T-33 Incentive Ride Over Pikes Peak
As I gained experience and became on “old head” 1st Lieutenant Instructor at my first operational assignment in the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, or Lockheed Racer as we commonly referred to it, I was offered the opportunity to fly deserving military non-pilots on incentive rides. These were always fun and offered an opportunity to showcase what the T Bird was capable of doing.
One day on the flight-line while post-flighting our Racer, the line expeditor rolled up in his Air Force blue bread truck and asked if I had time for a question. “Sure”, I said. He had been awarded an incentive ride for his job performance and asked if I would fly him. “Absolutely!” I replied. Then, he said, ”There’s one more thing. I’m coming up for re-enlistment and wonder if we can do it on my incentive ride.” I asked what’s required to do it? He already had the answer. “An Officer has to read and conduct the enlistment oath and an American flag on display.” Check. As soon the jet was bedded down for the day, I beat feet over to the BX and bought a small American flag on a stick. Check!
A line chief is responsible for supervising the flight line operation and keeping crew chiefs on track with sortie generation, and working maintenance issues, etc. Basically, the papa bear guiding his cubs. This particular guy was a hulk of a dude with hands the size of a grizzly bear and loved to play intramural softball. He was especially skillful as a pitcher and had been clocked delivering a softball at over 90 mph. As physically imposing as he was, he was a gentle giant who always treated everyone with respect and patience, especially this butter bar lieutenant when I first showed up on his flight line. Exactly how he did it, I don’t know. But, he taught me the concept of treating these enlisted crew chiefs like the human beings they are and not to look down on them or treat them as subservient. This concept served me well for years to come.
So, the day of the incentive ride arrives. He arrives early at the squadron for our preflight briefing. We huddle up in a briefing room, go over the specific incentive ride briefing guide, talk through how we are going to start, taxi, launch, and climb up to our re-enlistment ceremony location in airspace over Pikes Peak, that I’ve prearranged with ATC. I then ask him what he wants to do on the remainder of his incentive ride. “I want to see everything the jet will do!” Music to my ears. Especially, since I’ve scheduled an hour of time in our MOA (Military Operations Area) east of Pueblo, Colorado. I then tell him about the aerobatic maneuvers we can fly. He is eager to see them all. This is going to be great fun.
Next, we step to the life support shop for his egress briefing and flight gear fitting, a challenge for the life support troops with a guy this big. With that complete, we step to the life support bread truck for a short trip to the flight line and our ride for today. Arriving there, he is back in his comfort zone, except he’s flying today instead of watching someone else do it. We step out of the bread truck at our jet, meet the crew chief, get his briefing on the jet (which is write up free), review the 781 (aircraft flight & maintenance logbook), and then load our parachutes, helmets, and gloves in the jet. Next, it’s his turn to shoehorn into the back seat. For a guy his size, it’s challenging because of the reduced space between the fuselage canopy rail and and the lower part of the canopy frame since the canopy hinges at the back. He semi gracefully inserts himself into the back seat without banging his head on the canopy frame. I then help him strap into his parachute harness, seat belt, shoulder harness, hook his oxygen mask into the O2 receptacle, arrange the plastic “souvenir” bag in an easily accessible position, and tell him to put his flying gloves on because, “We’re Outta here!”
I hop in the front, buckle up, and engage electrical power from the Dash 60 that is hooked up to our external power receptacle and moaning loudly. The now active intercom system is welcome relief from that racket. I confirm he’s on and can communicate, ask if he’s got any questions, “None sir”, complete the pre start checklist, and give the crew chief an engine start signal by spinning my extended index finger in the air, and select the starter. The J33 starts spinning, lights off with a distinctive groan, and spins up to idle. With the after start checklist complete, we are ready to taxi.
A call to Pete Field ground control for taxi and we are cleared to taxi for runway 17. With a gentle push forward of the throttle we move out of the chocks. We enjoy the nice Colorado day with the canopy up on the way to the runway. At the approach end of 17, we do the before takeoff checks, I switch over to tower frequency, and call ready for takeoff. Tower replies, “Puma 44, cleared for takeoff, runway 17”. I confirm my line chief has his arms and other appendages clear of the canopy rail, lower, and lock the canopy as I line us up on the runway centerline. With his ready to fly confirmation over the intercom, I push the throttle to the forward stop, confirm throttle friction is set, and do a quick scan of the engine instruments as we build speed up to 85 knots. Then with some back pressure on the stick , we are flying, and accelerating to our climb speed of 275 knots. Tower has cleared us for a right turn on course. As we climb, towers switches us over to radar departure control who clears us up to our prearranged block altitude of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. Farther west, we are transferred over to Denver Center, and are cleared to maneuver as requested. Entering our re-enlistment ceremony facility, I grab the American stick flag and oath of enlistment document from my lower right leg flight suit pocket. The flag stick is inserted into small void in the canopy rail and the paper work is attached to my navigation knee board. We are established in our assigned altitude block over the 14,110 foot tall Pikes Peak. It’s time to get my flight line mentor re-enlisted. The view directly overhead the peak awe inspiring. What an amazing place to extend one’s voluntary service to our country! You ready? “Yes sir!”
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
While congratulating him, I wrap the TBird in a tight turn directly over top of the peak and load my charge up with some Gs. After all, he did say “Show me everything it’ll do.” As we are aggressively rotating overhead Pike Peak, I advise Denver Center we are ready to head for the MOA. He gives us an initial heading vector and clears us “own nav” to our airspace east of Pueblo. It’s a relatively short flight at high speed so we’ll have energy built up and ready to rock and roll at the MOA boundary.
As we enter our MOA, some steep bank turns at higher G loads to get him ready for what’s to come. He’s doing well and liking it. Next, slow aileron rolls to the left and right, and max rate aileron rolls. He’s wants more. Then, four point aileron rolls. Next, I ask if he knows what a loop is. “Yes”. Want to see one? “Go for it!” Power up, nose down for entry airspeed, and pull! Up we go and over the top and down the back side, pulling about 4Gs uphill and then again as we pull out the bottom. As we bottom out, I asked if he knew what a slit S is. “No. But let’s do one!” I explain that it’s basically the last half of a loop. While explaining, I quickly rolled us on our back, and pulled the nose down thru the vertical headed the opposite direction. Finished with that, I could tell he was getting tired and asked if he was OK. Not going to give up, he said “Yes. What else ya got?”
“Well, ya know how we’re always complaining about all the junk that’s below the floorboards and you guys can never find it?” “Yeah.” “Let me show you how WE find it”, as I pushed the throttle full forward and the nose down. I pulled the nose up about 20 degrees, rolled us inverted. As we hung in our seat belts and shoulder harnesses, all sorts of assorted junk started falling to the top of our now inverted canopy. Acting as a collection bowl, the canopy caught pieces of safety wire, nuts, clumps of dried mud, an official U.S. Government pen, a torn half of an approach plate, and various unidentifiable stuff. He was now a believer and understood how we found the potential FOD that they could never locate.
I explained that we were near our prebriefed Bingo Fuel and would have to start back. He was ready. I queued up Denver Center and reported ready to RTB. The controller provided a vector to Pete field. As we cruised back, I asked what kind of recovery he wanted to see, up initial for a pitch out, or a straight in instrument approach. “I want to see that initial thing you guys always do together.” Initial it is!
Progressing across eastern plains toward the Peterson AFB, we cycle through radar approach control, and tower. Checking in with tower, I request initial to a full stop landing. He clears us for initial, runway 35, left break, cleared to land. I acknowledge and repeat his instructions while starting to maneuver to initial. Of course, our last couple of turns to initial will be crisp, 90 degree, steep turns with G load. Lining up for initial, the Racer has a good bit of airspeed built up for our pitch out to the downwind. As we pass abeam the tower, I snap us aggressively to the left, pulling the throttle to idle, and extending the speed brakes simultaneously with about 5Gs in the turn to downwind. Rolling out 180 degrees from our initial heading, the airspeed has bled down nicely in order to extend the landing gear and flaps for the full stop. Abeam the approach end of the runway, I roll us off the perch for the final turn to land.
Half way through the turn, “Puma 44, left base, gear down, full stop.” We line up on a short final approach and end our re-enlistment event with a smooth touchdown. After clearing the runway, I contact ground control for taxi back to the chocks.
As we roll into our parking spot, the newly minted Line Chief has a crowd of well wishers waiting for him. Chocks are in, the J33 is shut down, our ejection seat safety pins are both confirmed installed. I ask him to remain seated until I could unstrap, come back, and help him comfortably egress from his seat. Standing up from my cockpit, I see that his well established sun tan is now white as a sheet, he’s drenched with sweat, and grinning ear to ear. And, his “souvenir bag” still in his flight suit pocket, is unused.
Not a bad way to start the first day of re-enlistment to serve others.
