relatively easy to maintain, as there’s not a
lot of systems on it. A lot of it is analogue –
there’s not a whole lot of digital anything in it.
“Compared to the F/A-18, it’s an ancient
beast. I guess you can call it a pilot’s airplane.
In the F/A-18, you tell the airplane that you
want to go right and you just move the stick
to the right. The flight control computers
move the ailerons and rudder, etc, and the
airplane will go to the right. In this thing,
you move the stick to the right, the ailerons
move but the rudder and anything else don’t
do anything. You are like, ‘I hope I go the
right way now’. It’s a little more difficult to
fly, being that there are more control inputs
you need. You kind of have to think ahead of
the airplane as well. It’s not as forgiving.”
With less thrust and less agility than the
Hornet, the F-5 gives the pilots some
challenges but, in the end, makes them better
pilots. LT Corky said: “For the F/A-18 you
have the ability to manoeuvre easier. In this
airplane, not so much. You have to think
about it a couple of steps ahead of the airplane,
continue to fly it and fly it well – especially
against an F/A-18 that is more capable. Keep
in mind that it’s also a different experience level,
too. I flew the F/A-18 for three years, then I
came here and I’m just continually expanding
my pilot knowledge and experience.”Becoming a ‘Saint’
Pilots in VFC-13 are a mix of active-duty
aircrew who are in the squadron for three
to four years, and reservists who continue
flying in the squadron, some for more than
a decade. LT Corky explained his situation:
“I was given active-duty orders to come
here. Other guys have done selective
reservist, so they have essentially got out
of the navy and come back here part-time
and fly the F-5, still as instructors. Then we
have other guys who are full-time support- essentially active-duty guys, but they
cannot deploy. They are here every day.”
The mix of young, active-duty pilots and
experienced reservists gives the ‘Saints’ an
advantage when educating new adversary
pilots and instructors, as LT Corky continued:
“It’s an extremely good thing to have these
experienced pilots who can take some of
their past experiences – it could be situations
they got themselves into that they don’t want
others to be in. And sharing that knowledge,
passing it down to the newer pilots, is key.
Keep in mind, there aren’t many pilots in the
navy that fly the F-5, especially compared
to the number on the F/A-18. Having senior
pilots who have a lot of knowledge on the
aircraft does help us become more proficient,
and also just being safer in the aircraft.”
The older guys are an asset to the younger
F/A-18 aviators aspiring to become adversary
pilots, and pass down their knowledge and
experiences. LT Corky continued: “All the
younger guys have flown the F/A-18, and
the older guys have flown the F-14, back
when that beast was still flying around.
Obviously, the capabilities [of the F-5] are
much reduced, but we have a good internal
syllabus of how to fly the airplane. Then
there’s a lot of hands-on work; how to build
a game plan, to test the fighter objectives in
this way, or punish the fighters if they mess
it up. There’s definitely a lot of experience
to be gained and a lot of it comes from this
way of receiving information passed down
from the older guys to these newer pilots.”
A pilot newly arrived with the ‘Saints’ faces
a back-to-basics approach. Regardless
of how many years you’ve been flying,
you’ll start with basic manoeuvres.
LT Corky illustrated how the training of a new
pilot is carried out: “When you start as a pilot in
the squadron, you learn how to fly the F-5, learn
how to take off and land. I have already done that
in a different airplane, now I’m going to learn how
to do it in this airplane. We have a two-seater for
that, with an instructor pilot to guide you. After
that, you’re in the single-seater every time. Then
you start off with some offensive and defensivehttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #358 JANUARY 2018 // 49
Unlike the previous F-5E, the F-5N features a radar warning receiver as well as more modern radios and
identification friend or foe (IFF) equipment. This is 761551. Søren Nielsen