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Post by steve201 (deceased) on Oct 8, 2009 4:35:11 GMT 9
well...reading some of these "there I was" stories got me to thinking some....
I had just gotten my 3rd stripe in something like 1972....my roomie at the Barracks at Hamilton AFB was an ATC wheenie and kept telling me all these stories up in the Tower....so..one sunday evening ...very little to do..he invites me up to play some cards...there wasn't much traffic going on and so I decided why not.....
it's actually fall and getting chilly so..I make the walk across the street from my barrack to the tower...get permission to come make the climb up the tower.....it's probably about 6:30 in the evening...
I get introduced to all 3 guys up there and we start playing some cards....can't remember what game but it was the usual cards AF pukes play on a sunday...trump....spades.....poker...been 30 plus yrs so bear with me..
bout 10:30 or so ...the tower gets the radio call that 2 birds from KI Sawyer requesting permission to take the active....which my roomy promptly aknowldges and the first bird takes the active and heads out in full burner.....now ...at this point I should tell you that at hamilton...you need to clear 600 ft right off or you can become a dent in the hillside...
#1 takes off...pulls almost straight up and heads towards the east.......# two takes the active....runs up the engine and bang into burner....takes off and just as he clears the deck ..gear up...this guy is really hot dogging it...stays low for a bit and comes out of burner...where we all go...well that was cool!! :salute
about 15 seconds later we hear on the radio KI 1 KI 1...lost site of you ..where are you at ...and then a huge flash on the mtn's over towards the north east.....he had slammed right into the side of a hill and made a big smoking hole.......where I worked after the recovery....the largest part of the airplane they found was the engine on the other side of the hill and in bahia channel...we found a few boxes and some structure..taht was it.....total destruction.......
that's one nite I'll never forget....that's for sure..... :cry
Steve
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