BOMBS AWAY - Old School v. New School

[Catmando]

..... If I could have flown anything, anywhere -- it WOULD have been strapped into a HELLCAT off a carrier in WW2 ...

You "missed the target" of my post; it's got nothing to do w/ "measuring". ......

Nor did mine have anything to do w/ "measuring". And I'm with you, although extremely less capable than today's weapon systems, I would love to have been strapped into a HELLCAT back in WW-II too. Maybe it's an old fart thing.

Guided missiles are great and exciting and very effective, but I think I got more personal satisfaction putting unguided 2.75 rockets and Zunis on target than 'winders and Sparrows.

Dropping LGBs was far more consistent and destructive, but I did get more personal satisfaction hitting the target with dumb bombs. And I really, really liked firing guns!!!
************************************************
Warning: Shameless self-promotion follows.......

Although I couldn't yet find my Training Command, Zero CEP 10 degree dive card yet, I did find this letter for a OO feet CEP from 45 degrees that I had forgotten about.

[And yes, it also proves I'm older than dirt.

 

[Dingobat]

^Wow!
Less than four months before you received that award, you got to watch Americans land on the moon for the very first time!

You ARE older than dirt! :icon_razz

 

[A4sForever]

.... I did find this letter for a OO feet CEP from 45 degrees that I had forgotten about. ...

And just in case anyone wonders -- this is really, really a significant achievement -- ESPECIALLY for a NAVAIR STUD ... as I got a BULL CEP a few times, but I was a FLEET experienced Aviator when I did it ... I don't think I ever saw a STUD get a BULL CEP.

Although I did beat a couple of my Instructors in ACM ... and they never heard the end of it.

But as long as we are "not" ... "not measuring" ... ... when I was selected for the FY 74 (75 ?) West Coast QAST drop @ Tonopah ... it was for one reason and one reason ONLY .... 'cause I had the best bombing scores of any West Coastie' VA-driver for that particular year.

Cat' would know this, even though he's a Fighter Puke, and the rest just don't matter ...

BOMBs AWAY!!

 

[Catmando]

^Wow!
Less than four months before you received that award, you got to watch Americans land on the moon for the very first time!

You ARE older than dirt! :icon_razz

Indeed!

I remember it well! My room mate and I had a few days off from flight training and went to San Antonio, staying with my uncle. Instead of going out "booming" that night, we watched black & white TV in total awe.

 

[FlyBoyd]

[And yes, it also proves I'm older than dirt.

Sweet letter Cat...I flew over (what is left of) Chase the other day.

FWIW..I was five when that letter was signed...that would be 5 days old.

Thanks to you and A4s for hangin' out here and keeping us grounded.

 

[Swanee]

Indeed!

I remember it well! My room mate and I had a few days off from flight training and went to San Antonio, staying with my uncle. Instead of going out "booming" that night, we watched black & white TV in total awe.

I'm a young buck and I still look at these images in awe. That must have been a great time to be a Navy Pilot.

 

[Birdog8585]

/load popcorn.exe

hilarious...I plan on stealing that just to let you know

+1!

 

[ACowboyinTexas]

Cool pic and definitely a sight to see. I had a lot of the last of the A-6 guys do my flight school training and even served with a few in the fleet who transitioned to hornets. They had some good stories.

Gee, thanks Huggy, I didn't know you were actually listening.:icon_tong

 

[Catmando]

But as long as we are "not" ... "not measuring" ... ... when I was selected for the FY 74 (75 ?) West Coast QAST drop @ Tonopah ... it was for one reason and one reason ONLY .... 'cause I had the best bombing scores of any West Coastie' VA-driver for that particular year.

Cat' would know this, even though he's a Fighter Puke, and the rest just don't matter ...

BOMBs AWAY!!

That is quite an experience and quite an honor! .....(for an attack puke. )

Good hard-nose competition brings out the best. Unfortunately, I must have peaked out too early, as I don’t think I ever got another Bull CEP. Very good ones mind you, but never another "00". And my Training Command friend and roommate, who unfortunately got stash orders to a non-flying billet for over a year while I got F-4s immediately upon winging, a couple of years later he got named East Coast Fighter Pilot of the Year in F-4s, and later TOPGUN instructor.

Being a green mush-headed SNA, I did not realize at the time how rare a Bull CEP was. But I remember my instructor – A Marine Captain, fresh from flying F-4s in Chu Lai – was muttering to himself for days, wondering how the heck I did that 00 CEP!

Jerking his chain later, I told him with a smile, “it does wonders for your CEP when you send out a case of beer to the guys on the bombing range” before your training flight.

Of course I never did, but he never stopped wondering if I really did.
Good times!

 

[stalk]

... when I was selected for the FY 74 (75 ?) West Coast QAST drop @ Tonopah ...

That's absolutely HUGE! I'm willing to bet there are few here that even know anything about a QAST drop. I was TAD to Sandia and worked with NWEF (when the Hornet was a baby) while getting the NW instructor/evaluator qual. For those that don't know, QAST was a major evolution that got NCA attention.

 

[Redux]

Funny ... F-4 & A-6 ... same time-frame birds and same racks .... but our cockpit switchology gave the multiple drop options as: "RIPPLE" or "SALVO" ...

I guess Grumman thought "SALVO" sounded more "Navy" ... ???

Ripple I guess thats what the AAF called "Train" back in the day using Norden bomb sights?

 

[PropStop]

Ripple I guess thats what the AAF called "Train" back in the day using Norden bomb sights?

We use something akin to the Norden bomb sight in the P-3. Similar, but a lot less advanced.

 

[Catmando]

Funny ... F-4 & A-6 ... same time-frame birds and same racks .... but our cockpit switchology gave the multiple drop options as: "RIPPLE" or "SALVO"...

I guess Grumman thought "SALVO" sounded more "Navy" ... ???

After thinking about it some more, I began wondering if it really was “CLUSTER” instead of “SALVO” or just my faulty memory. But the image below of the F-4 “Dogbone” weapon select panel confirms. Note ‘”CLSTR” on the far left-top of the dial:

Switchology mistakes were obviously not unheard of for us.

Images courtesy of M. Waterloo in Amsterdam. More at his site:
http://members.chello.nl/m.waterloo/f4b-panel.html

 

[Single Seat]

Wow I go on the road for the weekend and holy shit! A4's and Cat, I didn't mean to insinuate that dropping a ripple of a dozen mk82's didn't take skill, I think that's cool as hell (and I wish I could carry more three). My point was simply that we still train to the old school, with the added burden of having more weapons, tactics, and systems to manage. Hell, I end every brief with new guys with the simple statement that... if you're completely fucked up in the system, can't manage your FLIR, radar, etc.... as long as you've got eyes on you can roll in and kill it. Be it a JDAM, LGB, or iron bomb. If you've got eyes on, that's all you need to succeed.

And lets be realistic, what's more fun than doing a 200' ingress at the speed of heat, to a pop attack and visual delivery?!?!

 

[stalk]

...And lets be realistic, what's more fun than doing a 200' ingress at the speed of heat, to a pop attack and visual delivery?!?!

Agreed...:icon_wink