{"id":6703,"date":"2023-06-20T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=6703"},"modified":"2023-05-29T14:44:12","modified_gmt":"2023-05-29T18:44:12","slug":"blog-146-flight-ops-another-fine-day-in-the-navy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/blog-146-flight-ops-another-fine-day-in-the-navy\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog #146\u2014Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blog #146 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
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Published: <\/span>May 29, 2023<\/span><\/div>
<\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>2<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
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Since I’m out on vacation this week, I thought I’d repost one of my favorite blogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my short Three Years, Eleven Months, and 29 Days (But Who’s Counting)<\/em><\/a><\/strong> career in the Navy, my rating was an ABH <\/strong>(Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Handler<\/strong>) – I made 2nd Class Petty Officer after 3 years (I’d had a year of college [before flunking out] and entered as an E-2). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An ABH has two basic jobs: one is an Aircraft Handler (either a Blue Shirt Handler<\/strong> or a Yellow Shirt Director<\/strong>); the other was Crash & Salvage<\/strong> (Red Shirt). I was fortunate to have been both Crash (NAS Agana, Guam<\/strong> & USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>) and a Yellow Shirt Director (USS Kitty Hawk<\/em>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier during flight operations (whether in Crash or as a Yellow Shirt) is nothing short of spectacular. I wrote this blog post a couple of years ago, but nothing in my mind has changed. It’s still one of my favorite “from the flight deck perspective<\/em>” posts. I hope you enjoy it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spring 1977. USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63.<\/strong>
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.<\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Damn\u2026 Whoever tucked that Turkey into that spot on the fantail sure had their act together. They must\u2019ve worked in a sardine factory before the Navy; it\u2019s packed in tight. It\u2019s only 0900, and I\u2019ve already got my first challenge of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the smell of that fresh ocean air before we start flight ops. Glad it\u2019s sunny and warm and not <\/em>raining. Today\u2019s gonna be another fine day in the Navy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood job packing in that F-14 Tomcat<\/strong>,\u201d I say out loud to everyone on the Kitty Hawk<\/strong><\/em> flight deck who can\u2019t hear a word I say\u2014too much wind blowing down the deck and too much noise. The Captain has already turned the ship\u2019s bow into the wind. It won\u2019t be long now until we start the day\u2019s first cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s my job as a Yellow Shirt to get this guy out, safely and (hopefully) without a scratch. I take a closer look and see there\u2019s about three to four inches on each side of this 15 million dollar \u201cAardvark\u201d from VF-114<\/strong> fighter squadron<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, during Westpac \u201975<\/strong>, the Aardvarks, along with VF-213 Black Lions<\/strong>, flew the F-4 Phantoms. That aircraft had been around for ages and had wings that folded up. They were a bit smaller than these Tomcats with the new swept-wing design. The non-military world would learn more about these in a few years in the movie Top Gun<\/em><\/strong> (1986).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63<\/em><\/strong> had just spent a year in the Bremerton Shipyards<\/a><\/strong> in 1976, part of which was retrofitting to take on the newer, heavier F-14 Tomcat, affectionately called a \u201cTurkey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got this\u2014no problem. But\u2026 don\u2019t get cocky, Adkins. I don\u2019t need a \u201ccrunch\u201d on my record. Let me check my spot sheet\u2014he\u2019ll be #3 up on Cat 3 waist cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
USS George Washington<\/em><\/strong>, CVN-73
Fly 3 Yellow Shirt taxies an F-14 Tomcat from VF-103 (\u201cJolly Rogers\u201d)
Photo credit: AN Brian Westrick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I catch the pilot\u2019s eyes\u2014he\u2019s looking directly at me through my safety goggles. I don\u2019t know him personally, but recognize him by his name on the side of the fuselage and by his eyes\u2014kind and trusting. We\u2019ve \u201cmet\u201d several times before as Pilot and Yellow Shirt. This one \u201clistens\u201d to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t talk to each other directly\u2014that would be too much noise chatter on the radio sets, both for him and <\/em>for me. He only talks with the Air Boss in Pri-Fly<\/strong> (Primary Flight Control). Instead, I \u201ctalk\u201d to him using hand signals. I \u201cdirect\u201d him when and where I want him to go. That\u2019s my job\u2014Aircraft Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I point to both sides of him and hold my two hands up in front of my face, indicating about 3-4\u201d on each side. A quick nod\u2014he understands. We\u2019ve been through this drill before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft\u2019s Plane Captain<\/strong> is a good kid from New York\u2014a little arrogant, but still a solid PC who takes his job seriously. He\u2019s standing by, having already inspected, pre-flight checked, and started the Tomcat\u2019s twin engines. A little nervous, his head shifts from me to his aircraft and back. He knows it\u2019s a tight fit and a couple of small turns to taxi him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I give him a quick nod and hold up the OK symbol with my right hand and receive the same signal back. Still, I can tell he\u2019s anxious, but ready. But he knows his aircraft doesn\u2019t move on the flight deck unless under the control of a Yellow Shirt (i.e., me).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blue Shirts<\/strong> have removed the six tie-down chains and already working with another Yellow Shirt in Fly 3. These guys are good, too. After several months of 16 to 18-hour days of flight operations, we\u2019re an effective team. I know them all by name\u2014or nicknames. Hardly anybody goes by their actual name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mine? I\u2019m Chet Adkins<\/strong>, a name \u201cassigned\u201d to me by John Melcher<\/strong>, a fellow ABH I met in Guam. I play guitar and sing country music and when I first arrived at NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong>, my first duty station, in October 1973, \u201cMelch\u201d started calling me, \u201cChet.\u201d It stuck with me my entire short four-year career in the U.S. Navy (1973-77).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOK, Chet. Let\u2019s get that Tomcat rolling.\u201d ABH1 Frank Bethune<\/strong>, the Flight Deck LPO<\/strong> (Leading Petty Officer) lets me know over my radio headset I need to move the aircraft. \u201cMac\u2026 keep an eye on Chet. He\u2019s got a tight one.\u201d I like Frank, a big guy who used to box before joining the Navy. He watches over all of us in V-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou got this, Chet; I\u2019m right behind you,\u201d ABH1 MacKay<\/strong> is the Fly 3 LPO<\/strong> and always has our back. He\u2019s got a bitchin\u2019 copper-colored, super-charged, 3-speed, four-wheel-drive 1973 Dodge RAM back at our home port of San Diego. Mac\u2019s from Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what I live for\u2014working on the flight deck as a Yellow Shirt director. I\u2019ve done this hundreds of times, but every time I get an aircraft ready to move, I still get that rush\u2014something that not too many people get to experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then, I\u2019m United States Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, Chet. You know what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We use hand signals to let the pilot know what we want him to do. Hands up in front\u2014like a goal post, or a bank robber under arrest. Slowly bring them together down in front of my face, keeping the elbows out, just like I learned in ABH \u201cA\u201d School<\/a><\/strong> in Lakehurst, NJ. Slowly, slowly\u2014not too fast, or the pilot will think I want him to move faster. He knows it\u2019s tight, so slowly bring him out of that spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"F14
Yellow Shirt directing F-14 Tomcat onto catapult aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, <\/em><\/strong>CVN-71
Photo credit: PM3 Eben Boothby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gotta turn him a little to my left so his wingtip doesn\u2019t scrape the F-14 on his starboard side\u2014that would be a bad day for us both. Drop my left arm down toward the ground at 45 degrees, but touch my index finger and thumb on my right hand, still up in the air to let him know to turn only a tad. He nods\u2014that trust still in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good. Now straighten him up. OK, we\u2019re clear of both Tomcats on either side. Whew, that was close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glad there\u2019s nobody behind him. He may have goosed it a bit, and I\u2019d hate to think someone would have been blown overboard by his jet exhaust. I\u2019ve been blown down many times\u2014no big deal. Just stop, drop, and roll, so to speak. But grab onto a flight deck pad eye\u2014they\u2019re all around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t try to have my own \u201cstyle\u201d of directing. I\u2019ve seen others who do, but\u2026 not me. I\u2019m directing \u201cby the book.\u201d Mac, however, uses quick hand signals, especially when he\u2019s out in the open. Mac is \u201cvertically challenged,\u201d that is\u2026 short. With sandy red hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, he\u2019s the kind of director who seems to have had one too many cups of strong black Navy coffee. You know\u2026 hyper. But he\u2019s also one of the best directors on the flight deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A-7
USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63<\/em><\/strong> (1975)
ABH3 Tony Davis directing A-7 Corsair ready for launch on Cat #1
Photo Credit: Andy Adkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ABH3 Tony Davis<\/strong>, another great director, from Maryland, I think also has his own style. It\u2019s hard to describe, but you know it\u2019s Tony when he\u2019s directing. \u201cLoud and proud,\u201d as I\u2019d describe it. A little over enthusiastic, but then, Tony\u2019s up on the bow in Fly 1 <\/strong>with ABH1 Mayberry<\/strong>, Fly 1 LPO. It\u2019s a little tighter fit up there\u2014not as much room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, Chet, you\u2019ve cleared the Tomcat out of his parking spot. I turn my head and spot Smitty<\/strong>, another Fly 3 director about twenty yards behind me standing next to the JBD (Jet Blast Deflector), ready for me to pass the Tomcat along to him to get him ready for launch on Cat 3. We don\u2019t walk while directing the aircraft; it can give the illusion that the aircraft is moving while it\u2019s not. That would be especially bad during night operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike the way I packed that Turkey in for you, Chet?\u201d Smitty says with an audible chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all joke with each other. That\u2019s what you do when you\u2019re family. But we also keep an eye on each other as well as the other 200+ personnel on the flight deck. The last thing you want is to be responsible for someone else\u2019s misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like Smitty. He\u2019s from Texarkana and married his high school sweetheart, Connie. He\u2019s one of my best friends on the ship and initially trained me<\/a> as a Yellow Shirt when I first came out of Crash<\/a>. We\u2019d been good buddies during Westpac \u201975 and hung out a lot while in PI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Move this guy along, Chet. You\u2019ve got another three Tomcats on your spot sheet to move and get ready for launch. This is only the first launch cycle of many for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I glance at the Pilot and give him a quick nod\u2013he returns it. Trust and confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I pass this Turkey along to Smitty, I quickly glance back toward the fantail to find my next spot. Found him. This one will be easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing? The best thing is that I get to do this for another 16 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God, I love my job. Livin\u2019 the dream, baby! Just another day in Paradise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay safe, my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until we meet again,<\/em>
Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"NEVER<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE<\/strong> copy HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous posts mentioned in this blog:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n