This week, I’ve got a few more of my favorite Naval Aviator “Birdman Wisdom.”
Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane coming from the opposite direction. “Reliable sources” also report that mountains have been known to hide in clouds.
If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it’s probably a helicopter and therefore… inherently unsafe.
If no liquids (such as fuel, oil, grease or hydraulic fluid) are leaking out of an aircraft, it’s safe to assume there are none within.
Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club.
A pilot who has no fear probably isn’t flying his plane to its maximum.
The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world. It can just barely kill you.
If an airplane is still in one piece don’t cheat on it; ride her down.
A test pilot climbs out of an experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing. The Crash truck arrives and, seeing the bloodied pilot, the rescuer asks, “What happened?” The pilot replies, “BTSOOM… I don’t know, I just got here myself!”
Altitude is energy, energy is speed, speed is life, life is good!
Helicopters don’t fly. They beat the air into submission.
There are old fighter pilots, and there are bold fighter pilots, but there are no old and bold fighter pilots!
You start with an empty bag of skill and a full bag of luck. The trick is to fill the bag of skill before the luck runs out.
The plane is the dog and the pilot is the owner. The plane’s job is to bite the owner if he touches anything.
There are times in life when you should ask questions. There are times in life when you shouldn’t. When you see the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) tech RUNNING up the flight deck, the latter ruler applies.
There is only one purpose for naval aviation – ordnance on target. All else is secondary. A naval aviator is only a “courier service” for the ordnanceman.
Then there is the T-shirt saying,” I’m a bomb technician. If I am running, try to keep up.”
When I was measuring army helicopters’ radar cross section, I called the base and said I wanted to talk to the world’s greatest helicopter pilot. He said, “I am the world’s greatest LIVING helicopter pilot.”
Now that’s funny! I’ve actually seen the EOD in action on the flight deck… while I was driving the Crash truck. Funny, I did not notice them (or the Air Bos’n) waving me to drive closer. No sir, no way. In the long run, the 500 pound bomb dropped on the flight deck by a launching A-7 did not arm. One of the Crash guys drove the Crash forklift over, scooped it up, and dumped it overboard.