An F-14 Tomcat Ride!

[Ken King]

There was a whole set of briefings I had to sit through; ejection seat training, emergency ejection terms(when we were in the F-16) G-suit and helmet fitting, helmet/oxygen testing.

I think that is what they called it, you were advised to tighten up your stomach, and I think rectal muscles, "grunting", if you will, to lessen the effects of G-forces on you as you were going through tightly banked turns and maneuvers. I suppose that was the physiological training aspect of it, be cause the training officer was grunting like he was taking a dump or something.

I asked the Colonel about how many "G"s we encountered, and he said somewhere around 4 to 4.5. Maybe that's why I didn't feel the effects so bad, just a gray-out period for a few seconds.

 

[BTE]

I think that is what they called it, you were advised to tighten up your stomach, and I think rectal muscles, "grunting", if you will, to lessen the effects of G-forces on you as you were going through tightly banked turns and maneuvers. I suppose that was the physiological training aspect of it, be cause the training officer was grunting like he was taking a dump or something.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I saw or read something somewhere that sort-of bearing down and saying the word hike, assisted in the tightening of the stomach and rectal muscles. I believe that was to help push the blood back to your head or something. Actually...when I lived in Somd a few years ago, a news guy from from the DC area took a ride with the Blue Angels and he was talking about the whole experience. He, by the way, did not hurl. They showed him flying and in the cockpit, on the news that night. He seemed to black out a couple times and was groaning and whatnot when they were pulling serious G's and I remember him chanting "hike hike hike" to combat the forces, I guess. Anyway, he exited the plane and collapsed. He certainly looked like the flight kicked his azz.

 

[Pete]

Yeah, that's what I meant. I saw or read something somewhere that sort-of bearing down and saying the word hike, assisted in the tightening of the stomach and rectal muscles. I believe that was to help push the blood back to your head or something.

Some people around here would not have a problem because their heads are up their asses already so the blood would not have as far to travel.

 

[BTE]

Some people around here would not have a problem because their heads are up their asses already so the blood would not have as far to travel.

 

[ylexot]

Yeah, that's what I meant. I saw or read something somewhere that sort-of bearing down and saying the word hike, assisted in the tightening of the stomach and rectal muscles. I believe that was to help push the blood back to your head or something. Actually...when I lived in Somd a few years ago, a news guy from from the DC area took a ride with the Blue Angels and he was talking about the whole experience. He, by the way, did not hurl. They showed him flying and in the cockpit, on the news that night. He seemed to black out a couple times and was groaning and whatnot when they were pulling serious G's and I remember him chanting "hike hike hike" to combat the forces, I guess. Anyway, he exited the plane and collapsed. He certainly looked like the flight kicked his azz.

It's actually "hook", not "hike". Or at least that's what I was taught.

Hey Pete, I've been in a P-3 pulling g's too We were doing a flight up to Maine and somewhere along the way, we were flying through a test range where an A-10 was doing a live gun run. The pilot just got the call "turn left now!" I was standing in the aisle watching a console at the time. I remember seeing the horizon just disapear in the window and thinking "huh, that's interesting". The the pilot pulled. Unfortunately, my legs weren't locked and I couldn't overcome the g's, so I ended up sitting in the aisle.

 

[BTE]

It's actually "hook", not "hike". Or at least that's what I was taught.

Hey Pete, I've been in a P-3 pulling g's too We were doing a flight up to Maine and somewhere along the way, we were flying through a test range where an A-10 was doing a live gun run. The pilot just got the call "turn left now!" I was standing in the aisle watching a console at the time. I remember seeing the horizon just disapear in the window and thinking "huh, that's interesting". The the pilot pulled. Unfortunately, my legs weren't locked and I couldn't overcome the g's, so I ended up sitting in the aisle.

Oh yeah...maybe it was hook...I knew it was something like that. It's funny to think of a P-3 pulling g's.... I mean, I don't know much about aircraft....but you know...it seems too big to be able to get out of its own way. I used to work at the NAVAIRTESTWINGLANT at Pax and it was funny to hear the strike fighter guys dawg the P3 pilots. The OPSO was dogged so much, we gave him a call sign and had a new name plate made for him so he'd feel more like "one of the guys."

 

[Vince]

Didn't you have to go through physiological training before the flight?

Did that stuff. Went through Ejection Seat training too. Talk about a kick in the azz. Ejection Seat simulator actually puts the forces on you that you'll get if you have to blast out of the cockpit. Puts your head right into your azz. Fun stuff.

 

[ylexot]

Did you get to do the helo dunker? For those that don't know, the helo dunker is a big metal cylinder with seats, windows, and doors in it. You seatbelt your self in and they drop it into the water and flip it upside-down. After it stops, you have to unhook and get out. You also have to do it four times, two of which you are blindfolded. I had to be rescued once because I was blindfolded and lost my sense of direction. So I got to do it five times.

 

[BTE]

Did you get to do the helo dunker? For those that don't know, the helo dunker is a big metal cylinder with seats, windows, and doors in it. You seatbelt your self in and they drop it into the water and flip it upside-down. After it stops, you have to unhook and get out. You also have to do it four times, two of which you are blindfolded. I had to be rescued once because I was blindfolded and lost my sense of direction. So I got to do it five times.

I have seen that done.....no way in he!! would they get me in there. I'd freak out...I'm sure of it! And blindfolded?!?!?! Not enough money in the world. I would imagine you are totally disoriented and don't know which way is up.

I admire anyone that can get through all that crap!

 

[Bogart]

That guy really likes Colin Montgomerie.

 

[Nupe2]

For my retirement "present", my Director of Ops(Air Force) took me up with him in an F-16B(2 seater), out of Jacksonville NAS. The Air Force had a contingency of F-16s there for Air Defense Alert Activities, and it was my Col's time to renew his quals for the quarter.
We went up as a flight of 4, then split off into 2 separate flights, one flight holding at a block 18,000 to 23,000ft(us) and another flight blocking from 25,000 to 29,000ft, as I recall.
We were up against a Lear Jet, our target who could be at any altitude from 9,000 up to 33,000ft, as long as he stayed out of the airspace blocks that the flights were assigned to.
We were paired against him twice, at first, locked up and shot him once with a captive AIM-9 Sidewinder, but we never saw him the second go. We searched that sky, all over the place off Jacksonville and never did get a radar lock on him.
Then we were hooked up on a KC-10 tanker for Air Refueling(awesome being under the belly of an airplane that huge, taking on fuel through a tube going behind your canopy!)
Then, disengaging we had 3 more opportunities to intercept that Lear Jet again, scoring 2 out of the 3 times he headed in our direction.

Coolest thing I'll never forget was when my pilot couldn't find the Lear, he was just about past us, when I spotted him visually about 6,000ft below us, heading away at our southeast, and I yelled:

"Tally Ho", Lear Jet, right 5 o'clock, heading away to our right rear quarter!"

My pilot never missed a beat, bent that F-16 around at one heck of an angle of bank, nose down and lit off the afterburner! Holy Sh!t!!

He rolled her over at about 8,000ft, came out of burner and lined up on the Lear, with the buzz of the AIM-9 acquiring the exhaust of the Lears' engines droning in my helmet. "FOX 2", my pilot called; splash one Lear Jet!

I hardly remembered the rest of the flight and the ride back to Jacksonville NAS.

"Cool as a Jewel" Penn!

vBulletin Message
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Penn again.

 

[Pete]

It's actually "hook", not "hike". Or at least that's what I was taught.

Hey Pete, I've been in a P-3 pulling g's too We were doing a flight up to Maine and somewhere along the way, we were flying through a test range where an A-10 was doing a live gun run. The pilot just got the call "turn left now!" I was standing in the aisle watching a console at the time. I remember seeing the horizon just disapear in the window and thinking "huh, that's interesting". The the pilot pulled. Unfortunately, my legs weren't locked and I couldn't overcome the g's, so I ended up sitting in the aisle.

I have pulled G's in a P-3.

P-3's are SEXY !! :jetsareforkids:

 

[Vince]

Did you get to do the helo dunker? For those that don't know, the helo dunker is a big metal cylinder with seats, windows, and doors in it. You seatbelt your self in and they drop it into the water and flip it upside-down. After it stops, you have to unhook and get out. You also have to do it four times, two of which you are blindfolded. I had to be rescued once because I was blindfolded and lost my sense of direction. So I got to do it five times.

That was an "E" ticket ride. Better than the 6 Flags. I went two or three times when they needed to fill an extra seat. Loved it.

 

[Animal]

For my retirement "present", my Director of Ops(Air Force) took me up with him in an F-16B(2 seater), out of Jacksonville NAS. The Air Force had a contingency of F-16s there for Air Defense Alert Activities, and it was my Col's time to renew his quals for the quarter.
....

I hardly remembered the rest of the flight and the ride back to Jacksonville NAS.

If you launched from NAS Jacksonville in an F-16 then you didn't remember the start of the flight any better then the end of it. The F-16s were at Jacksonville IAP and belonged to the ANG, I think the unit there is the 125th FW.

 

[Penn]

If you launched from NAS Jacksonville in an F-16 then you didn't remember the start of the flight any better then the end of it. The F-16s were at Jacksonville IAP and belonged to the ANG, I think the unit there is the 125th FW.

Sorry, I'm wrong, you are correct. I was mistaken in saying Jacksonville NAS.

And yeah, it was the 125 FW, an ANG unit. I was stationed at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Fl. at the time. The flight I took with my DO would probably have taken place in May or June of 1989, just prior to my retiring from the Air Force.

Funny, you are the only one that caught my mistake.

 

[Animal]

Sorry, I'm wrong, you are correct. I was mistaken in saying Jacksonville NAS.

And yeah, it was the 125 FW, an ANG unit. I was stationed at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Fl. at the time. The flight I took with my DO would probably have taken place in May or June of 1989, just prior to my retiring from the Air Force.

Funny, you are the only one that caught my mistake.

Mistake.

Probably the most exciting thing anyone could ever do and you don't remember every little detail, huh? Guess that is why you aren't writing for SI.