I think I read somewhere that he was an IP. Maybe the reason he checked out
after so short a period of time was that he felt that he had used up all of
his
luck teaching the dummies to fly that bird. Anybody ever think to ask him?

From the guys ahead of me in VS-31, the Stoof was pretty docile in comparison
to most carrier borne a/c.

/sea story mode/on

Now, this is no ****. (cof) My first skipper was tripped up by old habit on
his first Viking cruise - got a soft cat and immediately reached up to slap the
throttles (in the S-2, they are over your head, in the S-3, they're down
between the seats) and sent out the refueling prode instead. Once they got
over the soft cat, everyone pretty much died laughing at his little faux pas.

I would imagine to anyone that ever dreamed of Wings of Gold®, assignment to a
Stoof RAG, flying uncounted patterns with youngsters struggling through FAM-3
flights, it might be an easier to walk away than if Rumsfeld's career had led
him elsewhere.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.