A Proficiency Outing - 2 Approaches & an Overhead Break (Full ATC)

If they do that, they're doing it wrong. Initial should be AT pattern altitude (800 - 1000' AGL for slower aircraft and 1500' for faster aircraft) through the break to the downwind and all the way to the perch for the base turn.

We’ve discussed this before Tim but I thinks that’s an AF thing. Typical USN/USMC is 500 ft break above pattern. 200 ft above pattern for the carrier break.
 
We’ve discussed this before Tim but I thinks that’s an AF thing. Typical USN/USMC is 500 ft break above pattern. 200 ft above pattern for the carrier break.
 
I was cleared for the break at Alameda, 1500’, a mile or two past the numbers... lame.

While I’m droning there to do that some local chucklehead was cleared for a 500’ break AT the numbers... wha? Why’s he so special?!!!

I’m in the break looking over my shoulder to see who that was... a locally based MH-53.... pretty cool. He was shut down eating a sammich before I got into the groove...
 
We’ve discussed this before Tim but I thinks that’s an AF thing. Typical USN/USMC is 500 ft break above pattern. 200 ft above pattern for the carrier break.

USN/USMC fly into DM all the time and they use our initial and break altitude. They always ask for a carrier break but it isn't allowed at our airfield. Also,if they have a question about something, they always say, "tower/ground interrogative" which I don't understand. "Question is two syllables, interrogative is four. Is the word "question" as taboo in the USN/USMC as is the word "head" in the AF?
 
USN/USMC fly into DM all the time and they use our initial and break altitude. They always ask for a carrier break but it isn't allowed at our airfield. Also,if they have a question about something, they always say, "tower/ground interrogative" which I don't understand. "Question is two syllables, interrogative is four. Is the word "question" as taboo in the USN/USMC as is the word "head" in the AF?

Yeah I mean I get it, it’s what’s published there but the AIM specifies 500 ft above pattern altitude. The documentation that I attached above is from Carswell JRB, Cherry Point and Navy CNATRA. Which gets back to what I always say, the overhead isn’t a standardized maneuver everywhere you go. Personally because of that, I think it’s an accident waiting to happen.

I never use “interrogative” or “question.” I simply say the facility name which should give a response of “go ahead.”
 
I simply say the facility name which should give a response of “go ahead.”

As a controller you know you're never supposed to say that phrase. ;)

That was drilled into us in training and we still drill it as trainers. In your defense though and as a controller, I say "go" without the "ahead" on many occasions - perhaps subconsciously in hopes that they'll just go away, especially to C-130s.
 
I was on a VR-61 airlift to Tailhook 91 from NUW in a C-9. He takes it into the break at Las Vegas Intl...... no kidding. Different times.
91 !!!!! You was there???? Pics man, we need pics. Don't be tellin us you destroyed the evidence. Ya gotta have a secret stash somewhere:devil:
 
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USN/USMC fly into DM all the time and they use our initial and break altitude. They always ask for a carrier break but it isn't allowed at our airfield. Also,if they have a question about something, they always say, "tower/ground interrogative" which I don't understand. "Question is two syllables, interrogative is four. Is the word "question" as taboo in the USN/USMC as is the word "head" in the AF?
The Navy and their terminology... ugh.

Here's my Air Force guy trying to figure out Navy talk story.

As a young 2Lt in AF flight school, part of the syllabus in the T-38 phase was a solo XC. This wasn't so much a "solo" XC as a mass gaggle to a nearby airport, with a T-38 being flown by instructors going out first, followed by a string of solo student T-38s. I'm sure we looked like a mother duck with a bunch of ducklings in tow. If those ducklings were flying at FL480 and Mach .98.

Out of Williams AFB (KIWA), AZ we were sent to Navy Lemoore, near Fresno, CA. There were strict rules when you got to your XC destination. We were allowed one straight in instrument approach to a full stop. Period. End of. No touch and goes, no pattern work.

Well, I can't remember where I was in the line of STUDs headed to sunny California that morning, but when I got talking to Lemoore approach, I asked for vectors for the TACAN, full-stop. Fat, dumb and happy, I was switched to tower and it was crazy busy. And since it was a Navy base, I maybe only understood every other word. Regardless, I was cleared to land and I had the Hornet in the final turn I was supposed to follow in front of me in sight. It was looking so good until that f*%(^ing Hornet took too long getting off the runway and tower sent me around. This was not in the plan. Since I was dirty and slow, I went around using Max AB, cleaned up and accelerated over the runway. I was midfield and rapidly closing on 300 knots. Air Force me keyed the mic and squeaked "Hacker 17 request closed." Silence. Now I'm about 400-450 knots and I realize that I should probably come out of AB before I get to the end of the runway. Let's try this again. "Hacker 17 request closed." A couple of heartbeats later, the tower says "Hacker 17, you're cleared the 180 for the duty." Not knowing what the heck he's talking about I think to myself, that sounds like "closed approved" to me! I do an awesome, screaming, 7-G pullup into the closed pattern that impressed even me. I dirtied up, rolled off the perch and landed and taxied to Base Ops. The "mother duckling" IPs were there when I parked to greet me and ask me what the heck was going on. I explained what happened and they seemed fine with it. The flight back to Willie was uneventful and looking at my logbook, I did three landings when I got home. I'm sure I was happy at a place where I was understood and could understand. Like a big Air Force blue security blanket.
 
That is SO true. The same thing exactly when us Navy types went to a Air Force base... of course we were ALL messed up trying to get into a civilian field!

Tools

Dude, 480 and .98? VERY COOL
 
That is SO true. The same thing exactly when us Navy types went to a Air Force base... of course we were ALL messed up trying to get into a civilian field!

Tools

Dude, 480 and .98? VERY COOL
You make jet engine sounds when you fly that Cessna, don’t you:goofy:
 
Ooooh.... busted....

tools
 
91 !!!!! You was there???? Pics man, we need pics. Don't be tellin us you destroyed the evidence. Ya gotta have a secret stash somewhere:devil:

Honestly your honor, as I sit here before you, I do not recall. :D

Actually a great party, seminars and such and I never saw any of the stuff that went on. The whole inquisition/debacle afterwards is well worth a story or two over a beer.
 
So there I was... JUST carrier qualified for the first time. Tail hook ‘91 is literally in days. The ENTIRE base is going (Beeville). DC-9 after DC-9 is stopping in picking folks up, even schleps who haven’t CARQUALLed yet.

We were SO excited... BUT...

Just finished T2s, A4 ground school is next, taught by civilians. The ONLY thing that the entire base could get done that week, since EVERYONE else was going to tail hook.

EVERY PILOT ON THE BASE, even the SAR pilots, went EXCEPT the six of us that just qualified (on the Ike out of Key Weird by the way, more good stories of the Duval crawl another thread).

Like months later, people start getting pulled out of briefs, by civilians! Student one time, instructor next... EVERYONE got their turn and would come back 45 minutes later ashen gray and tight lipped. EVERYONE but us six.... hmmm....

Didn’t take that long to start figuring it out. And thusly I never did go to ANY tail hook. Tragic.

Pugs, we heard stories about you down in south Texas... D’oh!!

Tools
 
Ok, fun trivia. Anyone know the IAF for HITACAN 24 L/R NAS Miramar?

Hint, Pat Schroeder apparently never did either!
 
Pugs, we heard stories about you down in south Texas... D’oh!!

Tools

Yea, same tactic the IG used. :D So, you think you're going to use these interrogation tactics on bunch of guys who've been through SERE? Good luck with that comrade.

My whole squadron went except for one guy who was home getting married in Jamaica. We'd just returned from our Desert Storm cruise on TR so was great timing.
 
Ok, fun trivia. Anyone know the IAF for HITACAN 24 L/R NAS Miramar?

Hint, Pat Schroeder apparently never did either!
I have now. LOOTS or GIMPE?

EDIT: well, I had to do it. Googled Pat Schroeder. Not much. Then added tailhook to the search. Oh boy, this gonna be fun. Still can’t figure out if it’s gonna be LOOTS or GIMPE. Does LOOTS being an Anagram of TOOLS have sumpin to do with this?
 
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Hmmm, maybe she did find out.

BEAJY

ATC pronounced it bee-gee. Wrong, it’s bee-jay, as in blow job! Only the fighter pukes could get a IAF called that! Cracked us all up!

Tools

PS Hey Pugs, buy ya a beer... or a dozen (no way THAT isn’t gonna work, SERE or not! Ha!).
 
I have now. LOOTS or GIMPE?
Hmmm, maybe she did find out.

BEAJY

ATC pronounced it bee-gee. Wrong, it’s bee-jay, as in blow job! Only the fighter pukes could get a IAF called that! Cracked us all up!

Tools

PS Hey Pugs, buy ya a beer... or a dozen (no way THAT isn’t gonna work, SERE or not! Ha!).
Nope, she didn’t make it go away, looked again, it’s still there. I was just looking at IAF’s like ya said. It’s a Stepdown Fix. Same altitude as the IAF that proceeds it. I tried to find her email so you could ask her if she ever knew about it:devil: Couldn’t find it, sorry

EDIT: Oh yeah…

 
I was cleared for the break at Alameda, 1500’, a mile or two past the numbers... lame.

While I’m droning there to do that some local chucklehead was cleared for a 500’ break AT the numbers... wha? Why’s he so special?!!!

I’m in the break looking over my shoulder to see who that was... a locally based MH-53.... pretty cool. He was shut down eating a sammich before I got into the groove...

Some Hoover overhead pics I’ve taken. Except the last two. Not sure what you’d called that.

A27E8AFE-D885-4B30-A983-5C2AD2380379.jpeg D01B481C-9C90-480D-9EDA-F54DDBB53794.jpeg F8A3CD6E-EFD9-40D4-96EC-778D2AEC96FB.jpeg 6A1250D1-2EBE-423B-B927-9D8E711C800F.jpeg
 
Oh man... LOVE these pics! Thanks!!

Tools

Now that I think about it, that top pic I believe was during a MOA activation in the mid 90s. He was “attacking our base.”
 
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