Military aviation is an inherently dangerous business. Those who fly are amongst the most talented and gifted men and women this country has to offer.
Naval aviation is perhaps the most dangerous type of flying there is. Flying off the deck of an aircraft carrier in daylight and in the dark of night. In all types of weather. That carrier looks huge tied up to the pier. At sea, from the air, it is tiny. And moving in three dimensions.
VFA-94, the Shit-Hot World-Famous Orange-Tailed Shrikes, callsign "Hobo" lost one of their number on Friday. A mid-air collision. One pilot (from VFA-113) was able to eject, the other was not seen to do so. A search and rescue effort was launched immediately after the collision.
Yesterday, the search for the pilot was halted.
We don't know what happened, perhaps we never will. All we can know for sure is that we lost one of America's finest.
I am in mourning today.
Please say a prayer for that pilot and his family, shipmates and friends. Let us be thankful that America still has such men and women.
Yep, a sad loss. Thoughts and prayers for the families and the squadron...
ReplyDeleteRest in Peace.
ReplyDeleteI'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Hobos because of Lex.
ReplyDeleteYou're correct: there are no words, only pain. My sympathies to the family of the pilot and his shipmates.
ReplyDeleteHaving experienced SAR at the most visceral level, I can vouch for just how quiet it gets in the task unit when a pilot is lost.
ReplyDeleteThose memories are never far beneath the surface.
Fair winds and following seas.
Another empty chair. It's tough at the top but then it wouldn't be the top if it wasn't. Respect, as always.
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