Old and Bold Pilots

The saying is that there are no old, bold pilots. Today I’m 68 and Bob is turning 80. That is undeniably old. In the summer of 1966 we were a long way from old and whether we were going to be bold or not the odds of achieving even one more birthday seemed very much against us.

I had my 24^th birthday that year. I flew a combat mission to Route Pack I and dropped a couple of 2000 pound bombs. I returned to Korat having survived one more day and with a mission count in the low eighties. That’s how we did it. One mission at a time. Bob would have been 35 that summer. Just a few years older than the Lieutenants but with a lifetime more experience flying fighters. He was one of the group that had arrived at Korat a few weeks after my class of nine brand new, recent graduates of pilot training had begun our tour. We had just 130 hours of rated time and had no operational experience in a very sophisticated jet. We were learning on the job and the job was a very dangerous one.

Bob and Ken Frank, Bob Phillips, Bill Loyd, Fred Tracy and a few others had come from Europe where they had flown the F-105 for a couple of years. They all had previous fighter experience and all knew what the mission was about. They were joined by a similar group of F-105 drivers who had been at Nellis with us for our training. Folks like Wimpy Peake, Mack Angel, Neil Eddins, Ed Rock and more were now our leaders rather than our instructors. They would be the means of survival for the green young Lieutenants. They would take care of us and in return we would do the absolute best we could to fulfill our role as dependable wingmen.

There is a contract between leaders and wingmen. It is one of the most basic lessons a new fighter pilot learns in his training. It is a deal far beyond what is taught while flying formation and earning your wings. The core of the concept is that a wingman devotes all of his effort to maintaining his briefed position. Being “there” is what it is all about. The leader must be smooth and do what he can to insure that the wingman can actually fly off of the boss’ lead.

But in combat the contract becomes more complex. The wingman is responsible for supporting his leader. He must take the load off the boss. He looks around for threats and friends. He maintains a big picture of the entire arena. He mirrors his leader’s navigation and tactics. He always stays where the leader expects him to be. He listens and says nothing but the absolute minimum. He never misses a channel change. He manages his own airplane and does what the leader told him to do.

Often over-looked is the need for the leader to do some things for the wingman. Smoothness is a factor, but much more important is awareness. The leader makes decisions for the flight and those decisions can get you killed or keep you alive. The leader has experience. The leader has maturity. The leader has honed the skills to accomplish the mission. The leader plans the flight to achieve the assigned objectives. But the leader must continually maintain an awareness of his wingman. How skilled is he? How much experience does he have? Can he do what I am asking of him? The wise leader cannot overtask his wingman. If the wingman can’t do it, the leader may not be able to do it either. The wingman is entrusting the leader with his life. The leader must remember it always.

The good leader not only leads in the air. He has a largely unsung role on the ground. Leaders who don’t learn of that responsibility aren’t leaders at all. They are simply people flying in front of others. There are many of those.

A leader may be afraid, but he cannot show it. A leader may be doubtful, but he must display confidence. A leader may be brave, but he can never be foolhardy. A leader may have great skills and knowledge, but he must teach them to his wingman.

The time spent after missions, at the lunch table, in the hootch as the sun sets after a long day is where the truly great leader passes on the secrets of the trade. He talks about techniques and skills. He explains how something seemingly difficult can be made easier. He suggests a better way to make something happen on the next flight. He knows that if he can make this young acolyte a better fighter pilot tomorrow that he will have a better chance of living himself. He is well aware that in a few short years, if he has done his job, the lieutenant on his wing will be the senior captain or major in the lead of the next generation. It is a heavy burden that is gladly borne.

Bob Dundas was my flight commander for a while at Korat. We flew together often. We survived the tour. We are old now. Will someone tell us that we are not bold? Bob is still bold and I freely confess that I owe my life to him and the guys like him. He was my leader. I hope I’ve been as good a leader for the guys that have flown my wing.

Happy 80th Birthday.