Best flight ever.

[H60Gunner]

From a crewmans perspective some of my best flights ever were into Cubi and Bangkok.

One of the most memorable flights I had was coming back from the sand box, stopping in Hawaii and having the whole AW shop conduct SAR jumps into Kanehoe Bay.

Ohh and since Cowboy mentioned antlers here's my 2007 bull, couldn't resist.

 

[H60Gunner]

One of my most memorable flights: Conducting SAR jumps in San Diego Bay. I was the hoist operator, and had two swimmers in the cabin, two on the hook at the speed change and one still in the water.

In a 70' hover, I heard the rotor speed rapidly climb and then a positive climb in altitude. We went from 70' to 200' in seconds, with the nose dumped over. I could hear the pilots going over an engine emergency and I was trying like hell to drag the two swimmers into the cabin and could hear the rotor rpm start to decay.

When the pilots dumped the nose over to get some airspeed, it really complicated my situation in the back trying to haul the two swimmers still outside the helo into the cabin. But, the pilots were just trying to keep us flying and in controlled flight. I was able to pull the two swimmers into the cabin as the airspeed bled off and we ended up ditching on the beach. Turns out it was an ECU/DECU failure kind of thing...

Oh and here is a picture of my 2008 bull

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I didn't really think it was that hard a request. Maybe I should've just said, "Tell everyone about a flight or several that you remembered that seemed to make all the hard times and sacrifices worthwhile." Next time I'll just go for "Best rack I ever saw" stories...Oh, c'mon! Of course I mean hunting... ya degenerates.

I can tell you many "best rack I ever saw" stories, but they keep changing every day here in Austin.

 

[C420sailor]

As a stud, I'd have to say any flight without an IP breathing down my neck

 

[webmaster]

First off, great post. Let's keep it on track. I, like many others I am sure, have been going through all the flights, and there are so many "best flights".

- Last flight in the T34 in Intermediate, with a cool instructor doing a VNAV (Marine F18 driver btw). "Hey, lets do some aerobatics on the way home!".
- Qualifying as an Aircraft Commander and having the rest of the wardroom meet you at the plane and dunk you in water. Then off to the Kadena O'club for drinks!
- Second flight as PPC signing for the plane, whole squadron repo'ing from Misawa to Kadena. #4 in the wave, climbing out of Misawa, ask for block altitude higher than proceeding aircraft. Block them at lower altitude, all the while getting cussed at on base freq while I beat them to Kadena! "John, what power setting are you using?!?!" "Sorry, last came in broken..."
- Pair of Australian F18s in Diego forming up on our P3, landing and having drinks at the Diego O'club with them. What a great bunch!
- OPSO tells us to take a P3 to Mauritius, show the flag and all that. RO5N, beer, 5 star hotel, gambling and a great time!

But one of the best, was as a 3P, just starting off in the squadron, right after 9/11, and finding ourselves thrust into the overland role in Afghanistan. Round the clock flights, all the bullshit, paperwork, and ground jobs DID NOT MATTER! Wild west on the deck, bases being built up, aircraft surging to theater. Finding out what camel spiders were for the first of many times. Anyways, one of countless missions that myself and many other VP types did, flying in Afghanistan right after 9/11. But, it was during Operation Anaconda, sitting in a stack with a Hawkeye above us, a pair of F14s right beneath us waiting to reign death... and all of us watching the wave of B52s come in to lay waste to a few ridgelines. Finally coming back, landing, eating and watching our flight on CNN. Later, we ran across some of the ppl we supported, and getting their thanks for helping them when they needed it most. Probably very poor words on my part, and so many of our crews in our community did the same thing, day in and day out during that time period. It was just amazing to me, as a nugget 3P...

 

[cosmania]

We were flying from Key West to Pensacola returning a high-time T-45 back to K-Rock from the Det. Passing 38K, we were struck by lightning. We flamed out, while IMC, and logged about 15 minutes of unintentional glider time. We broke out of IMC around 2k, on the 8th relight attempt, at 1600' we got a relight and landed at Ft. Myers International. We were drinking a beer in the terminal 25 minutes later. Shaking.

This was the day before my 2nd anniversary. Worst flight, best flight. Same flight.

 

[wlawr005]

One of my most memorable flights: Conducting SAR jumps in San Diego Bay. I was the hoist operator, and had two swimmers in the cabin, two on the hook at the speed change and one still in the water.

In a 70' hover, I heard the rotor speed rapidly climb and then a positive climb in altitude. We went from 70' to 200' in seconds, with the nose dumped over. I could hear the pilots going over an engine emergency and I was trying like hell to drag the two swimmers into the cabin and could hear the rotor rpm start to decay.

When the pilots dumped the nose over to get some airspeed, it really complicated my situation in the back trying to haul the two swimmers still outside the helo into the cabin. But, the pilots were just trying to keep us flying and in controlled flight. I was able to pull the two swimmers into the cabin as the airspeed bled off and we ended up ditching on the beach. Turns out it was an ECU/DECU failure kind of thing.

That's probably THE shittiest time to lose an engine. At least they were close enough to the door that you didn't have to cut'em.

 

[MasterBates]

We were flying from Key West to Pensacola returning a high-time T-45 back to K-Rock from the Det. Passing 38K, we were struck by lightning. We flamed out, while IMC, and logged about 15 minutes of unintentional glider time. We broke out of IMC around 2k, on the 8th relight attempt, at 1600' we got a relight and landed at Ft. Myers International. We were drinking a beer in the terminal 25 minutes later. Shaking.

This was the day before my 2nd anniversary. Worst flight, best flight. Same flight.

That approach article was YOU

 

[mtsupilot09]

My best flight was my private checkride with probably the most experienced pilot in the world (almost 60,000 hours). She is no longer flying (she had some serious leg injuries when some jackass t-boned her car) but she had quite a storied career. Her name was Evelyn Johnson, and I took my checkride with her when I was 17, and she was over 90. When I called to schedule it she said, "Young man, are you able to life at least 100 lbs?" I said "yes, may I ask why?" She said, "That's about how much I weigh and you'll need to help me into the airplane." She's about 4' 10' and sat on two phone books and a pillow in that old 172. We flew around East Tennessee and to be honest she slept most of the flight, but I have a feeling she knew exactly what was going on. Anyways, in my very limited flying experience, that was one of the neatest days ever.

 

[60flyer]

During my HAC cruise on the Mercy I was on the stand-by crew. That morning I was informed there was a woman stuck in a small mountain village in Papua New Guinea who was going to die if we couldn't get her out. The Australian rescuers in that area had tried and failed...so the mighty Mercy got a call via the American Embassy that we needed to help.

Weather was shit. PNG doesn't have a weather services like the US. I had a forecaster onboard who helped a little with freezing levels and giving me estimates of cloud layers. I talked to the Australians pilots who tried that morning to find out about winds and how bad they were in the mountains. We had a map - ok, but certainly not well detailed. PNG has radar service - but not in the mountains. Things were starting to stack against us....but a life was at risk...you gotta try.

So we're getting ready to launch and my heart is just racing. This is in essence my first real HAC flight. The first time it counts. The first time if I turn back around there are going to be consequences - someone will die.

So we take off and jump up above the clouds. We're at 10000 - the limit since we have no oxygen. We get all the way to the mountains with no incident. But the mountains are covered in clouds. We have a lat/long so basically a needle pointing where we need to go. But every time we think we've got it we either run into a cloud bank or the mountains close in a form a barrier with clouds on top. We tried and failed on many different routes to try and get in there. Fuel was starting to be an issue - how much longer could we just search around???? The crew decided that instead of trying to get around the clouds, to go on top and find where we needed to be and then see if we could find a hole in the clouds we could descend through. This works. We pop out of the clouds and fly right over the tree tops that open up into an enormous valley that's nice and clear. God what an amazing feeling. We're here. We can at least offer a corpsman if nothing else.

We see the village. The villagers hear the helicopter and come running out. There are grass roofs and it's exactly what you'd think a 3rd world country village would look like. There is a spot to land. We land and our crewman have to hike up this trail to go get the women. Sitting in the helicopter we watch as the clouds start to close in on us. The crewman bring the woman into the helo in a stretcher made from bamboo and a tarp. They load her up and we get the h*ll out of there. We can't get out the way we planned so we have to back track where we came from.

It was challenging to say the least to get out and above the clouds...but we got back above the clouds at 10000. I force the engines to give us everything they have while the crewman (and corpsman) work to try and get an IV into her. We land without incident and the best doctors this woman could have ever asked for put her on a gurney and wheel her away to save her life.

Her status was touch and go that night and the next day she improved by leaps and bounds. My crew went and saw her two days later. Her family was there and they couldn't have been more grateful. I didn't know what to say in return...what was there to say.

 

[bunk22]

Certainly a good thread, good topic. I've got many great flights, one not so great but we all walked away so maybe it was great in the end. I will say my first trip to the carrier was great, just because it was my first trap and cat.

I remember it was a three plane, lead safe, two of us on his wing. Though I didn't understand it at the time, the conditions were Case II and we were put in marshall, something like Angels 15 @ 30....don't really recall exactly, it has been 13 years and many a beer since. The lead safe took us down one at a time. I held by myself for what seemed like an eternity but was probably 15 minutes at most. I finally joined up on the lead safe's wing and down we went, right into the goo off the So Cal coast.

I remember we had to go down to 500-600' at some point to get out of the cloud lair. I think we entered the clouds at around 4k. We were able to bring it up to 800' by the initial. I went into the break at about 2 miles, nervous as shit, trying to get a good abeam distance. I think I got a call from the boss or paddles that I shouldn't be sight seeing the fleet....meaning, I was way wide. My first pass was a nice Air Force box pattern. I was high all the way to the no grade bolter on my first pass

I went around and remember the clouds had come down to 600-700' and I dipped down to 500' to avoid them. Another call, this one from from the Boss, to watch my alititude. It started raining too and I recall thinking, what are we doing CQ'ing for the first time in weather like this?? In reality, as I look back through 600 or so carrier traps (left and right seat & the T-2C), this wasn't that bad except for the fact it was my first time.

Much better on my second pass except that I got a little overzealous IC-AR with my power and went way high for the wave-off :icon_rage That's right 0 for 2. So far not my day. So around I went the third time, determined to trap...no way am I going 0 for 3. Again, better pattern, in and out of clouds at 600', centered ball all the way down until in close and the bottom falls out....but I trap....NG 1 wire!!!! What a way to start CQ. Got my first cat shot though, one of the greatest treats a carrier aviator will ever get. I trapped on my 4th pass too, a fair 3 wire as I recall but due to the weather and more importantly, my performance, my day was done. I was sent home to San Diego.

So, second cat shot of the day off CAT 1, right hand clearing turn but there is static?? Yep, my radio shits out. I try everything as I climb through the goo, reaching for VFR on top. Nothing works, squelch on and off, turning my one UHF on and off, switching channels and probably checking the circuit breaker. It's a no go so what do I do in my nervous state? That's right, I squawk 4700 and make my calls in the blind. I get to 20 miles from NAS North Island, pure overcast, going to set up for the Tacan when a T-2C screams in front of me and waggles his wings for me to join up. It was the lead safe and we shoot a PAR to a full stop. What's crazy is that the moment I touch down, I get my radio back. Some box perhaps shifted on the cat shot, brought back to life on touchdown, shifting back into place. Don't know...what I do know is I got my ass chewed for squawking emergency vice lost comm. The CO handled the phone call to approach Got a call from paddles too who basically said I needed to suck less if I wanted to qual.

Next day, more of the same, low clouds, rain, poor performance by me. Only 3 passes....1 bolter, 1 no-grade, 1 wave-off. I stayed on the ship, probably needed to get my shit together. By the third day, weather was beautiful, no clouds, pure sun. I flew 7 passes, all (OK) with one OK pass and a qual...barely You know what they call a student pilot who barely quals at the boat? A tailhooker So much for my top performance at the field during FCLP's, I was 1 of 10. At the boat, 10 of 10. That's fine, I did better later on down the road, Top Hook at the FRS, a Top 10 honor too. Not bad for a COD pilot who could barely trap or squawk appropriately his first time to the boat :icon_smil

 

[MIDNJAC]

We were flying from Key West to Pensacola returning a high-time T-45 back to K-Rock from the Det. Passing 38K, we were struck by lightning. We flamed out, while IMC, and logged about 15 minutes of unintentional glider time. We broke out of IMC around 2k, on the 8th relight attempt, at 1600' we got a relight and landed at Ft. Myers International. We were drinking a beer in the terminal 25 minutes later. Shaking.

This was the day before my 2nd anniversary. Worst flight, best flight. Same flight.

I think I read an Approach article from a long while back about a similar event...was that you?

 

[H60Gunner]

That's probably THE shittiest time to lose an engine. At least they were close enough to the door that you didn't have to cut'em.

Yup. Not sure I'd want to fall a couple of hundred feet attached to another dude. I caught a lot of crap from people who were not there for not cutting them. I think it would have killed them.

 

[wlawr005]

Yup. Not sure I'd want to fall a couple of hundred feet attached to another dude. I caught a lot of crap from people who were not there for not cutting them. I think it would have killed them.

I always briefed that if I could get my hands on them I would keep them, otherwise it was peel and cut. We always tried to scoop out a single engine though (not climb). I think they would have at least been real hurt from that height.

 

[Pags]

I always briefed that if I could get my hands on them I would keep them, otherwise it was peel and cut. We always tried to scoop out a single engine though (not climb). I think they would have at least been real hurt from that height.

Sounds like a highside from my armchair (increasing Nr), so you gotta climb to control Nr.