winter 2015 - Redstar Pilots Association

Transcription

RED Alert
THE MAGAZINE OF THE REDSTAR PILOTS ASSOCIATION
WINTER 2015
2
Red Alert Winter 2015
Red ALERT
Features
6
Mountain Mayhem. . ................................................................................ 6
Intense Training Where The Buffalo Roam
Killer Turn To Final.............................................................................. 15
Pitfall In The Pattern
Mike Mangold........................................................................................17
Comrade Gone West
18
Finally, It Happened To Me................................................................. 18
Sheared Coupling And Weird Tools
Veterans' Home Flyover. . ......................................................................20
Honoring Those Who Served
RedStar Nose And Tail Art................................................................. 21
Art In Motion
Abnormal Operations...........................................................................22
20
When Plans Go Afoul
Red Alert Covers. . .................................................................................24
Robert's Retrospective
St. George Jet Blast...............................................................................28
Kerosene Burners Over Utah
Take Me To The Promised Land.........................................................30
The Art And Science Of The Outside, Turning Rejoin
22
Santa Barbara Veterans Day Flyover..................................................34
Annual Tribute
Warbird Flyer........................................................................................38
Throwback Thursday
Columns
28
President’s Message. . ..............................................................................4
2015 Wrap Up
RPA Donor Report................................................................................ 12
Recognizing Generosity
RPA Volunteer Report. . ........................................................................ 13
For The Good Of The Cause
30
KONG'S Korner..................................................................................... 16
(DIY) Doing It Yourself
Aviation Physiology Group..................................................................36
Is There A "Shrink" Onboard?
34
www.flyredstar.org
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President's Message
G
reetings, Comrades! Once again, Merry Christmas, Happy New
Year, and Happy Holidays! For me, 2015 has been an exciting,
challenging, and enjoyable trip around the sun. I hope yours has
been as fulfilling. To close out 2015, I will give you a snapshot of
the RPA, recognize some hard working volunteers, and talk about a
significant event.
We are ending the year with 505 members, an 11% increase over
last year. I think the inclusiveness of our membership, the quality
of our training materials and pilots, the variety, intensity, and fun
of our events, and the world class quality of our print and digital
publications are responsible. Included in our membership are 46
members from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. We have 181 formation pilots,
including 19 new wingman and seven new f light leads. Well done
everyone and welcome to a very exclusive band of aviators! Since we
became the RPA 13 years ago, we have trained 430 FAST qualified
formation pilots.
Our Regional organizers hosted 15 multi-day formation clinics comprised of standard, tactical,
mass formation, and special event f lying. Several
clinics partnered with local communities and
sponsors to create an exciting community event.
We have 10 formation teams f lying in airshows
and special events across the planet. The RPA,
again, had a large presence at Sun-N-Fun, AirVenture, and the two Rocky Mountain Air Shows.
Finally, we are honored to be participating in an
increasing number of Veteran and Special Event
f ly-bys, continuing to shoulder a burden our
over-tasked military aviators can’t support. 2015
Red Alerts have thrilled us with the event debriefs
and made us proud to be RPA members!
All of this happened because of you, our energetic
members, officers, BOD members, event organizers, their staffs, maintenance gurus, and support experts. When
each of us takes the responsibility to cultivate our Culture of Excellence within ourselves, it percolates throughout the entire RPA, resulting in the professionalism and quality of our 2015 events. To all
of you, Thank You and Well Done! I also need to personally thank
the following volunteers:
Chuck Daley, our tireless administrator, who significantly contributes to keeping the structure of the RPA working. Mark Weidhaas,
Gil Lipaz, Byron Fox, and Harry Dutson for maintaining our member/FAST data bases, managing the RPA’s finances, overseeing the
operation of our store, and keeping our 501(c)3 filing current.
Mike Filucci, Robert Genat, Alan Cockrell, and John Warwick for
producing Red Alert, THE BEST Signatory magazine on the planet
and one of the best aviation magazines in circulation. Contributing
to this success are all our talented and prolific writers and photographers who keep the editors supplied with a wealth of content.
Kirk Heiser and John Warwick, our Mad Men, for continuing to aggressively expand the ability of our maintenance shops and vendors
to connect with our membership through advertising in Red Alert
and on the web site.
Listed on page 13 are some 100 volunteers. In addition to the major
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air shows, these volunteers also brought us the Yolo Jet Blast, ARS,
Mesa Madness, Desert Lightening, Desert Thunder, Lamar, Columbus Spring Dust Off, and Operation Chicken Drop, just to name a
few. Their tireless effort got us fuel and lodging discounts, food,
transportation, sponsors, ground schools, instruction, check rides,
and admin and maintenance support. Their outstanding work attracts not only RPA members, but members from other signatories,
as well.
Listed on page 12 are the names of our generous donors. Their contributions significantly increase the value of our RPA memberships.
I especially want to thank our $5000+ Lifetime donors for their continuing investment in the RPA.
2015 also saw a solid uptick in our Veteran and Special Events support. We were honored to f ly in support of Wounded Warriors, The
Tuskegee Airmen, Fleet week, The Nimitz Museum, the 421st Tac
Fighter Squadron Reunion, numerous VE and VJ celebration events,
and Military funerals. We have also f lown in support of national
and hometown sporting events, parades, and other community events.
This Winter 2015 issue of Red Alert is significant
for Mike and Robert. It is the culmination of four
years and sixteen issues of innovative layout,
breathtaking photographs, and much expanded and varied content. During their tenure, the
physical dimensions of the magazine increased
to match the size of EAA’s Sport Aviation. This
improvement significantly enhanced the appearance and readability of the magazine. Roughly
two years ago, the cost of producing the magazine was approximately $4800 per quarter. After
shopping new publishers, our quarterly production cost dropped to $2800 with no loss in quality.
In our effort to get you in your magazine, they
initiated the “Picture and a Paragraph” concept.
It has been used for the New Guys and New Ratings features. The
large number of formation articles was balanced by an increase in
the number of maintenance, safety, how to, physiology, brain teaser,
there I was, and pilot profile articles. Their photographic variety
includes the center fold, the Pits, and the Man Cave Hangar features. You have responded to these innovations by f looding them
with P&Ps, articles, and photographs and I know they are and have
been very grateful for this.
This issue is significant for another reason. It will be their last as
the editor and assistant editor. They are in need of a well-deserved
break. Since change is one of the few certainties in life, I salute them
for their outstanding service to the RPA and eagerly anticipate the
arrival of our next volunteers as the new editor and assistant editor
of Red Alert.
Mike, Robert, WELL DONE and thank you very much!
Again, I wish all of you a great Holiday Season and I hope Santa
brings all of us 5000 gallons of gas!
Best Wishes,
Terry "Mags" Slawinski
RedStar Pilots Association
VOLUNTEERS
OFFICERS
President Terry Slawinski [email protected]
Vice President vacant
Secretary vacant
Treasurer Gil Lipaz [email protected]
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Southwest Scott Andrews [email protected]
Northwest Joe Griffith [email protected]
Southeast Cecil Boyd [email protected]
Northeast Rob Mortara [email protected]
Northcentral John Casper [email protected]
Southcentral Mark Davis [email protected]
National Mike Carter [email protected]
National Scott Glaser [email protected]
National Rich Hess [email protected]
MANAGERS
Standardization Skip Slyfield [email protected]
Maintenance Jill Gernetzke [email protected]
Aviation Medicine
Chuck Crinnian, MD [email protected],
Kim Slawinski, MD [email protected]
Herb Coussons, MD [email protected]
RPA Store Byron Fox [email protected]
RPA/FAST Records Mark Weidhaas [email protected]
Senior Sales and Advertising Kirk Heiser [email protected]
IT Timothy Wilde [email protected]
RED ALERT
Editor Mike Filucci [email protected]
Senior Associate Editor Robert Genat [email protected]
Associate Editor Alan Cockrell [email protected]
Associate Editor John Warwick [email protected]
Sr. West Coast Correspondent Robert Genat [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
Arash Afshari [email protected]
Craig Barnett [email protected]
Robert Genat [email protected]
Don Spering [email protected]
RED
Rob Turchick [email protected]
Advertisers
Ladd Gardner Aviation Insurance................. 2
CEP................................................................... 14
Compressed Gas Systems.............................. 15
Bruce's Custom Covers.................................. 16
M-14P ............................................................. 17
Whirlwind Propeller...................................... 19
Jetwarbird Training Center........................... 23
Retro Air Designs........................................... 23
Don Mayer Parachute Shop.......................... 33
Crump Life Insurance Service ..................... 33
Flying Eyes....................................................... 36
Pacific Coast Avionics.................................... 37
Straube's........................................................... 39
Four years ago Condor introduced me to Robert Genat
and thus began a long distance, collaborative effort to
produce Red Alert. This magazine is a far cry from the Yak
Pilot Association's first rag, the Warbird Flyer (see page 38).
The spirit was always there, but Robert brought an artist's eye, true talent, and vision to the mix. I have gained
a lifelong friend and learned a great deal from him, and
from our many contributors over the last four years. The
following, simple statement has occupied this space for
years: Red Alert is your magazine and would not exist without your input-your stories and experiences
are what bring the magazine alive.
This remains true right to the end of Robert's and my tenure—your life experiences have enriched us all. Because
of this, it has been a truly rewarding endeavor that I will
always remember.
I am very pleased that Red Alert will continue under new
leadership. Bo Ryan, a talented photographer, pilot, and
former Navy air traffic controller will assume command
beginning with the next issue.
Mike
NEXT ISSUE WRITERS' DEADLINE
Spring: 25 February
Please submit material to:
Bo Ryan boryanf [email protected]
Alert
Material contained herein is published for examination and evaluation of the reader. The RedStar Pilots Association has made no
attempt to verify any of the contents and accepts no responsibility for any items printed in this publication. Articles written and
published in this magazine are for entertainment only and are the
opinion of the author(s). They are not intended to be instructional
in nature nor promote deviation from a published flight procedure
in any aircraft or technical flight manual, FAR, law or other regulation. The contents are not intended to be construed as offering
legal advice or counsel.
Cover
Skip "Ranger" Slyfield leads Kurt
"IT" Howerton on their flight to the
target area at Mountain Mayhem.
Photo by Rob Turchick
WINTER 2015
www.flyredstar.org
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Dan "Dawg" Delane leads Brad Amman on their way to
becoming the Mountain Mayhem Air-to-Ground champs.
M
By Darrell "Condor" Gary with photos by Rob Turchick
ountain Mayhem participants are
challenged to f ly a very realistic
strike mission profile which will tax even
the most experienced pilots. The goal of
this event is to teach, hone and test essential skill sets in a task-saturated environment. In the process participants have fun
and build lasting friendships. The essential skills; contact navigation, disciplined
look-out, concise communications, mutual support, Tactical Formation, defensive maneuvering and precision aircraft
handling all have direct application to our
every-day f lying. Mastering these skills
will make each of us safer more proficient
aviators.
Over the years, this event has increased in
complexity. The ability, proficiency and
demonstrated performance of our pilots
have increased in response. Today, the primary challenge is to keep the event fresh
as well as challenging while incorporating
new skill sets and ensuring that everyone
has fun in the process. For these reasons,
the event was moved to a new location and
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Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the resources available to conduct
this event provide a wide range of options
to organizers. The primary target area is
the 23,000 acre Buffalo Run ranch. This
mountain playground offers a unique
environment with varying terrain along
with unique infrastructure and ground
equipment. The hospitality of our host
Gary Filizetti in a word is “epic.” Those
who experienced it on the ground will
have a lasting memory. Additionally, we
have a range of assets which include two
OH-58 helicopters along with a Red Air
adversary force that provides a very formidable “Bandit” presentation. Adversary
aircraft with superior performance such
as Mustangs, Corsairs and Wildcats piloted by skilled opponents make survival
a questionable outcome. Good TacForm,
lookout, comm. and mutual support are
required for survival.
support Mountain Mayhem. The support
staff (Rachelle “Grins” Gary and Amy
“Sniff “ Kennedy) provided the logistics
and the organization necessary to ensure
that resources are available when needed,
that everyone knows what is expected of
them and that the schedule in maintained.
The volunteers who ran the training and
the scenario all have extraordinary aviation backgrounds and credibility. “MO,”
“Beav,” “Frito,” “Limey” and “Condor”
all have extensive experience in tactical
aviation. In addition, several of the participants such as Dan “Dawg” Delane, Skip
Slyfield, Rich Martindale and several others have tactical aviation experience and
they volunteered to lead less experienced
pilots during the event. This event would
die of natural causes if it were not for the
dedicated people involved. All of them
have been attracted to the RPA “Culture of
Excellence” because it exists nowhere else
in civilian aviation.
More important than the physical assets are the human resources available to
Our base of operations was the Estrella
Warbird Museum located at the Paso Ro-
a new construct was established.
bles, California airport in the heart of the
central coast wine region. This is the ideal
venue for an event such as Mountain Mayhem. All of our instructional briefings,
element briefings, lunches, dinners and
awards banquet were conducted at this facility.
Thursday was filled with arrival checkin, event briefings and admin. Friday was
"Beav" Carter briefs the teams on how to properly respond to the
Red Air threat.
As the sun set,
the
catered
Santa Maria
style BBQ was
The briefings were intense as many participants had never f lown in this type
environment.
served
and
practice day for new and old alike. Remove the lessons learned during the training
the rust, learn new skills and pair experi- day were briefed. As has become tradition,
enced pilots with those who have had less a relevant subject matter presentation was
exposure to this environment; these were conducted during the meal.
the orders of the day. The morning was In the past it has been the use of air powfilled with opposed TacForm and detailed er for ground attack or the evolution of
debriefs. The afternoon was close air support practice: FAC procedures, comm.,
aircraft handling and of course the 9-Line.
The Gary family Brain Trust: "Condor" on
the left, who did the big picture planning for
Mountain Mayhem and daughter "Grins" who
took care of the details.
air-to-air tactics and weapons from WW
I through the new 5th generation fighters. On this evening LTCOL John C. Allee “MO” provided his informed view of
the role of UAVs in the battle space. This
generated much discussion, which I will
save for a later date. Subsequently, everyone adjourned to prepare for the following
day. Some returned to their hotel to plan
element coordination of the various skills
to be tested the following day, especially
For several years the T-34 contingent have successfully participated in Desert Thunder and now
Mountain Mayhem. Todd "Judy" McCutchen on the right, explains to Michael "Viper Maloco how
he won this year's Air-to-Air award.
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Three of the major players in the organization and execution of Mountain Mayhem are from the left "MO" Allee, "Frito" Friedt and "Beav" Carter.
All three have extensive military experience in fighters. Mitch Allee, a generous contributor to logistical support and spirit looks on.
the newly introduced Tanking evolution.
Others prepared at the Pine Street Saloon
engaging in contact “CRUD” to sharpen
their timing and offensive skills.
As Saturday morning dawned, it was apparent that Mother Nature had smiled
upon us. The weather would be perfect
for this event. The entire f leet of aircraft:
the Blue Force, the Red Force, the Tanker and the Spec. Ops helicopters were all
fueled, pre-f light complete and ready to
launch before the 0800 brief. “Condor”
provided the overview and a little motherhood. “Frito” briefed the weather, local operations and R.O.E. for the event.
“Beav” reviewed defensive procedures and
Red vs Blue ROE. “MO” briefed the detailed scenario and FAC procedures. As
launch time approached you could feel the
tension in the room. This was the day of
reckoning.
Crews would be required to rendezvous
with the tanker on the tanker track. Prebriefed procedures and comm. would be
strictly adhered to and a precise fueling
window period was established for each
element. Upon completing the re-fueling
exercise, each element was required to
check-in with “Big Eye” and cross over the
first checkpoint at their assigned TOT.
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"MO" mentors "T-Pot" and "Ziggy" on route planning and close air support tactics.
Skip Slyfield (right) was teamed up with Kurt Howerton and his wife Dawn. Slyfield is a former
Naval Aviator and has participated in these events for years. Howerton, while a seasoned RPA
pilot, is new to this type event. The planners smartly teamed up old hands with newbies.
They would be required to cross over six
established checkpoints and recce two of
those assigned locations. Recording detailed information regarding the recce location was part of the scoring. Along the
route each element would be attacked by
Red Air at any point up to and including
check point 6. This would test Tacform
positioning, lookout, comm., mutual support, and defensive maneuvering. Red Air
would grade the response of each element
based upon standard grading criteria.
Upon reaching check point #6, each element would check-in with “Hammer”
the on-site Forward Air Controller. They
would be moved to an IP and told to hold
while the prior element completed its attack. The FAC would subsequently read the
9-Line that would be copied by the aircrew
and read back for confirmation. This information is critical for safe and effective
air-to ground coordination. Each element
would be given a TOT, which is the time
that the lead aircraft’s bomb is expected to
impact the ground. The inbound element
must then maneuver to the target area,
ID the target, obtain a confirmation, call
“rolling-in” and “wings level” and once
the FAC has confirmed their position, direction of f low and other parameters, he
will call “cleared hot.” The aircraft will
then drop ordinance and reposition for
a second attack. After both aircraft have
dropped their ordinance they must use
the 9-line format to direct the Spec Ops
helicopter to the site of the disabled ISIS
“Technical.” From there it is RTB. The
FAC contingent utilized standard criteria
to grade the performance of each element.
The Saturday evening banquet was no
place for anyone with a sensitive ego or a
strong sensitivity to political correctness.
After an excellent meal accompanied by
Bella Luna Winery’s bold Fighter Pilot Red
and other beverages, it was time for the
awards. The competition was intense this
year. There were no major helmet fires and
the results were all within a very narrow
range of outcomes. “Pipes” and “NAFOD”
debriefed the results of the Tanker evolution. Red Air determined that the winner
of the Air-to-Air component was “Cougar”
f light with Todd McCutchan and Kevin
Carson f lying T-34s. Our FAC contingent
determined that the Air-to Ground Champion was “Baron” f light with Dan Delane
and Brad Amman f lying CJ-6s.
Skip “Ranger” Slyfield and Dean “Frito” Friedt convened the call-sign review
board. Most of the new call signs went to
the ladies in the audience. We now have
“Nooner,” “Sniff,” “Quickie,” and “Dozer”
as part of the RPA family. Mike Quatacker
will from this time forward be known as
“VURP.” The “Bone” award for complete
lack of SA and social grace went to Ryder Adams who through his seemingly
unconscious actions inf licted permanent
injury upon our esteemed RPA Treasurer
Gil “NAFOD” Lipaz. The banquet was
adjourned and the group moved onto
the Pine Street Saloon to celebrate and to
bask in the glory of a job well done. As the
next morning dawned, the Political Correctness/Decorum/Public Decency Committee convened and by unanimous vote,
Dean “Frito” Friedt was determined to be
this year’s recipient of the “Night Crawler”
award for sustained aberrant behavior.
The scope and construct of this event are
truly extraordinary. This is the most fun
you can have in an aircraft. Even with
safety as the first mission priority, this is
the most demanding environment imaginable short of actual combat. The assets
assembled to enable the coordination and
complexity of this environment, are found
nowhere else in civilian aviation. People
are still the most important ingredient.
The available expertise and real world
experience, combined with the desire to
pass these skill sets onto others, provide
a unique opportunity for all. Working together to develop the skills and survive
the scenario builds lasting friendships. We
can’t wait until next year.
USMC, LTCOL "Mo" Allee has been the FAC
for several years at Desert Thunder and again
this year at Mountain Mayhem. His FAC experience comes by way of doing exactly that in
the middle east.
Gil "NAFOD" Lipaz takes extreme delight in
his friend and wingman Ryder Adams, on
the left, for being awarded the dreaded Bone
award.
Photographer Rob "No Call Sign" (yet...) Turchick catches a photo hop with "Pipes" Lipaz in
his Yak-18T.
www.flyredstar.org
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F
RPA DONOR REPORT
or the fourth year in a row, it is my honor and pleasure to recognize and thank our very generous RPA
donors.
The RPA is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. We are an association of VOLUNTEERS who generously donate both time and money to increase the value of RPA membership. Both are precious commodities and are
greatly appreciated. All of us invest a great deal of time and money enjoying our individual levels of RPA
aviation. Through personal philanthropy, our Donors have taken their passion for and vision of what the
RPA is and can be to a higher level. The two donor reports recognize the generosity of both our 2015 and
Lifetime Donors.
Personally and on behalf of the RPA, I thank each of our Donors for their very generous contributions to our
Association.
Terry “Mags” Slawinski
2015 honorable DONORS
lifetime honorable DONORS
$100-$200
$1000
Bay Bombers
Mike Filucci
Duke Molter
Skip Slyfield
Bay Bombers Squadron
Scott Glaser
Rich Hess
Ron Lee
Duke Molter
Doug Sapp
Red Eagle Squadron
Tiger Squadron
Andrew Webb
Mark Weidhaas
$200-$500
Classic Jet Aircraft Association
Jill Gernetzke M-14P
Kim Slawinski
Terry Slawinski
$1000-$2000
Tiger Squadron
$2000-$3000
Darrell Gary
Michael Maloco
$5000
Mitch Allee
$2000
Michael Maloco
Kim Slawinski
Terry Slawinski
Tiger Squadron
$5000
Mitch Allee
Bob Cannon
Ron Lee
Doug Matthews
Jeffrey Ying
$12000
Darrell Gary
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RedAlert
Alert Winter
Winter2015
2015
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RPA VOLUNTEER REPORT
W
hen very good people work together as a team, they are exponentially better achieving their objective. 2015 was a very big year for the RPA at our many clinics, f ly ins, and air shows. Volunteers
put in countless hours organizing, running, and supporting these events. Others contributed to Red
Alert or worked behind the scenes to help maintain our Culture of Excellence. Their dedicated professionalism significantly contributed to the success of the RPA.
Personally, and on behalf of the RPA, thank you and Well Done!
Terry “Mags” Slawinski
Zoë Albrecht
John C. Allee
Mitch Allee
Carl Allen
Don Andrews
Scott Andrews
Craig Barnett
Jay Beckman
Steve Biegler
Mike Carter
John Casper
Stephen Chapis
Alan Cockrell
Chuck Crinnian
Chuck Daley
Kibby Dalton
Steve Dalton
Donna Davis
Greg Davis
Mark Davis
Chris Dilley
Lysandra Donigan
Harry Dutson
Craig Ekberg
Mike Filucci
Byron Fox
Dean Friedt
Darrell Gary
Rachelle Gary
Bill Geipel
Robert Genat
Jill Gernetzke
Pat Giery
Scott Glaser
Amy Glover
Shane Golden
Scarlette Golden
Richard Goode
Jim Goolsby
Paul Gordon
John Graham
Joe Griffith
Marian Harris
Carl Hayes
Kirk Heiser
Dean Henthorn
Rich Hess
David Jester
Craig Kern
Dave King
Paul Kirik
Steve Kirik
John Knolla
Ron Lee
Vlado Lenoch
Jeff Linebaugh
Gil LiPaz
Michael LiPaz
Mark Loper
Ron Malec
Mike Maloco
Rich Martindell
Doug Matthews
Steven McCrank
Dave McNary
Stacy McNutt
Jim Meadows
Sue Ella Meadows
Scott McMillan
Zac McNeill
Duke Molter
Rob Mortera
Dan Newcomb
Julie Nunes
Craig Payne
Mark Peterson
Michael Pf leger
Daniel Popinga
Hartley Postlethwaite
Scott Powers
Todd Robinson
Pat Rodgers
Bo Ryan
Doug Sapp
Dan Schiffer
Terry Shelton
John Shuttleworth
Julie Sims
Terry Slawinski
Kim Slawinski
Skip Slyfield
Don Spering
Carter Teeters
Al Tinnes
Robert Turchick
Amanda Walthour
John Warwick
Bob Watts
Andrew Webb
Mark Weidhaas
Timothy Wilde
Joe Wilkins
Phil Wood
Vladimir Yastremski
www.flyredstar.org
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Adieu
A
little over four years ago, I saw the need to improve Red
Alert. While I’d done 40 books and over 100 magazine articles, I’d never laid either out. But, because of my experience I had
a good feel for what was attractive in print. In my naivete´ I figured, “How hard can this be?” My offer to work on the magazine
was accepted, but I was also to work with Mike Filucci who
would be the senior editor and I’d be the cub reporter and
art director (eventually promoted to Senior West Coast
Correspondent and Senior Associate Editor). I had no
idea of who this guy was and I anticipated the worst.
The first time we talked I knew this partnership was
going to work well. We both had the same vision for
the magazine–now we had to figure out how to proceed.
The software used for the layout is Adobe InDesign. While
I’ve been using Photoshop since the mid-1990s, I’d never heard
of InDesign and obviously didn’t know how to use it. My crash
course included a local adult ed class and I bought the InDesign
for Dummies book. Mike was familiar with the software and
14
guided me through the steep learning curve on the first issue.
After a couple issues we were in a groove and had our format
down. Thanks to the internet, we could both work on the same
issue at the same time. We’d divvy up the articles and before you
know it we could go to print. Mike always deferred to me on the
cover art, centerfold and the look of the layouts and I always
deferred to him on the overall content and technical aspects. I’m very proud of the body of work we’ve done
over the past four years.
This has been a great experience for me. First, in having Mike as a friend and second in getting to know so
many of the nice Red Star and CJAA folks. Without
their cooperation, I would not of had the opportunities
to shoot photos for the magazine. Also along the way, I’ve
been able to meet several excellent photographers who willing
shared their work to upgrade the magazine’s look. Thanks to all!
Robert Genat
Killer Turn To Final
I
n early August of this year there were several e-mails exchanged
over the internet regarding stalls and spins in T-34s with gear
and f laps down. Here is my response to the question posed about
stalls in the T-34, with gear and f laps extended. This topic was
probably triggered by a stall/spin accident in a CJ that month.
The T-34, as well as Bonanzas, and probably many airplanes,
have a very nasty stall characteristic when cross-controlling and
stalling the wing at the same time.
Here is the scenario:
You are relatively low to the ground and are about to turn from
down-wind to final. You have the illusion of speed because of
your tailwind, and a stall is not in your current area of concern.
As you make your turn, your butt is moving sideways because of
the crosswind, and your brain says that your turn radius should
be better. What do you do but add pro-turn rudder to help the
nose around. Now the aircraft wants to increase its bank, because
of the skid you have induced. You remember that your instructor cautioned you about steep turns near the ground, so you tend
to add top aileron to prevent the over-banking tendency of your
skidding aircraft. If you allow your angle of attack to exceed the
critical angle, a stall will occur and the aircraft will spin inside in
a split second. You are now inverted at 300', and are only seconds
from creating a smoking hole.
Still reading? The T-34 with gear down and full f laps will rapidly
enter a spin, or "snap" away from the ball! The infamous "downwind to final turn," is the perfect set-up for an inside snap entry.
This inside snap is impossible to recover from at low altitude,
where a slipping turn will result in an "over the top" spin entry,
that may be recoverable if you are very good. But, if you were very
good, you would not be making turns near the ground with the
ball not in the center.
If you want to see this, get to altitude, and set yourself up for a
descending skidding turn, and stall the aircraft. The only thing
missing will be the illusions that ground proximity would provide.
A T-34 will snap to the inside in any configuration of gear and
f laps, if stalled in a skid. It is a very nasty maneuver to execute,
By Bill Cherwin [email protected]
but I have done this maneuver with every T-34 or Bonanza checkout I have ever conducted. The moral is, keep the damn ball in
the middle! If you do, the airplane will give you plenty of buffet
warning prior to any spin.
How can we avoid this deadly situation? When you were training
for your Private license, you had to demonstrate “ground patterns,” such as eights around pylons, and S-turns across a road. If
your instructor was good, part of what he demanded was to “keep
the ball in the center,” as well as proper ground tracking. As I
recall, they were performed at 500', so as to perceive the drift,
and make the proper adjustments. Today, they are probably done
at higher altitudes.
There is nothing stopping you from going out and f lying at a
reasonably safe, low altitude and practice these “ground pattern”
maneuvers. Actually you are doing some of this every time you
f ly a traffic pattern—unless your instructor required you to f ly
747 profile with a two mile final.
The problem arises in an emergency, such as an engine failure,
where you now have a sudden shot of adrenalin in your veins,
and you are biting holes in the seat cushion. Few pilots can make
smart decisions or even “keep their cool” under stress, so you
need to have your f lying skills honed such that they are in the
back of your brain, and you do not have to consciously think
about what you are trying to do.
So, in the classic “downwind to final turn” situation, you need to
know that an apparent high speed (ground speed) may lull you
into a false sense of security. Also know that it is very tempting to
force the inside rudder to correct for a drift (wide radius because
of the wind). Check indicated airspeed and the ball a lot, to be
sure you will not stall and enter that nasty low-level spin.
I rarely make universal statements, but here are two that you can
“take to the bank:” It is only high alpha (angle of attack) that
causes a wing to stall. And, the only thing that will “un-stall” the
wing is lowering that alpha to a f lyable angle. Airspeed is only a
very crude clue as to how close you are to a stall! If the ball is not
centered when a stall occurs, the aircraft will “break” away from
the ball!
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www.flyredstar.org
15
KONG’S Korner
DIY ( Doing It Yourself )
By Scott “KONG” McMillan [email protected]
Before I get to my article I want to take a moment and acknowledge the outstanding work of our departing editor and my friend Mike Filucci, as well as
Robert Genat, our Senior Associate Editor and Senior West Cost Correspondent.
They have taken a great magazine and turned it into something special for our
members. If you have a moment please send a note of thanks to Blade and Robert for their hard working in making the Red Alert a premier magazine.
I
have been very fortunate in my Yak era to have been surrounded by
some pretty sharp mechanics here in the Denver area. I have learned
a lot about maintaining aircraft in general. In particular I have learned
the inner workings of radial engines and had some of the best looking
over my shoulder, teaching me the basics of turning wrenches. I still
have a long way to go to match their expertise but I have gained a lot
of confidence over my 14 years of Yak ownership. I have changed air
pumps, worked on magnetos, propellers, landing gear actuators, and
many more components of the Yak. The best part of all of this is learning how the aircraft systems work, and being able to share that knowledge with my fellow Yak drivers. I can’t impress upon you how much
this has confirmed my confidence in the aircraft and the talents of Mr.
Yakovlev’s design team. Simple and easy to work on, the Yak-52 is perhaps one of those aircraft that is perfectly suited to the do-it-yourselfer.
The next time you find yourself faced with the prospect of taking your
Yak (or CJ for that matter) to the local mechanic for a problem or perhaps just some routine maintenance, plan to spend your day learning
how to do it yourself. The cost savings alone make it worth your time. I
16
estimate that I have saved thousands of dollars learning how to do the
repairs on my airplane. A word of warning here, If you don’t like to get
dirty, or the sight of your own blood, then leave it to the professionals.
Otherwise, take the leap and learn something new.
There are several components of the Yak that are good places to begin.
Take, for example, the simple tire change or brake pad replacement. It
may seem daunting, but I think you’ll find that once you learn how the
wheels come apart and how the brake pads are held in place you will
figure out that the aircraft was designed with the simple idea that it
shouldn’t break but if it does, it needs to be easy to repair. You will want
to have someone who has done this type of maintenance before looking
over your shoulder and teaching you the basics of aircraft maintenance.
Most important though is to make sure you are the one doing the work!
By experiencing the task of replacing tires, inspecting the expander
tubes, brake drums, and pads, you will have experienced how to safely
jack up an aircraft, measure tolerances, inspect for cracks, clean and
repack wheel bearings, and safely swing the gear.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to fix your own cars or tinker
with the garage door when it’s not working properly, you should have no
problem with Yak maintenance. Get a good mechanic to supervise and
a hearty supply of Band-Aids and get to work on it.
Fly Safe and Fly Smart,
KONG
Mike Mangold
I
walked into the squadron orderly room a mere butter bar FNG.
It wasn't even my squadron, but a host. My squadron was off
playing war games—in Egypt, of all places. I looked
around, feeling lost and overwhelmed, when a smiling,
dynamic, bursting-with-energy face suddenly appeared,
welcoming me as if we had been friends for years. This
was my introduction to Mike back in the early 80s, when
we were f lying F-4Es. Over the next couple of years we
raced off to weekend skydiving events at nearby military installations, and spent days on end f lying multiple
training sorites in air-to-air, air-to-ground, and lowlevel nav. In the company of Mike, all zipped by with the same
infectious, energetic drive for perfection. Years later, Mike and I
reconnected when I was assigned to investigate his accident after
he un-assed a burning F-4—he and his WSO had successfully
ejected. Twenty years later, Mike was f lying unlimited level, competition aerobatics and I was, once again, a newbie. His mentorship never stopped. He excelled in all that he pursued, as
exemplified by his Top Gun award at the U.S. Air Force's
Fighter Weapons School. He also won multiple World
Championships in the Red Bull Air Races, as well as the
Reno jet races, f lying a highly modified L-29 and L-39.
Aviation was his life's blood—he had 5,000 sky diving
jumps, and 17,000 f light hours in airframes as small as
the tiny Pitts S-1 and as large as the monster B-777, with
lots in between. Mike shared his love of aviation with
the love of his life, Julie—no stranger to aerobatics and heavy
iron herself, and with his two children, Nick and Melissa. Godspeed Mike, your mentorship will always be with me.
Kevin Campbell
www.flyredstar.org
17
Finally, It Happened to Me...
By Craig Payne [email protected]
T
he words of the CeCe Peniston pop song sounded in my head
as I slowly pulled the prop through, front plugs out, and felt
with my left hand for piston movement in the air compressor.
No movement; bummer. I have never had a sheared coupling in
20 years, this was a first and it sheared because of no fault of
my own….No wait, the FAA says the pilot is "always" to blame. I
should have anticipated those wake vortices.
Yes, a wake from one of them big smokers I never saw as I passed
just East of Springfield , Illinois, re-positioning for the Air Venture Cup race.
This was to be my second AirVenture Cup race in the CJ, hoping
to better my speed which did not look good on paper because
everyone had a headwind for 400 NM. This year’s start was supposed to be at Mt. Vernon, IL where I had been prepping for a day
and a half in a hanger, putting in fresh spark plugs, applying race
tape to seams, installing my nose wheel fairing, ram air box and
f low fences aft on the cowl.
Figure 2
control inputs while trying to remain upright and in position.
Memorable moments include f lying Stinger in my CJ with six
T-6s, another time trailing an A-26 in the strafe pattern. Those
big R-2800s demand considerable respect. But this encounter was
different. A whole new “finally, it happened to me.”
Even though I was one of the first to depart Mt. Vernon, when I
tuned to my destination CTAF I could hear inbound traffic from
the real speedsters, Approximately 60 of the 75 airplanes decided
to re-position and there is only one self-serve fuel pump at SQI.
Figure 1
Sunday morning before AirVenture 2015; NEXRAD showed a
line of weather between the start and the first turn, some 212
NM north. A couple of guys f lew up through it just to see what
was there and it didn’t seem that bad, but race organizers were reluctant to launch 75 airplanes through weather in a race. So, the
plan was to re-position on our own to Northwest Illinois at KSQI,
Rock Falls. We were to refuel there and then launch for Wausau
with a turn at Waupaca.
Up came the power and speed with my head on a swivel. Somehow I was only 25 airplanes back in the walking conga line at the
pump. During shutdown I noticed low air pressure but elected to
address it when fueled. When it came to start, I f lipped switches
on…nada, no juice. A quick check with my meter on the battery
showed a full charge so I suspected a bad master solenoid.
Lucky for me, one of the chase planes had an empty seat so I got
on board for trip north and then to OSH. The FBO promised to
Economy cruising along at 150 knots in smooth air between layers at about 3300' MSL and around the occasional cell seemed
easy enough. Just as I passed east of Springfield, the Illinois Capital, hands off the stick folding maps; suddenly, the CJ pitched up
sharply to approximately 70°, danced around a bit in a wing rock,
and then I was slammed straight down. The maps f lew up and I
grabbed the stick, recovering before speed built up in the dive.
Then it was over just as suddenly as it had started.
Encountering wake turbulence from warbirds is common in formation and airshow f lying. I have had my share of lock-to-lock
18
Figure 3
trip (See Figure 1). However, the tool does not get
at all of the nuts. I had to
modify two other wrenches
for the aft-most nuts (See
Figure 2). My actual “fix”
was a pair of 10 penny nails,
trimmed to length, peened
down like rivets and then
ground smooth. The local
maintenance shop let me
use what equipment they
had, including punches for
making new gaskets.
Figure 4
hanger my airplane for the week and so I left. After Oshkosh, I
caught another ride back to an airport 70 miles east. My wife,
Debbie, collected me. She “summers” nearby in a condo we own.
She also transported me back and forth for a 60 mile one-way
commute to SQI the following week for four days.
Starting with the missing power, I pulled off the rubber boot covering the positive terminal on the 24V battery. What I found was
that the G-force of hitting the wake snapped the battery lug. Approximately eight inches of battery wire was unsupported from
the terminal. Problem solved. That’s when I looked into the low
pressure issue and discovered the broken shear pins. My theory
is that the sudden reversal of air through the prop sheared the
pins—there are two of them on the coupler.
It was bad getting the compressor back on. It is a miserable design
and worse job to repair. Thanks to Paul Kirik, over in Moline, I
was able to borrow his scuba air tank and special wrench for getting the nuts off and on. That was the tool I did not bring on the
Placement of f lat washers and lock washers was
Figure 5
facilitated by using heavy
grease on them and my fingertip to place on each stud. I used the
same method with the nuts. Eventually, holding the hidden nuts
in place with a slim strip of metal in one hand and then rotating
the nut with the other hand for that critical first half turn was really tricky (See Figures 3,4 and 5). That part took hours and hours.
I bought extra nuts from the local Aircraft Certified Equipment
store, (ACE) as I was dropping them all over the hanger.
Once buttoned up and charged with air, the engine fired up like
nothing had happened. So much for this year’s KOSH trip. I did
get to view Oshkosh from another perspective—f lying the Ripon
Arrival in a Mooney Ovation, clearly marked by vectors on the
Garmin PFD and MFD, with entry turn. We saw lots of scary
traffic close by, with several pilots working real hard to ignore
the controller’s instructions.
Makes you appreciate the Warbird Arrival.
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19
Veterans' Home Flyover
I
t was a beautiful sunny, warm, breezy day this past summer
when the RPA f lew 15 aircraft over the Home on our AirVenture Thursday down day. In between our mass formation passes,
individual 4-ships made both single-ship and formation passes
over more than 350 veterans and their families and friends. Our
tribute lasted approximately 35 minutes, then we all landed at
Waupaca (KPCZ) where we mixed with approximately 30 veterans, their families, friends, and Home staff members. After refueling, we returned to OSH having enjoyed a very moving and
rewarding day honoring our past and present veterans.
The Home graciously sent the enclosed letter to John Shuttleworth, the event organizer and Mission Commander, thanking
all of us for bringing an afternoon of joy, remembrance, and reinvigoration to the Veterans. In 2016, we plan to expand the event
to include a more elaborate air show and a lunch with the Vets
at Waupaca. To all who f lew the mission, thank you very much,
Well Done, and hope to see you next year!
20
Red Star Nose and Tail Art
www.flyredstar.org
21
Abnormal Operations
By Rich Martindell www.wild-blue-yonder.com
T
he pilots I know are comfortable with adapting to changes
that require a minor alteration to the f light plan—like an
IFR re-route or vectors for traffic or weather that still allow the
f light to get to the planned destination. But, because we are goal
oriented, catastrophic events that require completely abandoning
the original plan and coming up with a brand new conclusion are
much harder to accept, cope with, and resolve. An engine failure
is obvious and requires immediate attention. Other events are
just as demanding but the need to drop the original plan and do
something completely different is not always as obvious.
There are several reasons for this and the first is simply shock
that the event happened. Next is simple denial and our resistance
to change. Finally is the perception that it may be our fault and
we feel a responsibility to rectify the situation or minimize the
impact to atone for the perceived mistake. A possible reason for
many out-of-the-envelope fatal ejections is that the pilot was trying to recover from a problem he or she may have thought they
created and were responsible for. I lost a friend in F-4s in a low
altitude ejection when he was hot dogging at low altitude and
attempted a loop at too low an altitude. He initiated the ejection
in time for his back seater to eject but it was out of the envelope
for the front seat. This is the kind of inertia we need to overcome
when a major event occurs that requires a complete change of
plans.
One thing seems to be that pilots with no military background
are reluctant to declare an emergency when something goes
wrong and they truly deserve priority handling. The other thing
that happens when you declare an emergency is that there is an
immediate role reversal. In normal ops we are used to following the clearance and directions of air traffic controllers and the
controllers expect this. But once you declare an emergency the
pilot-in-command takes control of the situation and the controllers ONLY job is to help the pilot of the emergency aircraft get it
safely on the ground. There was an American Airlines f light inbound to Dallas-Fort Worth that determined they we very low on
fuel, declared an emergency and asked rather than told the controller they needed to land opposite direction of the current traffic f low. The tower controller denied the request and made them
land with other traffic. This is completely wrong. Once the pilot
declared the emergency the controller should have immediately
cleared the aircraft for the requested landing without worrying
about the disruption to the "normal" traffic f low. Both the pilot
and tower controller failed to recognize the role reversal once the
emergency was declared. When the controller denied the request
the pilot should have rebuked the controller and said he was an
emergency and had priority over all other traffic. In this case
the aircraft landed without event but both the controller and the
pilot were criticized for not understanding that the emergency
should have been handled differently.
22
Some emergencies require thinking "outside the box." A friend
of mine was egressing a target in North Vietnam in his F-105 at
500+ knots when he got a gear door light indication in the cockpit. Bold face for this problem was to slow below gear lowering
speed to prevent damage to the gear door. That's what he did and
immediately soaked up a surface-to-air missile. Peace time training taught him to do this and he didn't fully assess the urgency
and differences of a combat situation. After he ejected and was
on the ground he had time while evading the North Vietnamese and waiting for the rescue helicopter to ref lect on the fact
it would have been better to lose the gear door rather than the
airplane and expose himself to being captured.
Recently a Van's RV-6/8 demonstration team suffered a mid-air
collision during an airshow and, while the investigation is still
in progress, there are some important things for formation pilots
to think about. This was a 10-ship operating as three or four elements entering and exiting show center at coordinated times. At
the time of the midair the team had elements at opposite ends of
the runway show line and another element out to re-enter later.
The mishap element was a 3-ship with #1 and #2 f lying straight
and level while #3 did barrel rolls around them. On one of the
barrel rolls the maneuvering aircraft contacted one of the aircraft in the fingertip formation. The collision caused the maneuvering aircraft to lose most of both propeller blades and created a
no thrust condition requiring an immediate dead stick landing,
which the pilot did very well.
However, apparently no one in the f light called Knock-it-Off
and neither did the air boss in the tower, so the other elements
continued with their part of the routine. Meanwhile, the pilot of
the other aircraft involved in the midair decided to divert to an
airfield 30 miles away without knowing the extent of damage to
his airplane. The investigation will determine if there was a good
reason to f ly a damaged aircraft 30 miles rather than landing on
the runway directly underneath.
Lessons we can take away from this right now while we wait for
investigators to unravel the rest of the story:
•
Events like this require a Knock-it-Off call as soon as possible remembering the priorities to aviate, navigate and communicate.
•
It doesn't need to be someone in the f light to call Knock-itOff.
•
Once someone calls Knock-it-Off you need to hit the reset
button on the f light plan, regroup and do what the new situation dictates.
•
Deal with the reality of the situation not what you want it to
be.
•
Never hesitate to declare an emergency. I can't tell you how
many times I've declared an emergency but I can tell you I
have never been asked to fill out a report. The FAA hates
paperwork as much as we do.
•
You have to have a really good reason to overf ly a good runway with a sick airplane.
We don't have all the facts yet for this accident so don't jump to
conclusions but think how you lead f lights and if there's anything
here that can help you be a better leader.
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23
24
24
Red Alert
Alert Winter
Winter 2015
2013
Red
www.flyredstar.org
25
26
RED Alert
WINTER 2015
www.flyredstar.org
27
Kay Ekert's T-33 provides the perfect background for an early morning group shot of several St. George attendees.
S
t. George, Utah is one of those idyllic
Jet Blast locations: wide expanses of
Class G airspace, no nearby Class B or C
airspace, 9,200 foot runway, mild daytime
temps, CAVU as far as the eye can see, and
most important, wonderful hosts—Jack
Hunter’s Western Sky Aviation Warbird
Museum and Above View Aviation FBO.
Early arrivals commenced Thursday
morning and by the afternoon, the first
briefs had been completed and sorties,
consisting of two Jet Provosts and the museum’s MiG-15, had been launched. That
evening, the 15 pilots who arrived by warbird, GA and scheduled carrier enjoyed
an early dinner in anticipation of Friday’s
morning brief.
Friday, October 23
Knock off the Rust
Kay Eckardt and his T-33, and Larry Salganek in his L-39, both arrived early and
immediately made themselves available
for instruction and proficiency rides. And
MiG-15 training and prep for a separate
61.58 check began. Following several
28
training f lights, lunch was served. After
lunch, Mark Peterson reviewed the importance of proper tire maintenance and
inf lation pressure monitoring.
A special presentation of a CJAA polo
shirt was made to Erling Wiig, who had
ventured farthest (4,377 nm) from his
base near Oslo, Norway. “Not so fast” exclaimed Habib Boukharouba, who lives in
Dubai and came 7,026 nm. The solution?
Both were awarded “Longest Distance”
polo shirts.
Saturday, October 24
Full Throttle Day
During the morning brief, Steve Picatti
made a presentation covering the critical
role of decision making in breaking the
“accident chain” in the cockpit. Steve described a very unique Challenger accident
in Aspen to underscore his points. Before
it got too busy, pilots and crew were mustered for a group photo. That afternoon
Steve Picatti completed a 61.58 proficiency
ride, and Greg Morris earned his MiG-15
rating.
Midway through the day, attention shifted
from training sorties to the Carrier Landing challenge. Not just a spot landing
competition, this challenge focused on a
“safe and stabilized approach” requiring
a stable speed, approach, and precision
landing, just like a real carrier landing.
Airport personnel assisted by taking the
judges to the runway touchdown zone,
which in our case would substitute for the
“three wire.” Competition was intense,
and sometimes humorous, but CJAA president Mark Peterson, f lying his Citation
CJ3 (his Alpha Jet was down for repairs),
nailed his second approach landing—less
than a foot from the “wire.”
Two photo f lights were scheduled, one in
conjunction with formation training for
the two Provost pilots and another with
the MiG-15—both successful. Saturday
night the formal banquet was held in one
of the hangars decorated with the museum’s MiG-17. After meals and desserts
concluded, a few awards were handed out
and the evening’s special guest speaker:
USAF COL (ret) Gaillard “Evil” Peck took
the stage. He spoke of his time as commander of America’s secret MiG squadron
that was based at the Tonapah Test Range.
In the late 1970s, Col. Peck operated in the
“black” world. It was in this capacity that
he initiated a program named Constant
Peg. Constant Peg resulted in the enhancement of an old airfield at the Tonopah Test
Range and the initiation of jet fighter operations from that airfield with the 4477th
Tactical Evaluation Flight (“Red Eagles”)
f lying MiG-17s, MiG-21s, MiG-23s, and
F-5s. The purpose of Constant Peg was to
train US Military fighter pilots to a degree of proficiency never before achieved
by facing the adversaries they would most
likely meet in air combat. Col. Peck went
on to document his experiences with Constant Peg in his book, America’s Secret
MiG Squadron.
Standing in front of the group, he spoke
for over an hour about the Air Force’s secret activities with the captured MiGs and
the unique challenges of starting and operating a secret squadron in the Nevada
desert. Questions and follow-up continued until 10PM when the lights dimmed
and good byes were said as everyone departed for the evening.
Sunday, October 25
Wrap up and Departures
A couple more logbooks were signed,
goodbyes were exchanged and all departed
safely. A special Thank You to Above View
Aviation FBO, and especially the members, staff and volunteers of the Western
Sky Aviation Warbird Museum who fed
us and provided facilities throughout the
event. It was a fantastic, safe and memorable weekend!
The Western Skys Aviation Warbird Museum's MiG-15UTI was up every day conducting
training f lights with Greg Morris and Erling Wiig sharing seat time.
Trevor Hunter leads Steve Picatti in a two-ship formation training f light.
The aircraft are British Provosts.
Right: Steve Piccatti
rolls his Provost into the
break after a training
f light.
Left: Mark Peterson, f lying his Citation CJ3, just misses
the touchdown point (end of white stripe) for the carrier
landing competition. This almost perfect pass was good
enough to make him the winner.
www.flyredstar.org
29
Take Me to the Promised Land
The Art and Science of the Outside, Turning Rejoin
W
ithout question, the maneuver most formation pilots have
difficulty executing well is the rejoin to the outside. And
there is good reason—there's a lot going on here.
••
Phase I and Phase II
••
Closure (Vc)
••
The Four Variables
••
Analysis and Execution
Phase I and Phase II
The outside rejoin actually consists of two phases. The first phase
is that portion that occurs inside Lead's turn circle—what we
would consider a normal rejoin inside to the #2 position. The
second phase begins when you begin the transition behind the
f light leader to the outside, stacked high #3 or #4 position. During the first phase you have geometry working for you—you are
inside Lead's turn circle, f lying a smaller turn circle than Lead,
and pulling lead pursuit. In the second phase, geometry is now
working against you—you are outside Lead's turn circle, f lying a
larger turn circle than Lead, and pulling lag pursuit.
Closure
There are two components to closure (Vc): geometry and airspeed, and the two have a compounding effect. As stated above,
during the first phase of the rejoin geometry is your friend. Geometry is so effective during phase I that even with your airspeed
matched to Lead’s, it is possible to join to the inside using only
geometry. However, geometry alone will not get you to the #3 or
#4 outside position. By accelerating to the rejoin airspeed plus 10
knots (or plus 10%) you are increasing the rate of closure—you
will need this extra energy generated by the combined effect of
geometry and airspeed.
As you cross Lead's six o'clock and transition to the outside of
the turn circle, geometry becomes your enemy. Because you will
be f lying a larger turn circle than Lead, and stacking up, you
will need to be f lying faster just to maintain position. The only
component of closure you have to combat the effect of the negative geometry is airspeed, and you'll need a good measure of it to
carry you out and up into the proper stacked-up position.
The Four Variables
The four variables are like the recipe for the secret sauce—if you
can nail these down, while maintaining proper Vc, the rejoin occurs like magic every time.
1. Bearing line: The visual reference occurs when you line up
Lead's outboard wingtip and vertical fin (stabilizer). As you
move up the bearing line and can begin to discern the normal bearing line references, you should transition to the normal sight picture.
2. Altitude: The visual reference occurs when Lead is just above
the horizon. Some pilots place Lead's spinner on the horizon,
others place Lead's lower wingtip on the horizon—either will
Phase I I
Phase I
30
By Mike “Blade” Filucci [email protected]
place you in a good position for the rejoin. There are a couple of reasons it is critical to maintain proper altitude, one
is safety related, and the other two are energy management
related. When you place Lead on the horizon, you are f lying in a geometric plane that is parallel to and slightly below
Lead's plane. This means that if you have excessive closure
and must overshoot, all you have to do is roll wings level
and you will pass safely aft and below Lead. On the other
hand, if you are low and executing a climbing rejoin, now
your f light path vector/energy is directed at Lead instead of
parallel to Lead. The only way to avoid colliding with Lead in
an overshoot situation is to redirect your aircraft by rolling
wings level and pushing forward on the stick. Also, energy
management comes into play because you need more energy
to join uphill as opposed to being in level f light. Worse yet,
you've consigned the poor wingmen who are behind you to
an even worse fate—they have to position themselves even
lower in order to keep you in sight, thereby increasing the
uphill climb they must make to effect their rejoins.
in #2 being just inside Lead's turn circle with #3 and #4 outside.
Whether inside or out, the first step is the same for all wingmen: push the power up. The reasoning is slightly different for
#2 verses #3 and #4. Number 2 wants to achieve rejoin as expeditiously as possible because otherwise #3 and #4 are hindered in
their ability to execute a rejoin. Nothing can screw up a rejoin
faster than a slow-to-rejoin #2.
3. Airspeed: We've already discussed airspeed as one of two
components of closure. It is not critical for an inside rejoin but it is essential for an outside rejoin. The reference is
briefed rejoin airspeed plus 10 knots or plus 10%.
Now it just becomes a matter of religiously controlling the four
variables: bearing line, altitude, airspeed, and alignment. For #3
and #4 there is also the added challenge of mastering the transition to the outside. It's that transition gives wingmen the most
difficulty. Let's take a look at this using What?, Why?, How?
4. Alignment: The visual reference occurs when your aircraft
fuselage is parallel to Lead's fuselage. If you are parallel with
Lead, you should be looking at Lead through the side of your
canopy, just above the canopy rail (because you are banked,
in a turn).
When does the rejoin begin? You might think it starts when Lead
signals with a wing rock. It actually begins a bit earlier. Following
the pitchout, it is your responsibility to maneuver into position
behind Lead, at six o’clock. Lead should be on the horizon—if
not, you are not ready to begin the rejoin and should not call "in."
This is also the ideal time to perform a quick ops check. Once
you have accomplished all that, you call “in” and that marks the
beginning of the rejoin.
Analysis and Execution
At the beginning of the rejoin, the question each wingman has
to answer is this: Am I inside or outside of Lead’s turn circle?
The commonly f lown pitchout intervals we use (three seconds) at
the speeds we typically f ly (approximately 120 knots) will result
Numbers 3 and 4 push up the power because their initial objective is to drive straight ahead and get inside Lead’s turn circle
as quickly as possible—then, and only then, should they initiate
the turn to capture Lead’s bearing line. Once inside Lead’s turn
circle, #3 and #4 should adjust their speed to rejoin speed plus 10
knots or plus 10%.
When all wingmen have entered the turn circle and initiated the
bearing line-capturing turn, Lead should see all three fall into
place on the bearing line in perfect alignment—it has the appearance of a backwards, spaced out echelon turn. Number 4 will see
the same picture from the opposite end, looking up the line.
What Happened? (Observation)
The wingman (#3 or #4) moves up the bearing line and transitions to the outside. As the wingman passes behind Lead, he ends
up aft of where he should be relative to his desired position and
has to add power to drive forward into the proper fingertip position.
Why Did It Happen? (Analysis)
Usually, two factors come into play here: first, the wingman did
not have enough airspeed to compensate for the negative geometry trap that occurs when passing Lead's six o'clock. Second, the
wingman has chosen an aim point that is aft of the required aim
point.
How Do We Fix It? (Problem Solving)
The first fix is obvious, simply carry more airspeed. But how
much more? That depends. If you are f lying the #4 position you
will have to carry more airspeed than you would if you were
www.flyredstar.org
31
f lying #3. The amount of extra energy you carry will
also be dependant upon the drag characteristics
of your airplane. On the f lip side, it is possible to carry too much energy into the
rejoin—this is evidenced by the wingman having to move to the outside
and/or higher than the desired
position to dissipate energy. If
you have it nailed, the energy
you have will result in a nice,
smooth, deliberate transition to the outside position
at a pace that approximates a
normal cross-under.
aim point
The second fix requires that
you choose an aim point that
is a point in space on a turn
circle that is outside and forward of Lead. Why forward—
because as you transition all the
way to the outside to the stackedup position, Lead will be moving forward in space? Any aim point that is not
forward enough will result in you arriving
on the outside, aft of where you need to be,
again forced to drive forward into position.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
As it turns out, plenty. If you do not follow the recipe for the secret sauce and botch up one or more of the ingredients, you are
doomed. In addition, your errors will make your fellow wingmen
unhappy because it will make their rejoin all the more difficult.
We already mentioned altitude, but bearing line control can effect you and the wingman behind you. If you are acute, the geometry will increase your closure, possibly to the point where you
will have to f ly well outside of Lead's turn circle to gain control
of your Vc before moving back into proper position. If you are
sucked, your closure will be decreased and the following wingman will be forced to also f ly sucked because he should not be
forward of your bearing line lest he overtake you before you rejoin. Likewise, airspeed control is essential to keep the pace of the
rejoin going and to keep your fellow wingmen from wondering
what the heck is taking you so long. Alignment doesn't play the
critical role the other ingredients do, but without proper alignment, your rejoin will not be efficient and displays poor form.
The Perfect Outside Rejoin
Once you have perfected your technique, you can get yourself to
the Promised Land—that sweet spot that puts you precisely into
position on the outside every time (or nearly every time).
Here's what it will look like (as #3 or #4): You are lined up behind Lead in the six o'clock position. You have Lead positioned
just on the horizon. Your ops checks are complete. You call "in."
Lead rocks wings smartly to signal he is about to maneuver for
the rejoin. You determine you are outside Lead's turn circle. You
push the power up and drive straight ahead to get to Lead's turn
circle as quickly as possible. As you enter Lead's turn circle (see
32
*
sidebar), you adjust your power to achieve rejoin airspeed plus 10 knots or 10% and simultaneously
turn to capture the rejoin bearing line. You
keep Lead on the horizon throughout the
maneuver. You make slight adjustments to your bank, as necessary, to
maintain position on the bearing
line (bank controls bearing line).
As you approach route position,
you become more aligned with
Lead's aircraft. Approaching
Lead, you transition to the
normal sight references for
maintaining position. You
adjust your aim point to a
point in space on a turn circle
outside and in front of Lead.
You carry the bearing line deep
into the rejoin, smoothly and
deliberately passing behind #2
and Lead in what looks like a diagonal cross-under (no closer than
one ship-length). You arrive in position and make an ever-so-slight power
adjustment to stabilize. Congratulations,
you have arrived at the Promised Land in style.
How do you know when you have entered Lead's turn circle?
Over the years we have developed a couple of "gouges" to approximate when we have entered the turn circle. In the CJ, you
can drive straight ahead until the aircraft ahead crosses your
canopy bow. In the Yak-52 and other aircraft you can approximate that by waiting until the aircraft ahead is 35° to 45° offset
to the right or left. Another gouge method is to use timing. You
know that if you are #3 after executing a three second break,
you will be six seconds behind #2, who is inside the turn circle.
You simply drive straight ahead for six seconds and you should
also be inside the turn circle. Number 4 would drive straight
forward for 12 seconds in this scenario.
However, if you want to "be one with the turn circle" as Mags
likes to say, you will want to train yourself to recognize the
visual cues that tell you when you have entered the turn circle.
The two cues are aspect angle and line of sight (LOS).
When outside the turn circle, Lead's aspect angle will continue to increase. Once you enter the turn circle, Lead's aspect
angle will stop increasing and stabilize in the 20°-30° range for
#2, and in the 35° to 45° range for #3 and #4, because Lead is
farther around the turn by the time #3 and #4 get to the turn
circle.
As you approach the turn circle, the relative movement across
your canopy of the aircraft ahead will accelerate (LOS). When
it becomes a rapid movement, you have entered. How rapid?
Practice and training will teach you.
Don Mayer’s
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Neither Crump nor the insurance carriers provide tax or legal advice regarding these products or programs. You should consult your own tax, legal and other advisors before purchasing an insurance product.
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www.flyredstar.org
33
Santa Barbara Veterans Day Fly-Over
Photos by: Arash Afshari
On Veterans Day, the ramp in front of the CAF's hangar in Camirillo, California was filled with warbirds.
This was the mustering area for the aircraft that would be f lying over the annual parade in Santa Barbara.
E
very year the city of Santa Barbara, California, comes out in force on Veteran’s Day to see the
annual parade that wends its way through downtown. One of the highlights of the event is the
warbird f ly-over. This year was no exception as the weather was beautiful, the parade was colorful, and the airmanship was professional.
As in past years, Michael “Viper” Malaco led the briefing as mission commander at the Southern
California wing of the Commemorative Air Force hangar at Camarillo, California. This is an exceptionally challenging job because of the amount and mix of aircraft. The Sherriff Department's
Huey is the first to make a pass getting everyone’s attention with its thumping rotor blades. Two
of WWII’s best fighters: a P-51 with Darrin Moore at the controls and the Southern California
CAF’s Hellcat followed on the wing. Next “Viper” led a f light of seven T-34s. The B-25, known
as “Heavenly Body,” with seven Tiger Squadron RedStar aircraft on its wing was the last group
to pass. A total of seven passes were made over the parade by the f light. Documenting the f light
were two photo ships with Marc Russell f lying his A-36 Bonanza and a T-6, from the Southern
California CAF f lown by Al Kepler. Following the f lights over the parade, the group f lew back to
Camarillo for lunch and some good camaraderie.
“The praises and adulation received from not only the people watching the parade and f lyover,
but also from the TV anchors on the news that evening was nice to see and hear,” said “Viper.”
Well deserving of the praise is “Viper” who each year has gathered a talented group such as this
for such a professional and safe f light to honor America’s veterans.
34
The Tiger Squadron escorted the B-25 on its passes over the parade.
Michael "Viper" Maloco, mission commander, leads the T-34s for their passes. The formation expertise by all the groups was outstanding.
www.flyredstar.org
35
Aviation Physiology Group
Is There A “Shrink” Onboard?
By Chuck Crinnian [email protected]
P
sychology is the scientific study of behavior and the interventions that may be utilized to affect a desirable outcome in human
interactions and performance. Human Factors is the discipline concerned with the optimizing the relationships between humans
and the system in which they function. Aviation accident investigators had concluded that two thirds of aviation disasters are related
to human errors. Thus, it is incumbent upon each of us as pilots to have a working understanding of common human error preconditions that can be precursors to accidents
or incidents.
Aviation psychologists study the interactions
between humans (pilots) and the various systems in which they function, as well as the environment. The intent is to design or develop
an integrated system that reduces human error.
The sub-components of the integrated aviation
system are:
•
Hardware: (H) Tangible items; Aircraft,
communication and navigation “boxes”,
runways, controls, instrument panels, and
anything one can “touch.”
•
Software: (S) Rules, regulations, procedures, checklists, administrators, the FAA.
•
Liveware: (L) The pilot, the crew, the passengers.
•
Environment: The “mega” system that is
composed of the interactions of the subcomponents. Examples are L-H, L-S, and
L-L. In other words, Pilot programming
the GPS unit, Pilot understanding and complying with an ATC clearance, and a passenger or co-pilot distracting the pilot at a
critical time.
Understanding the complex relationships of
the sub-components at various phases of f light
planning, and f light execution is the foundation
of aviation system design. But, more importantly, the pilot must recognize weaknesses and limitations in one or more of the sub-components
of the aviation environment to effect a behavioral change, in other words-avoid an accident.
As pilots, we cannot change the hardware or
the software. They have been given to us to deal
with. But, we can program the liveware to be
alert for common human error preconditions.
A team working for Transport Canada in 1993
developed a listing of 12 human error preconditions. This is the basic list, and a cornerstone of
Human Factor training. It is not comprehensive; the ICAO Circular 240 lists over 300 human error precursors. This list of the 12 “Dirty
Dozen” is useful to open discussions into human error in aviation, business, organizations,
and workplaces.
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Contemplate any accident, incident, or
mis-understanding that you may have
heard about around the airport or in the
news. Dig deeper into what was known and
speculated about. I bet you will find one of
more of the Dirty Dozen operative as a Human Factor precondition. If that precondition was recognized by the pilot, would the
event have occurred? If so, learn from this
discovery and apply this to you pilot knowledge base and avoid that type of incident in
your aviation future.
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Human Factors that may be the foundation
of past and possible future aviation incidents.
Lack of
communication
Complacency
Lack of
knowledge
Distraction
Lack of
Teamwork
Fatigue
Lack of resources
Pressure
Lack of
assertiveness
Stress
Lack of
awareness
Norms
Think back to situations or incidents that
you may have been involved in that could
have developed into a newsworthy event.
I would bet that one or more of the Dirty
Dozen was in play. I would further wager
that you will “not do that again”. We learn
from ourselves and from others. Safety of
f light is our primary mission. Not communicating your analysis of a safety of f light
issue to your fellow pilots will only guarantee that that situation will be repeated
again by another less fortunate pilot. “Being entirely honest with oneself is a good
exercise” - Sigmund Freud, Neurologist/
Psychoanalyst.
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have always cringed at the over-arching catEmail: [email protected] • Mon. – Fri. 7:30 – 5:30 PST
egory "human error" and the impact of that
term with our community and particularly
the public. Yes, most accidents are due to humanPCA_RedStar-HlfPg.1.indd
action or inaction1 and not solely mechanical or environmental in nature. However,
6/2/14 after
10:19 AM
researching and investigating numerous accidents, I have found examples where a uniquely experienced pilot survived and most others
would not, or in contrast, 4 out of 5 test pilots could not recover the aircraft in a simulation of the incident. I think the label "human error"
creates the illusion that pilots have "Magnificent Marvels" situational awareness, analysis, reaction and performance in any situation.
While many accidents are the result of lapses in standards of performance, some are more than probably anyone could handle at that
moment. Nevertheless, thorough preparation, disciplined execution, and critical post-game analysis are crucial to performance improvement. I hope that others will come out and support those who share their "close calls" in order to foster an environment of transparency
that helps the whole team learn - we are finally starting to come around to that in some areas of medicine. My dad, who started with
fighters in WWII and flew everything in the fleet up through the first jets, often told me, "second hand experience is cheap and easy to
come by". He was an "old, bold pilot" with wise words. Kim Slawinski [email protected]
I
www.flyredstar.org
37
In the year 2000, Warbird Flyer started as an eight page, mostly black and white newsletter. We went with eight pages so we could print it front and back on four
8½" x 11" sheets and mail it with a single, first class postage stamp. We hand-stuffed the envelopes, stuck a stamp on them, and dropped them in the mail. What a
difference 15 years has made.
38
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Forward all non-deliverable mail to:
RedStar Pilots Association
C/O Byron Fox
80 Milland Drive
Mill Valley, CA 4941
The RedStar Pilots Association is a notfor-profit organization dedicated to the
safe operation of all aircraft. For further
information or to become a member,
please visit: www.flyredstar.org
To advertise in this publication, please
contact the RPA administrator at:
[email protected]

winter 2015 - Redstar Pilots Association

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