Free Ride!

 

OK, I don't think I've written about this subject before.  I don't know if what I'm going to talk about is still being done. I don't think it is, but it had a lot of good results in it's day.

The program was called "Incentive Rides".  Members of the non-rated Air Force (AKA not Pilots or WSO's*) who had impressed their chain of command could be selected for an Incentive Ride in one of the Base's jets.  

Yes, Beans, in a two seater.

They would get some basic training on emergency equipment just in case things went south.  Then they would be put on the flying schedule with a very experienced pilot.  They would be briefed on what was going to happen on the ride, and how to deal with it. 

Basically, this was pulling G's.  When a fighter turns, the pilot rolls the jet into an appropriate angle of bank.  Airliners do the same, but it's usually no more that 10 degrees of bank.  Fighters generally turn using 70+ degrees of bank.  

Oh, did I mention that when a fighter goes into a high bank angle,  the G-Load gets pretty high pretty fast. Which can include, if not prepared, the possibility of losing consciousness.  That could ruin the mission of the incentive ride because the rules state if someone loses consciousness, whether a person on an incentive ride, or a experienced fighter pilot/WSO, returning to base and landing is mandatory.  

Oh yeah, a visit to the Flight Surgeon is also required.

I always enjoyed giving them that ride so I went to great extremes to keep them happy (and avoid them having to visit the Flight Surgeon).  It was a reward for excellent effort on their part in getting their job done.  As such, in the brief, I would ask what kind of ride they would like.  The options were anything from a fantastic view of the local area in complete comfort (OK relative comfort, they WERE strapped in to an ejection seat) up to a ride that would make the best Disneyland E-ticket ride feel like a walk in the park.

I distinctly remember one of the incentive rides I gave.  I was scheduled to fly a ride with a Senior Airman (E-3) Crew Chief who'd had a very good record in keeping "his" F-4 mission ready.

In the briefing, I mentioned those briefed options   This Airman was from the deep south.  He answered.  "Sir, I don't wanna do any "Loop-de-Loops".  

OK.

We take off and are in the local practice area, driving around like a Cadillac.  I'm bored to tears.  I hear him ask "Sir, can we do a little faster turn?"

"Why, yes I can". I roll into bank and pull 2 G turn.  He says, "That was great, can you turn faster?"

 "Why, yes I can".  I roll into about 70 degrees of bank and pull on the stick to 6 G's (our g-loading limit).  I hear this loud yell over the intercom, so immediately roll wings level and ease off the stick to 1 G.

"Airman, are you ok?"

"Sir, that was Sheet Hot!"

I immediately went into demonstrating high speed, 2 or 3 G maneuvering.  After a bit, he asks "Sir, can we do a Loop Dee Loop?"

A loop is a 4 or more G maneuver.

I start the maneuver. 

At the top of the loop, I look in the mirror, he's got his head back looking at the ground above him.  He lets out a "Yeee HAWWWW!' over the intercom.

Brought a smile to my face, yes it did. 

Suffice it to say, whenever I got assigned his aircraft, I got treated  quite well. 

Based on that ride, I volunteered to fly any incentive ride I could.  The people that were going for the ride were the cream of the crop, so this was a reward for both of us.

 

 

This was another ride I knew about.  Somebody I'm deeply proud of, even now, got selected for an incentive ride in the F-4E.  The pilot is on the left,  next to him is the Wing Executive officer, next is his assistant executive officer, next is my Weapons System Office (WSO AKA Back Seater), Me, then my Flight Commander.

The young lady in the middle is also my wife.  One of the traditions of flying a fighter in the USAF is soaking one down on their final flight at that assignment.  When she landed the tradition was carried out.  

I asked the Pilot how she did.  No problems and a lot of fun.  Excellent!

 We received orders shortly thereafter. She and I were going to Holloman AFB to fly AT-38s.

That would be Captain/Mrs. Juvat in the back seat

 Fast forward 3 years. We're now at Holloman and about to leave,  Mrs J (AKA Capt/Mrs J) gets scheduled for another incentive ride.  There is one obstacle, she is pregnant with our son.  The flight surgeon said "No" to the flight. So, they do a high speed taxi ride.

 Shortly thereafter, it's my turn, the squadron members (who weren't flying, briefing or debriefing met me at the jet with fire extinguishers  to wet me down and present me with a cheap bottle of Champagne.  I had enjoyed the time, but had bigger, better, faster things ahead of me.

 

The guy to the left in the picture?  Yeah, I took some gun camera film of him

Yep, that's me after my last ride in the Eagle, also the last airplane I was at the controls of.  Mrs J (at the time Major J) only got a taxi ride in the Eagle because of a medical condition which is obvious in this picture.  MBD was born a month or so later.

 I really enjoyed taking folks on incentive rides, they were satisfying to both parties.

So..a little music about the subject, just because it seems right! 

 

 

*WSO -Weapons System Officer. Basically the non-pilot on board a fighter responsible for a lot of different jobs in some fighters (F-4 and F-111, back in the day, F-15E nowadays)