U2 Incentive Flight

Incentive flights are rides.

They are rewards for a job well done. In 1979 I was named Wing Crew Chief of the Month and got to fly in a F-4 Phantom II. Ten years later, I got a Ride in a F-16. You can do your whole career and not get a single ride. Celebrities get rides all the time. This next one blows my mind. James May , host of the automotive TV show "Top Gear" gets a ride in the U-2. Wow!

I'm Back

Sometimes my job is too cool for school.

Iran is Going to Blow Up

...and my bet is that the Israelis are going to do it while the U.S. rattles it's sabers.

The New York Times quoted officials Friday as saying that more than 100 Israeli F-16s and F-15s staged the maneuver, flying more than 900 miles, roughly the distance from Israel to Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, and that the exercise included refueling tankers and helicopters capable of rescuing downed pilots.

The Israelis usually shoot first and reveal later. It is really unusual that they are being so open it their preparations. Historically, they defend their position of the the only nuclear power in the Middle East. While the U.S. blusters and ponders it's policy towards a nuclear Iran, look for Israel to take a more direct approach.

Captain Michael A. Crandall- USAF

I vividly remember the day of the crash. The weather was very bad that day. The first sortie was recalled and we were able to refuel only two aircraft before fueling went on weather hold as well.

Capt. Mike Crandall was off station that day , but he and his wingman "snuck in " under the weather. I was expediting that day and picked him up at the airplane. He asked about our jet (84-1292). I told him that it was in the garage (phase inspection). As I dropped him off at ops he said "Remind me about nose art when I get back." Those were the last words I heard Mike say.

Back in ops, LtCol. Rick Huss told Mike that Capt. Bob McCormack still needed to be upgraded to flight lead and Mike volunteered to take him up. Bob was to fly 1395 and Mike 1401 the only two aircraft refueled.

On start up Bob had hydraulic indication problems and we fixed them. Mike was in the other flight so I didn't know he was flying.

The aircraft were configured without external fuel tanks so their flight time was less than a hour. After an hour passed, we figured they "weathered in" at some other bases as it was common. After 90 minutes I was radioed to meet with my supervisor. He asked for me to quietly get the maintenance forms for 395. Fearing the worst I asked him if the aircraft was lost. he said "Just get the forms and don't discuss anything with anyone."

The aircraft had collided. Bob was thrown (not ejected) out of the jet. He landed in a farmer's field with a broken back. A farmer's daughter (yes this is true) picked him up in the family car as he was walking toward the farm house. He phoned in the base to report the collision.

The squadron was monitoring the SAR net, listening to the search effort. There were two beepers going off. In the other room, Capt. Karl Gruner was listening to German radio hoping for a news report. When Bob phoned, they then began looking for Mike. It was then that German news reported that two F-16's had in fact collided, resulting one pilot dead and one severely injured. That is how we found out that Mike was dead. The Polizei had found his body, he had had a good chute but he died in the collision.

I went home not knowing that. Knowing two jets were down, I prayed the crew chief prayer that all pilots were safe. The next morning I read in the Stars and Stripes, that Captain Michael A. Crandall had died the night before.

I sat in my stairwell and cried .

Mike was my pilot and my friend. He is buried at the Academy. Every now and then I see cadets serving at Nellis AFB. If I get a chance to talk I tell them that when they are struggling and don't think they can hack it, to visit Mike. We lost many, many friends during the Cold War. Let no one forget that there was and still is great valor on "routine training missions".

Mikey is at the Air Force Academy,

Colorado Springs, Colorado.

OTHER HEROES

VIDEO

Save The Leathal Lady

The aircraft shown on the right is a record setter.
Built in 1985, "Lethal Lady" has been in the air longer than any other F-16. Currently flown by the Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont ANG, she has logged more the 7000 hours in the air. She has flown in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now she slated for the glue factory.

Rather than meeting this ignoble fate,
Senator Leahy (D-VT) has called for the Lady to be preserved.

"It would be better to put the aircraft on display at the Vermont Guard or at the National Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio."

If you want this piece of aviation history to be saved, contact the Senator at the link above and voice your opinion.

The photo is when 83-1165 [Photo by Gary Chambers] was with the Indiana ANG. If any of you Green Mountain Boys have a current picture, please post it here. If you ever crewed her or flew her feel free to send pictures as well. Thanks.

Green Mountain Boy Gets Out of Hand

8 APR, 2008- It's opening day for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. At conclusion of the National Anthem, three F-16's of the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing come swooping in for a fly by. The fourth plane in the formation then barrel rolls over the formation.

The crowd goes wild!

The pilot gets grounded.

The maneuver was not planned. Number four was running late and barrel rolled to tuck back into the formation. Uh...right. You bet. You pay them big bucks and send them to all the schools but pilots always act like boys on bikes. The Hog Dog stunt has landed the pilot in hot water.

Sort of.

Spokesman for the Green Mountain Boys, Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow said:

"It was a legitimate maneuver and not an acrobatic stunt. "It is normally done at 5,000 feet or above. The crowd loved it, but it was not a planned maneuver. At no time was the public in danger. Our pilot is a very skilled pilot. He maintained full control of the airplane.
The pilot was grounded, not as a punishment but so we can provide remedial training in tactics and procedures so this situation does not happen again. I can promise you they won’t see anything like that again, no matter where we do flyovers."

The name of the pilot was not released but was described as a "very experienced pilot".


The 158th Fighter Wing is based out of Burlington, Vermont and is currently serving Bold Eagle alert duties at various locations. Operation Bold Eagle flies airborne intercepts of unknown or suspicious aircraft as part of Homeland Defense since 9/11. The wing has also deployed to Iraq.


FANGS OUT!!!

More about the Green Mountain Boys

T-Bird in the Dirt

15 MAR, 2005- The USAF Thunderbirds usually do their first show of the season at Creech AFB, Nevada. It's called "Indian Springs Appreciation Day". They practice at Creech and the show is a full-up dress rehearsal and a "Thank you and sorry about that bathroom window".

In March of 2005, I was working and I called the wife to ask if she liked the show.

Wife-"It was all right, but your son freaked out."

Me-"What happened?"

Wife- "Something about a wheel or something. He said I was the adult and had the good camera and to get closer. He said he blaze away with his camera. Later, he told me not to go through any metal detector and don't let anyone touch the camera until Dad sees it."


Me- "Put him on."

Me- "What happened Josh?"

Josh- "Number three went into the dirt!"

Me- "Really"

Josh- "Yeah, really. The gear collapsed."

The mishap happened at the end of the show and taxing into the spot. Number three didn't make the turn and trundled off the taxi way. The pilot was taken away in a back board. The cause of mishap was brake failure. I chatted with the crew chief and he said,
"The pilot's okay. The jet is okay. We're flying at Luke next week."

The pilot was on the back board as a precaution. The gear did not collapse. From the crowd line, it only appeared that the it was on its belly.

Code One Magazine

Code One, the magazine real fighter pilots read.

Aircraft Marshalling

When an aircraft launches. When it leaves its parking space bound for the take off. A aircraft handler stands in front and directs the aircraft out of it's spot. This is to insure than no people,vehicles or equipment are struck or damaged as the aircraft begins to move under its own power.

Here are some examples:

12 Sqn-RAF


C-130


B-1B


F-15


Another F-15

New Paint Scheme Debuts on F-16

The F-16's at Eielson AFB, Alaska will be sporting a new paint scheme. They have been chosen as the first aircraft to receive the Arctic Camouflage. Airmen of the 8th FW, Kunsan AB, South Korea got the chance to apply the new camouflage as part of the 8th transferring their assigned jets to Eielson. Work was started in November in preparation of the transfer.

USAF photos by TSgt. Quinton T. Burris


Kunsan will be getting the more advanced Block 40 F-16's from Eielson and Kunsan's Block 30's will be flying as Agressors during Eielson's Red Flag-Alaska excercises with the new paint job.

TWO

The Four things a Wingman is authorized to say are:
1. "Two".
2. "Two is BINGO fuel."
3. "Lead is on fire."
4. "I'll take the fat one".


The Four things an Assistant Crew Chief is authorized to say are:
1. "I already fixed that."
2. "I'll stay late."
3. "I'm going for beer."

4. "I'll take the fat one."

Major Malachowski Leaves the Thunderbirds

It's a two year tour and it's been two great years. But all good things must end as Major Nicole Malachowski leaves the Thunderbirds. Major Malachowski entered the U.S. Air Force in 1996 after graduating from the Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Management and a minor in French. Before she joined the Thunderbirds, she served as an F-15E Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander in the
494th Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, U.K. She has amassed 1900 hours in the air, 1700 of that in the F-15 and F-16.

She has 200 combat hours. Kosovo in 1998 and Iraq in 2005.
She calls Las Vegas, Nevada her home.

As you might know, I work Transient Alert at Creech AFB, Nevada. The airfield where the Thunderbirds practice. A while back it was my pleasure to spend a morning with Malachowski, waiting for the weather to break and she could fly back to Nellis.

Up close and personal I found her to be extremely professional and yet warm and friendly. She didn't act like a Major. More like a Captain with money. That might sound flip, but it isn't.

What you don't know is that the school here in Indian Springs goes from Kindergarden to 12th grade. The school mascot are the Thunderbirds. Yes the team. Taking time from her very busy schedule, Nicole found time to come out to speak to the kids and visit with them on more than one occasion . Many of the children, especially the younger ones have taken to calling her
"Our Thunderbird".

"Our message to the next generation is to follow your passion, pursue excellence in it, and to always dream big!"
-Major Malachowski


Nicole humbly accepts her place in history as the first female Thunderbird. Well...as humble as one can expect from a Combat Fighter Pilot. I have it on good authority that she likes this picture and has it on her desk....

Ever the team player, she requested that her teammate, Major Samantha Weeks (opposing solo) be given "pink smoke" as well. No sweat Ma'am.


Malachowski is a good stick and great person.
Save your pictures people, this one will wear stars

The DS Tail Code

As Desert Shield was cranking up to become Desert Storm, Hahn AB in Germany was closing. While in the process of transferring their F-16's to the Houston ANG, Hahn was tasked for the Desert. The 10th TFS had just completed their weapons training deployment to Zaragoza, Spain. Thus they were tapped to go. Ground support personnel were a composite of folks from all three Aircraft Maintenance Units at Hahn. The 10th AMU, 313th AMU and the 496th AMU.

To execute the deployment, eight F-16's were chosen. Four primary and four flying spares. The 10th TFS from Hahn AB was deployed to the "war" and flew along side of the 2 squadrons from Shaw, the 17th and the 33rd TFS. Together, these 3 fighter squadrons made up what was called the 363rd fighter wing Provisional.


Since the jets were going through the paint barn for transfer, the jets tagged for deployment got a special paint job.

Thus the legend of the DS tail codes was born.

Over the years I have been trying to track down which jets were given the DS tail and any pictures that might exist. For a long time there was only one. It was published in Code One magazine. You can barely make out the tail code in the picture.



The aircraft were: 84-1238 (14 missions), 84-1296 (29 missions) , 84-1300 (did not fly combat missions) and 84-1390. On 27 Feb 1991, 390 was shot down by a SA-16 SAM. The pilot, Capt. William Andrews (10th TFS), ejected and became a POW, but was released eight days later after the end of the war. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for preventing Iraqi SAMs from getting his wingman.
84-1238 was from the 10th TFS, "The Fighting Tenth". 84-1296 was from the 313th TFS, "The Lucky Puppies". It has been erroneously reported that 296 was from the 496th. As the jets transfered out of Hahn, the 313th was deactivated and their jets were folded into the 496th. Thus the confusion, but trust me 296 was a Lucky Puppy.
84-1300 was also in the 10th TFS. Of note, it had it's left main landing gear ripped off after striking a landing light tower during night ops at Hahn. She was repaired at Hahn and returned to service. She was a pig after that and no doubt contributed to the "no combat sorties" during DS.

It was highly unusual for the jets to get repainted with a "made up" tail code. The codes are designations for the base they are assigned to. So it was a big show of esprit de corps for them to be repainted. The DS does stand for "Desert Storm" although with typical crew chief humor DS also stood for "Designated Spare" (wink, wink).

Where Are They Now?

84-1238 is flown by the 163th FS of the Indiana Air National Guard and was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 16th, 2004.

---

84-1300 is also flown by the 163rd FS and is still a "hangar queen".

---

84-1296 was last flown by the 63rd FS ,USAF AETC at Luke AFB. The picture above was taken one week before the aircraft was destroyed on 26 OCT, 2006. 296 experienced an engine fire during takeoff roll at Luke AFB, Arizona but aborted before lift off. Fire crews sprayed foam on the aircraft and the pilot was treated at the scene. Early reports said the pilot ejected, this turned out not to be the case as images from the scene show the canopy still in place. Early reports also incorrectly reported that the aircraft tookoff and returned to Luke AFB with an emergency landing. Excerpt from the crash report: "After being cleared for takeoff, Colonel Sherman taxied to the left side of the runway accompanied by Captain Cuadra on the right side. Upon ignition of the afterburner, Colonel Sherman heard an explosion and noticed that a fire had started on his aircraft. His wingman transmitted "Fire" on the radio and Colonel Sherman applied full brakes and initiated the appropriate critical action procedures to abort the takeoff due to fire and preparing to get out of the stopped, but burning aircraft. He was able to open the canopy and safely exit the F-16. Members of the Luke AFB fire department extinguished the aircraft fire". Cause was determined to be a failure of the 3rd stage when the disc fractured putting three holes in the airframe. The resulting fire burned the entire aft section of the aircraft.

Predator Eulogy

"Trip" and "Snooze" are a couple of F-16 pilots who happen to sing. Actually, a lot of pilots sing, these guys are good at it. A while back they started emailing me to inquire about the F-16 bumper stickers I do.

One thing leads to another and they invite me out to a "gig" they were having at the Las Vegas Club. As it turns out, it was a Maintenance/Ops party for a squadron wrapping up their Red Flag TDY. Sporting my Lucky Puppy t-shirt, I infiltrated the party.

They opened with "Predator Eulogy". I turned to this guy standing next to me and said,

"The Thunderbirds are upgrading in 2008".
The guy says,
"What?"
"The Thunderbirds are upgrading in 2008", I repeated.
"What did you say??", jeez this guy is deaf.

"I said, the Thunderbirds are upgrading to the Predator in 2008!"

He then gives me a weird look and whips out his business card. OMG! He's a Thunderkid! He then starts rolling his beer on the table.

"Okay, the line at the bar is kinda long but I'll go get you one."
"Nevermind", he says. "I was just pulling your chain."
"Oh no, I insist. We crew chiefs are used to giving you Thunderbirds whatever you want."

At that point he started to give me the "I'm not worthy" bow and I went and got him a beer.

The song goes something like this.....

DOS GRINGOS ROCK!