{{Colonel Casper was a larger-than-life already seasoned
Vietnam veteran, who was intently devoted to providing the highest level of
training possible for these soon-to-be steely eyed killers.Colonel Casper was 6'3" tall, weighed
230 pounds, walked with a well-deserved swagger and spoke with such commanding
authority that every pilot in the training class would be on the edge of their
chair attempting to absorb every tidbit of knowledge and wisdom they could glean
from Colonel Casper.Since it was
assumed that everyone in the training class would be going to war, they also
understood that their survival was, to a degree, predicated on how well they
paid attention.Unlike Philosophy 101
back in the undergraduate days, there was no sleeping in class. There had been
a recent rash of F-4 crashes and the local media folks came up with a
catch-phrase, "One a day in Tampa Bay." The F-4 training staff at MacDill AFB
did not particularly care for this bit of journalistic libel, and they were
working very hard to reduce the possibility of any more F-4 crashes.}
(Bob) Marley and Me
{{Of
Ace's many close encounters and varied interactions with the celebrities, the
most interesting story involved smuggling Bob Marley out of Kingston, Jamaica.
Smuggling Marley from Kingston was an example of a remarkable synchronicity
that seemed to be a common theme in Ace's career.Just a few days prior to this experience,
while perusing the magazine rack, Ace came across a magazine entitled High
Times. It contained an interview with Bob Marley, and Ace found the Reggae
great to be a very intriguing person------------.While hanging around the nearly abandoned
airport, Ace and Jim were standing in front of the terminal contemplating their
next action when two cars approached the area.The occupants were part of the Marley entourage and immediately
recognized that the two white guys, conspicuously dressed in white shirts and
ties and inexplicably hanging around the airport in the middle of the night,
were Marley's pilots.As they
disembarked from their autos in full Rastafarian regalia with long dreadlocks
or strange looking multicolored hats, their appearance was somewhat
intimidating.}}
Phantom
Fly-by Fouls General's Eggs Benedict
. {{ On the way home the
route back to the Taegu AB went directly over the Army base, and Ace had an
urge to provide the Army Generals and their wives with a little variety to
complement their Sunday brunch. The low level flyby was executed as a low
approach down the 3,000 foot long utility runway at the Army base. The
intruding aircraft had the landing gear, flaps, and tail hook extended and this imposing sight accompanied with
120+decibels of roaring jet engines elicited an immediate call to Taegu Air
Force Base. When Ace landed and returned to the squadron he was greeted by the
squadron commander and was immediately informed that he had been caught
red-handed since the only Phantom flying that day was the one that he was
flying.Ace was given a very mild
reprimand and warned to not to do any more fly-bys at the Army base. }}
Pray For a
Secular pilot
{{Reverend Steve was a born-again Christian and would frequently engage
in proselytizing. It was reported that he was reading his Bible, while
attempting to penetrate a squall line of thunderstorms.The FO was diligently working the airborne
weather radar to hopefully find a soft spot through the projected severe
turbulence when the Reverend looked up from his Bible and stated, "God will
help us through." There was a major aircraft accident in the Middle East that
involved the Muslim Captain engaging in prayer as he was accepting his fate to soon be joining
Allah. As the cabin crew awaited his command to evacuate the burning aircraft,
he failed to respond and the passengers and flight crew all died in the
inferno.There are very likely numerous
other instances of aircraft accidents that were aided and abetted by the
Captain surrendering his duties to "God's will." The author would suggest that if
you board an aircraft and the pilots are referring to their religious book
rather than their flight manual, the only course of action would be to do a
quick 180 (reverse course) and find another flight.}}
International Pilot Salary--$4 Per Hour
{{As a part time Learjet Captain Ace was paid the daily rate of $100
per day.Captain Bob, who was the owner
and sole proprietor of BizJet, engaged in some calculations that determined Ace
would only be paid for two days of work.In what was only slightly more than 48 hours, Ace and his colleagues had
flown 26.7 hours and created somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000 worth of
revenue for the company. Without fanfare Ace would accept the $200 and vow to
never again fly a trip for Bizjet. Captain Bob was equally adept in the
exploitation of part-time copilots. When another charter operator needed a
copilot, BizJet would send them a part-time copilot and bill them $100 for his
services. He would then pay the copilot $50.A few years later Captain Bob's body was found floating in a canal, and
it was speculated by many that the mysterious conditions relating to his death,
indicated it was not accidental. }}
Bureaucratic Bumbling
{{The most very recent revelation
regarding government intervention of aircraft safety was very recently revealed
by the media (April 8, 2009). The much publicized US Airways A320 landing in
the Hudson River, which was caused by birds being ingested in the engines,
would stimulate the juices of an investigative reporter. The results were as
follows: Several years ago, a government agency, NASA, was given $11 million to
do an extensive research project regarding all aspects of bird activity in the
vicinity of airports as it relates to aviation safety. The results of this
information is not available and the government spokesman that responded to
this withholding of information stated that, "it was not in the best interest
of commercial aviation," The obvious premise being that knowledge of birds at a
given airport would result in people not taking flights from that particular
airport. The satirical response, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."
has now been elevated to a higher level.}}
