger category (some might problem. However, give your
even be classified as nitpicking flying some serious thought.
by the pilots being checked) but Really seek out and attempt to
all are certainly irritating to a correct your weak areas ... you
flight examiner. know them better than anyone
Among these irritants is the and we will all be safer for your
pilot who allows his heading to effort.
drift off in the same direction at
least a half-dozen times. A little
trim in the opposite direction
would hold him steady on. You

3
 old tat

......
ailerons are kept neutral ... it's much easier to
recover from a roll induced by adverse yaw than
it is to get out of a spin ... and what's more,
you don't scatter tanks and pylons all over the
of two F-lOO's on a transitionmission.Bothbirds country side if you recover from the yaw.
were carrying two 275's, a type III pylon on the There is one other point we'd like to make. You
left outboard and a type VII on the centerline. younger lads might not remember much about the
While starting a chandelle at about 27 thousand, days of wooden ships and iron men ... but the old
a bogie drove by about 2000 to 3000 feet away. The sailors had a saying back in those days that still
flight leader, who was flying chase, tried to eyeball holds true. ' 'Keep one hand for the ship and one
both birds and the next thing he knew he felt his for yourself." Meaning don't get so enthused with
bird enter an accelerated stall and very shortly it your work that you forget to hang on. In a sense
r olled under to the right. He applied left aileron this lad failed to do that when he put all of his
and the bird pitched up into a spin. Apparently it attention on the other aircraft and neglected his
had read the dash one and was eager to demon- own, this is not new.
strate the correctness of that good book. Some time back we briefed about a well
To make a long sad story short, and sad, the experienced pilot who flew into the ground be-
pilot didn't have his seat belt cinched down tight cause his attention was locked onto something
and was all wadded up against the canopy where he besides his own aircraft.
couldn't jettison stores or apply proper control to We just picked up two abbreviated reports
effect a recovery. He did manage to get a holt of from the Far East. The first told of the wing-
the yellar handles and punched out falling thru man in a flight of two experiencing a thump on
ten thousand. The poor ejection position gavehim take off followed by another thump at 500 feet,
a minor back injury. The bird continued to spin then fire and an ejection. The other report told
on into the ground. Witnesses described it as a of the flight leader, a senior officer TAT had
flat spin. worked with, knew and respected. It seems he
The more venturesome F-100 troops tell us had given too much attention to his distressed
that this pilot could have avoided the whole mess wingman and by the time he got around to watching
by keeping aileron neutral and stopping the roll after his own machine he was low, slow and
with opposite rudder. In short, he got caught by falling!
adverse yaw and aggravated it when he shoved in He never recovered . . . and the Air Force
opposite aileron. The bird won't spin if the lost one of its more talented leaders. Nuff said?

4 AUGUST 1962
 SOON AFTER lift off the U-bird crew noticed Incidentally , you U-birders can do well to note
that the gear didn't fully retract. The pilot found the fuss caused by opening the main gate a cr ack.
the circuit breaker popped, so he reset it. This The dash one recommends opening it on the flar e
produced a cracking noise under his feet and turned for a forced landing on soft or rough terrain but
on the gear up light. does not mention the door in other landing emer-
Suspicious, he put the gear back down. The up gencies. You'd do well to leave it closed on landing
light went out . . . but no down light. A pilot in emergencies on prepared surfaces ... also, you'll
another bird looked the blue canoe over and re- grind off a little less garbage if you try to hold the
ported the main gear retracted and the nose gear nose off instead of putting it down immediate1 ,
extended. after touchdown. Best hold it nearly level and keep
The U-bird pilot gave the emergency system a it that way until you're just about out of elevator
go ... but after cranking 57 turns the down light control, then let it down.
was still off. He made a low pass and the tower
operator reported the nose gear only partly down.
While the U-birdmen flew aroundburningoutfuel,
the fire department foamed the runway. The co-
-- r
pilot moved into the aft seat to get the aircraft CG
as far aft as possible, while the pilot made the
approach at about 100 MPH with full flaps. At 200
/
- '
/
- ;·
/
feet, the pilot cracked the cabin door to keep it (_ ...-
from jamming should the landing be less than
successful.
Cracking the door caused quite a bit of tail '1.
buffet and made the aircraft pitch down at random \.....,
'r,
intervals. The co-pilot held the door nearly closed
while airloads tried to suck it open . . . mean- .. \
--
while, the bird touched down at between 70 and 75
and the pilot cut the mixtures and switches. When TWO T-33 TIGERS reported a hazard earlier
it got over the foam he lowered the nose. De- this year. They made a VOR number 1 let down off
celeration was smooth with negligible G-forces. Las Vegas from 23,000. The aft pilotmadethe let
Both props, the nose gear doors , a door bracket, down and held 200 knots for three minutes in order.
the VHF antenna and its cover were damaged. The to clear the 12-mile limit before starting descent.
malfunction was induced by a lost clevis pin in the And he didn't exceed 250 knots during the let
right nose gear door aft brace. The clevis pin is down. After completing penetration turn, he de-
supposed to be secured by a cotter pin. scended to 5100 feet and was told to come out
The incident investigator recommended this from under the bedsheet by the troop up front.
pin be included as a specific item on the pilot's When he did, he looked dead ahead at a chunk of
preflight check. TAT doesn't agree. In the first rock sticking up nearly 6000 feet.
place, there are so many potential trouble areas in Very much shook, these troops attributed the
any given aircraft that it is impossible to get them bad position to a stronger than forecast wind.
all on a preflight check list without turning the pre- Wind was forecast to be from the north at 40
flight into a periodic. knots. The penetration goes to the south.
In the second place, crew chiefs and pilots One of the indorsements on this scary story
should always automatically check for missing pointed out that the pilot had violated the 25-mile
cotter pins, clevis pins and the overall integrity restriction for completing penetration turn ... then
of any visible linkage. To us, putting an item such pointed out that the peak in question is 42 miles
as this on a check list is like saying, check for two from the VORTAC.
wings, two props, three wheels and tires! Apparently the character who made out this

TAC ATTACK 5
indorsement cared less about the reasons the
T-hird pair gummed up their let down.
We are concerned! We have made our fair
share of misteaks and know that there but for the
grace of God and a bit of weather, could go TAT
__ ....-

on his long overdue trip to glory.

With that, we too hauled out the L. A. Sectional
and the Terminal Area Chart for the Neilis VOR
number 1. We plotted, checked and double checked.
First off we noted another hill on a 17 5-degree
/
bearing from the VOR about 30 miles from the
VOR. This hill isn't quite 6000 feet high, but is VOU Dl~ THE. CRAIIE.~T ARRI"AL!
above 5000 feet. Next we plotted the standard IF YOU'VE ever been double crossed-you'll be
penetration, starting penetration turn about 20 able to sympathize with an F-101 pilot who
miles out. Then we plotted the let down which knocked the rollers off his machine while making
these troops appeared to have made . an emergency landing. His trouble started shortly
We did this by calculating their true airspeed after he descended to low level on ahigh-low-high
at 23,000 for the average air temperature in the profile. All fuel gages, except number 2 indicated a
particular area at that time of year. We added the sudden drop in fuel quantity.
forecast wind and ended up with a ground speed of Suspecting a gross fuel leak, the pilot asked
almost 340 knots . Three minutes at this speed for a vector to the nearest suitable field and
would have caused this pair to start their let down wasted no time heading for it.
17 miles south of the station instead of 12. This After he spotted the field, he entered down-
still put the proposed flight path inside of the wind. In his haste he got a little too close in and
5000 plus foothill, had penetration turn been had to make another approach. By this time all
started at 15,000. fuel cells were indicating zero, except for number
However, suppose this pair started their two which indicated 2300 pounds. Total fuel read-
penetration turn at 12,000 instead of 15,000? If ing was 2000 pounds remaining. As the bird
they had, they would have been about 35 miles crossed the threshold he retarded both throttles
out at the start of their turn and would have rolled and there, right before his eyes, the whole works
out headed right straight for the hill! Could this fell out of the sky! In spades.
be where they goofed? Both main tires exploded on impact, the bird
Or was it a horrendous wind, which they should rolled less than 30 feet before both wheels fell
have noted on the leg to Nellis?? Our calculations off followed shortly by the right strut, the nose
indicate that it would have taken a 150 knot wind gear and external tanks.
to do the dirt, plus a slower than normal let down When the dust settled, it was off the runway
speed. (Despite what some troops may think, a about 2500 feet from the approach end. The left
slower speed at a given throttle setting will throw wheel was 200 feet to the left of the runway, the
you further out.) right wheel 300 feet to the right and the pilot was
The OHR didn't give us enough data to find more puzzled than hurt.
out what happened for sure, but regardless, you Investigators p e eked in the fuel tanks ...
can avoid a similar trap by using a computer and and . . . found almost 13,000 pounds on board!
by taking wind into consideration. By doing this, Good grief chief! No wonder it fell.
you'll get a better guess for the time you should A Cannon plug that carries the leads to most
fly outbound on this type penetration. It also helps of the fuel indicating system wasn't connected
to study the let ,down plate. Also, when you are correctly. The fastening sleeve was secured by
headed into mountain country, look at a sectional only two turns and pins were not making good
before you launch. contact. When the plug was secured correctly all

6 AUGUST 1962
fuel gage malfunctions disappeared ... just one GCA and plowed down the approach ten knots
accident too late. above standard. He made a wheelbarrow arrival
Incidentally, for you seat of the pants experts some 2500 feet down the concrete-flew another
who might wonder why the pilot couldn't feel the hundred feet and set down again. He shoved the
extra weight, final was steeper than normal due to throttle forward, changed his mind, chopped it
trees and other obstructions off the appro ach end and got started stopping. The barrier dissipated
of the runway. This helped mask the over- the 60 knots he still had when he rolled off the
weight condition and did little to help the aircraft end . . . No damage, but somewhat short of a
flare. superb performance.
Gage malfunctions did not follow normal mal- Everyone, including your old TAT, botches an
function rules. Instead, when the pilot used the occasional approach ... but you can always spot
test system it proved the gage accurate! ... See the professionals from the rest of the line up .
what we mean about the double cross? They are the ones who know when to take it around
and have another go at it . You might say that this
troop almost qualified. He started to do just that,
ONE OF THE more conscientious T-birdpilots then backslid . . . must have let pride get the
visually checks movement of the elevator trim upper hand of judgment.
tab during his preflight cockpit check. He does This going around business is so cotton pickin'
this by pulling the stick full aft, looking back at basic it seems foolish to even mention it. So is
the elevator and selecting forward trim. The trim holding proper airspeed on final. Not so well
tab should move up. known; however, is that ''proper'' airspeed for
The other day this check paid off. He found the this particular approach should have been about
trim tab wired backwards. It had been worked on, ten knots slower than standard, remember the
but maintenance people did not enter the work in runway was short and wet. This put him 20 knots
the form one, or have it inspected. This condition too fast. Also, altho the T-bird dash one claims
was a factor in at least one fatal night flight ..• and you can stop in about 5000 feet on a wet runway
could cause considerable sweat during an actual with the fuel he had on board, 260 gallons, not all
weather flight. T-bird troops realize that in order to make good
on the published stoppin' figgers they MUST use
the minimum run landing procedures. As we've
indicated, this means being ten knots slower than
normal. With 200 gallons you should drive down
final at 110 and bleed off speed to cross the
threshold at 100. Immediately after touchdown
retract flaps and speed boards, HOLD THE STICK
FULL AFT while applying steady smooth brake,
holding 'em just short of a skid. Holding the
stick full aft with the nose gear on the runway
makes more difference than you'd think ... but if
it don't make enough diff, stopcock and open the
canopy. The J-33 gives a lot of push at idle, and
the canopy makes a most effective drag chute.
Open it at 100 knots if you have to, altho we'd
recommend that you write it up if speed was over
THE RUNWAY WAS WET and some 6800 feet 50 knots when you opened it. As we see it, this
short, but the book says it can be done. Then procedure isn't nearly as sloppy as getting tangled
along came this character in his trusty T-model. in the bird net.
Light rain spoiled forward vis, so he latchedonto &-TAT-
TAC ATTACK 7
 VMC for me

F
ailure to observe speed third alternative is not always Cowl flaps (on piston-
limits on the high side (Vno possible, since you may need engined aircraft) in normal
and Vne) is an invitation to everything you can get to main- takeoff position.
trouble in the form of structural tain flight. The amount of rudder Maximum sea level take-
problems. force or lift available is, of off weight.
An equally important speed course, proportional to air- Aircraft trimmed for take-
limit which you should keep in speed. The higher the speed, off.
mind is one on the 1ow the more effective a given Propeller windmilling on
side-minimum control speed amount of rudder or aileron de- inoperative engine (or different
(Vmc). flection. position if specific design
Ignoring this, under some Minimum Control Speed is makes this more logical) and
circumstances, can mean loss defined in the Civil Air Regu- full power on other engines.
of control and worse. lations as the lowest speed at Aircraft airborne and out
Vmc conditions become par- which it is possible to recover of ground effect.
ticularly critical when there is a control of an aircraft and main- Additionally, the r u d de r
loss of power on one side of a tain it in straight and level control force required to main-
multi-engined aircraft; par- flight with either zero yaw or tain control must not exceed 180
ticularly when high power is less than 5 degrees of bank pounds.
being applied to the remaining after the critical engine is The minimum speed which
engines on takeoff, initial climb suddenly made inoperative. The will satisfy these conditions is
or during a waveoff. manufacturer is required to quoted in the flight manual as
When power is lost on one demonstrate this during type V me-air. On all aircraft
or more engines, the resulting certificate tests. currently certified for trans-
asymmetric thrust must be The configuration required port operation, this speed is
counteracted with rudder by for this demonstration is: determined with the machine in
banking away from the inoper- Maximum availablepower. a five-degree bank with the
ative engine(s), or reducing Rearmost (or most un- operative engines on the low
power on the operative power favorable) center of gravity. side. This results in the lowest
plants. Flaps to takeoff position. possible speed, and the capa-
On takeoff or climbout, the Landing gear retracted. bilities of the aircraft are

8 AUGUST 1962
utilized to the fullest advantage. power is necessary. The added power plant on the high side.
It is important to recognize rudder deflection increases The normal takeoff procedure
that, with the wings in any drag and makes a higher speed • assures that airspeed will be
position less than afive-degree necessary. above the minimum control
bank angle, the minimum con- This characteristic applies speed (air) with the most criti-
trol speed is subs t anti a 11 y to all multi-engine aircraft. It cal engine inoperative. This is
higher than the value shown in is accentuated in the latest only true, however, if the five-
the flight manual. On the most designs because of the large degree bank angle is main-
modern machines, the differ- amount of thrust available for tained.
ence in V me between the five- t akeoff and the fact that the Any variation from the con-
degree bank condition and wings engines are further out on the figuration of flaps, gear, and
level condition may be as high wing. This increases the turning power specified by the FAA
as 20 to 25 knots! moment caused by unbalanced regulation will tend to make the
The reasons for this large thrust. situation less critical. Regard-
increase in minimum control The point of all this dis- less of improved configuration,
speed with varying bank angle cussion is that in order to aircraft control is still im-
are fairly complex. Essentially, achieve the best performance proved when the machine is
the effect of the bank is to re- should an engine fail during banked into the good engines .
duce the amount of rudder power t akeoff, climb, or any other For specific information you
required to overcome the flight condition when high power should refer (as always) to the
asymmetric thrust condition. is required, the aircraft should pilot's handbook.
As the wings are brought to a be kept in a five-degree banked -FSF Bulletin
level position, more rudder attitude with the inoperative

tac tips

U-BIRD GEAR loads, either from taking a turn too fast while
A U-3A pilot made a fly-by to let the tower taxiing, or from extending the gear during a turn.
check the landing gear after he was unable to get a The aircraft had a long history of gear indicator
safe gear down indication. The tower reported the malfunctions which had been ''written off'' as being
gear apparently down and locked, so the pilot caused by moisture in the down-lock switch or by a
brought the aircraft in to a successful landing. defective switch.
The aircraft was jacked up and checked. The
gear driver tube assembly, was bent and down-
lock tension was inadequate. The down-lock would COMMAND DECISION
unlock anytime pressure was applied to the hinge While flying IFR in a layer of stratus, you
point of the upper and lower brace links. suddenly find yourself in the big fat middle of a
Apparently this was caused by excessive side thunderstorm. What power setting will you hold ?

TAC ATTACK 9
 STARTING SMOKE
If you are flying or crewing a bird that is
equipped with a cartridge starter we have a word
of caution. The starter cartridge contains about
TAC Tips eight pounds of ammonium nitrate propellant.
When it fires, it produces oxides of nitrogen which
are toxic. When using these starters, aircrews
should be on 100 % oxygen and ground crewmen
TRICKY TANKS. should stand up wind.
The pilot of an F-lOOD inadvertently jettisoned
two-450 gallon tanks while checking out the LABS
equipment. The tanks fell into uninhabited TANK TROUBLE
mountainous country and no property damage was An F-84 F pilot checked pylon tanks feeding
reported. The pilot picked up the tab for this prior to take-off. However, after becoming air-
one . . . he had placed the armament selector borne, the left tank stopped feeding so he dropped
switch in the jettison-all position and the tanks it in the loc al drop area. Investigators found that
came off when he depressed the bomb button. the electrical system was alright, but the pylon
tank selector switch was badly corroded. The
switch was r eplaced and the system checked out
WRON'G PEW CLUE
satisfactorily. Preventive maintenance, hava no.
If you've ever landed at the wrong airport you
know how embarrasing such a simple error can
be . . . Witness the gruffaws of those who have IT PAYS TO WATCH!
never had the experience. To prevent it, an old pro Two airliners almost collided at apointwhere
suggests that when you can't positively identify two airways converge. Both were flying under ATC
your destination airport using radio aids or land- control and both were at 19,000 feet.
markfl and you've received clearance from the The cont roller was at fault in this instance.
tower and have the runway in sight, Dimply key the He cleared one aircraft to descend from 21,000
mike and ask, ''Do you have me in sight?'' to 19,000 feet , an altitude assigned to another
If the answer is negative, back off and make aircraft, and then forgot to pass the information to
additional checks. another cont roller. Fortunately, one pilot sawthe
other air liner approaching and made an abrupt dive

RADIO PROCEDURES
Have you ever turned on your aircraft radio
only to hear an interminable amount of chatter?
An analysis of the general pandemonium that
exists on the air-to-ground circuits generally
indicates that a great deal of the trouble is
caused by pilots who neglect some of the basic
principles of good radio discipline. We can help
to reduce communication congestion by following
these simple rules.
* Listen before talking . . . don't break in.
* Include all required information in each
transmission so additions are not necessary. out of the way. The encroaching airliner passed
* Omit excess words. 200 feet overhead. It pays to watch when you're in
* Form the habit of planning for brevity on VFR conditions even though you are on an IFR
every contact. clearance.

10 AUGUST 1962
REVERSE REGARDLESS? find them in the basic FLIP however, and it might
This is the fourth accident I personally know be a good idea to check and put 'em down on your
of where a DC-6 left the runway after landing on goodie sheet for in flight reference.
a wet runway with a high crosswind condition.
The crew statements have been almost IS YOUR FACE RED
identical . . . This problem has been recognized Many pilots are apparently not checking the
for a number of years, but still exists and in all remarks under aerodrome facilities in the Flip
probability will recur in the future. Enroute Supplement. During the last two weeks of
On some airlines, company procedure requires June, ten pilots filed flight plans into McChord
use of reverse propeller on all landings. This AFB during the hours the airfield was listed as
requirement is the primary contributing factor to closed in the Enroute Supplement. This indicates
this, and the other three incidents . During the that pilots are not checking for notices concerning
short time required to reach the reverse propeller the more permanent hazards and restrictions at
condition, airflow over the control surfaces is destination airbases, since these are normally
disrupted and the high crosswind overpowers the found in the Flip Enroute Supplement. Paragraph
ability of the control surfac·es. This is when the 2b, AFB 60-16, states that special notices, pro-
airplane actually becomes uncontrollable. cedures, etc., contained in Flip documents, as well
Had the reverse propellers not been used in any as in NOTAMS, are directive for all pilots.
of these four conditions, there is no doubt but that
the incidents would have been avo ided . . . The
mandatory requirement for propeller reversing SAFE APPROACH
on DC- 6 aircraft must be reviewed and procedures The greatest single safety device known is the
designed to permit utilization of this system if the pilot-in-command. He must continually do those
pilot deems it appropriate. In addition, the pitfalls things he knows are necessary to effect a
which can be experienced by reversing under safe operation. He must know the basic require-
similar conditions should be clearly outlined to ments of his flying job-the ultimate being to
the pilot group for their information . . . know everything about the machine and all the
- ALPA "T ech Talk" rules for operating it. The pilot must be safety
conscious and apply air discipline to his thought
PECULIARITIES and action. But the pilot alone cannot be
Each Tacan station in th P Enroute Supplement responsible for every phase of every oper-
is classified as either (L), (M) or (H), depending ation . . . we should all devote our acti-..J.ties to
on the interference free distance covered by the prevention, rather than investigation.
station. Don't confuse this classification with
station power since ground equipment is essen-
tially the same at all locations. Classification is THE LAST UNK
based primarily on the distance between ground When do you shut off the command r ad i o after
stations that operate on the same or adjacent returning from a hop? As you enter the line or
channels. after the engines are shut down? You should wait
When you're about the same dist ance from two until the engines are shut down. Youmightneed it
co-channel stations your Tacan cockpit indications even after you are parked. For example, a quick
will probably be m isleading. For instance, your call to the tower will send the crash crew should
bearing indicator may swing to and fro thru 180° your aircraft catch fire during shut down, or fetch
of arc and your range indicator may lock on either an ambulance for any unsuspecting soul who might
station. get sucked into the intake or stu m b 1 e into a
Interference free areas for different stl:\.tion prop • . . Your call may save his life. Don't cut
classifications were given in the Enroute Supple- yourself short, keep your radio on until the air-
ment, but have recently been deleted. You can craft is completely secured.

TAC ATTACK 11
TALKING VORTAC helmet. The installation is shown in the photo-
To permit simultaneous transmission of code graph. It is powered by batteries fitted into the
and voice on the same frequency, the Federal molded rubber inside the helmet. According to
Aviation Agency is modifying the 760 VORs, Colonel Holt, the unit serves him well as a "third
VORTACs and Terminal VORs, which form the hand." It's an excellent back-up light for the
basis of the airways system. At the present time, fighter pilot who drops his flashlight after ex-
code identification is automatically stopped during periencing e lectrical failure. It's handy also for
voice broadcasts from the ground stations. copying clearances, monitoring engine starts and
The requirement for simultaneous broadcasts filling out the AF Form 781 at night.
became apparent when the speed of some aircraft
allowed them to fly great distances without navi-
gation facility identification during the period when T- 33 DUST COVERS
code signals were suspended for voice broadcasts. When a T-33 pilot placed the gear handle
Feasibility for the change to simultaneous down, the main gear indicated down and locked but
code/voice broadcasts was demonstrated during a the nose gear indicated unsafe. The tower con-
nationwide test with 20 VORs. A minor modifi- firmed that the nose gear was only partially
cation program will put the new plan into effect at extended so he recycled it. The position of the
the remaining 740 ground stations and all future nose gear did not change and the pilot tried with-
VORs, TVORs and VORTACs will incorporate out success to lower the gear with the emergency
this provision. gear extension system. The runway was foamed
and the pilot made a normal landing when fuel
was down to 95 gallons. Investigators found that
the canvas dust cover in the forward area of the
nose gear well had come loose and was obstructing
the nose gear drag struts. 00 NOT CONFUSE
THIS DUST COVER WITH THE ONE IN THE AFT
SECTION OF THE NOSE GEAR WELL. The
troublesome dust cover has a total of 18 snap
fastener s, but onJy three were snapped. In addition,
only one of the two cords which hold the top of the
dust cover to the base of installed radio equip-
ment was still tied. The other cord was loose,
allowing the cover to be sucked down against the
nose gear s t rut .

UNSCHEDULED BASH
During the let down from a scheduled mission
an unauthorized tail-chase began; it turned into a
simulated dog-fight at low level. The lead aircraft
struck the ground, and both occupants were killed.
The investigating board found that the incident
was caused by both pilots violating existing orders.
Further, it appeared that both pilots were deter-
mined not to lose the dog-fight. Instead, the
SPOT LIGHT crew of one aircraft lost their lives-a high price
Colonel William H. Holt of Hq TAC used an old to pay for lack of self-discipline.
cartridge case and some other odds and ends to -RCAF Flight Comment
fabricate a handy light attachment for his P-4

12 AUGUST 1962
 the untamed

BY MAJ PAULL. SMITH

839TH AIR DIVISION

-- Take-offs are made as

though the Sioux nation were
only a scalp's length behind.
Traffic p at tern entries are
reminiscent of the old land rush
have been traded for flying ones days with them that get there
and hard ones. Fortunately fastest being first. Landings are
there aren't many of these patterned after the activity near
twentieth century cowboys. the hitching rail with smoke
The most r e cog n i z a b 1 e pouring from their rounded
VER SINCE our country feature is their ability to make hooves as they try to make the

E began developing into the

great nation it is today, the
scenery has been dotted with
an aircraft act like a sunfishing
horse or a Brahma steer on the
loose. They use bursts of power
sufficient for an emergency go
first turn-off.
The old saloon still operates
in the same manner too , with
tales of wild rides and unnatural
cowboys. In the beginning, they
were strong, silent and capa- around just to leave the parking bravado reverberating from the
ble ... able to meet the charging areas. Flying debris attests to walls and becoming wilder with
steer or the horse stea l ing their proficiency in these areas. each drink.
desperado with equal aplomb. Stones, chocks, nuts and bolts, Corralling these critters
Unquestionably, they played an followed by maintenance stands, isn't difficult because they are a
important role in the settlement go across the ramp like bullets dying breed and easily spotted.
of our frontier. at the OK Corral. Excessive They will not surrender easily
Today, we still have a few taxi speeds are considered but this range is too important
cowboys around. But these are child's play. Wing walkers are to remain untamed. Fences are
of a different breed. There are as disgraceful as grabbing for in style again and the days of
some outward similarities ... the leather on an old time bucking the Wild West are over.
rough speech, hardened jaw, and bronc.
recklessness of purpose, but
there are many differences . The
steed is several thousand times
more powerful than the Author Smith hastens to add that all the
eighteenth century model, and cowboys have long departed the 839th corral.
the boots and ten-gallon hat

TAC ATTACK 13
a matter of control

''Roger, Center, we, ah,

swung Redball Radio at, ah,
zero eight past the hour. We're
estimating, ah, Cartwheel at
ah ••. standby one, oh yeah, at
three-two past the hour, over."
After a few more trans-
missions, the controller finally
had the required information
and had established radar
contact with old Jumbo.
I was visiting an Air Route
Traffic Control Center when I
heard this unprofessional
transmission.
Later I watched a teletype in

"H ARDCHORE CENTER

this is Jumbo 87, over."
Jumbo came through loud and
clear for the third time.
the flight data section type off a
proposed 500NM IFR flight plan,
direct point to point, with no in-
This radio transmission Perhaps this pilot had an emer- between reporting points. The
was followed by a three second gency, but he wasn't using guard aircraft was a T-33. You
pause and then ••. "Hardchore channel. wouldn't believe a pilot would
Center this is Jumbo 87, over." The controller answered, request such a clearance but
Before the controller could "Roger, Jumbo 87, this is there it was in black and yellow.
punch the transmit switch Hardchore Center, over." As a military pilot, I was

14 AUGUST 1962
 as he said, "I'd better check
this for verification. I think
there's a mistake here."
Sure enough, the teletype
operator at base ops had trans-
mitted the w r o n g station
designator for the propos e d
destination. A recheck on the
flight plan proved it to be legal
and logical. My faith was
restored. I tm-ned to my host
and said, ''Most of us pilots are
accurate • . • we can't afford
errors." He agreed and I felt
vindicated but a few minutes
later I was served a generous
portion of medium rare crow.
The same T-bird pilot
checked in with departure
control just after take-off. The
controller directed him to turn
to 270 degrees but when he
rolled out of the turn he was
heading 010 degrees on the
embarrassed, considerably so There are six busy airports radar scope. Further
for the second time in less than within an approximate twenty- conversation revealed the old
ten minutes. five mile radius and the center J-2 compass had done it again.
Jumbo is a friend of mine. is responsible for all IFR The pilot reported that it
True, I don't know him approaches and departures as disagreed with his stand-by
personally but our profession is well as enroute traffic. They compass by 100 degrees. !twas
the same. A proud profession divide these responsibilities obvious to me that he had failed
but his performance wasn't very among their controllers. Each to check his d i r e c t i o n a 1
professional. And now this controller works at a console indicator against the runway
crazy flight plan! equipped with a long range radar heading. From the expression
"I doubt that he'll get the scope and a short range, video- on my host's face, it was obvious
route he's requesting," the con- mapped scope. A supervisor- to him also.
troller remarked after he had coordinator is assigned to each I was impressed at how
prepared the strip and walked sector console and has hot line quickly the controller caught the
over to the appropriate sector access to other centers as well heading indicator trouble. He
controller to give him the as all control towers within his went immediately to no-gyro
proposed flight plan. "Capital center. He can also listen in on procedures, steered the pilot
Center will probably refuse to pilot-controller conversations. clear of several inbedded
let him cross that many streets Their communications equip- cumulonimbus and handed him
without reporting. How ever, ment is terrific though complex. off to the next center after that
we'll let the coordinator give it My host, the watch super- center had positive radar con-
a try." visor, handed the prepared strip tact. I noted that his phraseology
The center I was visiting on the direct cross country was strictly standard in all
covers a small geographic area flight to the coordinator. He cases. No superfluous
but it has dense air traffic. read it, looked at me and smiled conversation; therefore, less

TAC ATTACK 15
chance for a misunderstanding. requesting you to change fore they can work the position
You might say he was a very squawks. If your transmitter is alone. They specialize by
professional communicator. My out they can clear you from one sectors or positions and must be
only criticism was that he asked flight level to another and tell checked out on other sectors
the pilot to reset his gyro when you vacate one and arrive before working them.
shortly after he got him on at the other by the same method. Pay is good by military
course. They may also have you standards since they start their
We all learned something acknowledge instructions by training at a reasonably high
from this flight. The pilot using the ident switch. Civil Service GS rating, but they
learned that prior to take-off, it A considerable number of have their problems too. They
pays to follow the line-up partof the controllers have military can be suspended without pay
the check list. I learned that experience, often with flying for what might be considered a
radar equipped centers can do a type backgrounds. The require- very small deviation in proce-
beautiful job of vectoring air- ments for entry into the field dures. Whenever a complaint or
craft around thunder bumpers, are rather rigid from a mental hazard report involving
even with gyro out, and are and physical standpoint. They procedures is made to the
happy to give that service when must pass a Class II flying center, all controllers involved
equipment and traffic permit. physical and complete two in the inc ident must be
Also, once they start the months of school at Oklahoma immediately removed from the
vectoring they can't drop you City. The washout rate at school Job. They remain suspended
unless their weapon becomes is about 2670. After the school until it is definitely determined
bent or you request they do so. they spend about 18 months whether they were at fault. If
The controller learned that you copying clearances and acting they are cleared they are
can't reset the heading indicator
in the T-bird like you can the
DG in the old Gooney. 1191"1"Irr
When the watch supervisor t
found that I was an old T-birder,
he immediately asked when we tit
a
Ira
planned to equip our T's with
TACAN. I had checked with DM Nib
that very morning and had found
that the estimated starting date
for the mod would be January
'63-completion date February
'64. I passed him the infor-
mation. He sighed heavily and
remarked that TACAN equipped
types were much easier to This battery of recorders pots all radio tOlavetsotion on tope for later reference
control.
Incidentally, the controllers as assistant controllers. Then returned to duty, otherwise,
are always poised for a radio they are evaluated for retention appropriate administrative
failure when a T-33 is under or release. If retained, they go action is taken.
their control. They have learned through a formal controller The day before my visit, a
many tricks of the trade on how training course for two or three complaint had been filed against
best to utilize radar modes and months and then OJT. After the center by a military pilot.
codes. For instance, they can completing OJT, each must be He had filed VFR on top, one
tell if you're receiving by certified by two supervisors be- hundred-mile radius of his
16 AUGUST 1962
 penetration fix for a specified answer an airborne radio call mike button. It's a good idea to
period of time and had been so before they'll answer a land run through your speech
cleared. Apparently. he later line. The man in the air always mentally before you give it to
changed his mind and contacted has priority. But, at any rate, center.
the center requesting an earlier immediately after he called in * Use standard phraseology
approach. By letter of agree- his complaint, three controllers and make position rep o r t s
ment this center had passed were suspended until the exactly in accordance with the
control of all traffic at flight situation was clarified. pubs.
* When requesting a clearance
while airborne, deal directly
with the controlling agency. if at
all possible.
* Controllers cannot suggest
you climb or descend in VFR
conditions. However. if you see
that you can do so, suggest it to
them and they'll certainly
approve. It will expedite your
flight considerably.
level 240 and above to a Among other problems is * If you have trouble, particu-
neighboring center and could not radar interference. Take a look larly with navigation equipment,
clear him down through their at the above photo and notice how keep the center advised. They'll
traffic (a copy of this letter of the one on the left is obscured do everything in their power to
agreement has been in the near the center. This can be assist yo~.
pilot's home base PIF for caused by other radar sets in the * If you're flying in the high
almost two months). They area that are slightly off altitude structure, state your
advised him to con tact the frequency. ·The source of the flight levels correctly. Twenty-
appropriate center for problem is sometimes hard to six thousand, five hundred feet
clearance and he replied that he find. It can even be caused by a pressure altitude (29.92 alti-
could not contact them. Center TV repair shop. meter setting) is flight level two
then told him to stand-by. They I had a very interesting and six five-not two six point five.
contacted the other center by profitable trip and I suggest you * Maintain a listening watch on
land line and after some delay arrange to visit a center in your the appropriate frequency. This
received clearance for him to , area as soon as possible. doesn't include the latest hit
descend to penetration altitude Chances . are you'll find these tunes on the radio compass.
. at his requested time. His folks much more aware of your * When VFR on top, fly the
complaint was that he wouldnot problems than you think. In the correct flight level for your
have known what to do if he'd meantime, here are a few tips heading and advise ATC before
had radio failure after they told that might keep them from changing altitudes.
him to stand-by. Honest mentally classifying you as an * Pause a reasonable time be-
confession is good for the soul! amateur on yournextiFRflight. tween repeat transmissions.
Center saidtheywouldhaveheld * Plan your flight strictly in The controller may be passing
his earlier approach time and accordance with the Flight instructions to someone on a
his DD 17 5 ETA open for thirty Information Publications. different frequency.
minutes if they had lost contact * Don't accept any clearance * Be a professional communi-
with him. Another thing he that you don't thoroughly under- cator and you'll be appreciated
probably didn't know was that stand. and respected.
any center or controller will * Think before yoU: punch the
TAC ATTACK 17
 Letters to the editor

lative G's will it take and why waste them on a scheduled

instrument mission? How's for beating the drums about
that?
I hear that th e engineers have developed a gadget that
will re cord cumulative G's along with peaks and duration.
Must be that they think cumulative G's cause metal fatigue.
Sounds peachy keen and I' d like to see you go to bat for
something along this line. The data collected from this
Dear TAT: little jewel would be really great, but to be useful, it would
After reading your articles in TAG ATTACK and the have to be installed when the bird is born. It's too late for
FSO Kit, I've concluded that your opinions parallel mine. the tired ol' T -bird but how about the F -110 or the T F X?
You don't mind pounding a pilot for using poor judgment Didn't mean to be so windy, but you know how it is
and at the same time pounding the desk to get him better when you get all wound up about something. Don't pull too
equipment and working conditions. many G's TAT. As for me, I'm joining the be nice to old
I'd like to tell you about an incident that happened to birds and fly safe club. I' ve had enough thrills.
me last week that may give you some ammunition for future Yours truly,
crusades .
I was giving a 60-3 Proficiency Check in a '53 model Capt ] ohn Beach
T-bird. While monitoring the preflight, I heard the victim up
front mumble something about gee's. I glanced at the
instrument panel and my mental master warning light came Friend Beach
on. A quick re-take caged my eyeballs on the G-meter. It TAT is with you all the way. When feeling real
registered six and a half. I realized then that the pilot up foxy we've been known to grunt thru about five to
front hadn't really said, "Gee whiz what a nitpicker!" So I five and a half G's to do our special one and a half
placed him back in the possibly qualified category.
vertical roll. However, we flat won't try one in an
I think a lot of my skin so I crawled out for another look-
see at the bird. Satisfied nothing had been overlooked, I
old bird and certainly not on an instrument check.
rechecked the 781. Capt Blank had successfully completed Incidentally, you s aid it so pretty, we just published
his 60-3 Instrument Check on the previous flight and there your letter as is.
were no write-ups. From your writings I'd judge that you've -TAT
been through just about every conceivable maneut•er in the
T-bird. I'v e been through a few myself . . . double
Good judgment comes from experience and
lmmelmanns, zero airspeed, reverse yaw string and such .
experi ence comes from poor judgment.
But what in the name of sacred standardization do you
s'pose they did on an instrument check to pull 6.5 G's?
Besides you can do any maneuver in the ATC syllabus and
not pull over four G's, even hard landings don't register
that many. At least I've never seen that many indicated
Dear TAT
during numerous landings with three-handed cadets. Any-
way, a hard landing should have been entered in the air- Having just returned from another Operation, I again
craft forms. observed a condition which apparently continues to escape
I've never heard of anyone pulling the wings off the ol' our planners . We all recognize the need for odd-hour
bird with just plain G's. It'll take much more than the max operations in an exercise. We also recognize the fact that
7.33 straight and 4.9 rolling G's. But how many cumu- crew rest will be extended on certain occasions in order to

18 AUGUST 1962
meet the mission requirements. However, look at a couple many of the rough spots with intelligent scheduling
of occurrences I noticed during other rec ent exercises. of transient quarters. Frequently, scheduling is by
Crews were alerted at one o'clock in the morning, a young airman with no knowledge of what his
airborne by three , and arrived at their staging base at 0500 guest are doing or are expected to do. The guests
and put to bed. Activity on the airfield continued as more
themselves sometimes add to the trouble by being
and more crews arrived. However, the individuals who
arrived at five in the morning we re expected to go in, lie
noiser than necessary.
down and go to sleep. The last crews arriv ed around 1000 Next exercise, try educating the billeting
so that the noise in the billets finally stopped at 1100. At people into filling blocks of quarters with in-
1400, the first crews that arrived were awakened to begin coming guests rather than giving them rooms
the mission. The crews that arrived at ten then experienced willy-nilly . . . • a few hints on how many will
a continuing noise factor as more and more of their buddies arrive when, and a little pitch on how important
got up to fly the mission. Sleeping under these conditions uninterrupted rest is to the overall effort should
was somewhat difficult.
accomplish this.
After a good night's sleep, a crew was scheduled for an
1800 take -off. A lthough their mission the night before ended
Crew conditioning type quarters would help
at six in the evening and they stayed up until midnight, cure some of the other points. The rest?
they woke up at eight or nine in the morning. In most cases Well, meanwhile back to the sweat shop . . .
this meant that these individuals were up ei ght or ten hours -TAT
prior to the time they start ed a twelve to fourteen -hour
crew day.
The purpose of this discussion is to point out how our
crew rest rules are actually being violated, although the
operation orders are meeting, or nearly meeting, the minimum
requirements outlined in T A C Manual 60-130. As a flying
safety officer, I feel that operation orders should be co-
ordinated with the safety office so that we can look at
situations like this and make recommenda tions to improve
the crew rest problems.
Getting back to this last exercise. There were numerous
instances of crews arriving on base at around midnight wi th
an aircraft out of commission, requiring them to put in
considerable time on the line, and yet, eight hours later
they we re blocked for a new mission. We all realize that
these things will happen once in a whi le. However, I
believe that the men who planned several of the missions
that I have been on, failed to consider anything except the
absolute ten hours minimum from one hour after touchdown
until two hours before take-off. Let's get some safety
officers behind this program and start pushing for a better
deal for our aircrews.
Maj Paul L. Smith
Director of Safety
839 Air Div

Dear Smitty: BUT 5/R.. ... IT GROUND CHECK.fD OK. !

You certainly have a pertinent point, which has
lighted a small fire under a few feet around these
parts. Not all ofthedifficultycanbeblamed on the
people who dream up these projects. For example,
personnel at the staging bases could smooth out

TAC ATTACK 19
 Stop in time with the BAK-9

W
hen the BAK-9 was first it too much during approaches off. Fuel became critical and the
installed, many people and landings. Landing long and engine flamed out. The pilot
were rather skeptical of hot on a slick runway is still not landed 6000 feet down the run-
its reported efficiency. They a good procedure, especially if way, lowered the tailhook,
were probably justified in this the chute fails. It happened to jettisoned the t an k s and
attitude since the box score for one of our friends recently. He deployed the drag chute. The
the previous equipment was lost his drag chute somewhere BAK-9 was engaged at an esti-
nothing to brag about. World- along the line and thought, ''no mated 150 knots. The engage-
wide, the MA-lA was just sweat, I've got the BAK-9." He ment was successful with no
breaking even with only 57 per- confidently dropped the hook and aircraft damage.
cent of the engagements being apparently didn't try any further * A pilot landed an F-101
successful. It was pretty braking. Unknown to him the at a gross weight of 45,000
restrictive-you couldn't be too BAK-9 was out of commission pounds. The drag chute failed to
fast or too slow and the con- on this particular day. Luckily deploy because he failed to pull
figuration had to be just right. It the MA-lA pulled him up short the handle completely out. The
wasn't fair to be off center, run and the only thing damaged was right main tire blew out at the
over the chain, snag one gear the gear doors and a little of his 5000-foot mark making opti-
and not the other, etc. But with ego. The moral of the story is mum braking impossible. He
reports of the first few BAK-9 that there still is no substitute engaged the BAK-9 barrier at 80
engagements p eo p 1 e have for touching down on the right knots. There was no damage to
started to sit up and take notice. spot at the right speed. This , the aircraft.
It works! coupled with the proper braking We can learn several things
At last it looks as ifwehave procedures, will go a long way fr om these reports.
the answer to runway over- toward relieving that thrilling * Put the tailhook down
shoots. Procedures are simple sensation of doubt. early. If the drag chute fails you
too-just drop the hook and keep Here is asamplingofBAK-9 may stop the aircraft and then
the aircraft on the runway. barrier engagement reports : again you may not. Play it
There is no minimum engage- * An F-100 lost a drag safe-if there is any doubt, use
ment speed. One aircraft chute when the p ilot deployed it the hook.
engaged the cable at between ten on the landing roll. Braking * Use normal braking until
and 15 knots. At the other action was not sufficient to stop within a few yards of the cable,
extreme, a successful engage- the aircraft and the BAK-9 was but don't use the brakes while
ment was made at almost 170 engaged at about 30 knots. Con- crossing the cable, it may blow
knots! tact was comparable to rolling the tires.
A word of caution. With to a smooth stop with brakes. * Deceleration is positive
BAK-9 operating as well as it *The throttleofanF-lOOD after cable contact but not
does, we may begin to rely on stuck in afterburner after take- violent. It feels similar to a drag

20 AUGUST 1962
chute, depending on contact at a base that is equipped with arresting gear, such as the
speed. just an MA-lA, drop the hook MA-lA, in the overrun. There-
* Disengagement and re- anyway-it will most likely fore, your aircraft should be
setting takes only minutes. Con- catch the cable if the landing configured for a follow-on en-
sequently, the runway is closed gear doesn't. gagement in case the BAK-9
for only a short period. * Most bases equipped with fails for the first time.
* If an overshoot is likely the BAK-9, also have additional

Ol' Sarge says:

L T GREEN HELD the the short soft talking chief we got the century birds we
poster at arms length master. He seemed real started having pump failures. At
tilted his head critically pleasant.'' first everyone blamed the
and pursed his lips. "That's the one." said the pumps. I don't know who was
"Princess Ann again, sir?" Old Sarge "The only reason he the first one to get smart, but it
asked the Old Sarge who had seemed pleasant was because really doesn't matter. The chief
looked over the mountain of we were in good shape ... but of maintenance had us flush out
paperwork on his desk in time that's another story. He was the mules and replace all the
to observe the inspection. telling me that they still find filters. Then we took each bird
''What are they emphasizing outfits who aren't capping off and gave it the same treatment.
this time?" lines on either aircraft or There sure was some squawk-
"Emphasizing?" Lt Green hydraulic mules. ing, but we did it. At the same
replied just a little blankly, "It's the same old story. time we started giving right
''Oh, they're still on that fluid They think that it takes too much close attention to capping off
contamination kick. I wonder time. They ought to check their lines just as soon as they were
why?" hydraulic pump failure rate parted, both on the birds and on
"Probably because it's against ours and see how much the mules. Just like we do
needed." said the Old Sarge. He time they're losing changing today.'' He grinned, ''It didn't
tilted back his chair and reached pumps." come easy. We had to get pretty
for his coffee mug. ''As a matter tough before everyone got the
Lt Green nodded his head in
of fact, I asked Sgt Deal about idea and I'm afraidiwasn'tvery
that very thing the last time he agreement, then asked, ''Seems
popular around here for a good
was thru here." to me we've always put plenty
long while."
"Who's Deal?" Green of emphasis on that subject .
"Well, it sure pays off." Lt
asked. why haven't the others?''
Green said "Let's see, we've
''Are you making a pun, or The Old Sarge took a sip of only replaced two pumps in the
don't you remember him? He his coffee before answering. last 30 days."
was maintenance member on "Not always, sir, not always. "Right." said the Old Sarge,
that survey team." said the Old We had to learn too, but that was ''And they were both on birds
Sarge. before you came. I hadn't from other outfits which stopped
Lt Green nodded his head and thought much about fluid con- here on deployment. ''
put the poster down. "Oh yeah, tamination. Then shortly after

TAC ATTACK 21
 300,00 years of progress

Mfj
. ~'fl~ fP4~~~~~~'/
.. : . . . • . . BY MAJOR JACK O'BRIEN
"· , . A . ·· · · · · . . Chief Loading Standardization Branch
.· · . V4 . . .... . · . . Headquarters TAC

T HE HUNDRED-THOUSAND
Years War ended today
when the Red Army sur-
rendered their few remaining
nated in the Find-your-own-
rock concept. He told of the
difficulties encountered. Of the
discipline which had to be
10,000 years an uneasy peace
had prevailed. The Reds were
suspected of having adopted the
Blue-invented Rock System
rocks and men to the victorious enforced to curb the mutinous Concept. Information obtained
Blue Army. When asked to attitude of certain rock-finders from disaffected Reds indicated
comment on his defeat, the who resented and envied the that huge rockpiles were being
dejected commander of the Red rock throwers and their hazard- accumulated in Red territory.
forces remarked, "Our ous duty pay. Of having lost The Blues stationed along the
throwers spent so much time many highly proficient sling frontier became more and more
looking for rocks and picking loaders to industry with it s jumpy, and the situation became
them up, that they were unable forty-hour-week and fringe tense.
to concentrate on the mission.'' benefits. But all these problems The Blue high command
On hearing this, the com- were resolved, and the First recognized the potential danger,
mander of the Blue Army Rock System Battery was and studied ways to prevent
revealed one of the most closely organized and throw n into inadvertent throwing of rocks.
guarded secrets of the war." battle. Their t rem en do us However, before the studies
In the Spring of 298,039 B.C.," success and the quick victory could be completed and Rock
he confided, ''we adopted the they scored are now history. Safety Rules published an
Rock System Concept." He Since the Hundred- Thousand incident o c c u r r e d at the
explained how the rock system Years War, 300,000 years ago, frontier. Rockman Basic Melvin
was divided into three basic the Rock System Concept has Souci, a washed-out rock-
functional areas. Rock employ- remained basically unchanged. finder and assigned to a unit
ment (the throwers), rock direct Certain refinements have crept stationed at the Rubble Curtain.
mission support (the sling in over the centuries, and one of had somehow obtained and
loaders), and rock logistics (the the most interesting of these is repaired a Class 26 sling, and
rock finders). He told of the the Rock Safety Program. It was carried it concealed in his
obstacles he had overcome in established in 288,038 B.C., just Rockman's Guide. Melvin was
winni.ng the whole-hearted 10,000 years after the close of restless one night and went for
support of his own staff, all of the Hundred-Thousand Years a walk along the Rubble Curtain.
whom had been well indoctri- War. In the course of these His thoughts were on the glory

22 AUGUST 1962
of being a rock-thrower. and had to be loaded point- 1. Check sling decal for
Suddenly, a shooting star fell down. total rock load.
from the heavens and narrowly The next important develop- 2. Rocks installed points
missed him. Like a flash , ment was the invention of the down.
Melvin found a rock, loaded his Gatling Sling. Early models of Skipping over the centuries
sling, and threw it across the these held four to six rocks, but which have passed since the
Rubble Curtain! A high Red with the frenzy over massive publication of the first Rock
official, who happened to be on retaliation, the sling capacity Data, and the first Rock Safety
an inspection tour of the was increased to twenty, thirty, Rules, we turn to the present
frontier, was hit on his gouty and finally forty r ocks. Only the and examine their modern
foot. The war was on! biggest and strongest rock- counterparts.
As a result of this incident, throwers could qualify to handle Tactical Air Command has
stringent Rock Safety Rules the forty rock sling. devoted much time and effort to
were quickly published, but The smaller rock-throwers adequate munitions loading
could not be enforced since the spoke of a continuing need for technical data. Working with
war continued for some 20,000 limited rock-throwing, but they USAFE, PACAF, AFLC, and
years. However, these basic were ignored. AFSC, procedures for safe,
rules, revised to eliminate such The in v en t i on of the reliable and fast loading of many
obsolete terms as "sling," are strategic sling generated a need of the weapons in our inven-
still with us today. for several loaders per sling, tories have been established.
In the 270,000 years since and the loading crew was born. Handbooks and check lists for
Melvin's War, great strides At about this same time, the others are being developed.
have been made in the art of the difficulty was found during Safety precautions are observed
rock throwing. The first major mass-loading operations. by incorporating them into the
discovery was that tear-shaped Rocks were found installed loading procedure, and then
rocks could be thrown more point-up, and in some instances assuring undeviating check list
accurately than jagged rocks. throwers attempted to twirl discipline.
This led to the replacement of over-loaded s 1 in g s, and To assure loading capabili-
the old rock-finder with the strained their throwing arms. ty, L o ad in g Standardization
rock-shaper, and necessitated As a result the first Rock Data Crews will operate directly out
of Tactical Air Command
Headquarters. The members of
these crews are being selected
on the basis of their past out-
standing performance, and will
be without equal, anywhere in
the world.
It is a long step from the
Hundred-Thousand Years War
and the Rock System Concept, to
today's weapons system con-
cept, so you can be certain that
when the next major conceptual
break-through comes, Tactical
Air Command will implement it
further training of the sling was developed and published. with appropriate standard
loader. The tear-shaped rocks The first rock- loading check procedures.
had an "up" and "down" side, list consisted of but two steps:

TAC ATTACK 23
 chock talk

HASTE MAKES WASTE 100 and replacement schedule items are some-
John Heywood said it in the 15th century times overdue for replacement.
Chaucer said it in the 14th while Plutarch and a The IRAN facility is not set up to replace time
guy named Publius Syrus said it even before then. change items and quite often doesn't have parts
In one way or another, people have been saying it on hand. The result is that you have a longer than
ever since. necessary wait fo r the aircraft.
A Case in Point: After a record time engine To get the most out of the IRAN program, and to
change and further hurry to meet a tight schedule, avoid delays, keep your aircraft historical records
a small tool box was inadvertently left in the engine accurate, replace time change items on time and
inlet and caused foreign object damage to the before sending your bird to IRAN, or send 'em
compressor blades during the trimming operation. along with it. TAC messageDMEMW00-05-1966,
Result: One damaged jet engine, another 14 May 62, gives specific corrections for this
engine-change and at least two delayed flights. problem.
This is not a sermon against speed and dis- Since proper record keeping must begin on the
patch in our operations . . . far from it. But as flight line with the documentation of replacement
the above incident illustrates, one moment of items, a training program could do much to raise
thoughtless haste can have disastrous conse- the level of accuracy.
quences.
Schedules are not maintained by rushing into
accidents. Very often, The hurrieder you go, the SERVICE TIP
behinder you get. Phillips head, Reed Prince or slotted screws
can often be very hard to remove. An airline
mechanic s ays that a small amount of valve
F-100 IRAN grinding compound applied to the screwdriver tip
Historical records on aircraft coming into the provides amazing gripping power and helps you
IRAN production line do not always agree with loosen the t ightest screws. The compound also
installed replacement schedule items. For works well on pneumatic screwdriver tips. Be
example, some aircraft arrive without a replace- careful though, because grinding compound can
ment schedule time. In addition, serial number or cause serious trouble if it finds its way into
replacement schedule items do not agree with engines, pumps, actuators, etc.
serial numbers listed on AFTO Forms 781E or -FSF Aviation Mechanic's Bulletin

24 AUGUST 1962
ALCOHOL POISONING He was operating yellow equipment without a
Just as the pilot lifted the T-33 into the air driver's permit for such equipment.
its engine lost power. He landed on the remaining This is a case where the entire base and
runway and took the barrier. Everything clicked its personnel were endangered because of an
and the engagement was a success. The power extreme lack of supervision.
loss was caused by aluminum hydroxide corrosion
in anti-icing lines, air adapter screens, fuel
nozzle screens and the fuel nozzles.
This is a well recognized problem that can
be easily overcome by preventative maintenance.
For this reason, there is no excuse for
recurrences. In this case no one was hurt and the
aircraft was not damaged. Next time we might not
be so lucky.
Incidentally, the March Aerospace Accident
and Maintenance Review has an excellent article
on this subject called, "Back Where We Started"
it should be mandatory reading for everyone who
services and maintains T-33 fuel and alcohol
systems.

MISGUIDED MISSILES
A cargo hauler blew a tire on the landing roll
and during the inevitable investigation the safety
people found that the cargo was not adequately
secured even though additional tie-down straps
were available. Serious damage to the aircraftor
loss of life could have occurred if the cargo had
broken loose when the tire failed. Loose items in
an aircraft can be deadly missiles, consequently,
proper cargo tie-down should be re-emphasized to
responsible personnel.

LACK OF SUPERVISION TIRE TRIP TIP

Recently, on a non-TAC base, a man from a Caution should be used when transporting built-
visiting squadron drove a refueling tanker under up aircraft wheels and tires by air in pressurized
the fill pipe and proceeded to open the tanker cover aircraft. The tires normally carry considerable
and place the fill pipe in the tanker to fill it with pressure and a sudden loss of cabin
fuel. The Fire Chief intercepted the man and pressurization could cause an instantaneous
learned some startling facts: stress sufficient to cause wheel and tire failure.
The man had no previous instruction in the To prevent this, tires should be deflated to
operation. approximately 20 pounds pressure prior to ship-
He had driven the tanker into a hazard area ment by air. This pressure is enough to keep the
before receiving a safety check or authorization tire properly mated to the wheel. As a double
from the Supply Fuel Supervisor. check before flight, crew members can kick or
The tanker had not been grounded with a static strike the tire . . . the resultant tone or ring will
ground. give a good indication of tire pressure.

TAC ATTACK 25
DID YOU KNOW C-123 WHEELS
If you wash your aircraft without making F ive C-123 main gear wheels have failed due
certain that the wheel bearings are properly to corrosion and metal fatigue since the last of
protected you are required to remove the bearings, April of this year. As a result, all TAC C-123
clean, dry and repack them. T.O. 44B-1-3 requires •'
this. It has quite a bit of additional information on
the care and handling of bearings and races. It's
in the book, take a look!

INADVERTENT RELEASE BRIEFS

Periodically the T AC armament section is
going to highlight some of the critical spots in our
complex armament release systems. Theywilldo
this by sending out a brief on the more pertinent
inadvertent release incidents. Each brief will be a
letter which summarizes an incident, gives the units must p erform Zyglo or dye checks of each
cause and tells what action you should take to wheel prior to b u i l d i ng up wheel and tire
assemblies.
OO AMA will be publishing a TCTO on this and
the tech order will remain in effect until current
main gear wheels are replaced with a new split
type wheel.

DRAG RAG
This com mand has established a procedure
which should reduce the number of drag chute
failures caused by improper installation and mis-
prevent a similar one. routing of the pilot chute bridle. Maintenance per-
Be on the lookout for these letters and make sonnel are to leave the drag chute doors open
certain everyone who deals with the armament
r elease system gets a chance to read them.

LOST IN TRANSIT
Investigators are still wondering what caused
an engine to fail and induce a recent aircraft
accident. They shipped several suspected com-
ponents to the AMA for TDR ... but unfortunately
the parts got lost en route.
Page 23 of AFR 127-4 gives the procedure to
follow when shipping items such as these.
Accident board members, particularly mainte- after they have installed the drag chute. The
nance m e m b e r s, should read and heed this pilot, during his pre-flight check, will inspect
paragraph. More important, they should make drag chute installation and watch the crew chief
certain that these instructions are followed when c lose the doors . Any comments?
the accident aircraft parts are sent for evaluation.

26 AUGUST 1962
 well done

From time to time we hear of people

doing a really exceptional job. Capt C.
Armstrong, Jr., from the 4520 CCTW, was
the latest to fall in this category. He was
Mobile Control Officer when a student pilot
in an F-1050 taxied onto the runway to take-
off for his first unsupervised transition
mission. As the aircraft started to roll, Capt
Armstrong noticed that left aileron and the
leading edge of the stabilizer were deflected
full down. He immediately advised the pilot
of this unsafe control configuration and the
pi lot aborted the mission. Investigation
revealed that the pilot had inadvertently
engaged the auto-pilot switch. Capt
Armstrong's attention to duty and his
PILOT OF DISTINCTION
decisive action probably prevented an air-
CAPTAIN LEONARD S. CZARNECKI of
craft accident.
the 4520th Combat Crew Training Squadron,
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, has been
selected as the Tactical Air Command Pilot
of Distinction. During a TACAN approach in
an· F-lOOC, Captain Czarnecki heard a loud
whining noise and noticed that the uti lity
hydraulic pressure was zero. On the down-
wind leg he put the gear handle down and
pulled the emergency extension lanyard. We are proud to recognize and commend
Both main gears indicated safe but the nose three Safety Officers from TAC for their out-
gear came only part way down. As the Mobile standing achievements while attending class
Control Officer read emergency procedures to 62-4 of the USAF Flight Safety Officers
him, Captain Czarnecki tried them without course at the U n i v e r sit y of Southern
success. While the runway was being foamed, California. Captain Jerry L. McQuitty, 4500
he climbed to 8000 feet and tried getting the Air Base Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia;
gear down by pulling G's. In a final effort, Captain Robert G. Young, 4505 Air Refueling
he flew a steep final approach and bounced Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; and
the aircraft on the runway. The nose gear Captain James A. Neher, 401 Tactical
locked into place and Captain Czarnecki Fighter Wing, England A:r Force Base,
completed a successful landing. The nose Louisiana, all received straight A averages
gear malfunctioned because of a faulty for their class work. Captain Neher also
accumulator. Thanks to Captain Czarnecki's attained the added distinction o{ being \h e
skill, a serious accident was averted. top man in the class.
 CREW CHIEF OF THE MONTH
For his excellent performance as an RB-66C
Crew Chief, STAFF SERGEANT JOHN A.
EVANS of the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance
Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina,
has been selected as the Tactical Air
Command Crew Chief of the Month. Sergeant
Evans maintains his aircraft In an extremely
efficient manner, keeping it always clean and
ready for scheduled missions. During a
recent 15-day period, his aircraft flew nearly
19 hours in six flights even though it was
grounded for a double engine change during
the period. The engine changes were
required for T.O.C. Sgt Evans is very co-
operative and often helps others in his flight
maintain high in-commission rates on their
aircraft.
recognition

RECOGN1T
MAINTENANCE MAN OF THE MONTH
TECHNICAL SERGEANT EMERSON L.
STARKEY of the 4520th Combat Crew
Training Wing, Air Force Base,
Nell is
Nevada, has been selected as Tactical Air
Command Maintenance Man of the Month for
his excellent performance as a Weapons
Maintenance Supervisor. Sergeant Starkey is
thoroughly familiar with special weapons
loading procedures and is well qualified to
trouble-shoot all F.100 weapons systems. He
is careful to insure that all maintenance
performed under his supervi lion is
accomplished in a superior manner. He is on
extremely capable individual. Recently he
was recognized for the training and valuable
assistance in special weapons loading of
F-100D and F-1050 aircraft he gave to an
Air Training Command Instructor Training
Teorn.
 JUNE TALLY
ACTIVE UNITS

UNIT ACDNTS* INCDTS

831 AD 16
832 AD 2 10
4 TFW 1
31 TFW 7
108 TFW 3
113 TFW 2 26
117 TRW 2 1
121 TFW 1 4
A COMPARISON OF TACTICAL AIR COMMAND ORGANIZATIONS 122 TFW
.4 2
131 TFW 1 1
401 TFW 11
354 TFW 1 1
4510 CCTW 1 37
JUNE TALLY
4520 CCTW 5 27
GUARD AND RESERVE
837 AD 5
MAJOR MINOR 839 AD 1
64 TCW
MAJOR
435 TCW 1
ACCIDENT RATE
1 JAN - 30 JUNE 442 TCW

1962 1961 464 TCW 2

4505 ARW 1
ALL 13.9 15.0
1 ACG
F-105 42.4 18.3 TAC Tally
*MAJOR AND MINOR
F-104 11.8 83.0
F-101 26.2 11.2 ACCIDENT FREE
F-100 18.4 16.1
(MAJOR & MINOR)

F-86 84.0 23.5

F-84 16.8 61.1
B-66 0 34.6
T-33 2.9 5.1
KB-50 18.6 10.8
C-123 16.6 6.7 ACTIVE RESERVE

C-124 0 0 4430 ATG 43 67 434 TCW

C-130 0 9.8 314 TCW 35 56 94 TCW

LA F B 2 ·2108
 I WISH
EVEK:vgoov
KNEW MO~E
ABOUT I
FOD,