Paul Michael Brown,

The OB-16 route was a low-level high speed (360 knots +) training route that
worked its way through the canyons of the John Day River system in eastern
Oregon, generally south-southeastward into northwestern Nevada, ending at
the B-16 target area near the Fallon (Nevada) Naval Air Station.

The route was specifically laid out as a means for west coast A-6 crews to
employ the Intruder's various sensors (aircraft and human) in as realistic a
way as possible in the prosecution of a single-aircraft attack against a
radar-significant target. The early route segments included terrain-masking
/ terrain-avoidance practice by flying IN the John Day River canyon (à la
Luke Skywalker on his landspeeder), practice in more typical
terrain-avoidance of low rolling hills and buttes, all leading to a
high-speed delivery of weapons on the target range. Each route segment had
specific checkpoints, system update points, leg speeds, leg times, and all
other manner of stuff a good crew needed to do well, to remain A-6 Jedi
Masters. This was fun because, with a good system and an experienced-enough
crew, one could play with all of the Intruder's then-state-of-the-art toys
in a very realistic way.

The remoteness and sparse population along the route made it an ideal
training environment, due to the realism offered by the widely varying
terrain and the reduced chance of disturbing the civilian population.

Flying IN the canyon or very close to the ground or obstructions enroute was
optional, and usually depended upon the combination of system "tightness",
wx and visibility, crew experience, and how many family members the crew
might widow /orphan if they pranged. g IIRC, in the 1972 - 1974 period
the A-6 was cleared to as low as 200 feet AGL in the canyon at the crew's
option. (I'm writing this from memory. Others with better info please jump
in.)

A similar but shorter training route - called the Tailhook Route - started
at roughly the same place but stayed entirely within eastern Oregon and
ended at the Boardman target range near Umatilla, on the Columbia River.

There used to be quite a number of OB routes throughout the US, used by all
of the flying service branches. These were laid out with the training needs
and equipment capabilities of the users in mind, jointly by the "customer"
service branch and the FAA. Don't know how many remain, or what they're
called anymore.

"OB" (in the OB-16 name) used to stand for "oil burner," a reference to the
effect that such low-level, high speed flight had on reciprocating engines -
as in the Douglas A-1. In 1974, the forces of political correctness and the
aftermath of the 1973 oil embargo conspired to cause a name change.

To "Olive Branch." g

--
Mike Kanze

"John Kerry has promised to take this country back from the wealthy. Who
better than the guy worth $700 million to take the country back? See, he
knows how the wealthy think. He can spy on them at his country club, at his
place in Palm Beach, at his house in the Hamptons. He's like a mole for the
working man."

- Jay Leno


"Paul Michael Brown" wrote in message
news
Flying the OB-16 route at night with a tight system was
"the stuff dreams are made from."

What was the OB-16 route, and why was it so much fun to fly it with a
tight system at night?