Just the one flight today, and our passenger was a remarkable woman – a veteran sky diver – of some 50-odd summers enjoying the birthday present her husband gave her. Her adversary was a 17-year old man who told me that he had never flown before, but that he nevertheless knew how to fly. Having read about it in books and such. Video games, and so on. Flight simulators.
You can probably guess where this is going to go.
I had a bit of a challenge getting her to max perform the airplane in the familiarization phase. Hesitant on roll rates. Reluctant to crank on the (really, very modest) g-forces required to turn the machine. As opposed to merely rolling it.
She somehow managed to arrive at his six o’clock in firing position on the first hack. Himself having contrived to put his machine in deep buffet on the first turn. On the second fight I coached a little less, while easing a couple hundred RPM off the engine. Because everyone deserves at least one win.
On the third go, I left the engine up, spoke only a very little. “Ease g here. Now pull. Harder.” That sort of thing. And once again our adversary got greedy and put himself into wingrock and buffet. It was only a matter of time, and she quickly had the sight picture of lead and lag pursuit. Even if she didn’t quite roll the plane as fast as I might have liked, nor pulled as hard as she could have done.
There is something to be said for finessse.
I’m never flying with you. At least not until after I get a force feedback joystick.
To operate the rudders, I just twist the stick a bit, right?
“There is something to be said for finesse.”
Tracks with everything I’ve ever read to date about female pilots–from WWII Russian combat and American ferry pilots to present day jet jockey military “chick-pilots.” What they lack in innate aggressiveness they make up for by being, in the main, smoother sticks as compared to their more aggressive male counterparts.
That type is balanced by the ones that come with grey hair and little to say except, “Oh yeah, I’ve flown some, but it was a long time ago though.” Uh-huh. Corsairs or Hellcats or Lightnings, as you know. And they haven’t forgotten a thing, still have that glint in their eye.
BTW, ask Bronco how many of these sorties he’s flown. We gave him a T-shirt that said “I’ve screwed the pooch 100 times” a very long time ago. He should have a closet full by now. 1000+ I’d guess. Flights, not T-shirts.
OT, but for all you Navy types, “GeneralQuarters” finished 10th in the Ky. Derby. Guess he just didn’t hear the klaxon…..
And while I’m shooting my mouth off here, watch out for the ones that say they’re former Tomcat jocks, or pilots with 12,000+ hours. They’ll try to kill you, if you don’t watch out.
#3 VX -
You might enjoy this site that lists Soviet female fighter pilots of WWII… including “Lilia” with her 11 individual and 3 shared kills.
http://www.wio.ru/aces/gal-f.htm
flit/
There exists a 2 vol set of interviews (conducted in the early 70s, IIRC) of every then still living WWII Soviet female pilot. I ‘ve read every interview in them both at the Howard-Tilton Memorial Lib. @ Tulane in NO. Quite a read–you ought to check ‘em out–literally. Can’t remember the title off-hand, tho. Local lib. or Lib. of Congress would know, however.
Thanx for link!
I had a Gunny once who would have called the young man a “sexual intellectual.” When I asked him what that meant he said, “Ah, he’s a F#*$n know-it-all!”
Oh, yeah, Lily Litvak was a badass. Did not survive the war.
Hey JTG…” Lily Litvak was a badass eh ?” who of thought… glad you’re back brother…I thought you were a gonner. Best
Hey Lex,
If you ever get tired of flying a desk and want to get a bit more stick time in, why don’t you see if these guys are hiring?
http://www.tacticalairsupport.com/HOME.html
cheers!
BeachBum