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![]() "BUFDRVR" wrote in message ... Better news was that all the heat from the Buffs taking off raised the vis just enough for T/O mins for the A-4. See, BUFFs can even change the weather ![]() I was #7 of a 12 ship MITO one morning as a young co-pilot. My aircraft commander for the exercise was an experienced IP who decided, just prior to engine start, that I would do the takeoff. He was unphased when I told him I had never done a MITO from #2 let alone #7. I'll never forget him picking up the "committed call" because a.) I didn't know what to do with the airspeed indicator jumping from 120 to 160 and back and fourth and b.) was focusing nearly 100% of my energy on keeping us tracking down the *center* of the runway. We broke ground, turned to our "fan heading" and instantly hit "dirty" air that caused an abrupt pitch up. The pitch up was so violent and happened so quickly and we were so low (about 50-60 feet AGL) that both of us shoved the yoke into the forward stops without the obligatory transfer of aircraft control. After about three seconds of terror, we hit clear air, he got off the controls and calmy began the "After Takeoff Climb" checklist. Out of sheer necessity I maintained my outwardly "cool pilot" demeanor, but inside I was still reeling from having nearly stalled a half million pound jet just seconds after takeoff. The discussion at level off was, obviously, about our post-T/O adventure, and I was amazed by the "ol' heads", who thought nothing of it. In fact our RN had a worse MITO story than we had just lived through! Incidents like that made me appreciate the "Cold War" guys, who may never have dropped a weapon in anger, but damn sure had put their lives at risk in preparing for "the Big One". BUFDRVR I won't go into detail about my many MITO stories like the one above, but many times, just as number 3, I was at FULL cross controlls just a few feet off the ground in a Buff trying to keep the wingtips from hitting the ground. Additional joy, in a G model you didn't look ahead down the runway during takeoff because you couldn't see it. A water assisted MITO created a black curtain of smoke from the Buffs ahead of you...you just looked over the nose at the white line to stay on the rwy. A tragic memory I have was watching a Castle AFB Buff (CCTS sortie with 10 on board) as #2 in a MITO go in a mile off the rwy at Mather AFB (Dec '82). Watched that from the alert pad as an off going crewmember. Much, much easier doing the same thing in a Bone. The guy ahead would accelerate so fast you couldn't keep up. The winds in TX had a lot to do with sweeping the rwy too. JB |
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