With the neck down in platforms, officer accession and student naval aviator (SNA) training pipelines, there is a certain homogenization characterizing Naval Aviation today. Not that that is all bad mind you, especially when one considers the reduction in mishap rates and capabilities today's anchor-winged warriors bring to the fight. Still, for those of us who had the opportunity to train, fly and fight with those who entered in the 40's - 60's we had the fortune of knowing some real characters and, occasionally, some real pioneers and pillars of the community. For that was a period of interesting, challenging and oft times, awkward growth as Naval Aviation moved past the breakout period of WWII and through the early days of the jet age to arrive at the version more recognizable today, repleat with super carriers and supersonic fighters. Getting to that point, however, required a distinct breed of aviator, formed in a time before NATOPS, honed on the small decks of 27C's and the early "supercarriers" of the Forrestal class CVA, with new missions and (then) leading edge technology to master and fight with.

One of the signature aircraft of that period was the A3D/A-3 Skywarrior, aka "Whale." Originally designed to be the Navy's contribution to long-range nuclear strikes, the Whale eventually morphed through a number of other platform variations and missions -- tanking, photo-recce, ELINT, electronic warfare, DV hauling, and the like. It was at once a typical life that the Whale led, compared to some of its contemporaries (viz., AD/A-1 Skyraider and F3D Skynight) - yet it outlived all those and many of the more modern and specialized aircraft that followed.

Like their aircraft, the men who worked on and flew the Whale were (are) of a particular bent and were central in establishing the tenor and tone of that era. Today, courtesy Andy Niemyer (A-3 Skywarrior Association) we learn of the passing of a true pioneer and pillar of the VQ community from that era - and Naval Aviation Pilot, CAPT John E. Taylor, USN-Ret:

Biography

Capt. John E. Taylor was born 5/23/23 in Cohoes, New York. He attended Cohoes HS and went to College at California Polly, Gila Jr. and St Mary's under the V-5 Naval Cadet program. Growing up 9 miles north of Albany, NY, he spent summers on Saratoga Lake, Lake George, and Lake Champlain, plus other places all over the New England states, fishing with his father. 54 years ago he married former Elizabeth E. Dunwoody. They met in Oklahoma City while he was in pre-flight training at Norman, OK. The name Elizabeth Taylor has gotten a lot of attention over all these years. Captain Taylor thinks that is probably why he made Captain to start with. Those that know the Taylor family will admit that Elizabeth was a driving force behind a lot of his successes. Additionally, it was his true desire to get the job done right and having fun along the way that allowed him to go from E-1 to O-6 and earn those "Wings of Gold".

Seaman Recruit Taylor entered the U.S. Navy on March 25, 1941. After recruit training at Great Lakes, Illinois, he attended the Ford Motor Company Aviation Machinist School in Dearborn, Michigan. His first duty assignment was in the Operations Department at Naval Air Station Ford Island, Hawaii. Speaking of Ford, his first Division Officer was none other than Henry Ford II. In September 1943 he was selected as one of a special group of fleet personnel to attend preparatory schools and subsequently Naval flight training. Upon completion of flight school at Pensacola he was commissioned as a Naval Aviator and given the rank of Ensign, USNR. After a tour of duty on USS Portsmouth as a Scout Observation Pilot he was released to inactive in the Reserves. In 1947 he resigned his commission and reenlisted as an Aviation Pilot 1st Class (AP), in 1953 he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.

In 1955 he was selected and attended Naval Officers Candidate School. Graduating with honors, he was once again commissioned an Ensign and reported to the USS Hornet. In 1957 Lt. Taylor joined VQ-1 and thus started his association with the A-3 Skywarrior. At one point in 1959 Taylor was the sole A-3 Pilot with his own personal A3D-1Q 130363. He caught back up with this bird again when assigned to NMC in Pt. Mugu. Three more back to back VQ tours followed NMC, VQ-2, VQ-1, and a return to VQ-2 as Skipper. By this time Captain Taylor had over 10,000 hours in 48 models of aircraft with 4,000+ in the A-3. He took an assignment to the CNO's office working with C3 and EW, where he made Captain. He then went to NTC in Orlando as Chief of Staff. Finally Captain Taylor headed back to VQ-2 as Skipper for one more tour "with that beautiful A-3 aircraft" as he refers to the Whale.

Captain Taylor retired after 39+ years on June 20, 1980 piped ashore in a ceremony at VQ-2. Ironically the A3 also had 39 years of Naval service but that's another story. Capt. Taylor was the last commissioned AP in the Navy. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with Combat V, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Numeral 6, numerous Campaign and Service medals from WWII to Vietnam and on into the Cold War.

A-3 Association Interview with Captain Jack Taylor ("CJ")

A-3 Association: You flew just about every type A-3 produced. What versions did you fly and tell us a little about Douglas and how they supported the mission back then.

CJ: The types of A3's that I flew are as follows. A3D-1 & 2, A3D-1Q, EA-3B, RA-3B, NA-3A, NA-3B, TA-3B, and YRA-3B. I have all the bureau numbers of the A3's (42 of them). There are still four of those A3's in the custody of a commercial company (Raytheon) that are used for research projects that I have flown. The only relationship I had with Douglas was with the Tech Reps in each of the Commands that I was assigned to. VQ-1 (2 times, 5 years total), VQ-2 (3 times / 8 years total) and one tour at Pt. Mugu EW section (4 years) doing equipment testing in the odd ball type of A3's, pylons on the wings and fuselage, an oversized nose radome(144825) and lots of different antennae. During my first tour in VQ-1, I picked up the second new EA3B from the Douglas factory. The first one was picked up by Cdr. Frenchy Surry and was lost somewhere near Wake Island. During the pick-up of these new birds, Douglas had class room instruction on all aspects of the systems for pilots and crew. The Tech Reps were excellent instructors at the squadrons as well. Mr. Dan King, at VQ-2, was considered to be the best that Douglas had.

A-3 Association: Rumor has it that you were even an E-8 and E-9 but that rank wasn't around in 1955?

CJ: You are right about the E-8 & E-9 not being available during my early years. I made E-7 in 1954 when all the AP's that had passed their exam were promoted regardless of the quotas that existed then. When I was Skipper of VQ2 the last time, the CPO's decided that since I had gone from E-1 to E-7, I should be made an Honorary E-8 & E-9.

A-3 Association: The "Golden Age of Jets". What was it like transitioning into them?

CJ: "The Golden Age of Jets"! I flew prop aircraft from 1944 to 1954 both single and multi engine land & sea. My first Jet checkout was in an F3D twin engine night fighter. I was really excited about coming over the field at 300Kts and pulling almost straight up to high altitude. This caused my instructor in the right seat to get an ear block. The next day he came in with one half of his face paralyzed. He had a cold and the fast climb caused the problem. To this day he has a loss of hearing in one ear. The one thing that the early jet pilots had to be careful of was the use of power. It takes a jet engine time to spool up and that caused some problems on landing (field and ship). Once the transition was made to the jets power was controlled much better. As time went on there were much better engines and of course the power increased also. The first A3 engine was under-powered and was changed to the J57-10. In all my 4350 hours in the A3, I never lost an engine. I did ingest a seagull once but didn't know it until we landed after a 4+ hour flight. When the engines stopped, several blades were bent out of shape.

A-3 Association: What were your first and last A-3 flights like and what is your favorite version?

CJ: My first A-3 flight was in A3D-1Q 130363 at VQ-1 in Iwakuni, Japan on 8 Jan 1959. My last flight was in an EA-3B 146453 at VQ-2 in Rota, Spain on 4 Jun 1980. My favorite version is the EA-3B. Not just because of the bird, but also because of the mission it flew. That final flight of mine in that wonderful machine, the EA-3B, is still imprinted on my mind. I sat in that seat for 4300 hours over the years and loved every darn minute of it. It never failed me, mainly because the people that maintained it kept it in perfect shape.

A-3 Association: You flew 144851 around the world. Right after you left VQ-2, 146453 and 146455 did the same. What did you have to do with that mission to the I.O. ?

CJ: Those VQ-2 around the world flights in 453 and 455 were not of my making. I didn't have anything to do with it and to this day no one told me why or where they went.

A-3 Association: Your favorite A/C is the A-3. What is your second most favored bird and why Fly Navy?

CJ: My second most favorite aircraft is the N2S/N3N or Yellow Pearl. It was the most fun airplane to fly and I think most pilots will agree. The answer to your question of why fly Navy is simple - It's exciting, fun, and when on a carrier, as my right seater, Jim Vambell, used to say "The Navy gives you three Hots and a Flop plus they let you fly at night!". In all honesty though, I really loved the VQ mission more than anything and of course the aircraft that performed that mission. Besides the A3, I flew Multi Engine (some were various models of each i.e.: A3A, EA3B, RA3B etc)- P2V - P4M - R4D - R4Y - PBY - PBM - EC121 -EP3E - S2F -SNB JRB. (When I was a mech., I flew as a crew member on the following: ( JRF- J2F - J4F - R4D3 - R5O). Single Engine: Interstate (first solo in training) N2S-N3N-SNV-SNJ-OS2U (L & S)-SC1&2 (L & S) GBTBM-TBF-SB2C-T28-AF-AD-F6F-TV2-F3D-F9F2-4-5-8T-& (SBU Crew member). Lots of sea stories on almost all of them.

A-3 Association: What is it about the A-3 Community's loyalty, camaraderie, and respect for each other that is so hard to explain? Some have never had that same feeling since.

CJ: I am not sure that I can explain it either but will give an opinion. Looking back over my 5 tours in the VQ community and comparing it with all my other tours, I think that the most important thing that stands out in my mind is the Mission. This was completely different from anything that all the other types of aircraft flew. It didn't matter if there was a War going on or if the world was in a peaceful time, we still had a very important mission. There was always some new factor to be looked at and when found by the operators, there was a feeling of great accomplishment. The next feeling that I have is the way we had FUN! All our parties, picnic's, sports etc. were well attended and fun. Then there was the Maintenance of our aircraft. The A3's in particular took a beating going aboard the carriers but they held up quite well. Any accidents were usually caused by some human error and I think all our people were always aware that they were trying to keep from causing any of those accidents. Finally I believe that the Commanding Officer had the responsibility to maintain a very high degree of morale. Of course that is up to the individual CO on how this is accomplished. My theory is to "Work Hard and Play Hard"!! It seems to work most of the time.

A-3 Association: A-3s flew over 39 years in Naval service and are still flying for contractors today. Are you surprised?

CJ: When I retired in 1980, I thought that the A3 was invincible! They were in perfect condition and had a lot of life remaining in them. When '91 came around and I was invited to the retirement of the A-3 over in Rota, It was still a beautiful aircraft and it was hard to realize that it would go to Davis-Monthan. After the ceremony, a PAO gent asked me to let him film me talking to the A3. I did and just walked around the aircraft and really did say "Good Bye". It was even worse when they had the retirement ceremony at Key West. There were about 200 to 300 people there and I was asked to talk about the A-3. I got started and talked about the first model and then my mind went blank. I tried to get out of it by calling Jim Vambell up to talk about the Russian Bear (another story). He gave a short description of the event and sat down. I started to go back but the host CDR. got on with the program. I still regret not saying something about the Crew that flew the last VQ-2 A-3 from Rota to DM. They were the ones that flew the last Combat missions in the A-3 during Operation Desert Storm

A-3 Association: You and hundreds of other Whalers flew on 144825, 146454, 142667, 146449 (FS 446 back) . These birds are still operational, what can replace them?

CJ: A replacement for the A-3? Some of us that worked to build the ES-3B thought that it would be around for quite a while also. Now they (Navy) are going to put those out to pasture. From what I got from those in VQ-6 at Cecil, some of the carriers wouldn't go to sea without them. I just hope that the people in charge know what they are doing. If I were to design one, I think I would ask for a twin engine (newest version); 6 operators, 3 for EW and 3 for Intel plus two pilots - no Navigator since technology takes care of that by pushing buttons on a computer. The aircraft would have to have a fairly long endurance and range. It would have to be a Carrier capable bird and of course not too large to take up space on the flight deck. Avionics would not take up too much space since micro chips & etc. can keep the system small but do an excellent job. Finally, a well trained ground crew to keep everything ship shape and beat the record set by the A-3. AMEN!!

Editors note: Remember the days when we had to hard wire relays for Omni or DF ? I was there in '79 and saw a huge change in our operational capabilities of the EA-3B. Capt. Jack had a tremendous influence on us and on our support organizations. We worked long hard hours, flew everywhere, night qualed on the CVs. I think generally he blew new life into our role as the eyes of the fleet. When we returned from our detachments, Capt. Jack and the squadron greeted us with beer, fun times and a hearty "Bravo Zulu". Captain Taylor, we had a blast, thanks for the good times!

Crossposted at steeljawscribe.com

68 Years ago today...

Caught napping... We vowed to never allow that to happen again... in a post 9-11-2001 world, most would say we forgot that lesson a bit.  Unfortunately our memories may be fading again.

Head over to SteelJaw Scribe's joint for a refresher in December 7, 1941 history.

We all would like to thank our noblest of men and women, our veterans!  These are those among us who have all answered the “Call of Duty.” 

The sacrifices you make so that we may be free, to live a life of our own choosing, our own making, go unrecognized all too often by many caught up in the daily trivialities of life.  Yet, specifically on this day, we call attention where attention is needed.  On those of you who have not shirked the responsibilities of Duty over Self.  And on this day… We Thank You!

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. – Lt.-Col. John McCrae

And… if you have not taken the time to listen to one of the greatest speeches in the annals of American Rhetoric, I highly recommend listening once again to the immortal words of General Douglas McArthur as he addressed the Corps of Cadets at West Point in his acceptance of the Thayer Award and his farewell to the Long Gray Line.  It does not matter what uniform we wear or have worn, his words ring true for all that serve this great country.

Listen here: [link]

…Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.

Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean.

The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.

But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman.

And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory? Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then as I regard him now -- as one of the world's noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give.

He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast. But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage.

As I listened to those songs [of the glee club], in memory's eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs, on many a weary march from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle-deep through the mire of shell-shocked roads, to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of  God.

I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always, for them: Duty, Honor, Country; always their blood and sweat and tears, as we sought the way and the light and the truth.

More…

To all veterans, the Tailhook Daily Briefing thanks you for your service and sacrifice, we here do not need a day set aside every year to remind us, but we are glad their is a day, to remind the rest!

I thought I dedicate this Halloween post to a little paranormal in our Aviation Navy.  Most Tailhookers are not too concerned with ‘Things that go bump in the night”… cuz usually it’s us!

However there are a number of haunting tales told about sightings of strange humanesque shapes walking the passageways of long retired flattops like the Oriskany, the Midway and many others.  However probably the most famous Ghost of an Aircraft Carrier is “Charly” the well mannered, well dressed former sailor of the USS Lexington who perished in a Kamikaze attack on Halloween night 1944 off the coast of the Philippines   .

[Charly]  - a white-uniformed, blue-eyed young seaman who has been known to tell the tales of the ship to museum visitors who have come to tour her. Only this tour guide is a ghost.

Staff of the floating museum call him "Charly". Visitors have often called him helpful. But whatever you call him, the neatly-dressed sailor in white is not part of the museum staff, but reportedly  a former crew member that simply failed to depart the ship after giving up his life…

On a Corpus Christi Caller-Times web site, as many as 200 visitors to the museum have reported encounters with Charly. Without exception, the reports indicate the ghostly seaman is a "polite young man" that seems to share a great deal of information about the Lexington's engine room far below deck.

[More here]

Charly is rumored to primarily frequent the engine spaces and the lower decks of the ship known to the Japanese as “The Gray Ghost” (due to the Japanese, having mistakenly thought they had sunk her no fewer than four times, yet she kept returning).

Charly has become so much of an accepted part of the Lexington’s lore that even a web cam has been installed in the engine spaces.  In one now infamous image taken by this camera, one can possibly make out what appears to be a crewman standing in space.

Many visitors to the ship claim to this day feeling the presence of numerous spirits as they tour the decks.

Visitors say they feel a cold chill when they pass the room and one claimed to have seen something moving around in the darkness of the empty engine room. Another said he saw the engineer’s ghost looking intently at the engine as though trying to fix something.

Others have told stories of feeling something hurriedly push past them, hearing footsteps in the halls, being in the bathroom when the lights turned on and off by themselves and being in bed and feeling the covers beging tugged off them.

Recently, some cadets were staying overnight on the USS Lexington. They got up during the night and ran around the ship on a dare. Running through the engine room, they came face to face with the ghost of the dead crewman.

I’ll leave you all with that image, wishing you all a fun, safe, and Happy Halloween!

If you have any navy ghost stories you’d like to share please feel free to add them to the comments, just click “Comment” below and have at it.

This weekend, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of being on a great email thread of ‘One-Up-manship’.  I thought I’d share with our fellow Tailhookers.

The boys of VA-115 Arabs, pronounced “A-Rabs” (class of ‘70-‘72) have been encouraged at the behest of Dave “Snako” Kelly to tell some of their best Tanker (KA-6D) episodes, or at least whatever they could remember…

This invite has borne some great “There we were… upside down, with the number one flamed out!… no moon, and my BN read’n a girly mag by flashlight!”  tales!  The remembrances have also pointed to the fantastic camaraderie shared by that great squadron during their trials over Vietnam.

Squadron mates the likes of: Jack Keegan, Rob '”Toon” Ponton, Dave “Snako” Kelly, Jim Horsley, Thom Watson, John Koch, Paul Barrish, Mike Nettles, and “Hoagy” Carmichael all chimed in with their memories of flying the “Gas Giving Drumbstick!”

At risk of losing my clearance, I will share a few of these tales… Hell, I did receive the permission from the Skipper and the instigator though, so my butt is partially covered!

It all began with Dave Kelly--

All:  There has been a dialog going on about tanker missions, and some of the associated sea stories.  I really enjoy these, because they really speak to professionalism in Naval Aviation, i.e., whatever the mission you do it the best possible way that it can be done.  There may have been a lot of things about the Navy that I thought were done in a less than optimal way, but the crews in 115 seemed to be particularly adept at completing the mission in the best way possible.  (I think this says a great deal about leadership, because it couldn’t be attributed to all us loose-cannon JOs!)

Skipper Hoagy wrote the following email describing a tanker mission  he and Roger flew where ADJ1 Wells ‘pre-started’ the aircraft for him.  This particularly struck a chord with me, because Wells was one of my guys as Power Plants Branch Officer during the first cruise.  During the second cruise Pat Wells became the Power Plants Flight Deck Trouble-Shooter.  (I imagine this was where he started the Skipper’s plane.)

From Hoagy Carmichael…

Sorta funny how a subject like tanker mission could get so many of us to go look in our log books to see when we flew a tanker mission. Well, I did the same and I did fly a few… believe me I did.

I can only remember one flight that will always be with me. I was the ready tanker pilot one night when we… I think Roger was my BN… were both sitting Ready 5, in full flight gear of course, when we got the call to launch the Ready Tanker. 

Roger and I hightailed to the flight deck. Yep there it was behind the island, tail over the edge and Air Boss telling us to “Hurry Up!!! (are there any other words in an Air Boss’s vocabulary?)

As we approached the plane, we were met by 1st class Wells, he said, “Skipper I have already checked the plane over and started the starboard engine!”

I have to admit, I was a little surprised, but Wells was so good in my eyes, that I didn't think twice and climbed in. As I remember we launched, gave fuel to the Phantoms and recovered on that recovery cycle.  All thanks to the initiative of Pat Wells.

Back to Snake…

I had an experience with Wells on the flight deck that was rather interesting.  I think it was the one and only plane I downed on the Cat.  (And I think, like most of us, if Maintenance said it could fly, then we flew it.)

WARNING - SEA STORY TO FOLLOW (“this is no shit”):  John Koch and I were scheduled for a day Alpha.  We manned-up, taxied to the Cat, and ran up our engines.  We heard a muffled explosion of some kind, and we went to suspend.  Once we were secure Wells came up my ladder, and Bud Wilson came up John’s.  Bud was giving me a violent thumbs up.  I turned to Wells and shouted for his opinion.  Wells gave me a thumbs down.  I turned to Bud and he was glaring at Wells and still violently indicating thumbs up.  At that point I think my Irish temper got the best of me.  I invited Bud to climb into the right seat in John’s place, if he really felt that plane was ready to go. 

…We were then shut down and towed off the Cat.

Petty Officer Wells was really an exceptional sailor.  I never heard from him after I left active duty.  I did write a recommendation for him to go to the Warrant Officer Program, and I know he was accepted into that program.  (If anyone has any contact with him, I would like to touch base.)

Thom Wilson added one from there…

This exchange has caused me to recall various tanker missions, and one stands out – It had nothing to do with the amount of gas passed, however. Bob Wilson and I had gassed up the F-4’s and had the rest of the cycle to kill. Bored, we decided to test the KA-6 service ceiling, and began a slow orbit over the ship gradually increasing altitude – as I recall, we got to about 60,000 feet before positive pressure breathing started –…

Just before we reached 63K or so, we were shocked to see a contrail over our heads – way over our heads, at least another 15-20K above us! The contrail was headed north, and approaching Hainan Island –

We reported what we were observing to the ship – concerned that whatever it was we saw would soon enter Chinese airspace – A few minutes later “Jehovah” came up on the radio, and told us that we had not seen anything and to forget it. We decided it was a SR-71 mission (what else could make that altitude and with complete deniability?)

Then Jack Keegan made the scene with a great tale of how well a cross-decked Air Force exchange puke fared with the A-Rabs!

I'll relate the most interesting tanker hop that I had.  It was during the second cruise and I had an Air Force puke in the right seat (standard drill to get them a cat shot and trap).  We were Barcap and the F4 guys were Mugs and Mike Rabb (LSO) from 161.  As you all know, at that point in the war, the F4 guys were always painting MIGs over the north, but the guys in control would never let them engage.  I can still hear one of the F4 guys telling the control guys (whoever they were) that they had bogeys and wanted permission to engage.  The response was always quick and was always "Negative".  This time, the control guys said "Standby"..I about jumped out of my skin.  You probably remember that they engaged and that Mugs shot down both MIGs.  What you might not know is that he shot the second MIG off Mike's tail and that Mike was freaked because he was out of gas and still over the North. 

This is the good part.  I called Mike and asked him where he was and where he was headed.  I told him that I would rendezvous with him and headed west toward feet dry.  The AF puke went nuts and told me that I couldn't do this because we had no ECM, etc.  Not that I was a smart ass in those days, but I think that I said to him "Watch me!".  We never went feet dry, but were probably in the SAM envelope when he plugged.  The AF puke was ghost white as I remember.  Rob made it back and the ship was actually cooperative as we were cleared straight in from many miles north.

I don't think that many of you knew this story.  Didn't want the old guys (senior officers) to lose any more hair than they already had, so I kept it to myself...

Don't know what happen to the AF puke.

This was not the only yarn to include the infamous Mugs McKuen, as Snake recalls…

I was taking a midi up in the right seat of a KA-6D somewhere in the summer of the 2^nd cruise.  We were suppose to tank the F-4s in the Alpha on their way to the beach.  A whole covey of Charger  F-4s (VF-161) pulled up on my left wing, and there was something very unusual about Charger Lead.  (I would find out later that it was Mugs McKuen).  He gave me a hand-sign to take fuel, and I extended the drogue as he slid in behind me. 

After taking several thousand pounds of fuel, Mugs disengaged, and Charger Two slid into position.  Mugs pulled up on my right wing to wait for the rest of the tanking.  It was at that point I asked the midi to get the side number on the F-4 on our right wing.  The midi turned in his seat, and then he stammered something loudly into the ICS, turned to me, and started waving his arms.  It turns out during this whole evolution, Mugs had his helmet off, and he had donned a full monkey head Halloween mask.  When the midi turned to look at the F-4 all he could see in the front cockpit was a gorilla flying the aircraft.  I guess that sort of blew him away.

Jack Keegan confirms…

I can validate the Mugs Monkey story.  He did the same thing with me and a Middie.  I told the Middie that the fighter losses were heavy and they were training anybody/anything they could...

The legendary Jim Horsley then called out…

TOON—I’d love to hear your rendition of our day overhead tanker flight when directed to give everything we had to boltering Phantoms. You mentioned something about a low fuel light before we ever started down...never saw the ship on the 1^st pass. And the rest of the story??....Toon, over to you!  -JIM

Rob “Toon” Ponton obliged…

Horse et al,

My youngest son says he worries about my wife and me because one of us forgets and the other makes it up.

Couple thoughts:

1. Over the years, I suppose “naïve confidence” or “clueless confidence” may have been applied to my general outlook. But I gotta tell ya, Horse, being crewed with Snake and then you turned a bunch of that confidence into “informed confidence.” Truth to tell, failure simply wasn’t an option for any of us Arabs.

2. I remember saying/thinking something along the lines of “1460 pounds of fuel plus 200/minus 100; the stand pipe’s in the back of the service tank; so being in a descent we got 1660 pounds remaining instead of 1360”.

3. I remember you saying something about “tighten your lap belt and check your face curtain just in case”.

4. As I recall, MIDWAY had the best damned CATCC in the fleet. Didn’t we have to fly case 2 or case 3 all the time following loss of the E-2 at the end of the first deployment? Our controllers were damned good and would set us up well. A “short turn in” was no problem for them or for us.

5. You stayed on the instruments and my eyes were outside.

6. Fuzz was on the platform. His “roger ball” call would calm any “wobbly knees”.

7. Finally, as you well know, I was blessed with a short memory, so “interesting flights” were quickly forgotten, but only after completing Spook’s award folder notes.

For whatever reason, I’ve come to realize the VA-115 Arabs were something special. For all of our individual failings, be it a forgotten MR switch; forgotten external light switch at night, “feet dry” or selecting “nose” vice “tail” on the ACU panel resulting in 12 snake eye retards vice slick, we made us some quality history.

Toon

Well, there you have a taste, many more tales were exchanged and I may be inclined to add a few in the future...  I would like to thank all of the Arabs for sharing pieces of our Naval Aviation History!

I also extend the invite to any other squadron to share your tales here on our pages, especially as we approach the Centennial of Naval Aviation in 2011, we will then all be called on to help share our heritage!

If you have any tales you would like to share, please feel free to email me directly {here} -- JC

Note:  Many of the images used to help tell these tales are from Buzz Nau’s great USS Midway Historical Site CV41.org a wonderfully nostalgic visit for all you former USS Midway and Airwing 5 guys.