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Tweet Weather Recall
During United States Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), the first half of the year long course was spent getting up to speed with how to be a military pilot, equipping with flight gear, being issued volumes of training manuals, physiological training, simulator training, and of course flying the venerable Cessna T-37 Tweet, or more commonly refereed to as the “Six Thousand Pound Dog Whistle”. The later was because of the horrific, high pitched, obnoxious screeching sound it made on the ground with both engines running. And, it weighed in at about six thousand pounds.
After several dual flights with an instructor pilot, fledgling student pilots are released to flight solo in the Tweet with ever increasing levels of complexity and distance from the home drome airfield. In my case, Vance Air Force Base at Enid, Oklahoma.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Dz32QFPg/B3-C1-FEBA-0458-4615-A5-D1-B8-D4-CB06-BFFB.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
On one of these early student solo flights, I had an interesting experience while flying around the traffic pattern practicing landing patterns to low approaches. Vance AFB (still in operation as a UPT base to this day) has a three runway configuration oriented north south. The west runway is used for T-38 (my first true love fast mover) traffic pattern work, the center is typically used for straight in or instrument approach work, and the east runway for T-37 (which was so slow it could hardly get out of its own way but, a right of passage) work. These days, Tweets are long gone and replaced with the new T-6 II and the T-1. T-38s, long in the tooth, are still in operation but, soon to be replaced.
The memory of that very first solo in the T-37, the first solo flight in a USAF jet, and the view of the star roundel on one wing and the “USAF” on the opposite wing is still as vivid as if it occurred this morning. It was a short snap shot in time during a very busy sortie where I was trying very hard not to “screw this up” and highlight myself. I don’t remember if it was this first solo or a subsequent one but, my intense effort and luck was about to turn into an unintended “uh oh”. After a short time in one of the assigned “tubes” or Vance working airspace blocks, my fuel level dictates a return to the traffic pattern and some prebriefed low approaches, followed by a full stop landing.
At USAF bases, there is an RSU (Runways Supervisory Unit) hut type structure at the runway manned by pilots to monitor correct landing gear and flap configuration before touchdown and to aid airborne pilots with emergency checklist as needed. At UPT bases, the RSU is manned by Instructor pilots who manage the individual runway operations. They are accompanied by student pilots who help with the tracking paper work secretarial duties. Additionally, this is valuable experience for students to watch others without the stress of performing in flight.
On this particular day the weather is CAVU (clear and visibility unlimited) as I cycle out of my assigned tube into the local traffic pattern via the routine air traffic control frequencies. I check in with the RSU controller and am cleared for low approaches on the east runway. So, around and around I go in the inside pattern (basically a normal overhead pattern with in the base boundary). As the pattern starts getting more busy, the RSU controller ask for my fuel state. I reply and he directs me to exit the pattern, fly one circuit of the outside downwind pattern (in order to decompress the patter traffic load), and re-enter for a full stop. The outside downwind pattern is a rectangular box shaped ground track that extends approximately 3-4 miles east of the base. Acknowledging his instructions, I exit the pattern and fly the prescribed ground track (setup via a count of section lines, which there are a lot of, and proceed around the outside downwind. On the downwind leg headed south, the weather is still CAVU. As I approach the ninety degree turn point to the west, I am startled to see a massive, ground hugging fog bank moving in from the southeast. It is covering the visual turn point and moving steadily toward the base. I immediately key the mic, call the RSU controller, and tell him what I’m seeing. He tells me to expedite to the pattern and full stop. I acknowledge while turning over the now fog obscured turn point. Instantly, on guard frequency, I hear “All Vance “Card” (solo students) aircraft RTB for immediate full stop landings”. Yikes! This must be more serious than I thought. So, I push the power up a bit more than I’ve already pushed it up and call at the reporting point, “Card XX, initial, full stop”. The RSU controller replies, “Card XX, cleared initial, full stop, runway 36R”. I continue up initial, pitch out to the right, put my landing gear down, land, and clear the runway. The RSU controller clears me to ground control frequency. Clearing the runway, I clean up the jet with the after landing checklist items and proceed to the parking area and shut down. By now, there’s quite a flurry of activity on the ramp with all the solo student pilots taxiing back from the short notice weather recall.
I complete the shutdown checklist, complete the 781 (aircraft logbook), and mosey back to life support to hang up my flying gear. Oh, by the way, the fog is now creeping over the base proper and quickly turns the field into a hard IFR status, one that us early solo students aren’t properly prepared or qualified to deal with. Then, it’s to the ops desk and check back in after flying. I then proceed to our flight room, debrief my IP (Instructor Pilot) on my out of the ordinary solo sortie. He’s already aware of my weather advisory call to the RSU controller. The controller has already called my flight commander with an “atta boy”, who has passed it along to my IP.
Since the days flying schedule is effectively cancelled, what do we do? We have an aircrew meeting. Our Flight Commander has confirmed all his student solo charges are down and present. He then proceeds to discuss why the sudden weather recall happened on an otherwise perfectly clear day. He explains how this Lieutenant’s judgement and timely call to the RSU Controller was instrumental in a bunch of solo, pre cross country trained students pilots not emergency diverting to outlying airports (which would have been a goat rope of Biblical proportions).
He finishes the “Atta Boy” accolades speech by turning my direction, smiling, and saying, “and we won’t mention the no flap landing”.
AhhhhS**t!
Not a clue until he said that. In my heightened adrenaline rush to get on the ground, I concentrated on making sure my landing gear were down with three green lights (three times) and distracted myself right away from at least double checking the flaps. On a “normal” flying day, the RSU controller would have sent me around with a “CARD XX, go around, no flaps” call. Today, he uses discretion and says nothing since everything else is normal. Intentional no flap landings are prohibited for solo students.
One big fat “Atta Boy” erased. But, a huge lesson learned and applied many times in the years to come.
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Great story, I really enjoy your writing style and stories, nice to see another one! Semper Fi! <S>
ULDieter
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Thanks Dieter! Glad you enjoyed it. :aok
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Great story Puma44, you are what we country folk call a great yarn spinner. That is a gift, not something you learn. Well done sir. :salute
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Thanks Jimmy!
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That so sounds like something a command master chief would do. Although it's not related nor nearly as exciting it did remind me of something that happened during my time in the Navy.
I once got in trouble for starting a paintball gun war in the barracks. In addition to helping with cleaning up the mess we caused I was ordered to buy savings bonds. I was 18 and never heard of a savings bond.
Those savings bonds ended up being a real help to me later when I got out. I'm still not sure how the two were related.
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Thank you for posting this, Puma. Always enjoy reading them. I save them in my Notebook on my phone. Hope you don't mind.
Edit: I always enjoyed reading posts by Serenity. I hope he's doing well. Anyone heard from him lately?
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Good read Puma. Thanks. :aok
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Thank you for posting this, Puma. Always enjoy reading them. I save them in my Notebook on my phone. Hope you don't mind.
Edit: I always enjoyed reading posts by Serenity. I hope he's doing well. Anyone heard from him lately?
You’re welcome. No problem, sir. Hopefully, I’ll get some sort of book organized in the not to distant future.
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Love the stories as always Puma. I'd definitely buy a book, I'd love to give one to my grandfather as I'm sure he'd enjoy the reading. He flew C/KC-97s, C-141s, and spoke often about training in the Tweety Bird.
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I saw you posted another story. I was chomping at the bit to read it. Just now had the chance. Great read.
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You’re welcome. No problem, sir. Hopefully, I’ll get some sort of book organized in the not to distant future.
This relaxed "yes, someday I'll get to it" attitude is not what we want to hear.
- oldman
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T-37 is a cool little ride, jealous of you jocks that got to fly them.
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Thanks Gents! There’s so much time to manage now that I’ve got 5 Fridays followed by Saturday and Sunday every week. Trust me, I’ll get to the book........
The Tweet was a lot of fun at first but, as more time went by and we kept seeing those White Rockets racing by, it was time to step up and go more faster. One of the events we had to show proficiency in before going solo, was spins. That little dog whistle would wrap up really fast in a spin. We did EVERY possible spin entry configuration, and when it went it did so with gusto. Kinda like a little round floater going down the toilet.
But, going supersonic in the T-38 was just way cooler, and of course, way faster. Then, there was that first solo. Wow!
(https://i.postimg.cc/bNkgy9GV/BBBB75-EB-ADF9-490-B-8-F30-5-F749-B923-E8-A.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Beauty and the Beast.......
(https://i.postimg.cc/hjYfFxVN/4-B0-B7620-FE94-4-D44-AC2-D-CF632814700-F.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Beauty and the Beast.......
(https://i.postimg.cc/hjYfFxVN/4-B0-B7620-FE94-4-D44-AC2-D-CF632814700-F.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Ya which is which???? :bolt:
:salute
Puma that joy ride might be in my near future,I just need to get cleared by medical. My Doc doesnt think I should subject myself to it but hey you only live once,right??
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Ya which is which???? :bolt:
:salute
Puma that joy ride might be in my near future,I just need to get cleared by medical. My Doc doesnt think I should subject myself to it but hey you only live once,right??
Well, in my mind the beauty is the one that’ll go supersonic without even breathing hard. The other, in comparison, is like a VW Bug running on three cylinders (and making a whole lot of noise doing it).
Absolutely, I’m a firm believer in not getting to that last day and thinking “Geez! I wish I had done that when I had chance!”
I wish I had gone and flown the Mustang 25 years before I did. So, my friend, my advice is JUST DO IT!