Thursday, April 30, 2009
In all my years of flying for the Air Force and Navy, one of the biggest no-no's we were cautioned about was "flat-hatting" or "shining your ass" to impress people on the ground. Although we all probably attempted some form of it, those who were successful did it out of sight of their home field and far away from densely populated areas. Aviation lore is replete with stories of pilots flying under bridges, between buildings and creating rooster-tails on still lakes in an attempt to demonstrate their skill. More than a few intrepid aviators have been killed showing off to their relatives and families with horrifying results. We all know it is the forbidden fruit of flying. I plead guilty to doing it...but only at the risk of my own skin.
Now along comes a new President who has no experience with aviation, the military or history...and he attempts to get a new 8X10 glossy of his new wings in front of the Statue of Liberty and the hole that was the World Trade Center. Well enough....I suppose the stock shots were low resolution and out of date since those old towers were in the way. HE can always use the excuse of not knowing since he is not an aviator. But what pilot in his right mind would fly a BIG aircraft like a 747 around New York City at penthouse altitude being chased by fighters...especially given the "tragedy" of September 11, 2001 that not everyone has yet forgotten. This is like flying a B-29 over Hiroshima with the bomb bay doors open for a travel brochure photo op.
My guess is that heads will roll in the squadron, most certainly the commander and probably the A/C for poor judgment even though they certainly received some kind official tasking. MAYBE the White House military coordinator will find a new promotion in his future, but the unanswered question will remain: Who ordered the mission?
What do you think?
Here is the link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5W3dKCQek
The Wild Weasel
0 comments:
Post a Comment