Not sure if this is re-post, but pretty interesting article written by Proceedings...
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Proceedings Takes a Look at the Culture of Naval Aviation
- Thread starter DanMa1156
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MasterBates
Well-Known Member
I completely agree with his thoughts.
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Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
I too agree. A culture is what it is for a reason. If you try to change a culture, you end up changing the institution. Unfortunately, when you change the culture of a military, you will (even if inadvertently) change the way it selects its leadership, and the way it fights. I think that one of the reason why US military aviation works is the work hard play hard mentality. It aids in stress relief, compartmentalization, mentoring and learning. Take the "play hard" away, and you lose a very important part of what makes us who and what we are, be it Naval or Air Force aviation. We are front line combatants, and play for us is way more than just fun.
Just my $0.02.
Just my $0.02.
A good read, thanks for posting the link.
John Lehman gave us back our brown shoes and leather jackets.
What I always thought was funny was that he was an o-5 in the Reserves while he was also SECNAV. Imagine how that FITREP debrief must have went....
Skipper: "Well Commander, I hope you like your evaluation, you may notice that I've given you a 6.0 average (on a 5.0 scale) and have recommended you for promotion to President. Please keep that in mind during the next Flag board when I should be In-zone."
What I always thought was funny was that he was an o-5 in the Reserves while he was also SECNAV. Imagine how that FITREP debrief must have went....
Skipper: "Well Commander, I hope you like your evaluation, you may notice that I've given you a 6.0 average (on a 5.0 scale) and have recommended you for promotion to President. Please keep that in mind during the next Flag board when I should be In-zone."
Flew with his son in my first squadron - good dude.
I thought his discussion about Tailhook '91 was interesting. I've been trying to become more familiar with the more intimate details of '91 because it seems to have caused waves that resonate even today. I thought it particularly interesting because the authors of "From Wildcats to Tomcats" lash out pretty severely at Lehman in their book, claiming that he hung those aviators out to dry. They didnt really go into details, but I've always been curious about what it was they were referring to.
Then Sec Lehman wasn't always popular with a lot of those in uniform, see: http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Glory-Sank-U-S-Navy/dp/0684832267
Some of Vistica's conclusions are too far reaching and sometimes border on disingenuous, but overall it's a decent read.
Some of Vistica's conclusions are too far reaching and sometimes border on disingenuous, but overall it's a decent read.
I was commisioned a whopping 4 days after his tour as SecNav ended but I never met anyone in Naval Air who had anything bad to say about him. Somewhere in my PCS moves my copy of Command of the Seas went astray but I highly recc it.
http://www.amazon.com/Command-Seas-John-F-Lehman/dp/1557505349
TINS - One of the wilder flights I ever had involved SecNav Lehman.
General Dynamics was marketing an F-16N to the Navy. SecNav was down shooting quail in South TX. I was flying TA-4s.
SecNav was given a single-seat F-16 to fly, never mind he was an NFO. Small detail. I was tasked with flying GD's Chief Test Pilot in my back seat as we chased Secretary Lehman over South Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.
He was a wild man unleashed! Flipping, rolling, hi-G turns, buzzing any and everything that caught his eye, I worried for all of us. And in an A-4 we couldn't keep up, telling him to come back. Then our throttle linkage broke/stuck. We had to make an emergency stuck-throttle landing at Kingsville, shutting down the engine with the fuel shutoff while still airborne. The GD Test Pilot wasn't too happy. Meanwhile the SecNav was still out there somewhere, doing wifferdills!
General Dynamics was marketing an F-16N to the Navy. SecNav was down shooting quail in South TX. I was flying TA-4s.
SecNav was given a single-seat F-16 to fly, never mind he was an NFO. Small detail. I was tasked with flying GD's Chief Test Pilot in my back seat as we chased Secretary Lehman over South Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.
He was a wild man unleashed! Flipping, rolling, hi-G turns, buzzing any and everything that caught his eye, I worried for all of us. And in an A-4 we couldn't keep up, telling him to come back. Then our throttle linkage broke/stuck. We had to make an emergency stuck-throttle landing at Kingsville, shutting down the engine with the fuel shutoff while still airborne. The GD Test Pilot wasn't too happy. Meanwhile the SecNav was still out there somewhere, doing wifferdills!
How on Gods little green earth does anyone think that's a good idea?
Apparently you didn't know the man. He certainly impressed me with his stick.
Nevertheless, yes there was occasionally some minor controversy whenever he flew as, "First Pilot." But nobody ever told SecNav to my knowledge that it was not a "good idea" . . . even if it may have been.