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Post by pat perry on Aug 31, 2015 8:34:10 GMT 9
Really interesting newspaper article from Ken Hommas. Thanks Ken!
Bobski
Bob, I know this has nothing to do with the F-106 but I find it interesting and I was stationed in the 444th FIS at Charleston AFB when this happened during the Cuba Missile Crisis.
Ken Hommas
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Post by pat perry on Aug 31, 2015 8:35:09 GMT 9
Thanks Earle
In a message dated 8/16/2015 10:50:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 2Boyers@att.net writes:
Bob, Great article but kind of scary of the outcome. As a Deuce pilot I never had to worry about 50k but later in the Six with NASA I had one mission to 57,000.
Earle Boyer
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Post by pat perry on Aug 31, 2015 8:36:11 GMT 9
Hi Bob ---- Pretty scary stuff there, huh? When we were at Tyndall once, something was found "Pretty High" and it wouldn't answer, so they sent both of their F-106's. They Aborted , so they sent both of Castle's up there. They made it OK, but one had a leak in it and it couldn't go up any higher -- the other Castle bird kept going. As it went, it was a U-2 with no radios that worked. The F-106 went up "Frozen" I heard -- it had frost all over the instruments and so was the pilot -- they claimed that it stuck at 100,000 feet up before "Frozen". I wasn't in that, but that was the story. Bob/Oberstr@fibernetcc.com |
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Post by pat perry on Aug 31, 2015 8:38:48 GMT 9
More interesting comments on the Cuban Missile crisis. Thanks JimBobski
This is very interesting. The 48Th FIS had most of our aircraft at Patterson AB (not AFB because it was mini-base there at the Cape) We kept two F106s cocked up (five minute alert) and we had two or four more on CAP (combat air patrol) down on the 24th parallel, just North of Cuba.GCI radar would take us down there and put us into a racetrack pattern, in case Castro tried anything. I was a junior Capt. and drew the night shift. We were directed by Data Link.(heading, altitude, speed, target commands were sent to my computers and the command bugs would move appropriately on my instruments and, if the autopilot was selected, it followed the commands. I could just sit there and pick my nose. Well, not really. The oxygen mask was in the way.
I never heard of this incident with the Voodoo not being able to hit a U2 at 65,000 ft. We could do that in a Six any day of the week. This is just another case of the Generals on the podium screwing up the business end of the flying. Once during this Cuban deal, the Cubans sent a Mig 21 up toward the U.S. We intercepted with a F104. Piece of cake. However, the Commanding General of that Div. ordered the 104 pulled off and replaced with a slower Air Defense fighter and the Mig ran away from it. all because the Gen was an ADC guy and didn't want the TAC F104 to get the glory. There were several instances where the guys on the podium made poor decisions: The F-102s flaming out because their CAP was right in a bunch of thunderstorms. We, having flown 102s, suggested that we swap places with them. And then having to identify at night an RB-47 TWICE in one night because the podium couldn't or wouldn't find out from SAC that it was a 47 out there. I had to do one of those ID's. They were blacked out and I was blacked out...it was downright hairy.
The Six could have handled a target at that speed, at that altitude easily. Undoubtedly we were on CAP only a short distance from where this 101 was laboring to zoom up and we could have swapped with them.
I had to shut down the engine once when zoom climbing through 65,000 feet once because the engine was getting too hot. My blood didn't boil. We had given all of out pressure suits to the U-2 people cause it was decided that we didn't need them.
Ask me to tell you about completing a successful run on a B-58 during an ORI while I was getting a check-ride.
J Latta
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