Seeing Is Believing
Author: Carl Craig
Captain Jones was a weapons controller and made it to Pilot Training before his 27th birthday. He was the class leader of 84-02 at CBM, and one of my regular students. He was an exceptional officer but a weak formation pilot.
In the F3000 block of formation, Jonesy is having a problem with his position. I took the aircraft and put us into the proper position and explained all the visual cues he should see from the front seat. Jonesy acknowledges but just can't seem to get the hang of it. He is in danger of busting the next formation ride because he cannot reach MIF requirements. I cut him some slack, but not after demonstrating the proper position in fingertip multiple times.
The next day, he didn't report the class into session and I asked the 1st Lieutenant Class Deputy where Jonesy was. I was told he was at the flight surgeon. He shows up later in the day with glasses on. We went up on a 2-ship hop, and I was expecting the worst. Maybe I will have to give him a pink. Surprisingly, he is right in position and flying quite well.
When we get down for the debrief, I'm praising him on his efforts for the mission, He looks at me and says, "Carl, you know how you have been telling me about all the cues for proper position? Well, I can see them now!" Jonesy graduated and got a C-130 to Little Rock.
Flash forward to 1999. I am winding down my USAFR career on my last active-duty assignment and having a cold one in the Maxwell AFB O'Club. A raucous crowd carries a pilot in his flight suit down the stairs, and they throw him onto the floor right in front of me. There stands LTC Jones, celebrating his retirement from the Air Force. He looks at me and says, "Holy Crap, Carl? What are you doing here?"
I explained I am on my last leg of duty as well and would be retiring shortly. He tells all his friends and crew that I was his IP at pilot training. He further explains that I "saved" him from certain doom and washout. I clear the air by saying, "Nope, I didn't save you, you saved yourself when you got your glasses and could actually see!"
I love it when a story has a great ending.
