On Tue, 2 Oct 2007 16:29:22 -0500, "Paul Riley"
wrote:


"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
news
Each pilot in other words, is being encouraged and REMINDED, to be in a
constant state of self evaluation as to the ability to perform at any
given time and place.
It ain't much......but it helps!

--
Dudley Henriques

Dudley,

You are exactly right.

I flew a zero-zero GCA, at night, in a UHIB, at the An Khe airfield in late
1965. No other place to go. We were on mortar patrol, had just been relieved
on station by our replacement aircraft. Ground fog had moved in, even the
replacement aircraft was not aware of it. No one expected it. I had an
instrument rating, my copilot did not. Our other option was to go crash in
the jungle someplace (with the bad guys, but where it was clear). Since we
did not have enough fuel to divert to a safe landing area--more than 45
minutes away (hey, this was Nam) we decided it was our only option.
Obviously, we made it, believe it or not, no damage to aircraft or crew. The
GCA Controller got three quarts of Johnny Walker Red the next morning. G

Goes to show, you CAN handle a bad situation, IF you remember your training.

Regards,
Paul
PS Sorry about the misplaced thanks!!

Paul

Welcome to the crowd. There are only a few of us.

I too made ONE zero zero at Hamilton AFB in F-94C.

Finished mission and went RTB and as we approached the field watched
the San Francisco Bay fog roll in before we could land. No fuel for
alternate so continued with a GCA. Hit GCA minimums and no runway.
Told GCA to keep talking and rotated to a landing attitude and
continued decent. Next thing I knew was rolling down runway.

Like you, when you gotta do you gotta do.

Big John