1980

TAC Attack September 1980 Flight Lead Responsibilities ..pg 4

READINESS IS OUR PROFESSION
TACTICAL AIR COMMAND
GENERAL W. L. CREECH
COMMANDER
LT GENERAL THOMAS H. MCMULLEN
VICE COMMANDER
CONTENTS
Angle of Attack 3
Flight Lead Responsibilities 4
Aircrew of Distinction 7
TAC Tips 8
Safety Awards 11
COL RICHARD K.
Weekend Warrior 12 CHIEF OF SAf.
Down to Earth 14
Fokker D-VII 16 MAJ PETE ABLER
Chock Talk 18 EDITOR
Phantom Vari-Ramp 20
Weapons Words 22 STAN HARDISON
September Song 24 ART EDITOR
Programming Your Own Computer 26 BEATRICE WAGGENER
Aircraft Recognition 28 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Letters 29
TAC Tally 31 SGT DAVID GARCIA
STAFF ARTIST
TACRP 127-1
Material in this magazine is nondirective in nature. All suggestions and recommendations are intended to remain with in
the scope of existing directives. Articles published in this magazine represent the opinions of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the position of Tactical Air Command or the USAF. 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 Uni -
form Code of M ilitary Justice . Written permission must be obtained from HQ TAC before material may be republished by
other than Department of Defense organizations.
Contributions of articles and photos from personnel in the field are encouraged, as are comments and criti cism. We
reserve the right to edit all manuscripts for clarity and readability. Direct communication is authorized with the Editor. TAC
ATIACK, HO TAC / SEPP. Langley AFB, VA 23665 ; AUTOVON 432-2937 .
Distribution FX . Controlled by SEPP. Distribution is made through the PDO on the following basis : (1) Active TAC units--
one-per-ten population basis for those actively involved in aircraft operations. One-per -20 for all others. (2) TAC -ga ined
units- -one-per -20 population basis for those actively involved in aircraft operations . One-per -40 for all others . (3) Other
mil ita ry and DOD units-- HQ TAC/ SEPP will consider each request on an individual basis .
Authority to publish this per1odical automati ca lly exp1 res on 22 Apr 1982 unless its co nt inuan ce is authorized by the ap-
proving authority pnor to that date .
TAC ATIACK (USPS 531-170) is publishe d monthly by HO TAC / SEPP Langl ey AFB . VA. Contro ll ed Cir cul ation Postag e
paid at Richmond . VA.
VOLUME 20 NUMBER 9
 Angle
of
Atta

To follow tech data because the supervisor

WHAT IS says so or because OA is on the flight line, is do-

ing the right thing-for the wrong reason. To
follow the tech order, step by step, (even though
the task has been accomplished at least 300

YOUR times before) to keep from making a serious mis-

take-means we've broken the code.
If we fly proper formation positions only be-
cause the flight lead will hammer us if we

REASON? don't-that's wrong. But, if we're working to

maintain the correct positions because it's op-
timum for mutual support and visual lookout-
we're on track.
We all realize there 's an underlying reason for Doing the "right" thing is important. But we
everything we do. It may be as simple as just must also understand why we do the things we
needing some time off, like going on a family out- do. "I said so " may get the job done, but
ing to relax and have fun . Or it may be extra ef- chances are it won't stick to the ribs . Be ready
fort on a special project to show the boss you when the "why" comes up, it's an important
have the capability to step into the really desira - question that needs to be answered . -->-
ble job that's opening up next month . Reasons

R1!!:;!;~ft USAF
are there, even during our normal daily duties .
Some tasks are enjoyable-they're easy to do
because we like them . Still others are "not so
enjoyable " -and we do them because we need
to-they are part of the job. We can 't expect
Chief of Safety
everyone to want to do every job-everytime; but
it's a lot easier when we understand the reasons
1oing a job a certain way. Here 's what I
__,. 1
3

Angle of Attack
 Flight Lead Responsibilities

By Maj Mike Ridnouer

HQ TAC/DOOTD

Congratulations! After being subjected to the avoid the mistakes you've seen other lead
abuses of flight leads through long. arduous make . That's just one part of it. You need to
hours of light on the star. your unit has ftnally come knowledgeable and adept in four areas .
recognized your leadership talents and selected planning. briefing. leading the flight. and
you to enter the unit flight lead upgrade debriefing. In this two-part article. I'll talk about
program . No doubt you are well deserving and the first two areas in this issue. and next month.
indeed are a " . .. most highly qualified and we'll cover the others .
experienced individual ...... Your peers will be
in awe of your aerospace skills and aerial
expertise-hopeful ly.
PLANNING
I shouldn't have to remind you that as leader What would seem like the easiest portion of
you will be responsible for millions of dollars the mission is actually one of the more difficult.
worth of valuable iron. the lives of your flight Whatever you do or do not do in this stage w1ll
members. and in the worst case. the safety and affect the entire mission . Let's start with the
freedom of the United States and its allies . Quite schedule . Your upgrade program may include a
a responsibility for a guy who . up to now. was four-ship ground attack sortie with other
only qualified to say: Two. Bingo. and Mayday. experienced pilots as your wingmen .
How do you accept the responsibility for such a You probably have an extensive background in
heady experience? Not many manuals. regula- ground attack. your wingmen are experienced.
tions. or pamphlets have been published on the and you've flown the route a thousand times .
subject. A lot of accident reports offer htnts on What can go wrong? Brief the weather and
how not to lead. but Monday morning quarter- NOTAMS. a little on formation . cover the manda-
backing is a poor substitute for preparation . tory special subjects. hit the emergency
Don't plan on being able to lead a four-ship procedure of the day. and go . Right? Wrong!
into the valley of doom on your first mission First. what is your flight's real experience? If one
either. Becoming a good flight leader is usually pilot has been on leave or TOY for 30 days. yo
a lengthy. experience-filled process . You don't will want to tailor your scenario appropria
become a good flight lead simply by trying to How about low altitude training? If someon

4 SEPTEMBER 1980
 Maj Mike Ridnouer
is this month's
Fleasle T-shirt winner

only current at 500' AGL. that could make a dif-

ference in the low level route you fly and the
training accomplished en route. If you fly a two-
seat fighter. your problems are compounded .
WSOs have many training events also . Their re- range has a cloud layer at 1 0.000' and you plan
quirements. experience. and qualifications must a pop up to 9.000' for a high angle tactical de-
be considered on every flight . In a nutshell. inti- livery. you are asking for trouble. In combat. the
mate knowledge of every flight member's indi- gunners know the height of clouds and any ma-
vidual capabilities prior to event planning the neuver in the vicinity of elouds solves the
mission is a must. altitude portion of the equation they must solve
Although you probably know everything about for AAA accuracy. Another type of attack. or an
the mission you are about to brief. a periodic attack from a different direction. may make your
review of TACM 3-1. Fighter Weapons Texts. scenario more realistic and in actual combat
and phase manuals will refresh your memory. increase your survival odds. Of course. if the ob-
Techniques and tactics in any publication are ject of the mission is a box pattern on a conven-
not the final word. but certainly are good start- tional range . a thousand-foot clearance from
ing references from which solid tactics can be clouds may be acceptable. Many flight leads
developed and practiced. have found . to their embarrassment or worse.
How about the weather? Fair enough question home plate weather and alternate weather had
because it affects the entire mission . Home plate increased Bingo fuel on board-disastrous if
weather determines your Bingo fuel requ·ire- discovered too late. How about unexpected
ments. En route weather affects the training that weather deterioration or improvement? You must
can be accomplished on the way to the target . be prepared to cope with a deteriorating situa-
et weather. of course. determines the events tion and gain as much training as poss1ble in ex-
can be accomplished . For example. if the change for the valuable JP-4 consumed. More

lAC ATTACK 5
Flight .Lead Responsibilities
importantly. you must know when to call off the may work-to your disadvantage. Make sure the •
whole show and regroup. Improving weather. it confusion rests with your foe and not your
seems. is a situation we don't deal with enough. wingmen! The briefing need not cover every de-
However. if the weather is better than forecast. tail you have learned in your flyin-g career. If
be prepared to take advantage of it and maxi- something will be standard . it is sufficient to say
mize training. exactly that. The briefing should be detailed
Always plan an alternate mission . If the range enough there is no doubt in any flight member's
you are scheduled for becomes unacceptable mind concerning the mission objectives and
for any reason and another is available. be pre- method of accomplishment.
pared to take advantage of it . If weather pre- Keep everyone 's attention . One good tech-
cludes air-to-ground training but intercepts may nique is to have flight members take some of the
be accomplished. be prepared. If weather. muni- responsibility . Weather. NOTAMS. mil settings.
tions loading. and range space all work against low-level routes are only a few areas that your
you. everyone can usually use formation and /o r wingees can handle for you. Make certain,
instrument approach practice. Some scenarios however. that they understand exactly what is
do not lend themselves to alternate missions . required . You don't need a 20-minute briefing
Live-weapons delivery is one sortie of this type. on weapons delivery parameters when all the
time you have left is 25 minutes .
Forty minutes is a good time to shoot for in a
normal training mission-the type you do day-
BRIEFING
to-day. If your briefing lasts longer. examine it
If your preflight planning was thorough, the for content. mission complexity. or perhaps the
briefing will be an easy part of the mission. Just mission really demands more briefing time. Re-
a few rules . Keep it simple. The normal training member. you have violated a cardinal rule if
mission is more effective if tactics are simple your flight members don 't have time for a r\
and straight forward. If it is too complicated to stop prior to step time .
brief comfortably. it probably won't work in the That pretty well covers the important aspect~
air. Your esoteric plans to confuse the enemy of flight planning and briefing. Remember. this
short rehash is far from the final word in either
area. The points I have made should serve as a
beginning guide to a prospective leader as well
as a mind jogger to you old heads . In the next
issue I'll tackle some considerations in leadin g
the flight and mission debriefing. ~

6 SEPTEMBER 1980
 AIRCREW of DISTINCTION

429 TFS/474 TFW

Nellis AM, NV

On 14 May 1980, Captain Steven F. Woodford

(IP) and Lieutenant James D. Halsell were return-
ing to Nellis AFB following an air-to-ground
weapons delivery mission. Fifteen miles from the
field, the MASTER CAUTION and CHECK HY-
DRAULIC GAUGES lights illuminated. Lt Helsell
investigated and noticed a fluctuating PC-2
system which quickly dropped to zero.
Captain Woodford took lead of the flight,
declared an emergency, and began going through
the PC-2 failure checklist items. As Lt Halsell
maneuvered for a straight-in approach and Captain Steven F. Woodford
red the gear. he noted the main gear exten-
took an excessive amount of time and the
.e gear remained up and lockod. As a
ingman checked them over to confirm the gear
position, Lt Halsoll found the utility hydraulic
pressure rapidly decreasing.
Continuing the approach, they used the
emergency gear lowering procedures to blow the
nose gear down and coordinated with the SOF on
runway, arresting cables, etc. Lt Helsell main-
*tamed a minimum of 230 knots to ensure ade-
quate maneuvering airspeed. Despite degraded
lateral control authority. Lt Helsell continued a
smooth, straight-in approach, landing, and cable
engagement.
The exceptional airmanship, crew coordination,
and professional reactions of Captain Woodford
and Lieutenant Halsell to a serious inflight
emergency averted injury and possible loss of
life. This achievement qualifies them for the Sep-
tember TAG Aircrew of Distinction.

Lieutenant James D. Halsell

TAC ATTACK
 ... interest items,
mishaps with
morals, for the
TAC aircrewman

One super attaboy to the guard troop for han-

dling this one. The incident only reinforces the
/
facts-birds are everywhere and if you run into
one it can hurt-you and your airplane. It
BIRDS ARE probably goes without saying the visor saved
EVERYWHERE this guy's eyes and possibly his life .
A few weeks ago . an ANG A-7 which was
deployed to Hawaii was flying a training mission. WHERE'S YOUR
At 500' AGL (or actually 500' AWL) . 300 knots.
and 4 miles off the north coast of Molokai Is-
CABLE ?
land. the aircraft collided with a red-tailed The Phantom crew was completing a routine
tropical bird . The impact shattered the training mission and had planned on an ap-
windscreen left quarter panel and broke the proach end BAK-1 2 engagement for the full
pilot's helmet visor housing. green visor. eye- stop landing. The pilot wanted to make sure 1
glasses. oxygen mask hardshell. and his nose! touched down well before the cable so he pL
The pilot maintained control and successfully posely flew a dragged-in approach . aiming for
landed the aircraft. the runway threshold . He was successful-sort
of . He touched down in the overrun . just short
of the runway. Unfortunately. the tailhook snag-
ged the " B" cable of the MA-1 A. which had been
lowered. but was still connected . The cable
quickly broke taking out some runway lights. etc .
The airplane continued on and engaged the
BAK-12 normally.
Neither of the crew members. pilot or IP. felt
the inadvertent MA-1 A engagement. The crew
also admitted they never even thought of the
webbing and cable at all prior to the mishap .
The F-4 rarely uses the MA-1 A system . and it's
probably somewhat natural to disregard this ar-
resting gear. In a lot of cases. the MA-1 A posi-
tion is not relayed to the pilots since everyone
"assumes" it's not important.
Both you and I know that's not the way it
should be. The status of all airfield facilities
should be one of every aircrew's primary
concerns . Think about it. Let's say you're return -
ing to the homedrome . and the weather's getting
lousy. Is 30 miles away the time to discover tha
GCA has been down all day and it's now bel
TACAN minimums? Or let's take arresting gear

8 SEPTEMBER 1980

TAC Tips Reason and Judgement are the qualities of a leader Tacitus
 ary unit's local operating procedures list a
standard" arresting gear configuration . Do you
know what's "standard"? Do the members of
your flight? The squadron duty officer"? The SOF?
It's information you need to know. Several in-
cidents of this type have occurred during the
past year. Fortunately, none of the aircraft really
had a tough emergency. Would you know where
all the cables are if you had to make an arrested
landing this afternoon with radio failure? I hope
so.
One more aside. The Dash 1 recommends
landing a minimum of 300' prior to the cable. If
you have to aim 1 .000 ' short of the cable from a
dragged-in approach just to make sue you don't I!!
miss-you may be in the wrong business. esting his 429 Hemi in the quarter-
mile. trying to grope something attractive in his

"'...
passenger seat. etc. She appreciated Murphy's
MOTHER Law even if she didn't know it by that name .
Think about it. Have things really changed that
By Capt John Braves much even though you're no longer under her
366 TFW/DOV tutelage? A recent midair provided graphic .
dramatic proof that two objects still can't share
Ah yes. a word that evokes the warm fuzzies in the same spot in space at any given instant.
even the most hardened of men. a warm. won - Said accident also proves that the BIG SKY
·rful word. But wait! What has this sentimental THEORY is just that-a theory. Take a minute
ff got to do with me. a fighter jock? Well. and read the final report . Any one of a number
~en you think about it. ol' Mom was nobody's of actions by either aircrew or other agencies
fool in preparing a runny-nosed rug rat to deal could have dramatically increased the odds in
with the hard world; perhaps some reflection is favor of the aircrews and prevented the tragic
in order. Consider her knowledge of basic turn of events. Murphy was really at work.
science and philosophy. Was there ever a time Next time you're out flying. and especially
when you put her heart in her mouth as you when you're in the vicinity of an airfield. re-
heedlessly darted out into a busy street without member Mom. She knew enough to teach you
looking? She was concerned because she knew the basics. LOOK''! The big sky theory doesn't
that two objects can 't occupy the same space at apply; you don't even have to hit something very
the same time. ergo. a badly bruised or slightly big to have it hurt a lot. Eyes out of the cockpit
flattened kiddo. Basic science . Another increase the odds in your favor and remember
example : Given the sheer land area of the planet the ubiquitous Murphy. When your windscreen
earth. what are the odds that two minute bits of fills up with another airplane. your last exclama-
matter. automobile and curtain climber . would tory remark may be MOTHER!!! She wouldn't
come into conflict? Well. Mom knew there was want it that way. She taught you better.
no immutable LAW which said this couldn't hap-
pen . a THEORY perhaps. but not a law. Enough
of science. what about philosophy? She knew
LISTEN--
that if your time had come. well . there were AND PAY ATTENTION
somethings even she couldn't control . But she Hecently a TAC aircrew was the subject of a
could increase your odds . That's why she ham- Hazardous Air Traffic Report. It seems our in-
mered it into your head to look left and right trepid aviators were on a cross country prepar-
prior to crossing a street . If you did run out. she ing to depart an en route stop. The aircraft was
knew the chances were fair that the driver bear- taxiing to the runway and the aircrew was copy-
, down on you was blind. drunk. any combina- ing their ATC clearance and climb restrictions
J of the latter two. inattentive. had defective on ground control frequency. Approaching the
~
TAC ATIACK 9
TAC TIPS
A slightly steep final flown by the T-39 m-
runway. the crew was directed to tower fre - have prevented them from seeing the F
quency. The crew did not check in on tower fre- sooner-but their visual lookout helped avoid a
quency. but continued across the "ho ld" line closer conflict
and taxied into takeoff position without I guess this is just a reminder that all our
clearance. Another aircraft on short final to land fellow professional aviators don 't always perform
was forced to go around . in a "professional" manner.
Our folks apparently had their heads "up
and locked" during this one-and admitted as
much. For some undetermined reason they were WHO'S THE
certain they had been cleared onto the runway
and never gave it a second thought .
REAL FLIGHT LEAD?
An incident at one of our units had all
If the weather had been 200' and 1/2 mile vis. I the potential for turning into a real de-
wonder if the aircraft on final would have seen bacle-over a very simple thing . Let me relate
the other guy . Makes ya· wonder. doesn't it? what happened; you can draw your own conclu-
AND WATCH OUT sions ...
A flight of two F-1 01 s took the runway for a
TOO! formation takeoff. During the initial portion of
In the same vein as our previous item. at the takeoff roll , the number one A/ Bon the lead
another TAC base an F-4 from a sister service aircraft failed to light . The lead had delayed
and a MAC mini-lifter came close to tangling initiating afterburner to make certain the
themselves up. wingman could maintain position
The T-39 was on a visual approach about 5 When the burner failed to light. the leader
miles from the field when he was cleared to judged there wasn't enough runway left for
tower frequency . The Sabreliner was advised he abort. so he continued the takeoff .
was number three behind an F-4 . The crew Meanwhile . number two was in minimum A/ B
couldn 't find the F-4 but were advised by tower and had passed the lead aircraft assuming tr
the Phantom was one mile on final . When the lead . The real leader succeeded in getting
'39 was 1- 1/z miles on final. the crew observed burner light at or about rotation speed and was
the F-4 emerge from under the nose about 200' moving back into the picture ..
lower. heading towards the runway. The '39 did Meanwhile . number two had broken ground
a 360° turn for spacing and landed. and was reaching for the gear handle when lead
After everyone got on the ground safely, transmitted. " Hang in there ." This caused him to
things were sorted out. The F-4 had been directed stop his gear retraction and try to stay with the
by tower to break out from downwind because leader as he came past .
he did not have' a GCA final in sight . The F-4 Meanwhile. as lead (the original one) passed
driver then called the traffic in sight and said he number two. he raised his gear and flaps . Two
could maintain separation. Even though tower attempted to stay in position . but lead pulled
directed the F-4 to break out once more. he away from him. It was then two realized his gear
remained in the pattern . Tower then issued the was still down and the airspeed was above 300
F-4 clearance to land . kts . He slowed to gear limit speed and asked for
a visual check from the flight leader . The leader
discovered the right main landing gear fairing
door missing from the number two aircraft RTB
and subsequent landing were uneventful .
Considering what went on. a landing gear fair-
ing door costing less than $300 is a small price .
Considering what could have happened from a
few instances of ignoring directives and lapses
in common sense-we were unbelievably lu cky .
Flights of aircraft are only supposed to have
one leader at a time . Any more than that in vit ~
confusion and potential disaster . Make sure Y'
aren't party to one of those .

10 SEPTEMBER 1980
 TAC SAFETY AWARDS
Individual Safety Award
Senior Airman Robert E. Boothe, 834th Equip-
ment Maintenance Squadron, 1st Special Opera-
tions Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the
recipient of the Tactical Air Command Individual
Safety Award for September 1980. He has been
responsible for many innovations in his section
involving protective equipment. His actions have
been successful in eliminating injuries on the
unit's wash racks.

SrA Robert E. Boothe

SrA
Crew Chief Safety Award
Staff Sergeant Robert M. Stover, 1st Aircraft
Generation Squadron, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing,
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. is the recipient
of the Tactical Air Command Crew Chief Safety
Award for September 1980. During a recent pre-
flight inspection, Sergeant Stover's attention to
detail resulted in his identification of several air-
craft discrepancies which could have had serious
consequences had they gone unnoticed.

SSgt Robert M. Slover

Ground Safety Award

of the Quarter
Staff Sergeant Gary W. Gwaltney, Detachment
2, 20th Air Defense Squadron, Patrick Air Force
Base, Florida, 20th Air Division, Fort Lee, Vir-
ginia, is the winner of the Tactical Air Command
Ground Safety Award for the second quarter of
1980. As additional duty ground safety officer,
Sergeant Gwaltney deserves a large portion of
the credit for his unit's record of 1,720 consecu-
tive days without a ground mishap.
Also, congratulations to Sergeant Gwaltney on
his selection for OTS. SSgt Gary W. Gwaltney
11
 A few months ago I witnessed a typical skir-
mish involving the task of winterizing a house-
installing storm windows and replacing old. de-
teriorated caulking. No problems were en-
countered until the valiant warrior tried to reach
an illusive attic window tucked away in the peak
of the gable. Not only was height a problem-
equivalent to three stories-but also the at-
tached garage complicated the task because of
the angles and pitch of the connecting roof.
How could that window be reached? The three
straight ladders that were on hand were too
short. So a little improvising came in. One lad-
der was leaned against the side of the garage.
reaching up to the gutter. Another ladder was
placed horizontally with one end on the top rung
of the ground ladder. the other end resting
midway up the side of the garage roof. But. that
end had to be raised to make it level. So a little
foot stool was put under it . The scaffolding still
fell four feet short to reach the window. No
sweat! There was one more ladder left. So a
shop stool was balanced on the horizontal la r'
der. and the third ladder carefully laid on top ~._
the stool with one end resting on the ridge of
the garage roof.
With the pyramid completed. our warr1or
climbed to the top. swinging a bucket of paint in
one hand-to do a little touch up work. I bet
you 've guessed what happened ne xt! The
makeshift scaffolding gave way. The bottom
stool was the cu lprit because the angle was too
steep for it to be secure. Amazingly enough. our
warrior came away unscathed . As the scaffold-
ing began to slip, there was enough time to grab
the window sill and drop down to the garage
roof. However. the paint can went flying through
the air painting an art nouveau design on the
The challenges of modern times have created roof.
wl:lat I like to call the "weekend warrior." This is Using ladders is tricky business . Especially
a conscientious member of the do-it-yourselfers when you're faced with difficult. hard to reach
who defends family and home from the ravages areas . Here are a few examples of how ladders
of inflation and energy eaters. and from are used for particular jobs.
professional repair persons. In the small space Two industrial strength (classified Type I) ex-
of two days. big battles are planned and exe- tension ladders are used with a pair of brackets
cuted . On many a Monday morning, warriors called ladder jacks to support the platform
with various cuts. bruises. and bandages return which is made out of 2-by-1 0-inch scaffold-
to work and compare tales of woe about skir- grade planks. 1 0-foot long. Place ladders 6 feet
mishes for which they were ill-prepared and apart and lean them so that they are two and
poorly equipped. half feet away from the wall at the point yc.

12 SEPTEMBER 1980

The Weekend Warrior by Beatrice Waggener Editorial Assistant

 sh to stand. Planks will extend one foot be-
id the ladder jacks on each side. This scaf-
"---erding is for light duty work up to 20 feet above
the ground. A word of caution: Keep in mind
there are no handholds or safety rails to keep
you from falling if you should lose your balance.

LADDER STABILIZER
The stabilizer is a U-shaped device that
clamps onto the top of the extension adder. It
has nonskid pads and gives a broad base of
support. It enables you to bFidge across a single
LADDER JACK SCAFFOLDING window and hfts the ladder away from the wall
for easier access to roof overhangs.

STAIRWELL SCAFFOLDING
A straight ladder, stepladder, and a 2- by -10- LADDER HOOKS
inch scaffold-grade plank are all that is needed Access to steep roofs is accomplished by us-
to make a stairwell platform. Lean the straight ing a straight ladder and a pair of ladder hooks.
ladder against the wall as illustrates (to prevent The hooks clamp to the top two rungs of the
scratching the wall, wrap the ends with rags). ladder and connect to the ridge. of the roof. A
Place the stepladder at the top of the stairs with block of wood should be paced under the
the plank resting on the rungs of each ladder. hooks to prevent damage to the shingles and to
The following ladder accessories help with distribute the weight. This set-up gives secure
unique problem areas. toeholds up the sloping roof
rADOMONAL SAFETY TIPS support.)
- Keep metal ladders away from overhead - Place the top of a ladder so it never rest:). on
electric wires. a windowpane or screen.
- Lean a ladder against a wall so that the - Remember to keep your belt buckle within the
-stance between the bottom of the ladder and space between the ladder's side rails. This rule
wall equals one fourth the working length of of thumb will prevent you from trying to over-
,,leladder. (The working length is the length reach and losing your balance or twisting the
along the ladder between the foot and the top ladder.
 The man received first aid treatment for mine ~
cuts and abrasions-and walked out of the ho~
pital the same night. Seat belt and harness were
used .
Now that's a contrast! Remember the decision
is yours . Are you sure that belt and harness are
uncomfortable?

IT'S GETTING HOT!

Sometimes the right intentions aren 't quite
enough to prevent a mishap . For instance . in
another command. a security gate was being in-
stalled in an older wooden building . The metal
door frame had been secured to the building.
and a welder was welding hinges to the metal
frame.
After completing the job. the welder used a
water-type fire extinguisher to cool the hinges.
then collected his equipment and left . The heat
from the welding wasn't only in the hinges.
however. The heat had been conducted
throughout the metal frame. The heat was suffi-
cient to ignite the parts of the building in
contact with the metal . The building was heavily
damaged .
down to earth

CONTRASTS
Two automobile accidents . from the same
wing. about a week apart. are real food for
thought . ..
#1 . Four airmen were traveling in a 1969
model sedan . The driver attempted to take a
dangerous " S" curve at well over the posted
speed limit . He lost control. and th e vehicle
rolled one and a half times . coming to rest
wheels up . The passenger compartment was al-
most completely intact-the doors stayed closed
. and the top was only slightly c rushed . The ve-
hicle appeared almost driveable.
All occupants were hospitalized . One may be
paralyzed from the neck down-for life . Another
is in serious condition with two spinal fractures.
Seat belts were available . but not used .
#2 . Another airman in a 1979 sport model
2-door was returning home after a long day of
work and socializing . He fell asleep at the wheel . Metal is an excellent conductor of electricity-
left the road. and impacted a solid tree at 45 and heat. This incident should remind all
MPH . The tree met the car directly in front of the amateur and professional welders once more
driver's position . perfectly head-on . The car was that whatever you 're welding isn't the only thir
demolished and is almost unrecognizable . that's getting hot!

14 SEPTEMBER 1980
 He used his brake a total of 1.339 times over
HORT CUTS the trip.
By contrast, the slow driver passed only 645
Two major manufacturers in the auto industry cars, but was overtaken by 142. His brakes were
took two identical cars, fitted them with special used only 652 times.
instruments, and sent each on an identical trip. The slow car achieved almost the same
One driver was told to make the best time he average speed!
could, while the other was told to avoid risks The fast driver arrived sooner, taking 20 hours
and move as fast as the traffic flow permitted. and 12 minutes. The slow driver took 20 hours
Results showed the first, or fast driver, passed and 43 minutes, a difference of less than three
2.004 cars and was passed by only 13 vehicles. per cent.

COULD A HURRICANE HURT YOU?

Hurricane season began a few months ego Stay away from river banks and streams,
and goes on into November. The American Na- which can experience severe flooding as a hurri-
tional Red Cross says the questions below will cane moves inland.
help you see how "disaster-wise- you and your Take with you important docurnears. prescrip-
family are Read the answers carefully. tions, eyeglasses. foods for special diets, clo-
What causes most hurricane damage and thing, and toys and books for children.
casualties? What if you can't evacuate the area?
Water. High tides and torrential rains driven Board up windows and protect them with
by powerful winds can cause swift and shutters and tape. Collect drinking water in
catastrophic flooding. clean bottles and cooking utensils, and even fill
Where do hurricanes occur? the bathtub. Turn your refrigerator to the coldest
411 areas along the At /antic and Gulf of Mexico setting to preserve food as long as possible in
ists are vi.dnerable. and hurricane-caused case of a power failure.
ooding can ravage communities far inland. Make sure your car is fueled and ready for
During 1975. Hurricane Eloise went ashore at emergency use if necessary.
the Florida panhandle but caused severe floods What to do when the hurricane actually
as far away as Virginia. Maryland, and central strikes?
Pennsylvania. Remain indoors. preferably in a brick or
What precautions can be taken by families in concrete building. and away from windows. Stay
hurricane-prone areas? tuned to National Weather Service advisories to
Stock up on canned goods and other foods monitor the storm's progress. as well as the
that need no cooking. Keep battery-powered possibility of tornadoes, which often are
equipment such as radios and flashlights work- spawned by hurricanes. Don't be fooled by the
ing, and make sure you have extra batteries and lull as the -eye" of the storm passes; stay close:
candles. Keep a supply of boards, tools, and to shelter because the fury of the wind will
other materials needed to board up windows in return. this time from the opposite direction!
case of a storm. Why do mobile homes require special safety
How much warning will you have? measures?
It will vary. Meteorologists try to give at least Because they are not fixed structures. Mobile
12 daylight hours of warning before a hurricane homes and their occupants are esicially vul-
strikes a coastal area, but the erratic nature of nerable to severe winds and floods'. Strong
tropical storms makes it impossible to predict winds can roll over and badly damage a mobile
exact landfalls and times home that is not tied down with steel straps
What should you do if a hurricane warning is fastened to anchors embedded in the ground.
broadcast? If your base is located in the hurricane or ty-
Evacuate low-lying areas. especially beaches phoon) danger zone,they will undoubtedly have
other areas likely to be swept by winds and more information. Get yoyr hands on it and
and move inland. Leave early to avoid be- follow a. Ifs hard to be overcautious.
COURTESY: NATIONAL SAFETY NEWS
TAC ATTACK 15
FOKKER DVII
 LOOSE THROTTLE
The helicopter was on an FCF for power prob-
lems . After takeoff and flight to a helipad. a
power topping check was performed in au to-
matic fuel . All indications were normal. and the
aircraft landed on the helipad to switch to
manual fuel for continued checks. When the
throttle was set at flight idle. the engine did not
respond and remained at flight RPM . The throt-
tle was shut off without any response. The

chock talk ..incidents and incidentals with a maintenance slant

TAKE THAT!!
Being a crew chief ain't always too safe. Case
in point ...
A transient alert crew was preparing to park
an aircraft . The marshaller was in position giving
the taxi signals. and another crew chief was engine was then shut down with the main fuel
standing by to chock the aircraft. When the switch .
marshaller gave the stop signal. the aircraft Investigation revealed the throttle linkage was
didn't . We're not sure why . The man with the disconnected at the main fuel control. Previous
chocks ended up with a wing in his midsection maintenance had been accomplished requiring
and a couple of busted ribs . disconnect of the linkage . When the linkage was
Don 't ever assume that aircraft can or will being reconnected . the flight mechanic did not
stop. It could cost you more than it did this have a cotter key of the correct size and asked
troop. another mechanic to obtain one. The other
mechanic went to get one . but on his way had
to park another helo and forgot about the cotter
key.
Meanwhile . the maintenance crew continued
their work; and probably because of the
perc~ived pressure to get the aircraft ready for
an FCF. neglected to complete the final inspe c-
tion. The engine cowling was installed. and the
aircraft towed out for the FCF. The linkage nut
then backed off due to vibration and the lack of
the cotter key.
Now what if that nut had backed off com-
pletely while the chopper was airborne ?

18 SEPTEMBER 1980
 CRUNCH!!
An assistant crew chief was helping in the
recovery of an RF-4 . While parking the aircraft.
he attempted to install the aux air door lock
while the engines were motoring down. When
the electrical power dropped off the line . as
designed . the doors slammed shut. Fortunately
for the assistant crew chief. the only thing in the
way at the time was the down lock . Substantial
damage was done to doors 81 L and 82 L. But
even more "damage" could have been done to
the maintenance troop.
Old heads are familiar with all the places a
person can get into trouble around aircraft. It is
the old heads' responsibility to pass that
knowledge to the new troops. Don't let your
daily familiarity with hazards blind you to the
need to point them out to other people . That's
the only sure way we can make certain our new
termined the number 5 pivot pylon was rotated
troops are really well trained .
7 5 degrees from its norma I position with the
front end pointing towards the wing tip. After a
controllability check. the aircrew safely
recovered the aircraft.
Since the pylons had been recently loaded on
the aircraft. primary investigation centered on
the correct loading of the pylons Only two
members of the normal team loaded the pylons .
A third individual (recently arrived and not
qualified on the aircraft) was sent with the team
to observe and help . The two members of the
team hung the pylons from underneath the wing
and did not check for proper teeth alignment at
the top except by shaking the pylon. Proper
teeth alignment is supposed to be checked both
visually and by feel through the pylon access
ports on top of the wing . Likewise. the crew did
not accomplish several other T.O . required ac-
tions.
The two team members were properly trained .
but only the team chief had actually load ed py-
lons during the past year . Furthermore. the team
A NEW TWIST chief was not qualified to perform in-progress
An F-111 was being prepared for a ferry sortie inspections. A maintenance supervisor should
to the programmed depot maintenance facility . have completed this inspection prior to reinstall-
As a part of the mission . four unserviceable ing the pylon panels.
pivot pylons were installed on the aircraft for de- At any rate. it was the disregard of tech data
livery to the repair facility also. The mission which was the real cause of this incident. The
proceeded normally until just after takeoff . As load crew chief felt he could properly hang the
the aircraft accelerated through 250 kts. the air- pylon by using his own techniques . He got by
crew felt a moderate airframe buffet which they with three out of four-but .750 is a lousy
rould not identify or correct . After another air- average in a league where 1 .000 is the only ac-
ft joined with the incident aircraft. they de- ceptable one'

TAC ATIACK 19
 By Maj Di Johnson they cleared when the throttles were retarded .
4 TFW/SEF The aircraft was recovered successfully. Phew!
Hey Coach. what happens if one or both
Whazzat? An unknown freeway interchange in ramps are extended?
Los Angeles? No . it's a go-fast door for the a. The worst thing is a compressor stall ar
Phantom that restricts and deflects supersonic flameout at throttle settings above 80% RPM .
air in the J-79 engine intake . thus en(lbling b. As a rule . afterburner operation . airstarts .
mach 1.7 plus flight. Here at our wing we don't and stall margin degrade as you climb .
think too much about going real fast . But. I'm c. Range. altitude. and go-around perform-
talking about "machity mach fast"-fast enough ance are also degraded .
to wonder if the vc::ri-ramps will do their trick at How do you know you have a ramp problem ?
mach 1 .5 . However. very little of our time is The first key is a visual inspection :
spent in that regime anyway. a. A/Cs can use the rearview mirrors.
At the other end of the speed range . how b. WSOs and IPs look at the indexing marks
'bout when they cycle out (extended) when on top of the ramps.
you're going 250 kts on takeoff leg7 In the sum- c. Retracted is the position you normally see
mer? At noon? With three bags? When this hap- where the ramp is flush with the fuselage . For
pened recently. the aircraft was on takeoff leg. those who haven't seen the ramp extended. the
Both ramps had been checked retracted before photo should give you an idea of what they look
brake release . At about 250 kts. the WSO like from the pit. Fully extended travel is about 4
alerted the pilot that the ramps extended . inches. measured inside the intake .
KERWHUMP! went the left engine as it During the before-takeoff che c k. you should
compressor stalled in A/B and rolled back. The always inspect the ramps during the 85 % RPM
right engine hung on in A/B but the RPM rolled runup. The scramble procedures che c klist in the
back to the low 90s . The jet was struggling in F-4E Dash One puts it this way: "Variable inlet
the climb and was nosed over at 800' AGL to ramps-check fully retracted . As the throttles are
accelerate. The left throttle was stopcocked to advanced . to 85% RPM . c heck the variable
clear the stall. The airstart caught on the first ramps are in the fully retracted (flush) position ."
try. After climbing to a safe alititude. the ramps How come this check is not in the normal
cycled several more times at RPM above 92%. At before-takeoff checklist? We dunno. but we 'r \
one point. both engines rolled back to 80% but working on getting it in there .

20 SEPTEMBER 1980
 How do you know if you have an open ramp(s)
in flight? Well, if you experience:
a. Signiticartly reduced fuel flow at power
settings above 85% RPM or,
b. High pitched howl at airspeeds above 300
kts or,
c. Reduced thrust (approx 35%) at throttle
settings above 90% RPM or,
d. An associated duct temp high light, then
you probably should check the vari-ramps. After
all, if all the engine instruments are normal.
there isn't much else but the ramps to check if
you're having a thrust problem. If the ramps are
cycling or extended, there's a good chance you
will stop your problems by watching when they
are both retracted and pulling circuit breakers
G-6 and G-7 on panel #2. This will capture the
ramps where they are. Retracted ramps pose no
operational restriction below mach 1.5. It may
be possible to retract a ramp which has failed in
the extended position by pulling or cycling the
Right Vari-Ramp view from rear cockpit. appropriate ramp control circuit breaker G-6
and G-7, #2 panel.
Ramp is fully extended. Pencil shows Ramp failure can occur singly or in pairs. We
had three vari-ramp-associated mishaps here in
stripes that may or may not be
one month. If you see an open write-up about
painted on top of the ramp. the vari-ramps, you sure aren't going to take the
aircraft off the ground. No need to set yourself
up for a compressor stall, or a ride like I

described at the beginning.

TAC ATTACK 21

Phantom Vari-Ramp

eleVIS uetweeit toe ano toe nanagrip. i ne

clevis became bonded to the handgrip. You
know the rest.
Egress personnel have now been directed to
drop the seat side panels and install the safety
pins before the inertia reel check and an AFTO
22 has been submitted requiring seat dearming
during these checks. All because of a drop or
two of paint...

TAC ATTACK
23
CLOSE
BUT NO CIGAR--
THANKFULLY
At one of our TAC -gai ned bases recently, the
F-4 WSO was preflighting the ordnance prior to safety pins when BDU-33s are loaded on a TER .
a range mission . The weapons consisted of The lock pin hole is the rear hole on the TER
BDU-33s loaded on TERs. When the troop rack. The checklist discrepancy is in the process
grasped one of the practice bombs to make sure of being corrected.
it was secure. it came loose. twisted out of his
hand. and fell to the ramp. The spotting charge
functioned but the WSO wasn't injured since the
tail of the bomb was pointing away from him
and the aircraft .
The safety pin had been placed in the safety
pin hole in the TER instead of the lock pin hole
as required by T.O. 1 F-43-33-1-2 . Placing the
pin in the safety pin hole only means the rear
hooks are safe. The hooks are released si-
multaneously but can be cocked inde-
pendently-unless the pin is in the lock pin hole.
When the pin is inserted in the lock pin hole it
safes both sets of hooks. If the pin cannot be
inserted in the lock pin hole. it's an indication
that one or both sets of hooks are not properly
set . ·
It's amazing how potentially tragic incidents
can result from such seemingly simp le mistakes.
Watch out.
An aside for you aircrew members. the -34
checklist doesn't indicate the correct hole for

22 SEPTEMBER 1 980

weapons words
r MAKE WEAPONS CROSSTELL WORK
By Maj Gerald Isaac
12 AF/SEW
Is weapons mishap crosstell working at your copy of a crosstell message to the AGS and then
base? If not. it's a shame because a lot of effort forgetting about it isn't creative . Sticking the in-
and money are going into this program at all formation on a seldom-used bulletin board and
levels of command. In addition . it is co nsidered hoping that someone will come along and read
one of the key means of achieving the Air Force it isn't creative either . But. ensuring that
goal of reducing the number and severity of pertinent mishap information is included in the
weapons mishaps . Air Force co nstantly "hands on " portion of cockpit familiarization
publishes mishap informatio n; TAC takes mishap training is creative. Ensuring that swing shift
information from other commands and sends and mids are briefed is creative . Helping es-
pertinent extracts to the field ; numbered air tablish a good system for rapid dissemination of
forces get mishap information from a variety of crosstell throughout the working level of large
sources and send it to subordinate units in care organizations such as AGS is creative. Verifying
of SEW. What happens to it then? Is it filed? Is it your crosstell program by seeing if specialists
sent to the AGS or EMS for the additional duty on the job are familiar with specific recent mis-
safety person to file in a management book? Is it haps is also creative .
posted on a bulletin board in a hangar? If any of The bottom line is the same type mishaps are
the above constitutes final action on mishap in- occurring over and over . Crosstell remains one
formation . then mishap crosstell is not working of our best weapons for preventing recurring
for you . Mishap crosstell is not intended to mishaps. if it receives proper emphasis at the
amaze and amuse headquarters . wing safety. or working le\Lel. Don't neglect crosstell informa-
additional duty safety personnel . The intent is to tion in your Weapons Safety Program. It's im-
ensure that a person doing a particular job portant. and it can work.
r ·r:10ws WHAT accidents have occurred in that
b. and HOW and WHY they happened .
You in Weapons Safety play an important role
in ensuring that crosstell information is handled EVER BEEN PAINTED?
effectively. How you do this is up to you and IS
limited only by your creativeness . Sending a Two egress technicians were performing a
TCTO on a T-38 ejection seat . After the TCTO
was completed. they were also performing a vi-
sual and physical inspection of the automatic
inertia reel lock. The technicians raised the leg
braces and the reels locked properly. They
began to, lower the braces and about 1-2 inches
above the full down position . the M-27 initiator
activated and fired the M-26 initiator . No inju-
ries resulted and little damage was done.
The investigators traced the cause to a bit of
painting which had been done on the seat dur-
ing some previous corrosion control procedures.
Paint had been inadvertently deposited on the
clevis between the M-27 and the handgrip . Th e
clevis became bonded to the handgrip. You
know the rest.
Egress personnel have now been directed to
drop the seat side panels and install the safety
pins before the inertia reel check and an AFTO
22 has been submitted requir ing seat dearming
during these checks. All because of a drop or
two of paint. . .

TAC ATIACK 23
 SEPTEMBER

"Welcome aboard. Sergeant Clark." said the

line chief warmly. "Glad to have you as a
- ~ member of our section . We've been busy all
/ /~ summer; but with you and the other troops who
~Cjii;i!)- _.,..___ _ / got here in the last few weeks. we 'll be in pretty
~/ good shape this fall. I'm relying on you to help
me with the new guys."
'Thanks Sergeant Jones. I'll help all I can and
do my best. But. I have some learning to do
too-getting to know your way of doing things
and all."
"Nonsense! You already know what to do . All
you have to do is to show these new troops . Ya '
know they don't teach 'em everything at te "
school. We have to bring them up-to-speed ar

September Song
 ONG
teach our way of doing things . At school they
have all them fancy mockups and stuff."

"Hello Major Jones. Jim Johnson's my name.

I'm the ops officer here. Boy do we need you!
We've been short all summer because of rota-
tions. You're going to be assistant ops. and I'm
really counting on you to help us keep on top of
things. We got a bunch of new guys in last
month. and they need an old head to really
show 'em the ropes . I've tried. but I just can't do
the whole job myself. "
"Yes sir. I'll be glad to do all I can. You know. I
Let's back up to our first mythical example . A
was on a staff tour for the last three years. and I
crew chief who's been working on a particular
just finished requalifying. I need to get up-to-
aircraft for several years kno'ws quite a bit about
speed on the local area procedures."
the airplane. But if he or she is new to your
"No sweat it'll all come back to you like it was
outfit the acquaintances in the AGE section.
yesterday. Now there are a couple of troops who
sheet metal shop. the tool kit section . or supply
are new to fighters and I'd like you to take them
just aren't there like they were at their old unit.
·•nder your wing."
• • • Because of this . if you put a load on their
Hold on! What's going on here? Well . scenes shoulders and expect them to fully train newer
uch as this may have been repeated throughout people. they might not do as good a JOb as they
TAC and other commands this summer . It's a could do once they got adjusted.
nice time of the year. the kids are out of school. The basic problem still remains-all people
and for most people it's the most logical time to who are new to a unit need time to adjust to
make a PCS move. Now that works well for the the different operations and will require addi-
people . but what about the unit itself? The tional training based on their personal
story's not quite the same. experience and capabilities . Take the time to ac-
New folks come to units throughout the year. quaint people with office procedures and
however. the biggest turnover is always in the personnel on base whom they need to know. If
summer. And it's during this period that the we want to have a smooth running operation
greatest change in experienced people usually through the fall and winter. we have to get our
takes place . We need to be careful. We some- people trained . We must let them know what is
times fail to realize anytime someone comes into expected of them. what goals the unit is working
a new organization. airplane. weapons system . towards and how they fit into the "big picture"
or shop he or she must undergo a readjust- of our operations. Our success in the upcoming
ment-a reeducation . Whether they're months depends on your efforts today.
experienced or brand new. they all need help. September marks the beginning of one of
People don't need assistance on the job only. TAC's most hazardous periods. Part of the prob-
Housing , furniture delivery. pay. and schools are lem may be the influx of new personnel during
all valid concerns of new arrivals . You can't ex- the summer months and our inability to shift our
pect someone to give you 1 00% when he or she thinking away from vacations . etc and "get it all
is worried about things such as these . Give them together" again . This is one part of the problem
the time and help to get everything squared we can certainly influence if we work at it .
away. You'll be helping them and your section at Besides. a smooth operation can make the
' same time. People work a lot better when winter go faster and next summer will seem that
,y know other folks care . much closer . __.::::...

TAC ATIACK 25
 occur because the crew cannot "process" all the
warnings and "he lp" they're given.
Task saturation is directly related to an indi-
vidual's aptitude and trained capability to
process information. An individual 's ability to or-
ganize and make decisions about information
that has been received by the senses (sight.
sound . smell. taste. touch) may well result 1n
mentally setting up priorities.
The cognitive domain (our thinking cap . .. or
better . . . our own on-board computer) does
have varying levels of capability based on how
the system is matured . The growth process oc-
curs throughout our lifetime . Our experiences
are kin to training, or programming. of our on ~
board computer. This prepares us for inform< \
tion processing and organizing of the variou
By Robert E. Coward
tasks that come along with flying today's
William H. Nelson
missions. At times you may well be "max'd " out
AFHRL/OTO
mentally by the extensive information provided
"fox 41 , this is Berkley Control. squawk 2041 for visual. auditory. and kinesthetic systems to
and turn to heading 055 . Contact Berkley Ap- process . Vital safety-related messages from the
proach prior to leaving your assigned altitude . .... aircraft systems may be overshadowed by other
"Fox 41. this is Fox 42 . Do you have engine information being presented to you. Radar
problems? You're trailing a heavy smoke presentations and the various heads-up displays
plume . .. "Fox 41 . do you read ?" provide compelling visual inputs that demand
A busy day in the cockpit for ole 41. Sounds your attention. Do you ever remember being so
as though he has lots of information coming in engrossed in a movie or show that you shut out
from the many systems of the aircraft. not to people? It can happen in the air' Cathode Ray
mention what's coming from outside . His prob- Tube (CRT) technology and instrument miniaturi-
lem is something like the bells ringing and zation have allowed many features to be placed
lights flashing at the desk of a very busy execu- into .all corners of the cockpit.
tive office. Information processing can be dif- However. with today's complex aircraft. can
ficult at such times. aircrews and training managers help in the
We've always been concerned with our human "programming" of the executive in the cockpit of
capability to process data compared to the vast Fox 41 before critical mission or safety deci-
amount of information blasted at our sensory sions must be made? Absolutely! Information
systems such as might occur in the cockpit envi- processing must be approached from two an-
ronment of today's fighter /attack aircraft. We've gles: the aircrew's potential and the training
only recently recognized the hazards of task systems' responsibilities. First. the aircrew must
saturation-in particular we've found there are understand that potential for increased informa-
critical times in an aircraft. when an emergency tion processing and decision making is simil
condition exists and an incident or accident may to physical fitness potential. Your mind ar.

26 SEPTEMBER 1 980

Programming your own computer

 sensory systems · require exercise and peaking tion and prioritize data for decision making.
just like the body's muscle system. By studying Consider this: In the business world many
the thinking/reasoning processes (input . executives bail out of critical situations or make
processing. output). aircrews can become more bad decisions because they are not trained to
aware of their personal potential for increased process information that is available to them.
information handling. As the body can be Some tend to make decisions on the latest in-
trained to increase muscle power so can the formation available without ever considering a
cognitive system be conditioned to handle and second opinion. A rapid drop in some com-
process information more effectively. You can modity may only be an indicator of trouble or it
be trained to read faster. comprehend more-so may be critically important to future profits. In
why won't the same thing work in the cockpit? the same way the aircrew may have to decide on
Task saturation . or task overloading . is a func- bailing out or coming home .. completing the
tion of how much information you can assimi- mission or returning another day under better
late or move through your own on-board com- conditions . Either or both decisions may have to
puter. Similar to physical limitations. you should occur during the same time frame . Fox 41 might
become aware of mental workload limits in a well need that bit of news about the smoke if he
mission environment and determine how you missed getting the information from the engine
match up to those limits . You may find that instruments .
training for increased information handling Awareness of your mind 's potential and train-
potential should be a continuing part of your ing for improved decision making are conditions
fessional growth. we need to work on in today 's modern. com-
( ne other angle deserving consideration for puter enhanced. flying environment. Your own
~ reasing information processing potential is on-board computer requires periodic updating
the approach training managers take in training and modification. Good thinking habits can help
aircrews in decision making . Developers of fly- you quickly prioritize information in an
ing training academic programs should become emergency situation and decide what to do and
intimately familiar with the current knowledge when to do it . By organizing your thinking to
about development of cognitive processes . The consider the various elements of the mission.
technology exists ... it should be taught in fly- the conditions that must be faced . the ca-
ing training . By studying decision making pabilities of the aircraft. interactions that must
processes aircrew members can become better occur with other aircraft and controllers. the ex-
prepared to deal with periods of being "max'd" pected end result of the mission. potential emer-
out . gencies and probability of mission success; you
As students progress from basic flying training can be better prepared to deal with cognitive
to mission-ready aircrews. their conceptualiza- task loading.
tion of the mission matures-based on building Prioritizing your responses to unexpected
blocks of information . This growth process events will occur more logically if you have done
develops such that the individu al must learn a good job of thinking out the complete mission
some lessons before he can use other informa- in advance-that means on the ground long
tion about the mission . As the individual ma- before you step into the airplane . Keeping in
tures . expansion of information processing can mind that the mission is vitally important. it is
occur if the building blocks are a sound founda- also essential to consider how you will deal with
tion of data about how the aircraft and its potential emergencies. how you plan to react
weapons fit the mission . The sequencing in based on the information available to you. where
which these blocks are presented can both is your best source of assistance and how all of
facilitate and enhance learning . A solid. this type of thinking might help toward making
1prehensive understanding of the mission re- the decision to press on ... or to fly the mission
aments allows aircrews to organize inforrna- another day. ->-

TACATIACK 27
Aircraft recognition 28
 properly executed by the aircrews is the key, and
would relegate every Safety Officer to mundane
report filing. "Safety is the by-product of doing the
job correctly"; I love it! When each service breaks
that code and trains to that goal and demands that
type performance from their aircrews, we'll need no
more safety officers.

John M. Nash
Commander, USN
VX-4, Pt Mugu, CA 93042

Dear Commander Nash.

AMEN!

Ed

Readers,
Dear Editor,
We goofed! In the August issue, we neglected to
Your June edition had several great articles indicate that Lt Col James Bustle, 23 TFW: SE was
worthy of "sister services" reading, but I most the Fleagle T-Shirt winner for his article, "The
enjoyed the "Angle of Attack" safety message. 1 And The Man."
.

-ver thought I'd hear those words from a safety of-

r! A strong NATOPS, STAN-EVAL program, Our apologies and a T-shirt to Lt Col Bustle.

What's Happening
To Master Sergeant
To TAC Safety Folks TSgt Ronald Landram, USAFTFWC
-Congratulations to SSgt Gary W. Gwaltney, TSgt Thomas E. Danihel, 56 TFW
Safety NCO for Det 2, 20 ADS, Patrick AFB, FL, TSgt Kenneth N. Wodrt, TT Holloman
on his selection for OTS. Roberts, 9 AF
-Captain Eugene "Gino" Arnold, formerly with TSgt Billy Hester, 507 TAIRCW
the 1st TFW flight safety office, left Langley in Junc TSgt Ellis Mann, HQ TAC
for Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB. TSgt Michael Mehalko, 4 TFW
-Congratulations to the following personnel TSgt Raymond Chisolm, 347 TFW
recently selected for promotion: TSgt Philip Henriksen, TT George
To Major TSgt Edward Monteiro, 27 TFW
Capt James D. Franks, HQ TAC TSgt Roger Cox, 27 TFW
Capt Robert L. Herklotr, 355 TTW
Capt Henry Fiumara, 49 TFW To Technical Sergeant
Capt Robert Giacomazza, 67 TRW SSgt Ronald J. Kunkle, TT Holloman
Capt Richard S. Baldwin, 552 AWACW SSgt Wallace King, 31 TFW
Capt Robert K. Akers, 9 AF SSgt Edward Klima, 823 CES
To Senior Master Sergeant SSgt James Hayes, ADWC
MSgt Peter Donohoe, b7 TRW SSgt Richard Papinchek, 56 TFW
Ivor Frasier. ADTAC, 1G (Safety) SSgt Richard Barkalow. 552 AWACW

TAC ATTACK 29

Letters to the editor

 4'44'"031'411°'dw 24*413°"4-4'-'3°
making exclamation marks on their chests in felt
pen.
Ed
,e90., ePs ".4%, ,V9d, .44.40

Dear Editor,
I opened the cover of the July 1980 issue of TAC
ATTACK and couldn't believe the title of Colonel
Ely's article, "When You've Done All You Can Get
Out ." When you have done "all you can" is a pretty
indefinite point in an emergency situation. You can
be doing "all you can" as you impact the ground.
Like it or not, statements by full colonels do in-
fluence young, low ranking fliers, and the reason
they stay with aircraft and die is because they have
heard statements like, "when you've done all you
can, get out." There is a subconscious pressure that
they need to do something to save the iron beast that
is letting them down. ..
I agree with the bulk of Colonel Ely's article,
however it is time to tell the troops that when ejec-
tion parameters are reached, it doesn't matter if you
have done all you can or not, it is time to pull the
handle.
Major David Hudlet
Letters
C Stan Hardison, 1971 124 TROf SE (ANG)
Boise, Idaho
Dear Editor,
Dear Major !ludic.
As always, enjoyed the magazine and Stan Since you state you agree with the bulk of the
Hardison's "Fleagle", but...
article, I can only guess you let the title get in the
In the June issue, Maj Tim Brown's article in-
way as you read the article. TAC and USA have
cluded a chart and referenced elsewhere the
hieroglyphic F-100. Unless I'm seriously mistaken
lost too many people who got into trouble well
above minimum ejection altitude and had plenty of
you will find that an F-100 is a vintage century series
time to perform emergency procedures and still get
aircraft. On the other hand, you will find F100 (sans
out- but for reasons unknown, never made it. In
the dash) is "state of the art" turbo fan engine.
five short paragraphs we didn't intend to say
As an old maintenance officer with fond memories
everything which could be said on this subject. We
for the "Hun" and as an F-15 maintenance person
tried to convey the philosophy that too many of our
today, I take pride in using the proper nomencla-
folks are jeopardizing themselves needlessly by trying
ture-so please-an F-I00 is an aircraft and F100 is
to save the "iron beast." If we got the troops think-
an engine!
ing along those lines, we may have done the most we
Lt Col William C. Morrison can. The folks with the most influence on our line
405 EMS: CC aircrews are the line supervisors - flight leads, flight
Luke AFB, AZ commanders, ops officers, and squadron com-
manders. They're the ones who can, and should,
Dear Col Morrison, carry the message.
You're right. Fortunately, we're in good company
Ed
since AEROSPACE SAFETY made the same "mis-
take." Sure seems to be a lot of fuss over a little Answers to AIRCRAFT RECOGNITION, page 28
hyphen. Perhaps we should use hyphens for aircraft
and asterisks. for engines or periods. All in favor of
1. 1-348 2. C-12A 3. OV-1

banning punctuation marks entirely may signify by 4. TC-4C 5. U-21

30 SEPTEMBER 1980
 TAC Tally

TAC ANG AFR

THRU JUL THRU JUL THRU JUL
JUL 1980 1971 JUL 1980 1971 JUL 1980 1179
CLASS A MISHAPS I~ 3 19 23 1 9 6 0 1 3
AIRCREW FATALITIES I• 2 12 20 1 8 5 0 0 2
-·
TOTAL EJECTIONS I• 5 22 23 0 7 4 0 1 3
SUCCESSFUL EJECTIONS I• 3 16 14 0 4 2 0 1 1

TAC'S TOP 5 thru JULY ~ao

TAC FTR/RECCE TAC AIR DEFENSE
class A mishap free months class A mishap free months
29 33 TFW 104 84 FIS
22 1 TFW 90 57 FIS
21 31 TFW 43 5 FIS
15 4 TFW 40 48 FIS
14 67 TRW 21 49 FIS

TAC GAINED FTRjRECCE TAC GAINED AIR DEFENSE lAC/GAINED Other Units
class A mishap free months class A mishap free months class A mishap free months
137 152 TRG (ANG) 96 191 FIG (ANG) 132 182 TASG (ANG)
99 188 TFG (ANG) 77 102 FIW (ANG) 125 193 TEWG (ANG)
91 138 TFG (ANG) 73 177 FIG (ANG) 117 110 TASG (ANG)
90 917 TFG (AFR) 39 125 FIG (ANG) 112 USAFTAWC (TAC)
87 116 TFW (128 TFS)(ANG) 21 119 FIG (ANG) 108 919 SOG (AFR)

CLASS A MISHAP COMPARISON RATE 79/80

(BASED ON ACCIDENTS PER 100,000 HOURS FLYING TIME)
1979 6.9 7.0 5.9 6.6 7.4 6.2 7.2
TA
c 1980 2.0 4.0 5.2 4.4 4.7 5.2 5.3
1979 0.0 11.4 9.0 9.7 7.6 6.2 5.4
AN
G 1980 5.0 7.6 6.6 7.1 6.5 6.2 5.9
1979 0.0 0.0 19.9 23.1 17.0 13.4 11.6
AF
JR 1980 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 3.7
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
* US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1980-635-083/4