Help needed on Triple Ejection Question

[mike bennett]

Dear Forum Members,

I’ve been contacted by the unit historian for the USAF 12th TFW who is preparing an article for the Vietnam Magazine, concerning one of their former members Henry James Knoch who ejected three times during the Vietnam war.
He posed the question that while interviewing the crews involved with the 12th TFW it was mentioned that only one other person, a USN flier, had ejected three times during the Vietnam War.
I’m still working on putting a searchable data base together so haven’t been able to ascertain who the person was.
Can any member of the forum help provide the name of the USN flier who ejected three times?
With respect
Mike Bennett

 

[stalk]

In the early 80's I flew with guy named Mike Twiss. At that time he was a LCDR (O-4) in my squadron VA-56 (A-7E Corsairs). Mike had three ejections. Two of them would have been in the late Vietnam era and the last I believe was in 1985. With the engines we had in those A-7's there were several pilots with double ejections but he's the only triple that I knew.

Hope this helps.

 

[Huggy Bear]

Dear Forum Members,

I’ve been contacted by the unit historian for the USAF 12th TFW who is preparing an article for the Vietnam Magazine, concerning one of their former members Henry James Knoch who ejected three times during the Vietnam war.
He posed the question that while interviewing the crews involved with the 12th TFW it was mentioned that only one other person, a USN flier, had ejected three times during the Vietnam War.
I’m still working on putting a searchable data base together so haven’t been able to ascertain who the person was.
Can any member of the forum help provide the name of the USN flier who ejected three times?
With respect
Mike Bennett

There is a sim instructor at NAS Meridian who ejected three times. If I remember right, once from a T-2, once from an A-4 and once from an A-7. I'm rusty on his name, perhaps Wallace. One of the younger guys may be able to help you out, if he's still there.

 

[mike bennett]

Thanks for the replies.

The following may be of interest to forum members.
I was recently sent a Youtube link to a pair of “underwater” Russian ejection when a Yak-38U went off the end of the carrier “Minsk” on 27th December 1979. Test Pilot Kononenko Oleg Grigoryevitch ejected underwater. His co-pilot Test Pilot Michael Sergeevich Deksbah ejected underwater safely and landed back on the “deck”


With respect
Mike Bennett

 

[Single Seat]

There is a sim instructor at NAS Meridian who ejected three times. If I remember right, once from a T-2, once from an A-4 and once from an A-7. I'm rusty on his name, perhaps Wallace. One of the younger guys may be able to help you out, if he's still there.

Jack Douglass? J-Dizzle? How can you forget that man?

"WE CANNOT FUCKING LIVE LIKE THIS!"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"
"FUCK!"

 

[mike bennett]

Thanks to the replies from Forum members so far I have been able to find two of Jack Douglass's ejections

---------
"single seat"


LTJG J. A. Douglass
21st May 1968 - A-4F Skyhawk - Buno 154988 - VA-93

LT J. A. Douglass
21st February 1969 - A-7B Corsair II - VA-93

Still looking for the T-2 ejection.

-----------------
"huggy bear"

The only mention I have so far found for "Wallace" is
LT W. T. Wallace
3rd December 1970 - A-7E Corsair II - Buno 157483 - VA-25

----------------

"stalk"

I have many entries for A-7 ejections but my files post 1973 do not contain many names of Escapac ejectees.
I haven't yet located any for Mike Twiss. Any help on dates appreciated.

With respect
Mike Bennett

 

[stalk]

I dug into the old squadron stuff and found that he was listed as LCDR J. M. Twiss. I have no idea what the "J" was for as we all called him Mike or by his callsign "Twister". From what I can remember, based on age and too many nights on liberty in Subic Bay, he got his wings in the 70's, left military flying after two ejections and went to Eastern Airlines for a few years. After getting laid off from Eastern, he returned to the Navy in the early 80's. I was flying with him in VA-56, CVW-5, onboard USS Midway (CV-41) for his last ejection in July 1985 in the Indian Ocean. That's a story in itself. The last I heard he left the Navy in 1986, moved to New England (MA or CT), joined the Air National Guard and retired after a tour as squadron CO (possibly A-10s).

 

[stalk]

..."stalk"

I have many entries for A-7 ejections but my files post 1973 do not contain many names of Escapac ejectees.
I haven't yet located any for Mike Twiss. Any help on dates appreciated.

With respect
Mike Bennett

Again disturbing brain cells that have been dormant for way too many years, I believe we had switched from the Escapac to the Stencel prior to that deployment in 1985.

 

[mike bennett]

"stalk"

From the information you provided I can now match the following ejection to J. "Mike" Twiss (his third)

13th July 1985 - A-7E Corsair II - Buno 159990 NF-404 - VA-56 - engine failure - went into the sea off USS Midway. Pilot ejected safely

regards

Mike

 

[stalk]

Happy to be of help....btw, Thanks for the YAK video

 

[Single Seat]

Thanks to the replies from Forum members so far I have been able to find two of Jack Douglass's ejections

---------
"single seat"


LTJG J. A. Douglass
21st May 1968 - A-4F Skyhawk - Buno 154988 - VA-93

LT J. A. Douglass
21st February 1969 - A-7B Corsair II - VA-93

Still looking for the T-2 ejection.

IIRC correctly, he ejected from at least 2 T-2's as well. One in which the student was killed, and another which is still in the lake next to runway 1R. You can still see it.

 

[Huggy Bear]

Jack Douglass? J-Dizzle? How can you forget that man?

"WE CANNOT FUCKING LIVE LIKE THIS!"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"
"FUCK!"

Ah Douglass. That's right. At least I got that it was two syllables correct.

That guy once yelled at me for missing a sim that wasn't even on the flight schedule. The other sim instructors just shook their heads at him.

 

[Single Seat]

Ah Douglass. That's right. At least I got that it was two syllables correct.

That guy once yelled at me for missing a sim that wasn't even on the flight schedule. The other sim instructors just shook their heads at him.

There's a great video floating around Youtube some dudes took in an OFT... snuck in during a sim and filmed it. Memories... I had him for my first weps sim, I though for sure my career was done and I'd never figure out how to drop a bomb.

Hell I still don't know.

 

[nittany03]

There's a great video floating around Youtube some dudes took in an OFT... snuck in during a sim and filmed it. Memories... I had him for my first weps sim, I though for sure my career was done and I'd never figure out how to drop a bomb.

Hell I still don't know.

Fucked away an off target rendezvous in the sim with him in such a manner as led him to believe I was ignoring his "coaching" on how to perform said rendezvous. In reality, I just couldn't fly form in the sim for shit. Holy cow. His debriefs were usually civilized (unlike someone else), but to this day, I have not gotten screamed at as loudly or for as long as I did in the debrief. You're on your own program, yadda yadda yadda, you'll attrite if you keep that up, etc. etc. etc. He was in full roar for at least 15 minutes.

Got the gradesheet back. Two above, one below for the Off-Target Rendezvous.