Above left: Local
fl ights at lower
altitudes are
conducted with
the pilots wearing
standard
fl ight gear.
Gert Kromhout
Above: Replacing
the detachable
‘pogo’ outrigger
wheel.
Gert Kromhout
second and possibly last attempt the next
day with the stipulation that the ‘pogos’
would remain attached until I performed
three ‘satisfactory’ landings. If I didn’t show
improvement, the ight would be a short
one and I would be on my way home.
Take two
Fortunately, I had a lightbulb moment
the following afternoon after the rst
three landings when I managed three
‘sats’. The ‘pogo’ safety pins were removed
on the runway and we were o without
their assistance. Curiously, my wings-level
perception immediately improved with
the knowledge that the ‘pogos’ weren’t
attached to save the day. Every landing
improved thereafter and ‘PF’ sensed that I
was catching on enough to demonstrate a
no- ap landing, which was not suitable for
the faint of heart. It simulated a complete
hydraulic failure and the no- ap/no-speed
brake approach arrived over the ‘T’ at 5ft
and just 2kt above stall speed. In this clean
con guration it took 1,000ft of runway to
bleed o 1kt of airspeed in ground e ect,
aided by the residual idle thrust of the J75
engine, which was set abnormally low for
a turbojet. This low idle was by design, as
just a few per cent higher and the aircraft
couldn’t be landed without shutting down
the engine. It furthermore explained the
six-to-nine-second lag from idle to max
power during a go-around. ‘PF’ smoothly
planted the tailwheel on the ground for
100ft or so before the stall dropped the
main gear to the runway and mentioned
something about it being ‘Miller time’ at
the bar as he brought ‘the Goat’ to a full
stop. I was thrilled to later hear that the
overall mission was graded as ‘satisfactory’,
earning me a third ight.
Crunch time
The following day arrived with blustery
crosswinds and the usual thermals that
were common at Beale in the afternoons.
As ‘Snake’ and I were being strapped in, I
heard him ask, ‘Ready to have some fun,
Rick?’ I answered to the a rmative. After
‘Snake’ saw my normal landings remained
consistent, he demonstrated and talked
me through normal and no- ap simulated
ame-out landings. When the crosswinds
http://www.combataircraft.net // July 2018 91
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