b2

Understand in the E-2 community that new pilots are like newly born Kangaroos, with just enough knowledge to crawl their way to the pouch where they can suckle. This as opposed to single seaters, who are like baby giraffes that have about 5 minutes to sort things out and start running before getting eaten up.

After a bit, I gave in to the inevitable, carefully explained to him what that INS thingiemabob did, to stay in a constant angle of bank and orbit this spot and if you feel a need to deviate DO NOT deviate to the south where Libya be, and headed for the stern of the E-2, where the makeshift head was. There were glimmers of understanding, but mostly fear in his eyes.

So there I sat, flight suit about the ankles, just waiting for an SA-5 to remove the front of my craft, me sitting there upon my throne in the windblast overlooking the entire Med from 20+ thousand feet prior to pitching forward and falling to my death with flight suit trailing behind like a drogue streamer.

My nugget finished his first command and is on to bigger and better things now. Heh.

I have no idea how many times I’ve called my Dad from an airport before I was supposed to board, to have him talk me off that ledge. I’m not exactly a Naval Aviator’s dream to have as a daughter… However, I suspect in his career, talking his daughter down and getting her on a commercial flight was much easier than the ‘talks’ he had to give as a CO.

It had been drilled into us over and over……….if the engine quits at low altitude, nose over and maintain air speed to land straight ahead. It was gospel. (And I’m quitye sure, still is.) A fellow student and friend had survived an engine failure on takeoff by doing the right thing just a month earlier.

Unfortunately, this student aviator ( I never learned his name) opted to turn back. With predictable consequences. The SNJ stalled and spun straight in. It crashed just out of sight behind the Mess. There was a loud crunching sound and black smoke erupted immediately. It was no more than 1/2 mile from where I stood. I watched, horrified as the crash trucks raced to the scene.

For a few minutes I considered my options. To this day I remember distinctly arriving at the conclusion that the poor guy just made the wrong decision. I don’t know why but in the core of my being I knew I wouldn’t do the same thing. In my mind the issue was settled. I proceeded to the Officer’s Mess and had a nice lunch.

I now realize that I had taken a giant step toward becoming a Naval Aviator.