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Wile undergoing chemotherapy for bladder cander in 2017, idcided to write up some of my aviation experiences to pass the time. The most eventful period of that career - a combat tour conducting fight operations over North Vietnam in 1967 was where I started. Since this was 50 years from 2027 and was using my flight lobbook for reference, I named the effort "logbook50."
While my aviation career was not particularly noteworthy, it did have some features that may be be of interest, including flying in the advanced RA-5C Vigilate and both the SP-2H Neptune and P3A Orion antisubmarine aircrat. My education as a physicist and a career in aerospace (mainly at Northrop Corp working on the aircraft-2 and other advanced ) gave me a particular perspective that may be of some value.
One caveat: while one hopes that these articles will be interesting and perhaps useful to the reader, they were written primarily as a personal record.
-RA
PS The comeotherapy and subsequent surgery were succesful.
About the author
Born in 1945, I came of age as the Vietnam War began to heat up, which I followed closely. I was struck by an event in 1965, in which several North Vietnamese MiG-17 jets jumped a flight of Navy A-1 Skyraiders. Even though outmatched in their propeller, straight winged A-1, the Navy pilots managed to dominate the dogfight, bringing down several Migs with no losses. I very much wanted to be a part of such a highly competent fliers, and I signed up for Navy flight training not long after. My eyesight was not good enough for a pilot's wings, but good enough to fly as a Naval Flight Officer (backseater). I attended US Naval School, Preflight, Class 39-65 starting in October 1965, followed by the Basic Naval Flight Officer School. Having been ranked in the top 10% of the class, I was able to select my aircraft, and I picked the first of the two RA-5C Vigilante slots available. I had heard lots of amazing things about this revolutionary aircraft, and its sleek looks sealed the deal. More information on the RA-5C
I began the year-long training syllabus in September 1966, with Reconnaissance attack Suadron Three, in Sanford, FL. The events recounted here began about that time.
A short resume of my career is attached below.
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