TAC attack

February 1976 Parachuting Techniques page 4

TAC ATTACK FEBRUARY 1976 VOLUME 16 NUMBER 2

FOR EFFICIENT TACTICAL AIR POWER

TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

FERTURES GENERAL ROBERT J . DIXON

COMMANDER
PARACHUTING TECHNIQUES •••••••••••••••• 4
MOODY AFB- TAC'S NEW FIGHTER BASE ••10 LT GENERAL SANFORD K. MOATS
VICE COMMANDER
Dl ••••••••••••••·•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••12
1ST TFW WELCOMES THE F-15 ••••••••••16
CLASSICS FROM THE CLASSROOM ••••••••• 22

DEPRRTffiENTS
Angle of Attack ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 COL JOHN F. RHEMANN
CHIEF OF SAFETY
Phyz Biz•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••15
MAJ JOE TILLMAN
Chock Talk •••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••• • 18 EDITOR

TAC Tips •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 20 CAPT MARTY STEERE

ASSTEDITOR
Aircrewman of Distinction •••••••••••••••••••• 25
STAN HARDISON
Fleaglegrams •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 26 ART EDITOR

Safety Awards •••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••.••• 28 MARY KONOPNICKI

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Letters•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••29
TSGT JAMES R. LONG
TAC Tally •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 31 LA'yOUT PRODUCTION
TACRP 127·1
Articles, accident briefs, and associated material In this magazine are non-directive In nature. All suggestions and recommendations
are Intended to remain within the scope of existing directives. Information used to brief accidents and Incidents does not Identify the
persons, places, or units Involved and may not be construed as Incriminating under Article 31 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Names, dates, and places used In conjunction with accident stories are fictitious. Air Force units are encouraged to republish the material
contained herein; however, contents are not for public release. WrUttm permission m1,1st be obtained from HQ TAC before material may be
republished by other than Department of Defense organizations.
Contributions of articles, photos, and Items of Interest from personnel In the field are encouraged, as are comments and criticism. We
reserve the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity and readability. Direct communication Is authorized with: The Editor, TAC ATTACK,
HQ TAC/SEPP , Langley AFS. Va. 23665. Autovon 432-2937
Distribution FX. Controlled by SEPP.
 Angle of
ATTACK Which Kind?

COL. J.D. MOORE

Chief of Safety

While drafting this, my tenth and last attempt at There is an unfortunate misconception among
words of wisdom from this office, I reflected on the some to the effect that " Safety has the accidents. "
nine previous efforts. The first one, May, appeared The fallacy is apparent. You do not blame safety
prophetic in some ways. Nothing really profound or people for accidents. They cannot save some clod
too original was written - just a few " hard who is unwittingly determined to practice self-
sayin 's." Events, however, proved them to be even destruction , mayhem or manslaughter. Safety folks
more accurate than expected . But then , so did the can look for hazards, advise the un informed and
previous history upon which the " sayin 's" were teach the uneducated about accident prevention ,
based- and that proves once again that hindsight but only if the audience is receptive . Those that are
is belated brilliance! not receptive , of course, have to be classified as ac-
These past ten months have been rather demand- cidents looking for places to happen.
ing , safetywise, as many of you will agree. Despite The real first line of defense against accidents is
our favorable comments on 1975 in last month 's individual common sense reinforced by leadership
AOA, we are still acutely aware of the sustaining from all levels of supervision . Our accidents, a//
essentiality for improving our performance. In order kinds , are real horror stor ies of ignorance ,
to do so , all of us must be involved . carelessness and supervisory failure. Ninety-seven
You may recall these words: accidental deaths in TAG during 1975 resulted
" People prevent accidents. " from everything from aircraft crashes to drownings.
" Conscientious supervision and disciplined Indescribable human suffering! Incalculable cost!
performance are essential to accident prevention . Why? Because some people cause accidents as
Both are people factors. " well as other people prevent them . Which kind of
" There is no mystique to safety ; it is simply person are you?
doing the job right. " I leave this job for another, which wi II afford me
" Don 't do anything dumb." an even greater challenge - practicing what I
Ad nauseum! No encouragements, admonitions, preach . We welcome Colonel John F. Rhemann , a
rewards or" penalties that can be devised will pre- dedicated TAG man , to the Chief of Safety chair.
vent accidents unless every single one of us recog- Remember: The mission- professionally, effec-
nizes and accepts the personal and professional tively, safely!
responsibility to be safe. Have a good one! ..;:>

Editor's Note:
Colonel John F. Rhemann took over as T AC Chief of Safety on 14 Jan 1976.
Colonel Rhemann has an extensive fighter aircraft background , having flown
more than 350 combat sorties in the SB-2C , T-6, F-100 and A-7D. His staff posi-
tions have included squadron ops officer, squadron commander, wing assistant
DO, wing DO, wing vice commander and numbered air force DO . He also
served four years as a Plans and Programming Officer in the Command Plans
Branch , Director of Plans at HQ USAF and a tour as Director of Contingen-
cy/Exercise Plans at HQ TAC .
Check next month 's Angle of Attack for a sample of Col Rhemann 's safety
philosophy .

TAC ATIACK 3
 to descend at a rate of approximately 18 feet per se-
cond or the mathematical equivalent of 5-1 /2 foot fall.
Some of our egress systems, when put to use at

PARACHUTE high altitudes, carry the crew member (drogue

retarded in the Martin Baker) to a reasonable
parachute opening altitude- approximately 10-15,-

TECHNIQUES 000 feet. Other systems require extended free-fall by

the individual. No matter how it's done, anyone who
leaves an aircraft at high altitude must pass quickly
through the hostile environment where he is exposed

FOR to lack of oxygen and low temperatures . Another

problem with high altitude ejections, less obvious to
most jocks, is the associated high terminal velocity

AIR CREWS
(approximately 130 KIAs-or 200 KTAS-plus at 30,000
feet) which will produce severe opening shock- ap-
proximately 25 Gs at 30,000 feet.
FREE FALL
Free fall , as I have mentioned, is an alien environ-
ment. In truth , however, it's generally not as unplea-
sant as one might think. The sensation of hurtling your
pink body at the ground really does not exist until you
get close to the ground . It's really more like floating
than falling , but deep in your heart you know that you
are really rushing to earth. Expect to be moderately
panicked at the thought- you may even " brown out."
However, try not to lose control of your ability to think
By Maj Allan R. Homstead and function . On nonautomatic systems, you will have
Chief, Life Support Branch, Hq TAC to pull the ripcord yourself. You will, no doubt, be
looking for some cue as to when- 10,000 feet MSL
is a good average except over very high terrain. If
you're wondering, look closely at the ground- if you
can discern color or distinguish objects like vehicles
on a highway, it's probably time to pull the ripcord .
When in doubt- whip it out! Better too soon than
In the normal course of inflight escape or ejection too late. Only experience can teach you to accurately
from an aircraft, there is a phase where the aircrew judge altitude- so play it safe on the high side.
member descends by parachute to the surface of the You want to fall in a stable attitude . This will be
earth . (We have no recorded instances to the contra- difficult on your first try, but if you can stabilize yourself
ry). Although this article is aimed at aircrews, some it will make your fall much safer and far more comfor-
of the following info may serve as a refresher course table. One of the problems of being unstable is that
for those who jump for a living- or just for the sport of you may auto-rotate, perhaps violently. A falling body
it. Unfortunately, too many crew members in the past has a natural tendency to spin in a back-to-earth posi-
have failed to hack the program in this landing phase tion . This is guaranteed to completely disorient you
and have suffered serious injury and even death. and can even be incapacitating. It's also an excellent
Many of the losses in this area result from lack of set-up for a parachute malfunction or an entangle-
knowledge. This article will attempt to provide you ment injury during 'chute deployment. OK, you 're con-
with a better understanding of the fundamentals and vinced you want to fall stable, but how? Spread out,
techniques of parachuting and increase your odds for arch your back, move your arms back to about 45°,
survival. sort of like the leading edge of a delta wing . If you hold
GENERAL INFORMATION this position for a few seconds you should end up face
Almost every conventional escape system in pre- to earth and reasonably stable. You may be turning
sent use utilizes the old , reliable C-9 parachute one way or the other because of body assymetry, but
canopy. Regardless of how or when it's deployed , you at least you'll be right side up. Once you are face
will ultimately ride one each orange, white, brown and down , this position will be much easier to hold
sage green, 28-foot, flat circular, 1.1 oz per yard , high because of air pressure.
porosity canopy to the ground, water, trees or If you happen to be in a situation where you have to
whatever. Its 800 square feet of material will allow an "do it yourself" with the ripcord, be sure to look at the
average bear (175 lbs) on a standard day at sea level ripcord as you go for it (your hand naturally follows the

4 FEBRUARY 1976
 eye). Look at it, grasp it securely, extract it from its
pocket or holder and pull vigorously! Note: If you are
not enjoying stability and are tumbling at parachute
opening, the "airborne" body position with arms
tucked in and legs together will help preclude
man/parachute entanglement. OK, now you've pulled
the npcord- with any luck, this will signal an end to
your free fall.
PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT
Parachutes in present use are deployed by various
means- some are conventionally deployed by pilot
'chute extraction , some are ballistically deployed or
extracted and/or ballistically spread . St1ll others are
mechanically extracted as in the case of the Martin-
Baker assembly. Regardless of how they are
deployed , some things are common to virtually all
parachute deployments.
Openmg shock (technically a combmation of
snatch force and opening shock) is governed by a
number of factors such as airspeed at deployment,
size of the parachute canopy (the smaller the canopy
area, the faster it develops, all other things bemg
equal), type of deployment system , separation of Blown panels. These occur most frequently during
snatch force and openmg , etc. The apparent opening high-speed deployments. Unless numerous complete
shock, or the yank that your old bod feels is a different panels in the high pressure area (upper port1ons of
story. If you happen to be on your head or ups1de canopy) are blown , your pulse rate will probably mcur
down as you get opening shock, a fa1rly low "G" a greater increase than your descent rate. All you can
opening may really smart, especially if you get an arm really do IS stay "cool" and prepare for a firm landmg .
or leg caught 1n a riser or suspension line. Max1mum
opening loads vary from about 4-1 /2 to about 10 Gs,
depending on conditions. Fortunately the peak load
only occurs for a very brief period of time. (Peak nor-
mally occurs as inflation reaches the lower lateral
band). As soon as you have recovered from the open-
ing shock, you should check the condition of the
canopy and assess your general situation . Th1s may
be a little difficult at night, but usually there is enough
light to make a cursory check of your canopy.
MALFUNCTIONS
Statistically, parachute malfunctions are fairly rare,
but if you happen to be one of those "unlucky guys,"
statistiCS are little consolation. Malfunctions come in a
great many forms and magnitudes. I will address the
common garden variety that you can do something
about. First, remember that anytime you experience a
malfunction of any kind , disregard the 4-lme release.
To actuate these with some malfunctions may ·mduce Mae West (part1al Inversion). By far the most com-
an oscillation or canopy rotation and aggravate an mon problem , th1s malfunction comes in various
already senous condition . forms and degrees and IS named for the bra-like
Streamers (fa1lure of the canopy to inflate). For- shape the canopy frequently takes on . What has really
tunately, this IS very rare and is generally caused by a happened is that part of the canopy has tried to mvert
"hang up" or entanglement at the skirt of the canopy upon inflation. When this occurs, one or more lmes
or lower lateral band. Try tak1ng hold of the nsers and are pulled over the top of the canopy dividing it into
jerk them alternately. This may "shake it loose" and lobes (bra cups). When a canopy Inverts dunng
cause deployment- at th1s pomt you had better give deployment, there is usually some degree of material
it all you've got because you 've got nothing to lose but fusion because nylon has a very low melting po1nt and
your life. can eas1ly be fnction burned. If the line is not severely

TACATIACK 5
PARACHUTE
fused to the canopy, it can sometimes be pulled off by
pulling vigorously on the suspension lines that sup-
port the smallest lobe. If this exercise doesn't work,
break out your trusty-rusty MC-1 knife and cut the
lines which travel over the top. Make sure you have
the right ones! Cutting 3 or 4 lines will not seriously

NO WIND

smoke, leaves, dust, flags , laundry, ripples or waves

on the water or even your own ground travel once yo.u
get down close. These indications will give you a hint
as to the wind speed as well as direction if you study
them. Smoke is easy to read. Dust probably means a
fairly strong blow! Tree leaves will turn at just a slight
affect the canopy- just use this cut in place of the 4- breeze. If the light branches are waving, it's generally
line release. It may cause the canopy to glide side- 10-15 knots. If the trees are bowing to the wind and
ways or backward , but you'll get used to it. No matter thrashing - prepare for an exciting landing. More
which way you're going it's better than spinning in about those later. If, after sizing up the situation, a
under a malfunction. This malfunction is survivable, need to travel exists - start early. To avoid large
so don 't panic. obstacles such as towns, woods, lakes and bad guys,
etc, it will take some altitude. So plan ahead.
CANOPY CONTROL
To translate 3-4 MPH in more usable terms, here is
The C-9 canopy is sort of an "oldie but goodie." It
has been around for a long time and the procedures a little vector analysis:
18 FPS - approximately 12 MPH.
for controlling it are well established. Crew members
are sometimes reluctant to attempt any modification
or do any fooling around with a good parachute HORIZONTAL SPEED
canopy. They allow as how a man "should
. - 4 MPH
leave well enough alone" once the canopy is open.
These people perhaps do not understand the facts, or VERTICAL
;. WHAT THIS AMOUNTS TO, IS THAT
SPEED
realize what a formidable threat a group of power 12 MPH "'~ YOU ARE TRAVELING I FOOT
lines, fence rows and buildings (or even just a mess of ~~ FORWARD FOR EVERY 3 FEET YOU
cholla), can present when hanging under a parachute ~~ _.... DESCEND ·· OR A 1 TO 3 ( .33)
GLIDE RATIO .
canopy. If your imagination can picture what you will
look and feel like after a bout with just one little old
cholla cactus, you will want to make your 'chute
steerable! In the above case, every thousand feet of altitude you
Four-line release and pull down vent lines. The im- descend, you can travel laterally a little more than the
proved stability and slightly reduced rate of descent length of a football field- with no wind . Figure it out
associated with the 4-line release have already been -just a common everyday 8 MPH breeze will allow
mentioned. But, let's look at the maneuvering you a 1-to-1 glide ratio heading downwind. Not all that
capabi Iity of the C-9 canopy. To put it in perspective, if
you open at 10,000 feet AGL on a calm day (and im- HORIZONTAL CANOPY WIND SPEED
mediately make the 4-line release), you can travel SPEED 4 MPH 8 MPH
horizontally almost 3/4 of a mile in any direction. Wind
will alter the pattern of things and make the area width
in which you could conceivably land into an oval in-
stead of a circle with its axis oriented down the wind TOTAL
line. The stronger the wind, the longer the oval. It may DESCENT 12 MPH
be difficult for a novice under the canopy to judge ex- 12 MPH
actly how far he might go in a given direction on a par-
ticular day. Reading wind speed and direction for
steering purposes is not as difficult as it may sound.
You need be only moderately perceptive to see

6 FEBRUARY 1976
 bad!! If you dig trig, you 'll notice you've got a glide Let's say you observe yourself drifting toward a
angle of 45° - look down and project yourself to hazard (like a village full of gomers), but you are pre-
safety. Safety, in some cases, may not be avoiding sently safely out " over the gulf. " You would much
water or obstacles - quite the contrary. Trees are prefer to land out in water where the chopper can get
generally the place to go in the combat situation and you than near the unfriendlies. You wish you could go
in high winds. Open water is frequently even better. straight down, but the diurnal convergance (onshore
There is much to be said for flexibility in selecting breeze) has got you. Turn the canopy to face away
landing spots. The real value of steerability is often from the village. Climb the front risers and "pull them
found close to the ground , like when you're just about deep into your chest" as they say at Fort Benning . If
to take out a barbed wire fence or some power lines. you have a cross-connector strap, it makes a great
Here, just a few feet of movement at the right time can handle. Th is will increase the canopy's forward speed
literally save your butt. Here's how: against the wind and significantly increase the rate of
Once you have a good parachute canopy over your descent by shifting the center of pressure aft and dis-
head and have assessed the situation, it's time to torting the canopy skirt to increase the vent of air from
make the 4-line release. Reach up and secure the red the modification . The more you pull, the faster you go
loops on the risers in each hand, then yank them -forward and down! The front of the canopy will furl
sharply- a couple times if necessary. As the lines and with great vigor you can climb far enough to vir-
release , the canopy will surge forward slightly and tually collapse the canopy. Then you really go down.
probably furl the leading edge slightly. It will quickly When released , the canopy will quickly recover to
settle into a nice, stable, steady-state 3-4 MPH glide- normal. Some " steering " of the front risers may be re-
in at the direction you are pointing . Turning can be ac- quired to maintain direction. The canopy turns the op-
complished quite simply by pulling on the red loops posite direction of the front riser pulled . Because of
or risers . Pull the right rear riser and you get a right the high descent rates available with this slip, it is
turn - left rear riser gives you a left turn . The rate of recommended that it be "let off" well before
turn depends on how hard you pull- the harder you touchdown , especially if you are over land. DON'T
pull , the faster you turn, If you happen to have one of MANEUVER TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND!
the parachute assemblies that has a cross-connector Other Slips
strap, such as the Martin Baker or Douglas Escapac, Lateral slips have no real value with a steerable
your steering authority will be considerably restricted . canopy; however, if you are riding your C-9 " flat" (un-
It takes an armful of riser to produce a turn of reasona- modified) for some reason , a slip of sorts can be used
ble rate. You can do two things to rectify this limited to damp oscillations. If you grab a handful of riser on
steering authority: One, you can break out your trusty- the side of the canopy that you are swingir;Jg tpward
rusty MC-1 (or suitable substitute) and cut the rear and just as you approach the height of the swing, pull
cross-connector strap thereby allowing you to dis- down the skirt, the canopy's center of pressure will be
place the risers to a much greater degree, or you can shifted and will dampen the oscillation. Let slips off
climb the appropriate riser to reach the suspension slowly or you will re-induce the oscillation . Practice
line group- then climb the suspension line group to this while you are high so that you are stable by the
effect steering . With a handful of suspension line, you time you get close to the ground.
can really turn! Turning can also be accomplished or Parachute Landings
augmented by pulling the opposite front riser. Now There is probably more erroneous information on
that you know how to turn, let's try some slips and this critical phase of a parachute jump than all the
other tricks you may have heard from the " 5-jump other phases put together. This phase is the one
commandos " with novice " blaster" wings on their where you frequently win or lose the ball game, so it
chest. behooves you to avail yourself of the ungarbaged
Slip to the Rear word .
With a steerable (4-line release) canopy, this slip Normal Landings
has little or no value at altitude and should be per- If there is any such thing as a normal landing from
formed carefully at low altitude. What it can do for you, an emergency parachute jump, it's when you land on
is slow your forward speed without significantly ag- flat, open , nonhostile terrain with reasonable condi-
gravating your rate of descent by shifting the center of tions prevailing. Many variables affect the landing im-
pressure of the canopy forward and reducing the spill pact, such as pressure altitude, temperature, sus-
of air from the rear of the canopy. Skilled parachutists pended load and wind . As previously mentioned , an
use this procedure to perform stand-up landings. average bear on a NASA standard day at sea level
When its execution is properly timed, it will slow the descends at 16-18 FPS or the mathematical
canopy just as the jumper is touching down. Neat equivalent of a 5-1/2 foot fall. Raise the temperature,
stuff, right- for experts! pressure altitude or increase the suspended load
Slip to the Front (mass of your a -) and the rate of descent is in-
Now here's one that you can do something with. creased accordingly. This increase, although ap-

TAC ATIACK 7
 PARACHUTE - depth perception is extremely poor over open
water. Unsuspecting souls have been known to cut
preciable, probably will not hurt you until you near the away hundreds of feet in the air, thinking they were
extreme. (Like above 10,000 feet , or 120° F and over just about to hit. A belly flapper from a couple hundred
250 lbs body weight). The variable that really feet can really smart. If you jettison your canopy
becomes significant is wind. A little goes a long, long quickly after entering the water, you won't be dragged.
way. If you relate back to the vector analysis offered in If you do get dragged, remember your water survival
the portion on maneuvering, you can see that extend- training and drag on your back, bent at the waist and
ing the horizontal vector quickly stretches the hy- legs apart. The whole thing is a lot more fun if you can
potenuse which represents your actual impact, breathe. Generally, the only time you will get dragged
speed, and angle. Surface winds in excess of 15 is if you are physically incapacitated or otherwise una-
knots or so pose a special problem to be discussed ble to release the canopy. If by some remote chance
later. If at all possible, you should attempt to land fac- the canopy falls over your head, do not dismay - you
ing into the wind, thereby reducing your ground can easily breathe under it or even through it if
necessary. Don't let claustrophobia spoil your
FACING DOWNWIND FACING UPWIND
GROUND SPUD chances of survival. The biggest problem is entangle-
WIND CANOPY
WIND CANOPY ment - just be deliberate and untangle yourself
10 MPH 4 MPH ID MPH
< -4 (Remember - follow a seam to the skirt of the
canopy). Water makes for a nice soft lancing, but can
14 MPH 6 MPH
10 MPH
SURFACE
/a, GROUND GROUND proauce serious complications. So be prepared.
SPEED SPUD
WIND V Tree Landings
X Trees are a fairly common proposition in emergen-
cy parachuting, since much of the world's land mass
is covered with them. They are frequently a good
place to go in combat, but f you don't watch out, you
speed by the forward speed of the canopy. Do not, may get a "sharp stick in the eye" or a lower orifice. If
however, become so intent on an "upwind landing" you're sure it's "treesville," there is some advantage
that you "ding" into an obstacie that you could have to dropping your survival kit just prior to going in. It
avoided by turning downwind. A face full of cholla or a will preclude your kit from "hanging up" in an inac-
barbed wire neck tie is a high price to pay for a few cessible place - perhaps leaving you dangling by
MPH reduction in ground speed. Consider your situa- the lanyard. Discard your oxygen mask and lower
tion carefully. The ability to steer the parachute your visor. Cover your face with your hands. Unless
canopy is an extremely valuable asset. but only when you want an unscheduled vasectomy, keep your legs
utilized properly. together - tightly! If you can, back into the trees.
Another factor bearing heavily on landing impact is When you're securely hung in the tree of your choice,
oscillation (angle of the dangle). If you are on the gather your wits before you make any moves. Make
downward swing of the oscillation as you impact the damn sure you are securely hung! If you don't have a
ground, considerable force can be added. You will hit lowering device, you may be able to swing yourself to
like a proverbial "ton of crap," usually at an awkward a limb or the trunk of the tree and climb down.
angle to boot. This should be impetus to make the 4- Whatever you do, be careful. It would be a shame to
line release so as to minimize oscillation. It also survive the jump only to get class-sixed falling from a
means that you should cease steering or violent slip- tree!
ping well before ground contact as these maneuvers Power Lines
tend to induce oscillation. High tension power transmission lines occasionally
Water Landings have a way of creeping in between you and the
The secret of safely landing in the "drink" is PRE- ground. They pose a definite threat, especially in ur-
PARATION. If you do not have flotation equipment ban areas built before the age of underground utility
ready when you splash down, you may end up in Davy lines. If there are wires in the area, do your very best to
Jones' locker. Get your LPUs inflated before you get steer and avoid them, for there is a good chance of
to the water. * The survival kit should also be deployed getting zapped. Unavoidable power lines are best
- this will, hopefully, inflate your life raft. Carefury negotiated in the streamline position - hands and
open canopy release covers, if applicable, and pre- arms extended up inside the risers, feet together. The
pare to release the canopy on impact with the water. trick is to slip through without shorting out a few thou-
Do not, however, cut it loose before your feet are wet sand volts. Good luck, for if you don't hang up your-

Incidentally, a "G" suit makes an excellent makeshift time and unzipping. If plugged and orally inflated, simply
flotation device. It can be removed from your legs while sticking your arms through the knee holes will make you a
hanging under the canopy by unfastening one leg strap at a neat set of water wings.
 self, your survival kit probably will (if you don 't drop it), be careful not to release the canopy before you touch
possibly leaving you in a very compromising position. down. If you think a " belly flapper" into the water is
Do yourself a favor and avoid all power lines to begin bad deal ...
with. Night Landings
Mountain Landings Night parachute jumps pose a unique problem.
Mountains too, are frequently a dandy place to go in Even though it's dark out- things are usually not as
a combat environment; however, few things are as for- " black" as they seem. Unless it's a really -dark and
midable as a hillside just bristling with jagged rocks . dreary night, you should have enough ambient light to
Not much you can do, but fend with your feet and pray discern the condition of your canopy. Towns and high-
a lot. If you're going into the hills, there is frequently a ways are generally obvious for their lights (in
distinct advantage to making it to the trees - pro- peacetime) and can mean fairly rapid assistance-
vided you 're not above the timberline. Mountains the kind of assistance you don 't need in combat. On
often have strong and squirrely winds that can really moonless nights, you will usually be tricked into think-
slam you in and drag you over the rocks. Snow ing you 're going to land before you do. The tops of
abounds in the high country which often leaves you corn tassles or weeds give the appearance of firm
wondering how far underneath it the rocks lie. Hope ground under low light. When your feet grope for the
for a deep drift. ground , it will still be a few feet away and, at best, an
High Wind Landings ungraceful landing is usually the result. On an op-
Strong winds are a very common threat to the in- timistic note -winds are generally much lighter at
trepid aviator turned parachutist, and realistically night.
pose the most serious problems. Before you have PARACHUTE LANDING FALLS (PLFs)
been pulled very far by your parachute, you will dis- There are a number of different " approaches" to
cover why some Indians favored " dragging" as a parachute landings. The old jump school solution
means of torture. It will literally beat hell out of you in stressed the five (5) points of contact- balls of feet,
very short order, and provide you with some very side of calf, thigh , lower back, and latissmus dorsi (or
crude sandpaper surgery. There are many ways to push-up muscle). Unfortunately, attempts at the five-
help avoid being injured by dragging. They are worthy point landing frequently are inadvertently abbreviated
of your consideration before you find yourself in the to three points - toes, knees, nose or heels, butt,
situation . First, how do you know the wind is blowing head . I consider the conventional PLF to be much like
and how do you tell its direction? Before you get very judo techniques - very effective if you 're practiced
close to the ground, it should be fairly obvious. The in- up. If not, perhaps a simplier method would be more
dicators discussed earlier - smoke, leaves, dust, appropriate. Realistically speaking , if you attempt to
laundry and your ground speed should tell you direc- land in the same natural manner that you would use it
tion and velocity if you " read the signs." Trees bowing you fell off your porch or bar stool or wt-)atever else
to the wind , dirt and dust or snow stripping off an open you 're accustomed to falling off of, remembering just
field or smoke streaking over the ground should aH in- two things- feet together and elbows in , you stand
dicate that you 've got trouble. Like most everything an excellent chance of walking away. You may have
else in aviation or parachuting , the secret to success heard the " five-jump commandos " say to keep your
is preparation . Look it over and decide how bad it eyes on the horizon and don 't look at the ground
really is- remember trees and water are havens in a (mostly BS). When your pink body is descending to
really strong wind. If you can find a hedgerow that will earth, you will (and should) be looking down. The
snag your canopy before you drag very far, it may secret is to not look straight down- this causes poor
help. Try to keep in mind how hard you 'll hit that depth perception . Try about a 45° angle- this will let
hedgerow if you land on it instead of in front of it. For you see where you are going, but will not encourage a
moderate winds, turn to face into it {thereby reducing case of " ground rush ." Avoid "anticipating " the
your ground speed) and prepare to release the ground by attempting to retract your legs or stiffening
canopy immediately upon touchdown . If you have a up. Landing is a very critical phase of the jump where
parachute with a cross-connector strap, consider a great many people are injured - many un-
breaking out your trusty-rusty MC-1 {that you always necessarily.
carry- right?) and cut both straps. This will allow the CONCLUSION
canopy to be collapsed by the release of only one fit- It is said that "fear is born of ignorance." Miscon-
ting . You may want to open the canopy release ceptions about parachuting abound among aviators.
covers, if applicable. Just in case you do get dragged , Unfortunately, education will not completely dispel all
be sure to roll on your back- it will help to keep you fear, as there is a bit of " clutch factor" inherent in all
handsome and make it a lot easier to actuate your types of falling . Education can, however, improve your
canopy releases, which incidentally should be a prim- chances of living to fly another day. Know about your
ary consideration. Just as when landing in the water, parachute- your fanny literally hangs on it! _;::-

TAC ATIACK 9
A NEW HOME FOR TAC FIGHTERS ••

Lt Colonel Ardern is a 1963 graduate of the

AF Academy and attended UPT at Williams
AFB. Bill flew Thuds in SEA, with over 150 mis-
sions " up north." Upon his return , he instructed
at the F-.105 RTU at McConnell AFB. After pick-
ing up a Master's degree through AFIT, Bill
served a tour working at air-to-air fighter
weapons performance analysis at the Pen-
tagon . He then went to the Armed Forces Staff
College at Norfolk, VA, and after his F-4
checkout, back to SEA as the Assistant Opera-
tions Officer/Wing Executive Officer of the 432d
TFW at Udorn. Returning stateside, Lt Col Ar-
dern is now serving as Chief of Safety with the
347th TFW.

By Lt Col Bill Ardern

Chief of Safety, 347th TFW

A II you fighter types, take note. Ninth Air Force primary, and basic flying programs. Since then,
spread its wings to make room for a peachy new TAC Moody has produced 4,432 pilots. The first Cessna
base in friendly south Georg ia. With plenty of warm T-37 jet trainer arrived in early 1961 and was followed
sunshine, fresh air, and near a community with the by the T-38. Until recently, more than 150 T-37 and
motto, "There are no strangers in Valdosta," Moody T-38 aircraft were stationed at Moody.
AFB joined the Tactical Air Command team. Moody's new wing, the 34 7th TFW, had its origins in
In ceremonies on 1 Dec 75 at Moody AFB, GA, ATC the Pacific during WWII. The 347th TFW's P-39 and
turned over the reins of command to TAC. The 38th P-40 pilots were credited with downing 225 enemy
Flying Training Wing was officially deactivated and aircraft. Before the unit was inactivated after the war, it
Moody became the home of the 347th Tactical Fighter had produced seven " aces". The unit was reactivated
Wing. in 1968 and flew F-4Cs at Yokota, Japan, and later at
Moody has trained pilots for nearly 34 years, with Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. The 347th was equipped
over 1,215,000 flying hours logged . The first active with F-111 As at Takhli , Thailand in 1973 and subse-
duty personnel were assigned to Moody in 1941 with quently was moved to Korat, Thailand , where it was
the Beech AT-10 as their first trainer. During the '50s, once again inactivated in June of 1975. It has now
Moody trained pilots in the F-89D (Scorpion) and the been equipped with F-4E aircraft. Two tactical fighter
F-94C (Starfire), both all-weather interceptors, as well squadrons, the 68th and 70th, with impressive histor-
as the F-86. ies dating back to WWII, are assigned to the 347th.
In April1961 , the Air Force combined the preflight, For those who may wish to stop in and see the new

10 FEBRUARY 1976
••••••

...Moody AFB

look of TAC at Moody, a word about the base. Moody feeding and roosting locations. Additionally, larger
has two parallel 8,000-foot runways with TACAN and birds of prey regularly soar through approach and
VOR located on the field . ILS, PAR, and ASR are traffic pattern routes throughout the day. During local
available from either direction. Barriers and arresting flying operations, an active bird watch is maintained .
gear include the MA-1 A and BAK-12. Construction of At other times, it pays to check with tower or RAPCON
a munitions storage area and engine test cell are in and keep your head out.
progress, so be sure to check the NOTAMs prior to With aggressive programs as well as individual
your departure for Moody. Changes to the BAK-12 ar- awareness and involvement, Moody has compiled 13
resting gear will be taking place over the next several months of accident-free flying under ATC and earned
months. the USAF Flight Safety Certificate. TAC welcomes the
Local airspace is shared with other traffic which 1900 ATC people at Moody who contributed to this
deserves mention. Interstate Highway 1-75 runs north achievement and have changed hats to become
and south through Valdosta and serves as a conve- members ofT AC's newest wing. With a reputation for
nient navaid for light aircraft en route to and from professionalism, these " old heads" are working
Florida beaches - keep an eagle-eye out for closely with newer arrivals to provide a safe, smooth
bugsmashers. transition to F-4 operations at Moody AFB. You are in-
Nature's air force puts on regularly scheduled air vited to come visit the 347th and see TAC 's newest
shows, morning and evening, throughout the fall and addition . ~
winter months as flocks of blackbirds move between

TACATIACK 11
 *di

By Lt Col Gerald B. Hurst

Commander, 834th CES
Hurlburt Field, Florida
"TOPSY 42, 5 MILES FROM TOUCHDOWN, AP- tain Stick's engine flamed out! Two seconds later, Joe
PROACHING GLIDEPATH. WHEELS SHOULD BE had analyzed the situation, tucked his chin in and
DOWN ... " Out of force of habit, Captain Joe Stick ejected from his doomed aircraft. If no one told you
visually rechecked his gear and flap indicators and the end result of this true saga, could you
pressures. " . .. BEGIN DESCENT . . . " Stick inched mathematically determine the odds for or against Joe
his power back and began the descent. " .. . ON Stick's survival? Or even the probability of the acci-
GLIDEPATH AND SLIGHTLY LEFT OF CEN- dent occurring at all? The folks in flight safety shops
TERLINE ... TURN RIGHT THREE DEGREES TO have used mathematics extensively for many years,
ZERO SEVEN FOUR . ... " With a deft tap on the rud- but their efforts have been primarily aimed at compil-
der, Joe picked up the required heading and con- ing statistics and presenting trend analyses. Pro-
tinued his final approach . His eyes rapidly scanned cessed data has been used as the basis for corrective
the instruments as he applied minute changes in con- actions, to define systematically areas of required
trol stick pressures . " . .. ONE MILE FROM safety emphasis, to bring about procedural changes
TOUCHDOWN ... ON GLIDEPATH ... ON CEN- and to identify those units which have attained envia-
TERLINE . .. TURN LEFT .... " And that's when Cap- ble goals in flight safety achievement. Ever since

12
* Factor of Decision Irreversibility
FEBRUARY 1976
 Lieutenant Selfridge became the first military flying sions, each leading him closer to a situation of com-
casualty and the number "one" was entered on some plete irreversibility. The value of di might be visualized
statistician's roster, there has been a continuous flow as a cone in which, upon entering at the apex, the
of data reflecting cause and effect in the formidable value would be small . As one progressed further, a
campaign to make flying a safer pursuit. point would be reached where the value would be so
With all this affinity for numbers, we might think that great that reversal of the accident process would be
the guys in flight safety would attempt to make use of impossible and an accident would be inevitable.
today's advanced mathematics and computer tech- Stated in polite alert hangar lingo, our pilot has en-
nology toward the ultimate goal of accurately predict- tered a region not unlike that of beginning a trip up the
ing accident occurrence. Such an undertaking (im- proverbial creek without benefit of an adequate
possible, of course) would produce equations means of propulsion.
employing numerous variables and predicted con - Let's look at some possible cases in which di might
stants to be cubed, divided, ~quare rooted and then in- become a factor:
tegrated from briefing time to engine shutdown. Each Case I. Consider the situation in which Captain Jones
possible mechanical failure would require a coeffi- notes a badly cut tire while performing his preflight.
cient of occurrence. Each aircraft in the inventory His experience and better judgment tell him that he
might have an "accident prone" factor, and each of us should take time to have the tire changed, but
would have his own coefficient of "pilot luck" (and because of the undesirable delay he decides to press
which of us hasn't had his share at one time or for one more landing. Once he has made that deci-
another). All the possible inputs to such an imaginary sion and has actually taken off, he is committed and
accident equation would make both mathematician has incurred a maximum di value. When integrated
and computer programmer cringe with hopeless with other variables, it will determine if his flight will be
frustration . uneventful or filled with stark, hair-raising excitement.
But given the task of deriving an accident equation , Add the quantities of a wet and rough runway, a possi-
one major factor would demand prime consideration ble drag chute failure and the need for maximum
-the factor of the IRREVERSIBILITY OF PILOT DECI- braking , we cRn see how Captain Jones would have
SION. been wise not to have made his irreversible decision.
Mathematicians could label this decision coeffi- Case II. The scramble horn goes off and Major G.O.
cient (di)- The factor di would weigh heavily in deter- Faste is out the door and strapping into the cockpit
mining if the resultant of all the other factors in the with adrenalin sloshing at eyeball level. His first start
equation would indicate an accident, incident or just attempt is unsuccessful and his wingman , a brand
another uneventful flight. Like all the factors that go new first lieutenant, gets to the runway first and is air-
into the makeup of an accident, di would have to be a borne as our major brakes to a quick stop on the run-
variable. It would further have to be a function of time; way and pushes the power up to military. He is really
in that the pilot might make one decision that was im- pressing now and elects to ignore (rationalize?) the
mediately irreversible. Or, in an entirely different situa- higher than normal oil pressure fluctuations dancing
tion, he might be faced with making a series of deci- on the gauge. He releases brakes, strokes the after-

.. _ ~---- - --
 delayed decision to eject. Take the pilot who inadver-
tently pulls his bird into a post stall gyration just above
minimum ejection altitude . After a few moments of
complete disorientation, he realizes that he is out of
the stall , but is now entering a spin. He knows he is
low, but wants desperately to save the aircraft (and
who knows what other considerations might be para-
mount in his mind at this time?) He sticks with the
aircraft and gives it his all until he finally ejects too
late! Each moment he delayed his ejection gave him
an increasing di factor and brought him deeper and
deeper into the vortex of irreversibility.
The several hypothetical cases we have examined
may seem simple when we view them after the fact.
And , at the time that each sequence was initiated , the
pilot probably took his ultimate personal safety and
that of his aircraft for granted. Accidents always hap-
burner, and leaps into the air. Major Faste has just pen to the other guy. No pilot deliberately sets out to
willingly entered the cone of irreversibility and has in- enter the dragon 's mouth , but to some the "bite" does
curred a di of unknown , but increasing value. If he become a reality.
has, in fact, become airborne in an aircraft with a Our imaginary accident equation does not exist, but
progressively failing engine oil system , this factor and the variable of pilot decision definitely does. It plays
the other variables will play out their hand at some an important part each time we fly. Our proven ability
point in time and the result will become abruptly ap- to cope with the hundreds of situations and problems
parent. Having not incurred a di factor at all would requiring sound decisions is why we're considered
have prevented the event altogether, which is what the professionals. But, each year the statistics reflect the
Dash-One limitations and gadget read-outs in the numbers of those who, for one overriding reason or
cockpit are all about anyway. · another, permit themselves to proceed beyond the
Case Ill. Captain Light is at 39,000 feet on a cross- threshold of good aeronautical propriety.
country and well short of his destination when the hy- So what can we do to keep to an absolute minimum
draulic pressure begins to fluctuate . After pondering the mathematical odds of having an accident? The
the grim prospects of landing and being stuck at God- answer is quite clear- and equations and computers
forsaken AFB, Captain Light elects to continue to his are not needed. Keep di completely out of the picture
planned destination. The di he has incurred will be of by employing the professional approach to flying . In
only minor consequence if the source of his problem essence, this means using sound and mature judg-
only is in the indicator. If progressive hydraulic failure ment based on a complete knowledge of our aircraft
should be the problem , then Captain Light had better and mission procedures. And it means self-dis-
have a very high factor of " pilot luck" as a multiple in cipline. The mission is important and the aggressive
his equation. spirit that characterizes the Air Force pilot is neces-
Case IV The decision to file into a bad weather area sary. But what value is the aggressive pilot if he loses
with alternate fuel stretched a little taut (to avoid that his aircraft or, more tragically, his life, for no good
time-consuming intermediate stop) would very reason?
definitely give you an increasing di the very minute Fortunately, most of our problem is already solved
you passed up the last suitable landing field . Fifteen because today we are better trained, have better
more knots of headwind or an unexpected ATe- equipment and are more flight safety oriented than
directed hold and you can find yourself descending ever before. But just as it was when Orville Wright first
deeper and deeper into the cone of irreversibility. broke ground in 1903, the ultimate responsibility rests
Case V Lo-angle strafe - a stiff cross-wind on the with the pilot. He hasn't changed much over the years
range caused you to overshoot on your roll-in. Your and is still subject to fits of vanity, personal and exter-
dive angle is steep and the pipper isn't behaving . nal pressures and other manifestations of motivational
Now, almost at the foul line, the pipper finally settles behavior. Consequently, we still have the task of
on target and you squeeze the trigger. It's looking stressing flight safety in an effort to conserve those
good except it's time to break off. You press for one valuable personnel and materiel resources . Achiev-
more second . That second is borrowed time on an ir- ing that goal of a zero accident rate is, to a large ex-
reversible clock - di is becoming greater and tent. up to you, the pilot. The next time you contem-
greater. plate defying gravity via aerial flight, remember di , the
Case VI. Perhaps the most tragic and wasteful pro- variable that only you can control. Don 't let it be a fac-
duct of an accident is the fatality resulting from the tor in your flight. __:>

14 Originally printed in INTERCEPTOR Magazine FEBRUARY 1976

 Part II

To Exercise ...
Or Not To Exercise
phyz-biz

By Lt Col Harold Andersen

HQ TAC Physiological Training Coordinator

Last month I gave a brief resume of some of the tionalizations, meant only to salve the conscience.
pros and cons on aerobics as found in newspaper ar- Somebody said, "The hardest part of any exercise
ticles. Generally, the same degree of controversy can program is getting started." Nothing could be truer-
be found among " Biue-Suiters " : A few are dedicated for both the initial decision to start the program and
"jocks " who have long ago decided that a daily exer- then the daily decision to get out and perform !
cise program is mandatory for their well -being; I believe that the vast majority of Blue-Suiters have
another clearly defined group (considerably larger in healthy hearts and can safely participate in a program
number, I feel) have rejected exercise as unnecess- of aerobic type exercise - and obviously HQ USAF
ary and superfluous to their needs; a third group lies holds the same belief. The main problem is to over-
between these two extremes, they are not committed come the " mental inertia" which prevents active par-
to a regular program of exercise, but periodically en- ticipation . As the first step towards starting a program ,
tertain thoughts of "getting back in shape," and have the novice should be conservative, especially if you
most likely particpated in some sort of exercise are over 30. Have the Flight Surgeon review your last
program but abandoned it for one reason or another. annual physical , and the ECG (electrocardiogram); if
This latter group is the focal point of the controversy, there are any significant or suspicious findings (over-
being pushed and pulled by both factions. Bom- weight, high cholesterol , and/or triglycerides, ir-
barded with " expert" opinions from both sides, they regularities on the ECG, etc.), these areas should be
have become confused, and because of the confu- explored thoroughly, so that you start with a clean bill
sion have become immobile .. . both literally and of health. The exercise ECG is recommended for
figuratively. On one hand they hear of the desirable those 40 and over. Secondly, get a copy of Cooper's
" benefits of exercise": improved respiratory and cir- "The New Aerobics " (either buy one or borrow one
culatory effects , lowering of cholesterol and from the base library) and follow his recommenda-
triglycerides in the blood stream , increased energy tions to the letter. He has some very conservative
and stamina, weight loss, etc. However, on the programs, several of which may appeal to you.
reverse side of the coin they fear the physical damage Remember, if you don't like exercise, you 'll dodge it
described in some articles (i .e., foot and leg every chance you get. So if running isn 't your bag, try
problems, heart attacks, etc.). walking , or cycling, or swimming, or whatever- but
To some extent the Air Force has required the par- do get started . No matte'r what form your program
ticipation of all 3 groups in its official " Aerobics " takes, there are several precautions to observe:
program , since members must participate in a yearly • Don 't let your initial enthusiasm run away with
weight check and demonstrate their ability to jog 1.5 you (sore muscles have a very discouraging effect).
miles. Herein lies a real danger to the exercise haters • Be conservative and work well within your
and the "sometimes jocks;" AF leaves the other 364 capabilities.
days of training up to the individual who may or may • Stick to your daily routine.
not be able to discipline himself, arrange his work • Don 't be deterred by artificial obstacles (the daily
schedule, find a suitable exercise area, etc. In the ma- mental obstacle is the toughest of them all).
jority of cases they just give up, or perhaps com- • Keep records of your progress. Whenever you in-
promise by trying to do it all on the weekend . In any crease distance, decrease time, lose weight -
case, it's bad news. Irregular bouts of strenuous ac- whatever, record it - these tangible proofs of im-
tivity are definitely not what the doctor ordered; there provement will help you maintain your interest.
must be a dedicated commitment to a regular For you women in the audience, Dr. Cooper's wife,
program , preferably 5-7 days per week! Millie, has an excellent little book entitled " Aerobics
Probably every member who has not as yet made for Women ." Yes, the exercise requirements for gals
that " dedicated commitment" has formulated a num- are different (vive Ia difference!). Millie took this into
ber of reasons why he, personally, is not engaging in consideration when she wrote her book.
an exercise program . Some of the reasons are valid, Good luck and keep on truckin '! __::;:....
no doubt about it, but the great majority of them are ra-

TAC ATIACK 15
 Last month, the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, now located at Langley
AFB, proudly accepted delivery of their first F-15. The unit's proud
. ..__ ---···- ~ -·

history, coupled with the Eagle's bright future, will result in a formida-
ble addition to TAC's fighting forces. Welcome to the First!
 aircraft to get a manual extension, but he was worried
about possible structural failure as a result of the fire
in the aft compartment- and he had his hands full
getting the bird on the ground without elevator trim.
Several causes of the accident are worth repeating:
• Adequate technical data and inspection criteria
for the mod equipment was not avai Iable to the people
who installed it.
• The T-39 Dash-Six did not specifically address
chock talk
the inspection of the hydraulic pump motor grounding
wire .

. . . iluidt~tU a~td iltcidt~ttaLt • No monitoring equipment for the test inverter was
available to the aircrew.
Basically, it all boils down to this: If you are respon-
wi~ a mailttt~ta~Ue tlattt. sible for installing equipment, make sure you have the
tech data available to do the job right. Without the
ability to test new ideas, improvements in aircraft
equipment would be impossible. However, the gui-
dance for such programs must cover all safety
Test Equipment -Safely aspects or it will simply be a giant step backwards.

By Capt Dan Brown

HQ TAC/SEF WITH THIS RING . . .
A recent T-39 accident resulted from the failure of There are lots of accidents that occur and reoccur
an inverter installed as part of a package of test equip- -m ishaps that are preventable. They are especially
ment. After a touch-and-go landing, the pilots noted frustrating because a simple action, a single precau-
smoke in the cockpit. The tower confirmed smoke tion could prevent them - yet they happen over and
coming from the aircraft and an emergency was over again . One example is wearing of finger rings by
declared. When the gear handle was placed down, people on the job.
only the left main and nose gears indicated safe, so The worker was a C-130 aircrewman- but it cou ld
the emergency gear release handle was pulled- still have been any TAC person who works on electrical
with an unsafe right main gear indication . Fire was equipment (shock hazard) or works on , or around ,
confirmed in the aft fuselage compartment so the pilot anything more than a few feet high ("brute force dis-
turned the hydraulic pump off. He noticed the aircraft connect"). This Herky operator had climbed up to
controls become very heavy and no elevator trim was remove jump platforms from an overhead storage
available. Tower advised the crew that hydraulic fluid area in the cargo compartment. He lost his footing
was being dumped over the aft end of the aircraft. The and instinctively grabbed for a handhold . His ring
pilot told the tower controller he was having gear caught on a protruding object and the ring finger was
problems and asked for a visual check. Controller pulled from his hand as he fell to the floor.
replied that the gear appeared to be down so the pilot Think of the pain this man experienced- think of
elected to complete the landing . The aircraft ap- the trauma- think of the effect it had on his life. Now,
peared to be down and rolled about 500 feet before think of how simple it is to take your ring off and drop it
the right main gear collapsed. It departed the runway in your pocket before you start working . Take the easy
and made a" 180" before coming to a stop. The crew way out- you can't afford not to.
egressed without injury.
The T-39 was rigged with a project (2500 volt static)
inverter to test a microwave landing system. The in-
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
verter failed and served as an ignition source for fluid
spraying from a high pressure hydraulic line leak. A After engine start, the pilot began the flight control
post-accident inspection revealed the hydraulic check. When the stick was moved to the right, the
pump grounding wire had not been properly secured controls began binding. The hydraulic system
and the hydraulic line itself had acted as a ground checked good , so a visual inspection of the actuator
source- as a result the line arced, overheated , then was performed. When door 47L was removed , pliers
ruptured. The resulting fire also burned the aircraft were found in the actuator area.
trim wiring bundle, causing the loss of trim which ag- Paint on the screws securing the door had not been
gravated the pilot's problems. The gear problem broken prior to the inspection indicating the door had
might have been solved had the pilot yawed the not been opened for some time. The aircraft's records

18 FEBRUARY 1976
 or the thtra lillie ... _
he. e verified that the T-38 has an a1111 ... ,
pak1d gobbling up of comm cords. Although the 1 a1L
will eat the cords, they cause severe indigestion anL
usually several hundred broken teeth! The latest hun-
gry hummer ate the comm cord that connects the
engine technician on the ground to the rear cockpit
comm connection. In this case, the cord was secured
by the retractable crew step in front of the engine in-
take and a mil power run sucked the cord into the
engine. As a result of this eleven-thousand dollar
carelessness, all unit personnel have been briefed to
tie the cord to the main gear rather than the crew step
and keep all slack out of the cord.
What are your unit's procedures to avoid a similar
occurrence? Better get a handle on the situation
before your Phantom, Eagle or Sluf tries to add foreign
objects to its diet. It's a hell of a lot more expensive
than filet mignon.

JUMPING AARDVARK
After rotation, but prior to liftoff, the instructor pilot in
the left seat of the F-111 felt the left wing drop. After
takeoff, a chase aircraft rejoined with the incident
aircraft and checked its landing gear. Although it ap-
peared to be down and locked, the position of the
landing gear linkage could not be ascertained. Fuel
was dumped and a straight-in approach and barrier
engagement accom pi ished.
Investigation revealed that the left strut had col-
lapsed due to improper installation of the strut upper
bearing adapter. This part can easily be installed in
reverse. If this happens, undue pressure is placed on
the upper bearing retainer which can cause the strut
to collapse.
TO 451-78-3, which covers the installation of the
strut upper bearing adapter, was reviewed. Depiction
of proper installation of the bearing adapter in the
19
Tech Order was not clear and it did not mention the

TACATIACK
 ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT
Two F-4Es began their takeoff roll. The aircraft
rotated and everything looked good up to liftoff.
ARTCC WEATHERMEN Then it happened ... the lead aircraft yawed to
the left and the pilot noticed the DC bus light
Weathermen in the Air Route Traffic Control illuminate . No other warning lights glowed. but
Center? At least in the Kansas City ARTCC . for the gear would not retract.
now. Possibly in all ARTCCs eventually, if the The crew accomplished the double generator
current test continues to show the promising failure checklist. used emergency gear lowering
results it has thus far . procedures. and was led back for a successful
Yes. the current test. There was a blurb in our approach-end barrier engagement by number
June 7 5 issue of TAC ATIACK which described two .
the purpose of this test. The overall objective is The electrical test receptacle cap
to determine if having weathermen in the (3P325 ... located under the right rear canopy sill)
ARTCCs will enhance enroute weather service was loose . When this cap becomes loose. both
provided to the military pilot . Feedback received generators drop off of the line. The cockpit in-
during the 2 Jun through August 75 period of dications are those of double generator failure .
this one-year test indicates that it will. MAC / Air If the cap is retightened . the generators may be
Weather Service included the following observa- reset .
tions in its first quarterly progress report: ARTCC An' AF Form 84 7 was submitted by the wing
forecasters can effectively identify potentially recommending a step be added to the F-4E
hazardous convective weather from FAA radars; Flight Manual double generator failure checklist
hazardous convective weather data (advisories) to ensure that the electrical test receptacle cap
can be effectively relayed to enroute aircrews by is secure . Our intrepid Fox Four SPO re-
ARTCC controllers ; and forecasters working in membered that this change had b13en recom-
the ARTCC increase the quantity of PIPEPs mended and approved by the Flight Manual
transmitted from the ARTCC . folks some time ago , and sure enough it had .
If you transit the Kansas City ARTCC area and The change had been incorporated in Change 3
end up on the receiving end of this new service. to the F-4C / D and RF-4C Dash-One's, but not
let your local AWS unit know what you think. to the F-4E Flight Manual. Why? An administra -
They'll pass the word along to the people tive oversight. The result? Operational Supple-
evaluating the usefulness of these new ment 10 to the F-4E Dash-One and the
procedures. Next progress report is anticipated assurance that the change will be incorporated
early in 1976 . We 'll keep you informed . in the next revision to the Flight Manual.

20 FEBRUARY 1976
 COMMUNICATIONS GAP briefings to allow for adequate individual crew ele-
ment briefings. No maximum time is set for briefings.
Someone once said, " I know you believe you un-
Start the briefing earlier if the mission is complicated
derstand what you think I said, but I am not sure you
or some members of the flight are new guys or guys
realize that what you heard is not what I mean." At
you 've never flown with.
least, I think that's what he said. This statement aptly
Make sure what you are saying is understood- not
describes a communications problem. Even though
just heard.
the statement seems humorous, its truth is illustrated
by the following recap of two recent aircraft incidents.
The student AC and IP air-aborted a syllabus mis-
sion after spurious pitch inputs were felt. The stab HOT MIC
augs were disengaged and the malfunction ceased.
While burning down fuel in a holding pattern over a The Oscar-Deuce was flying a rocket qualification
large body of water, the instructor asked the student if mission with eight 2. 75s. As the pilot turned base for
the external tanks were dry. The student said they his fifth hot pass, the jock transmitted, "12, base leg"
were. The IP then stated, "Then I think we should - and a rocket fired from the right pod. The jock
dump our wing tanks." To which the student replied, wanted all members of his flight and the range officer
" Do you want to do it right here?" The IP answered, to know of this strange occurrence, so he made
" Yes." The student then pushed the "Panic" button another radio transmission - whoosh - another
and jettisoned the external wing tanks. rocket fire? . Although he had armed prior to final , but
The IP had wanted-to dump the internal wing tanks w.as certam he hadn't pushed the firing button, the
of fuel to expedite the reduction of the aircraft's gross pilot made two more passes and fired the remaining
weight. Unfortunately, there was a breakdown in com- rockets, using the radio mic switch. This confirmed
munications which cost " Uncle Sugar" a little over (obviously) that the problem was in the control yoke.
$4,000. Investigation revealed a short between the wires to
The second incident occurred during a ground at- the armament firing button and microphone switch.
tack tactics mission. Student aircraft commander in System malfunction? Right. Only problem was, the
the front cockpit, IP in the rear. The aircraft had drop- 0-2 ops procedures say not to turn the master arm
ped out of position during a descending turn. The switch on until on final, and require the system to be
flight lead called for him to move back to the briefed "safed-up" and an RTB made in the event of an inad-
position. The leader called for afterburners to acceler- vertent release.
ate to 500 KIAS and made a small check turn into the We were lucky this time. No one was injured, but
incident aircraft which was in the process of closing to the odds for injury or damage to property were signifi-
the proper position . The student banked the aircraft in cantly Increased because of failure to follow
order to stop the closure rate and pushed over slightly established procedures. Be professional - do the
to keep the lead in sight. At th is time, the IP momen- job, do it right, the first time. It's as easy as that.
tarily lost sight of the lead. He gave instructions to the
student not to push over and tapped the stick to the
rear. The student didn 't hear the IP's comments and
counteracted the aft stick pressure. Result? A pilot-in- OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
duced oscillation that ended with an 8-positive and 3-
negative " G" reading on the accelerometer. A third-grade class was asked to write a short story
Because of this breakdown in communications, a with a moral. Here's one result. The moral speaks
complete major over-"G" inspection was required. volumes-
Fortunately no damage was found , but three and one- THE BIRD AND THE BOY
half days were expended accomplishing the inspec- Once upon a time a bird was flying thru the forest
tion. and he hit a tree and broke his wing. A half an hour
OK, but both of these incidents involved a guy in later a boy was walking and he found the bird and he
RTU. He didn't have much experience in the jet. took care cf him for a week. When he got better the
Right? Yes- but there have been incidents and acci- boy kept him as a pet but he could never fly again.
dents involving " old heads" that were caused by a Moral: Look before you fly.
lack of, or breakdown in, communications. Pilots have By Patrick O'Neill, Age 9
retracted the gear while on the ground and even
ejected from perfectly good aircraft because of a
breakdown in communications.
How can we prevent this type of incident from
recurring? One way is through better crew coordina-
tion. Flight leaders should plan their pre-mission

TAC ATIACK 21
 CLASSICS
from the
LASSROOM
This classic has been published in several magazines pre-
viously, including TAC ATTACK, but is good enough to run
again. The author taught school in Ballwin, Missouri, for seven
years. Prior to that, he taught at Gallup, New Mexico, and Jeffer-
son City, Missouri. With an interest in aviation, Mr. Dunn often
required his students to write theme papers on the subject. He
provided portions of these student papers to the editor of Boeing
magazine where they were published for the first time -ED
Classics from the classroom

by Mr. Harald Dunn

Did you know that the first lady If history repeats itself, it witty and delightful as the right
aviator was Kitty Hawk? That usually does it with some unex- one. When members of the grade
Roger Wilco invented the "lan- pected twists when grade-school school set turn their attention to
guage of communication?" Or that pupils tell the story: men notable in aeronautics,
one of the chief by-products of the "Spinning jennies we re flying youngsterisms seem to come as
aviation industry is going places? jennies that did not work." thick as; chalkdust. Three ex-
This information has been "People talked about flying in amples:
gleaned from test papers and es- balloons for centuries. Finally "Euclid thought out how to
says during the 11 years that I've there was enough hot air to get make geometry help people to fly.
taught elementary school young- them off the ground." He was born in the 300s azfd died
sters. QUESTION: On his first flight, in the 200s. That is another thing
Kitty Hawk and Roger Wilco how long was Wilbur Wright in the he thought out how to do. He thought
may have their admirers but at r/ out how to do it by using B.C.s."
Baron Von Richthofen, the German ANSWER. I'm not sure. Five "Charles Lindbergh is the
ace of World War I, has also come feet something with his shoes on. most famous person in flying
in for his share of adulation. A 10- One of the fringe benefits of history and so are the Wright
year -old girl summed up her feel- being an elementary school teach- Brothers."
ings like this: "In a uniform or er is the possibility that the next "The 'Wright Brothers made
not, Baron Von Richthofen was a paper I correct will contain a their first flight in19,93. 1903 was
dashing figure." wrong answer that is twice as really in the 20nd. conteinv but
22 FEBRUARY 1976
everybody was behind the times in pl anes , pecally things began to there.''
those days.'' happen. First I was heightened by In commenting on the duties
The elementary school young- their vast hugeness. By and by I of the navigator, a g i r l who
ster's mind is a vast storehouse of put on my thinker and thought how claimed she was one of aviation's
information . . . half true, half important they really are. I then ''starchest supports'' wrote:
false and wholly delightful. Some- heaved a sigh at how it would be "The navigator figures out the
times he is n't wrong at all. It's fun visiting at where they are latitude and longitude. Latitude
just the way he puts it: made." tells him where he is and longitude
"During the Twenties, people Much of the juvenalia that I've tells him how long he can stay
started walking on airplane wings collected through the years has there."
and things like that. I know it is been devoted to comments about Her best friend once con-
crazy but this was before tele- Charles Lindbergh's historic first cluded~ "The three main crew-
vision or anything so what else solo flight over the Atlantic. Here men on a plane are the pilot, navi-
was there to do?" are three of my favorites: gator and percolator.:'
"Back in 1924, eight men tried "Charles Lindbergh was the If any of these definitions have
to fl y a round the world but they first to fly to Paris. He did it by caused Webster to turn over in his
only ended up where they started.'' the airplane method.'' grave, he would have to do it with
''Floyd Bennett comes from ''When they asked him if he a smile. Here's what I mean:
the year 1926 . He is a famous would like to fly to Paris, he rolled ''Drone is a spare name for
aviator few people have ever heard his eye s and flashed his teeth and when people cannot think how to
of." said Sure." say pilotless airplane."
Ever he ard of the word "A straight line is the shortest "When anybody says plane,
"pecally?" I hadn't until I came · distance between two points unless what he is saying depends on
ac ross this in a paper: "When I you are going with Lindbergh to whether he is saying it to a pilot or
first s t arted studying about air- Paris. Things are d iff e r e n t a carpenter.''

TAC ATIACK 23
 ''I know what a sextant is but I understand it, is not very well hurdles through the space. Since
had rather not say." understood.'' we are along for the ride, we too
"A visa is a passport per- ''In ramjets the air rushes out tend to be flat at our poles and
mitting an airplane to leave the when the fuel is ignited. So would round at our equators."
country. For round trips you need anybody.'' "Some people can tell what
a visa versa." A couple of years ago there time it is by looking at the sun but
One chap absorbed the infor- was a tiny moppet in my class who I have never been able to make out
mation regarding the many uses had a delightful way ofexpressing the numbers."
for airplanes in our modern world, her thoughts. Here's how she "Through the years people
but his skepticism showed: "How summed up her feelings: "From have guessed that Venus might
many uses they have for airplanes now on I will put both gladness and be inhabited by women, dragons,
these days is more for saying than wonder in my same thought about or other strange creatures. ''
believing." airplanes." No one looks to the future as
Three years later his younger More than one eager young eagerly as youngsters do. Last
sister wrote: ''The number of air- scholar has started out with a dis- year I received these two predic-
craft in the world today is an ab- cussion of air travel and ended up tions about future air travel:
surdly large fact of a number." in outer space. The following ''Thanks to what we are learn-
Ramjets have certainly come astronomical observations are ing from aviation, we should soon
in for their share of comments fresh from the minds of four fourth be able to · look forward to having
recently. The remarks have graders: ceilings made out of fog."
proved to be unexpected, uncon- "The N o r t h S t a r is , as "So far planes have only been
ventional and undeniably true: a mattery fact, almost straight able to fly in circles of no more
''Until it is decided whether north. This is quite a coinci- than 360 degrees. This could be
ramjets are rockets or jets, we dents.'' the next big breakthrough in air
must continue to call them ram- "Our Mother Earth has small travel."
jets." poles and a large equator because
"The way ramjets work, as I of the tremendous speed as she

24 FEBRUARY 1976
 TACTICAL AIR COMMAND

AIRCREWMAN of DISTINCTION

Capt James R. Cole

355th TFS
354th TFW
Myrtle Beach AFB, SC

On 1 December 1975, Captain Cole was numoer lmm~diately, he lowered the tail hook in anticipa-
two in a flight of four A-70s scheduled for a night tion of a departure-end barrier engagement. Brak-
air refueling mission. Single ship takeoffs were ing attempts at this high speed had little effect. He
.planned and all ground operations were normal. successfully engaged the first available barrier,
Night takeoff phase was uneventful until just after thus providing an additional safety margin in case
liftoff when, passing through 155 knots, Captain of hook-skip or barrier failure.
Cole heard a loud " bang " and felt severe engine Post-flight inspection revealed that the engine
vibrations. Options available to Captain Cole at this had ingested a large bird, causing massive damage
critical time were limited. He faced the choices of to the LP-1 and LP-2 rotor blades, and to the LP-1
an immediate ejection, continuing the takeoff and stator blades. It also showed a 6-inch hole in the air
flying an immediate precautionary landing pattern inlet extension. The severe engine damage could
at night in an aircraft with unknown damage, or an have caused engine failure and necessitated ejec-
attempt to land the aircraft on the remaining runway tion had Captain Cole continued his takeoff.
that was rapidly disappearing under the nose. Cap- His timely reaction to a critical emergency during
tain Cole quickly decided to land straight ahead on a night takeoff and the ensuing recovery of a
the runway. Since he had not retracted the landing severely damaged fighter qualify Captain Cole for
gear, he retarded the throttle to idle, and perfectly this month's TAC Aircrewman of Distinction Award.
executed an idle power approach to touchdown. __:;>

TACATIACK 25
 Fleaglegram responses from the front

Dear Fleagle Dear Herb

While doing my thing on the last quarterly safety For your buddies who need a regulation to back up
inspection, I found an old nemesis- highly flamma- this common sense safety rule, try A FR 127-101 , para
ble rubberized "horsehair" packing material being /2-29b , " Flammable packing materials such as ex-
used as shelf padding for electronics equipment. celsior or shredded paper will be stored in .fire-resis-
Checking and exhausting the 85-series TOs and tant bins, equipped with fusible-link covers. " By ex-
TPOs, plus all the know-how by packaging and crat- tension then , for those who are satisfied with logic, do
ing experts within a 200-mile radius, I am finally not use .flammable packing material for shelf pad-
turning to you. Where is it written that flammable ding. 'Nuff said_
packing material is not to be used as padding?

SMSgt Herbert C. Williams

363th AMS, Shaw AFB, SC

26 FEBRUARY 1976
 Dear Fleag this one of my more memorable flying experiences-
There I was, hanging around the ops desk when unforgettable, in fact. It certainly will be a cold day
wing called down and asked for a crew to ferry a bird in an eternally warm place before I forget to ask the
out West. Being one to grab at any chance for a little guy about an RCR where there is any form of pre-
flying time (and perhaps a chance to update my ski cipitation.
lodge currency), I naturally volunteered my services.
Down to base ops to file a three-hop stopover, get the
weather brief and check the NOT AMs. Nothing sig- Dear Ski Bum
nificant except that the barrier was out for awhile at My friends over at 5th Weather Wing tell me that
my destination, but a telephone call assured me that it your mistake was . .. what you asked for is what you
would be up by the time we got there. Turnarounds at got. R CR is not reported on terminal forecasts. They
the first two bases were good and it looked like we are found in each station's observation. Observations
had an uneventful XC nearly in the bag. Weather are transmitted every hour (each half hour if there is
folks did mention something about snow showers in significant change) and will have the current RCR if
the destination area, but nothing serious in itself (Key it is less than dry. When you update your forecast,
Phrase). Well, off for a cruise over the mountains. don 'tforget to ask for your destination's latest obser-
About 20 minutes out, I decide to amuse myself with vation. It could save you from skiing. .. down a slick
the radio and ask Center for permission to talk to runway.
METRO. No need says Center, we've been instructed
to give you the following: RCR at destination is now
ZERO-SIX!!! Yahoo, here we go . "What's the
weather like elsewhere?" Hmm, radio is breaking up P.S. How were the ski bunnies_?
-generator seems to be dropping offthe line. It died
completely in a short while. Weather is about the
same within 200 miles. Well, the whole thing winds
up in a good approach-end arrestment on one of the
slickest surfaces I've ever seen. The airplane was
towed away as we shuffle-slid our way to the bar.
WHERE did all this snow come from? (See key
phrase above.) And how come nobody said anything
about the 06 RCR. As it was later revealed, an RCR
had been transmitted in SOME forecasts for the
destination, but deleted in others. For want of
nothing less than the best, I only asked for the most
recent forecasts at both stopover bases. High ceilings
and blowing snow were all I was given during all
three weather briefs. The forecasts I got just happened
to be the ones without the RCR info. In my mind, this
satisfied the requirement to update intermittent and
final destination weather at stopover bases. The
above "combination of ingredients" certainly made

TACATIACK 27
 TAC
SAFETY AWARDS

Maintenance Safety Award

Staff Sergeant Robert M. Tully, 33d Organiza-
tional Maintenance Squadron, 33d Tactical Fighter
Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, has been
selected to receive the Tactical Air Command
Maintenance Safety Award for this month. Sergeant
Tully will receive a certificate and letter of ap-
preciation from the Vice Commander, Tactical Air
Command.
SSgt Tully

Crew Chief Safety Award Sgt Cornelius

Sergeant John T. Cornelius, 4507th Consolidated

Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 507th Tactical Air
Control Group, Shaw Air Force Base, South
Carolina, has been selected to receive the Tactical
Air Command Crew Chief Award for this month.
Sergeant Cornelius will receive a certificate and
letter of appreciation from the Vice Commander,
Tactical Air Command.

28 FEBRUARY 1976
 •••
Editor
I was quite surprised to see the F-106 with bombs,
etc, on page 30 of your December issue. There are
very few people who actually saw an F-1 06 in this
configuration (minus the tailgun artwork), since it
only existed for approximately 36-48 hours.
The story: I was an F-1 06 pilot with the 318th FIS,
McChord AFB, WA, from '68 to '71. Note: The
318th's squadron insignia is clearly visible on the tail
section . The picture was taken at Osan AB, Korea, in
October or November 1968 (specifically, Alpha Dia-
mond). At the time, the 318th FIS airplanes were on-
station as part of the Pueblo incident forces buildup
in that country. However, at this specific time, the
bulk of the aircrews were from the 48th FIS, Langley
AFB, VA. Squadrons were rotated every six months,
however , aircraft only once a year - hence, 318th
FIS aircraft with 48th FIS aircrews and support per-
sonnel. I was, among others, augmenting the 48th at

and
the time; my parent unit had rotated to the CONUS
earlier in the year. Anyway, the spirit of competition
••• and camaraderie prevailed throughout Korea in
those days. Osan was saturated with fighter jocks and
we the flying was fantastic. With the 48th Squadron
Commander's active participation , we arranged to
got letters ... "borrow" two fully loaded MER's (MK-82s) from
the F-4 unit down the flightline. The suspension
lugs were compatible with our external tank
mounts, so hanging them was no problem. Once ac-
complished , we took pictures of each other standing
next to this super configuration. During this period
we were visited by the then current ADC Com-
mander, and of course, we made sure he saw this uni-
que Delta Dart. We had placed bedsheets over the
bombs to heighten his curiosity as he approached the
airplane - then we dramatically unveiled this new
F-1 06 mission prototype. He had an excellent sense
of humor and asked if we could really drop bombs
like that in a pinch. Yes, was our answer ; however the

Letters to the editor

29
 their mission; however, the T-model was not a "buy"
LETTERS and TAC remained secure. The original 106-T did
not sport the tail turret configuration, and I strongly
suspect that one of your artists may be guilty of exer-
whole mess had to go - MERs and all. The bombs cising exuberant imagination. Incidentally, tail pro-
obviously couldn't arm remaining on the MERs, so tection was unnecessary on the F-l06, in that its
would be ineffective. On the other hand, we could ACM capabilities rarely permitted aggressor aircraft
load them armed. Release would require using our to attain six o'clock advantage.
tank jettison circuitry. Of course, no gunsight existed.
The entire maneuver was an outstanding episode of GERALD B. HURST, Lt Col, USAF
ingenuity and a little bit of chicanery. Again, with all Commander, 834th CES
the various fighters and associated Sierra Hotel jocks (Former Six, Thud and Deuce Driver)
jinking about Osan in those days, this imaginative
F-106 configuration was a welcome Kudo for those
of us who "steered the Dot" to glory.
Our artists claim that they, too, need tail protection
Capt Thomas M. Messett and deny taking advantage of artistic license. Perhaps
4501st TFRS :fall Delta Dorques had tail turrets, they would know
MacDill AFB, FL what's happening behind them -ED

Editor:
After viewing the mystery airplane photo in the A NEW FEATURE FOR YOU IN TIG BRIEF
"Letters" section of the TAC ATTACK, December
issue, I believe someone has done an interesting job
with photo modification or sheet metal work to the TIG Brief, the Air Force I.G.'s crosstell magazine,
actual aircraft, which is an F106. If this is so, will this is dedicated to the promotion of good management
be a regular feature? practices and safety information. Lieutenant General
In the interest of safety, please don't bite your Donald G. Nunn. Inspector General, recently pro-
tongue while it is still in the cheek. Remember, posed a new column for TIG Brief to enhance the
WEATHERMEN DO IT WITH CRYSTAL BALLS. effectiveness of the magazine by drawing on the ex-
Paul R. Mason, SSgt perience of those in the field.
Det 5, 3 Wca Sq (MAC) Most articles in TIG Brief are prepared by AFISC
England AFB La the Air Staff or MAJCOM IGs. The new column, en
titled 'Lessons Learned" will depend on inputs fro
Air Force people below Air Staff. It will featur
problem/`solution information, pitfalls to be avoided;
Editor: and innovative techniques from those on the job. It is
Your photo of an unidentified experimental hoped that the sharing of personal experiences by
aircraft in Letters (TAC ATTACK December 1975) managers, supervisors and workers will prevent
brought back memories. The flying machine display- recurring problems and offer new solutions to old
ing a multi-mission capability was none other than management headaches.
the F-106T (T for Tactical). This superior aerial Innovative TAC commanders, supervisors and line
weapon resulted from R&D work done by members workers should use this column to share their ideas
of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, McChord with their compatriots Air Force wide. We're all in
AFB, Washington. The project was accomplished this together. so if you have a contribution, a "lesson
while the squadron was deployed in 1968 to Osan learned," pass it on to*.
AR, Korea in response to the Pueblo Crisis. The
deployment represented the first "over-the-pond" AFISCIPGMC
utilization of F-106 inflight refueling capability. Norton AFB CA 92409
Once at Osan, the squadron found itself thrust into
solid TAC territory and surrounded by F-4's and
Thuds. Not to be outdone, resourceful members of Provide the "who, what, when, where, why and
the 318th installed MER's and MK-82's on the sleek how" of your problemisolution. Include your
F -106. For a brief period there was chilling fear autovon number so that any necessary coordination
among TAC residents that ADC would take over or clarification may be accomplished by telephone.

30 AR" 1976
 TFIC
TALLY TAC ANG AFRES
thru DEC thru DEC thru DEC
DEC DEC DEC

1
1975 1974 1974 1975 1974

TOTAL ACFT. ACCIDENTS 1 28 23 1 17 20 2 '2 6

MAJOR ACFT. ACCIDENTS PI- 1 19 1 14 19 2 2 4

AIRCREW FATALITIES 0 13 0 7 8 0 2

TOTAL EJECTIONS 1 16 18 2 10 10 4 4 2

SUCCESSFUL EJECTIONS 13 16 2 9 8 4
I 1

FIGHTER/RECCE WINGS k J OTHER UNITS

ACCIDENT-FREE MONTHS ACCIDENT-FREE MONTHS
79 33 TFW TAC 125 136 ARW ANG
45 127 TFW ANG 105 DET 1, DC ANG
43 31 TFW TAC 81 135 TASGP ANG

30 56 TfW 77 182 TASGP ANG

23 27 TFW 76 126 ARW ANG

MAJOR ACCIDENT COMPARISON RATE 74-75

(BASED ON ACCIDENTS PER 100.000 HOURS FLYING TIME)
4 4.5 5.4 5.6 4.5 4.0 3.6 3.1 3.2 rr2r9 2,8 3.2 1

TAC 15 7.9 5.4 3.6 2.6 3.1 3.5 5.2 6.4 6.0 6.5 6.3 6.1

74 7.2 8.6 8.2 5.7 6.0 6.3 7.6 6.6 6.3 6.4 6.9 6.5
ANG 5.3 2.8 5.3 3.7 4.7 6.8 5.9 Si 5.1 5.4 5.3
75 .
5.2

AFRES
74

75

JAN
0

0
16.4

0
8.9

FEB MAR APR MAY JUN

8.8

0000000
6.7 5.3 5.8

JUL
5.0

AUG
4.3

SEP
3.8

OCT NOV
3.5

0
2.6

4.9
DEC

* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1976 635 - 295 16 31