Hi Ron. I’m a former Navy helicopter flight instructor. I’ve had students die in mishaps as well and have felt the way you described. I’ve come to realize that I did everything I could to help them succeed and that sometimes it’s just that they ended up in a crappy situation. It says a lot about you as an instructor that you still think about and care about your students.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks, appreciate the nice comments.

@richardbriscoe8563

9 ай бұрын

Military aviation, especially the fighter community, has substantial risks that accompany the freedom of flight.

A student was out flying solo in a T-37. A Turkey buzzard hit and came through the windshield. The student radioed the controller at the base and told what happened. The instructor at base asked him, “Where is the Turkey buzzard now”? The student said, “He’s in the instructor’s seat, sir”! The instructor radioed back, “Well, don’t piss him off”!

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

that's funny!

@alwillis6534

9 ай бұрын

I was a crew chief on 37 when the same thing happened in south Texas in the early 70's. Not our flight but still a shocker.

@alwillis6534

9 ай бұрын

The instructor was killed in the right seat.

@maxcorder2211

9 ай бұрын

@@alwillis6534 Sorry to hear it.

I was a T-37 IP from '72 to '76 and ended up being Chief of Check Section. It was my job to fly all of those "washout" flights. It is soul-crushing to have to tell two students a day that their dream of being a pilot was over. On the other hand, I was able to pass a few, and even solo a few on that ride. Sadly, one of my best students was named Roger Petit, who died as the co-pilot of Air Florida Flight 90 that crashed into the icy Potomac River in a 737 after his tour in F-15s.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Yes, Check section was not an easy post. I always wondered why Roger, with his fighter background, didn't just shove the throttles full forward.

@rockyraab8290

10 ай бұрын

@@ronrogers As do I. I even tried to teach him once that Uncle Sam can replace an engine. When you really need power, shove 'em.

@giancarlogarlaschi4388

9 ай бұрын

I has read about this Air Florida accident at age 26. Years latter I was taking of from Manta AFB ( Ecuador ) with my DB 71F , Max take off weight at night bound for Miami. I call " Rotate " , my good F/O Klaus Kelpen pulls the joke back and Nothing Happens ! I push the throttles forward about an inch more , knowing that I would Exceed the limits ( Egt , N1 etc )... We barely made it ! Up at cruise my Flight Engineer ( Ex Latam and Arrogant ) says : " We exceed engines 2 and 3 Egt limit , we Have to shutdown them "... " We just saved ourselves from dying and You want to put us in the worst Emergency we can possibly have ??? ...No , we continue as long as the engines are OK , and we have plenty of alternate airports around ." Webb AFB Distinguished Graduate Class 7606 " Desert Hunters " , Big Spring , Texas. Air Force of Chile ( Ret ).

@rockyraab8290

9 ай бұрын

@@giancarlogarlaschi4388 You were a pilot, sir, not just an airplane driver.

I was a T-37 Instrument Flight Instructor (simulators) and have about 2,000 hours of cockpit time - I'll say the biggest challenge I had was flying precise instruments from the right hand seat. Other than that it was a pretty simple and straight-forward machine... especially compared to the T-38 with which I have roughly 4,000 hours. Talking about IP incidents - we had a recent UPT graduate awaiting PIT take a student facing elimination out for a review ride. The recent graduate cum IP decided to do idle powered loops in a T-38 only to flame out both engines coming over the top of the loop. Passing 10,000 feet with no power the IP directed a bail-out ... punched out and the student tried one more air start - got an engine running and brought the aircraft home less the IP and less the rear canopy/seat.

@silverdrillpickle7596

9 ай бұрын

How does that go for the student? On one hand you’re a hero for getting a relight but you disobeyed the order to eject.

Ron, I stumbled on to your videos and so far have really enjoyed them. I was a Thud Wild Weasel pilot at George AFB in the mid '70s and I remember Vic Donovan very well. He was an excellent EWO and a joy to fly with. He was also a great person to have around the squadron. Keep up the good work with your videos! Check 6! Plug

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for updating me on Vic. I am glad things worked out well for him. Do you know what ever happened to him?

@user-qo1ny9yx6g

9 ай бұрын

@@ronrogers Not sure. I don't remember ever seeing him again after I left George AFB. And I don't recall seeing him at any of the Wild Weasel reunions. Sorry I don't have more information.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

I appreciate that, thanks.@@user-qo1ny9yx6g

I had the opportunity to fly in a T-37 out of Columbus AFB in the summer of ‘78 for ROTC training. What a fun flight it was. It certainly wasn’t long enough but we did get do a few maneuvers and I still have my flight certificate somewhere in one of my boxes of stuff!😊

As an air line pilot and upt grad, the guys like you were gems. Unfortunately, the Air Force doesn’t make as many of you as the used to.

The Final Turn...remember it well. Finally... figured it out you had to pull to get around. BIG moment!!!

I think the hardest part of being an instructor would be sending them off solo and hoping they retained the training. Thanks to all of the instructors out there!

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

yes!

@johnfarese2725

9 ай бұрын

Definitely Agree. As a T-38 FAIP IP, i was so nervous the first time I soloed a student out, hoping I had made the right decision! The first night solo I sent out, I stood at the TOC desk listening to the radios waiting for him to full stop. After that I was much more comfortable with my decisions!

I entered pilot training at Williams AFB in 1977. My first trainer was the T-37. I was in the Raindance flight and loved the T-37. I especially loved spinning. It was an amazing experience. I graduated to the T-38 and flew with the Boomer and Gambey flight. I really miss flying.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

I went through a civilian flight instructor training with one of the most focused and deliberate people I’d ever met. We both had day jobs in technical fields, but loved General Aviation and felt that instructing in our personal time was a way to give something back to aviation. Her first Basic student was a young man who was a diligent and responsible student. And he got special handling as my friend was determined to ensure that his preparation was 100%. She endorsed him and sent him off for his Private Pilot checkride with the local Designated Examiner. He turned in a first-rate performance and the DE gave my buddy kudos for sending him an exceptionally well prepared candidate. On his very first flight as a licensed pilot, the young man attempted a downwind night takeoff in an overloaded Cessna 172 with 4 passengers. The aircraft never left the runway and 3 of the 4 occupants, including the pilot, died in the crash. My friend was devastated and gave up instructing. I’ve thought about that episode often over the years and can only conclude that there are simply things in Life that are never going to make any sense. Sadly, I believe it’s just as simple as that.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing this touching story.

@thomasblassick6960

10 ай бұрын

I passed my Private Pilot Checkride back in February. Since then I've done some pretty cool and demanding flights (like fly in and camp at Airventrue) but I read stories like these and other's in The Killing Zone book by Paul A. Craig and I just shake my head at stories like this. I recently built a good deal of hood time with an instructor who was nearing his Part 141 minimums and the stories he'd tell me of students is just crazy. I honestly think with enough coaching just about anyone can get their way through the PPL checkride but it's the hours after this where you are on your own and responsible for your passenger's lives is where the test is taken every single time. I think some behaviors unfortunately cannot be taught and we as pilots sometimes only are able to make a mistake once.

@davidnickerson8582

9 ай бұрын

🎉😊😅

@davidnickerson8582

9 ай бұрын

P

@davidnickerson8582

9 ай бұрын

😮p pp

You can't use hindsight to beat yourself up. Even people at the top of their game come to grief.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks but is hard not too, almost 45 years later.

Getting stories and perspective from someone who was actually there is so much better that all the channels on YT simply 2nd, 3rd or 4th-hand recounting. Really enjoy your storytelling approach and have loved all 10 or so videos I've been able to watch so far. Best wishes Ron!

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you!

Thank you, Sir. Here’s saluting you. I’m delighted to find your channel. I was in 62-F at Willie, the First UPT in T-37 (after the 6 month pilot training shut-down to prep for the new UPT Program). As background, I was Terrence B. Magrath’s first student, the beneficiary of that chance assignment gave me more than the entry skill to begin a flying life and more, the friendship that we kept over the years until he passed this last year. So here’s to you and all who taught stalls and spins and 360 Overheads to test those who would go on to fly westward. Thanks again, Romain Oliver Nelsen

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Romain, thank you also and I salute you also Sir!

@HEDGE1011

9 ай бұрын

What a wonderful comment. I was Willie 88-03 and I’m sure I flew some of the same aircraft many years later. My Dad suddenly passed away when I was a T-37 student. My two primary instructors worked weekends to get me finished up with my class. I have nothing but the highest regard for both of these guys. We’re all Captains at different airlines now and I’m extremely grateful for them.

Brings back some memories Ron. Especiallywhen I think back to the day I was flying with student John. This is spin training and John does his idle neutral and he never gets to aft remember this guy ,built like a quarterback ( in fact he was selected for the cowboys) drives the stick forward to a neutral which was a foot or so more forward than i remembered. Almost instantaneous I try getting hold of the stick yelling my controls things go very fast now ,I find myself pinned to the canopy with my helmet,Tweety goes like a bloody centrifuge upside down and the altimeter does its imitation of a ceiling fan. My controls , No answer ,No reaction . Sort of difficult to do my version of spin recovery when the Hulk is leaning over the center console me trying to push out the canopy rail with my shoulder the stick as if cast in concrete and outside the blurry picture of a runaway merry go round. Now what, altitude, ah were still ok. How was that again yes aviate navigate communicate. uhm problem nothing to aviate with navigation dead easy, straight back to mother earth communicate , with what! Cant leave him, ok I kill him before I have to take the handkerchief exit so I twistfold his oxygen hose Bokito the Silverback grabs with both hands for his mask which is instantaneously vacumed to his face , I do the stick and pedal show and we get straight and level. Add some fuel to the oil stove and inform area control we just elavatered ourselves through area,s below. To the left the light in the attic switches on Ühmmm what just happened, me.....Are you serious, you just missed the ultimate aerobatic ride. Yep I really enjoyed the Giant dog whistle and teaching beeing over in the States..On a negative note I think I can somewhat relate to your story. I did bust my ass for a student. Got him to pass his final checkride and he did well. He wasn't the quickest to grasp the trick but he got his chance. Next monday his 1st T38 ride. Then recall!!! RTB Wow T38 crash My friday student had crashed and got Killed together with the instructor It bother me for quite a while. Greetings from europe.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

WOW that story tops mine by a long shot and yes we share the same regrets.

My mentor LtCol Dick “Shorty” Shortridge told me he had been in Training Command a little too long when he started filling out the the student flight report before they took off.

Ron thanks for sharing your story. I was an Air Guard pilot and graduated from flight school in 1972 at Columbus MS.. Then I served for 10 years total in WV Air Guard flying transports.. Fast to slow aircraft… Crew vs single pilot. I recall some interesting IP situations in training.. First we had Vietnam navigators who had F4 stick time and others who already were pilots.. But not Me.. Green as a just hatched bird but willing to learn and prove I had the right stuff.. Only one time did I pink a ride! Capt Wolfe was instructing and we had a personality conflict.. Unintentionally while performing unusual attitude recoveries in T38, I pulled the throttles to idle to quickly and firm that the detention stop failed to stop my throttles and both engines instantly stopped.. inverted and headed straight down.. before I could push throttle full forward and rotate wings level, the IP took control of the plane.. we proceeded back to the base and I could not pull the throttles to idle without IP hands on also.. I didn’t have to ride with Wolfe any more.. Subsequently, when I visited the base years later the 38s throttles were modified to prevent throttle issue. I finished 16 in class of 33 including Iranians.. As an IP you can never feel full responsibility for another human’s future actions.. We are individually responsible.. Thank you for your service and training dedication! I’m certain you had many excellent pilots as your students..

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your service and story! I did the same thing in a T-38 as a student, pulled both throttles into cutoff during a high speed recovery. The IP was pissed but we did not get along at all anyway!

Ron, you sound like not only a great instructor but also a great human being. Your compassion shines brightly. Thanks for a really good video.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

I went through pilot training at Webb AFB in 1969. We lost a student and instructor in T 37s. Inverted and in a spin. ATC stopped spins after that. My instructor had shown me that spins were nothing to be afraid of. I have always believed that a good instructor is the very basis of learning to fly. I appreciate your view very much.

@KutWrite

9 ай бұрын

That, and some good study helped me. I found the book "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langewiesche very valuable.

@paulwatters9225

9 ай бұрын

That must have been a rather brief pause in T-37 spin training, because by the time I went through the program (Class 82-04 Laughlin AFB), spins were an integral part of the syllabus...

I just watched your video, excellent by the way. It reminded me of my late father who was the co-pilot of a B-17 crew in the 8th AF. He told me about training and about some of the terrific instructors. He also mentioned that many folks washed out. In your video you speak of emergencies. Well, you can only imagine the number of emergencies my dad had to deal with while completing 35 missions in 1944. After my dad’s passing, I met with the pilot of the B-17. He told me in no uncertain terms that he had never seen a pilot fly in combat like my father. “He must have had ice water in his veins,” he said because when we had to feather an engine, put out a fire, or deal with flak damage like bomb bay doors that were jammed open, your dad flew the plane like he was giving folks rides on a Sunday afternoon. To me, it sounds like my father really took the training and the instructors to heart. After his combat missions he became an instructor on B-25s in preparation for an invasion of the Japanese home islands. By the way, all this crew made it home without a scratch.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing such a great story! I am in total admiration of the pilots of WWII! Anything I have done pales in comparison to those guys. Your dad sounds like a fantastic individual!

@donmclean1220

9 ай бұрын

My father was a flight engineer in B-24s with the 376th bomb group. I met his pilot once at a reunion. Their last mission ended in bail out over the Adriatic Sea. Of the 10 man crew, 8 survived. My father had credit for 39 missions. All those guys were truly “the greatest generation “.

Currently a KC-135 copilot; fun to hear these old UPT stories! Not much has changed honestly!

Lots of dials, lots of switches, lots of procedures, LOTS OF NOISE! The 6000-pound Dog Whistle is still my favorite Cessna!

You have done a wonderful job as an instructor, the accident that killed him could have happened to anybody, we all have bad days and bad luck sometimes.

I was in Nav school and we got 6 rides in the tweet. My instructor was also a 2LT. Nice guy, patient and easy to work with. On my 2nd flight, we just took off when lights and warning sounds went off. He said “shit” and for a second we started descending. I grabbed the arming levels, he stabilized the aircraft, and we landed. I was ready to go, not sure if he knew that or realized it afterwards. Later, one ride was doing acro, and he gave me the stick for awhile. After the check ride, onto the T-43. (A modified 737; roughly 12 students and instructors.)

Hello Ron. I am so sorry about your loss. At the end of the day, this is the risk we take as pilots. Personally, I’d rather have it cut short doing what I loved than be grounded never able to do what I love doing. That’s the choice that all pilots make knowingly or not.

Thanks, Ron. I'm a retired MC-130J Pilot Flight Examiner and now AC/HC/MC-130J Contract Instructor Pilot at the Kirtland AFB Schoolhouse for AFSOC and Rescue. I truly appreciate your candid and straight-forward analysis of a couple of your instructional experiences. As an old Stan-Eval guy, I can honestly say that we all have "that one" (or two?) eval(s) that we shouldn't have passed... and sometimes we know in our bones that we made the right call. Your stories are still relevant today. Keep 'em coming as you see fit. Kind regards from the 505 - "Linda" PS - You bring back many memories from flying the "7,000lb dog whistle" around Mississippi as a terrible USAF Student Pilot before the multi-service instructors at NAS Corpus Christi got hold of me and beat me into shape while flying the T-44A.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for you comments!

I have to admit I am very impressed by Google’s algorithm. It recommended your video to me for some reason and as I watched, I wondered… Ron Rogers , T - 37 instructor… couldn’t be. Then I saw the note signed by a student pilot named Donovan. Again, I thought couldn’t be Victor Donovan, nah? Then when I saw Danny and Kathy standing together in the picture I freaked out a bit. What a small world this aviation business is. After 76-06 Cobra FLT and graduation at VAFB I flew F-4s at Seymour and OV-10s in Germany, got out and flew a year at Air Florida followed by USAir and by merger eventually American. At Vance I always enjoyed your humor, constant impish smile, and genuine enthusiasm for Flying. Glad you haven’t lost that love and had a great career. Best Regards. Russ Barlow Ps. I have a home flight simulation YT channel

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

I was wondering if I would get this sort of response and great hearing from you Russ! Sounds like you had a good career also. I had a slight hope that Vic might see this and respond. Maybe someday he will. Lost contact with him but would like to reconnect and see how things worked out for him.

@rbarlow

10 ай бұрын

Vic was from Massachusetts …. Went to Holy Cross as I recall. He might still be in MA. I went to F4 RTU at George AFB and few some Red Flag Hunter/Killer sorties with the 105s. Perhaps I flew a mission with Vic and didn’t know it. I enjoyed your video on the 727 … I flew SO on it for about 6 months at USAir but upgraded to 737 FO so I wouldn’t have to do a 9 light trip for my end of probation check… I trusted my flying skills more than my plumbing.

Sounds like you were a marvelous instructor. Wish I had had you in T-38s at Willy, Class 75-05, 'John Black' and then 'Hacker' Flights. The day we started '38s, the Hacker Flight Commander launched a totally adversarial relationship with the students. Fear, Sarcasm and Ridicule were his teaching tools. My 'Table Instructor' was an Academy Graduate and the most frustrated 'wannabe' Fighter Pilot in the USAF. He apparently hated being 'only an IP' and had little patience and zero empathy. Well, I clawed my way to Solo and actually had three solo rides. The third one got very interesting - that's a long story - and (my opinion) I was railroaded out of the program. Similar story as your Lt. Off to Mather, then F-4 RTU. Two thousand Phantom hours in the RCP. As a senior Captain, I had a ride in a T-37 again and was shocked at how easy it was to fly after a few hundred hours of 'stick time' in the Phantom. No wonder the four WSOs going through UPT with my class made it look so easy. Yes, you could have washed that kid out and he wouldn't have been killed in a 106. And he might have gotten a Phantom out of Mather and gotten killed when his FUF screwed the pooch like a few friends of mine did. Or he could have gotten run over by a bus! Or shot himself in the shame of Washing Out like I considered doing at the time. And, by the way, that stigma of failure in UPT never goes away. Hardly a week went by in my 22 year career that there was not some reminder that I was second rate being 'only a Nav'. Then there is that post-USAF life. I had a good - not great - second career in the Defense Industry, but it PALES to the lives my good friends that went on to the airlines are living. You pay your nickel and you take your chances.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story! I know what you mean about second hand citizen. I had the chance to work for a full Col who told me as a first Lt to consider whether I wanted to work for him since he was a Nav! I was rather shocked but he was right. That opportunity did not materialize but for other reason. I had a 38 IP who sounds just like yours. Real pain in the you know what. And yes, we never know how things will turn out. I never intended to be an airline pilot, until they wanted to put me in a grind job.

Dad was a T37 IP at Webb AFB ‘64-69. He said if the student was trying, he bent over backwards to help him pass. But if the student joined the Air Force to avoid being drafted in the Vietnam War, and didn’t really want to fly, he got the minimum required help. Someone who’s heart wasn’t into the job, didn’t need to be a pilot, and needed another occupation. With a war going on, he knew students needed his best efforts to prepare them for combat down the road. I’m sure you felt the same, and gave it. 13:17

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

I wanted to be an Air Force pilot with all my heart. Sometimes we would get a student who for some reason or another didn’t really want to be a pilot. I had no respect for them. If the student really wanted it, I worked my butt off. Most who couldn’t hack it eventually realized and departed one way or another. The ones who fought to the bitter end were the hardest to see go.

@3RomeoFoxtrot

10 ай бұрын

My dat, Maj. Ron Boyle was an instructor at Webb between 64-67, then went to Vietnam in 68, F-100. i was around 5-6 years old. I remember our neighbor had a horse in their gravel yard for a bit of time. Loved that base neighborhood. Lots of fun. Dad had an old MG Midget, dove grey. His best friend was Maj Jerry Helmich, Jerry was killed in 69 - A1E Skyraider, saving a downed pilot.

@doughudgens9275

9 ай бұрын

@@3RomeoFoxtrot Dad was killed in Laos flying A-1 Skyraider too. He was Sandy wing making a last pass as the survivor (Wolf 06A) was being winched onboard the Jolly Green. He volunteered for combat and was a couple months shy of retirement. We got him back 25 years later.

@sledawgpilot

9 ай бұрын

@@doughudgens9275massive respect for that. The last chapter or so of “Flight of the Intruder” with the Sandy is one of the few things that I’ve ever read that really got me.

Good time flying the Tweet during UPT at Reese in 88. “T-Bone” Ward was a great IP. Remember sitting RSU recorder (?) duty when a FAIP from a different flight arrived to monitor his first solo student, very proud moment for him. His stud takes off to the pattern. He reports initial but the radio call sounds off. My classmate doing observation (?) duty with the binoculars says the Tweet on initial gear is down. FAIP smile erased… One of my classmates SIE’d (?) while walking to our T-37s for our first solo flight from engine start. He stops and says “I can’t do this!” He didn’t look well. I said the pilot van is driving back down the ramp, go see the flight doc. Never saw him again, manifestation of apprehension is what we were told.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Yes, the T-37 could be intimidating.

Good vid…brought back lots of memories from my T-37 FAIP days… some good, some not so good. Looking back we had a profound impact on so many many lives. One student, a good friend to this day..30+ years later, now a Captain at SouthWest…well, on his very first attempt at a spin he made multiple errors that I wasn’t quick enough to react to. We wound up in an inverted/accelerated spin with both engines flamed out. Short version… I took the aircraft, recovered and got both engines re-lit before we exited the bottom of our MOA. We both learned multiple lessons that day!! A few years ago he was flying his own airplane to his domicile when he lost the engine… successful forced landing in a field! He credits some of the lessons learned from our flight together to that successful outcome. Cheers,

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Great story, thanks for sharing!

@sledawgpilot

9 ай бұрын

@@ronrogersyou have absolutely zero blame, ANYONE no matter what skill level can make a mistake. Relaxing a bit because you’re almost done? Maybe. I’ve read lots of survivors from conflicts realized that better pilots than they were died due to fate or luck or whatever. I’ve certainly looked back at times I didn’t have an accident due to luck, being human and all…

@pi-sx3mb

9 ай бұрын

That's some pretty quick multitasking!

As others have said, second guessing yourself does no good. There have been great pilots who have died after making mistakes later in their career. I subscribe to the "when it's your time, it's your time." Thanks for doing what you did. I learned a lot from my instructors. Funny thing about real emergencies, time seems to slow down once you're an experienced pilot. My gunsight caught fire in an OV-10 while directing a Navy A-4 on bombing passes at one of the Hawaiian bombing ranges. I thought it had only been a moment as I got everything sorted when the A-4 driver called asking for next pass instructions and I realized that I must have been at it a couple of minutes. The funny thing was when I explained to him my situation, he got far more excited than I did.

Excellent! Aptitude - some have it some don't. Why, when faced with a critical situation, do some pilots make the correct choice and continue living, while others make the evening news? The 'He just needs more training' mantra can make someone a pilot who shouldn't be. Likewise, aspiring pilots, with enough persistence, can pass their rides and become pilots, even when they shouldn't. Dreams die hard.

I flew the Tweet twenty years ago in SUPT. I didn’t care much for the aircraft. I flew the T-6 Texan II as an IP and it was awesome. You did your job. The standard is the standard. We can’t save them all.

Capt. Rogers, I thoroughly enjoy your tales. Your narative-style makes me feel as if we were in comfortable chairs in a drawing-room yarning over a glass or two of good single-malt.

I enjoyed your stories about being a tweet IP. I was a Link field engineer back in the 70s. When SkyLab was over got reassigned to F4s and then T-37 & T-38. I did the install at Randolph AFB and learned to fly in the aero club in T-41s. I had a hard-ass flight instructor like you who had started in B-29s and retired in B-52s. We didn't just do the FAA SEL curriculum, we did the USAF curriculum because he felt the former was insufficient. He rung me out every chance he got doing stalls and falls, recovery from unusual attitudes, lights out night flying, you name it. I'll never count Dick as one of my closest friends, but he made me a safe pilot. Dick taught me confidence through competence. He was a damn good instructor and he made me a pretty good pilot. God Bless em

I was a FF stationed at Shepard in the late 70's when they were training Iranian pilots in the 37's and German pilots in the 38's. The Iranians were down right scary.

Ron, "That's the responsibility of an instructor" Great words to live by.

Recall flying into Midland TX about 25 years ago and I watched two T37s circle the field and land. Each had a single pilot, and right after shutdown, one pilot, I assume the instructor, jogged over to the other aircraft and said, " I told you..set pitch, THEN glideslope!" Don't know what this meant, but they sure worked that problem over coffee in the terminal for long time..

I was at Reese in 1987 and washed out in the T-37 because of the turn to final. One thing that really startled me about UPT was the ridicule and harassment from our IPs. I don’t see how that made anyone a better pilot. Instead of helping students handle stress, it made us mistrust our instructors. Ron, you shouldn’t question yourself that way about your former student. He had many other check rides and evaluations after you, and all those other IPs and examiners deemed him good to go. Besides, he died doing what he loved.

Don’t beat yourself up. Flying fighters is extremely unforgiving. Some of our most skilled and professional fighter pilots have been lost to unrecoverable situations or momentary lapses in concentration. I learned early in my military career that “it” could happen to anyone. BTW - being an ex F4G driver, I appreciated the Wild Weasel reference.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

You guys were awesome!

Well done Ron. You job is to do the best with our best.... this is a demanding and dangerous business. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Sup, Ron ✊🏽 As a former Airman stationed at Laughlin AFB, TX with the 47th OMS T-38 "U"gly Flight, I salute you, Sir 👍🏽 It wasn't long after arriving there that I was voluntold to stand atop a fuel truck on fire watch detail, while a '38 was defeuled on the tarmac. I'm not certain if they were performing a touch and go... or not? But it was obvious that the T-37 "Tweet" pilot(s) thought it was a good idea to veer off the runway path and buzz the defueling op and watch me take a dive while flying directly overhead not more than a hundred feet above ground. Quite sure they had a memorable chuckle but that couldn't have been safe 🤔 🤕 😷

I think that graduating students are expected to improve and therefore it can go both ways. In civilian training, I got to my flight test and declined because I knew I was the worst pilot in the sky, thus saving lives including my own. Franz Stigler, the BF109 pilot that escorted a shot up B17 out of Germany in WW2 was also a basic flight instructor for the Luftwaffe. One of his students was Gerhard Barkhorn who he said he should have washed out in basic BUT he took him over a nudist colony (!) and he forgot about over correcting and all that and just flew a perfect holding pattern. So Franz passed him on. Gerhard survived the war and regretfully for our side shot down 300 planes. You just can't tell about the future. You do the best you can.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Interesting!

@aussie6910

9 ай бұрын

301. Then when he crashed a Hawker Harrier, I've read he said "That's 302 allied aircraft destroyed".

OMG...I got sick on my first flight. Everything was OK up at altitude. Nice and cool. But when we made our approach back to the base the cockpit got HOT and I got SICK!

Ouch. Hind sight is 20/20 but you can't take the burden of responsibility for every decision someone else made. Everyone would do something different in their past given the chance. You did your job and he was qualified to do his. What's important now is that we learn about that price paid and don't repeat it.

Great video! You brought back lots of memories. I went through Willie in '76 and pinked my first T-37 checkride for pushing the wrong rudder on a stall recovery (accelerated spin). On my next ride, the instructor asked me if I had my lead boots on because all we were going to do was practice every spin recovery multiple times. Needless to say I became an expert in them and didn't get too dizzy! Without instructors like you, so many of us silly students would have had our dreams broken. Thanks. "Idle, neutral, needle, look, rudder, stick!"

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I was a crew chief of several F-15s. first an A model, then a B model, then a D model so saw many students over 8 years. one instructor told me he had a former F-106 pilot who was up grading to the 15. he told me his basic flying skills were good but he just wasn't seeing all he needed to, to be able to fly the 15. it was faster, more maneuverable etc. don't know if he washed out but he said he would probably fly transports well. I flew back seat in my B model three times and I knew I would never be qualified to pilot one.

Thanks for this video! I was a T-38 IP at Sheppard in the late 80’s to 91, but went to UPT at Columbus in 1984. I made it through the T-37 phase with little problem, but I do remember all the fun stuff like spins, trail, and sitting in the toilet bowl trying to figure out which way to turn 😂😂. And of course sweating my ass off. I did manage to maintain my hearing!

@flyboyu777

9 ай бұрын

I meant to add yesterday that I had my share of exciting moments flying the T-38 and a few times with the airlines. I had a student try to land at about a 20 degree angle to an runway during a nav ride, and I was thinking surely he’s not going to try and land and will go around-I took the jet, cobbled the afterburners and had a nice bounce off the runway back into the air-luckily we had enough airspeed to keep in the air. Another one tried to do an actual zero clearance turning rejoin on me. And other fun stuff. Several of my flying mates have died from mishaps over the years. Our business is unforgiving at times.

I recently digitized two film strips of my uncle flying the T37 in 1972. The quality isn't super great and I get a headache even though the film is short. I get lost in the air and I'm just watching footage of it. But it's really cool to watch. He was later killed in the T38.

Hey Ron! Not to take anything away from the video, but this comment section is GREAT! Some of the stories and comments really add to the video. Thank you to all who have served. And I subbed after about the third sentence. I look forward to many more entertaining and educational videos. Thanks Ron.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

i totally agree! I had not realized how great the comments could be and yes, some of their stories make mine pale in comparison!

I went through UPT at Reese in 1992. Great memories, thanks for this video.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Those are the loudest, high frequency planes . Beautiful plane. Had them at Sheppard AFB. F105 & F106, beautiful but also demanding aircraft. Thank You and I understand that this is painful for you to recount. I'm a Vietnam Veteran USAF TAC, but a Power Lineman and Airfield Lighting Technician, Not an aircrew. Thank You for your fine work training some of the "Best of The Best". I just subscribed. My Best Regards To You.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind comments and thank you for your service!

Glad I found you Mr. Rogers I could listen to you all day. I always wanted to fly for a living but lacked the academic qualifications, however I did manage to get my PPL/IR when 21yrs of age. Leonardo Da Vinci was right... “For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Glad you were able to live your dream, even if not fully what you had desired.

@N1611n

10 ай бұрын

Just to fly was my desire and thank you for your tales subscribed.@@ronrogers

Very kool injoyed video , Iam a Air Force brat, miss being around the military , my dad was maintenance crew chief for several groups from the T 38 , T 37 to the F4, F111 ,B52 or any aircraft that had a GE-J79 Turbine power plant , my dad was there, and so was I lol

Thank you for sharing. Great stories.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Definitely been there as an IP, people make mistakes even though they made the grade previously . Sounds like you did a great job helping him achieve everything up to that point though.

I appreciate your Candid observations and explanations. Very Interesting take on your job.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Oh my goodness, brings back such goid memories form AF flight school. The Tango 37. A six thousand pound dog whistle. We all could not wait to get into the White Rocket(T-38). It was worth the wait believe me.

Thanks for sharing, can't be easy.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks

As a Navy flight student in 1971 I had both types of instructors. In Primary (T-34B) my instructor was too nice. Having had sea experience, by then I was a LTJG (O-2), same as the instructor. I enjoyed aviation, but the training was fast-paced and high-pressure by design. I made a navigation error when returning to base, normally earning a "down" grade, requiring a checkride with a different instructor. But my instructor merely said I deserved a down, but didn't give me one. As a result, later during Basic (T-28B and C), the pressure of a "loud" instructor caused me more problems, including horrible nightmares, which I never had gotten before (nor since). It got so bad I finally DORed. (Dropped On Request).' I've regretted that decision many times, thinking I "should have" consulted my mentor (senior instructor pilot - very friendly former P-3 guy) but second-guessing is not helpful. I figure I took myself out of a potentially dangerous situation, as "hitting the boat" in my state of mind could have turned into a literal description of an accident. I had a great six years in the Nav, and went on to be a part-time civilian commercial helicopter pilot. The lower-pressure learning environment better fit my psyche.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Screamers have no place as instructors.

@KutWrite

9 ай бұрын

@@ronrogers: Yeah... I was surprised to find out later he had a high opinion of my flying. I think he was frustrated as it was the tail-end of the Vietnam war and though he was selected for and graduated from the jet pipeline, they cycled him back through as a PROP instructor in the T-28. He was a reservist, so he'd likely never fill a fleet seat. Still... there are worse fates than being a Navy flight instructor in Pensacola, FL!

Ron, I was at Vance! 1974. 74-03!

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

74-07

Every pilot who crashes was signed off by someone. It is not possible to perfectly train or perfectly assess. You did your absolute best, within a training framework amenable to correction and improvement. Can't do more than that!

I never enjoyed more, reading the comments from this video. Ron you got us all talking.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Yes, me too!

I can sympathize with that as an instructor for 20 years I've been fortunate that most of my students have done really well in aviation. A friend who was a excellent CFI got his own flight school going and was doing great. He flew quite a bit with celebrities and was on one such flight Oct 11th 2006. Wont go into details about the accident but those of that knew him couldn't understand how this happened. The accident was with NY Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle in Manhattan.

Very honest and very impressive recount of events. Sorry to hear that you lost a student like that. I'm a teacher, but I don't teach kids into a profession where their life is at risk like that. I just teach kids how to make things in the workshop, and I guess how to do it safely.

I remember these when I was at Peterson . They did have T-33s there but retired them.

I’d rather live a short, but exciting, life than a mundane one any day. His success as a tactical pilot was a gift…

1975 / 76 Dear Lieutenant Nelson ( My IP ) and Captain Stoeber ( Class Skipper ) , Thanks for bringing me up as an Air Force Pilot ! Went to fly A 37's , DH 115 Vampire , B 727 - B 707 - Captain DC 8 71 , B 767 , B 747 400 ( Lufthansa Cargo , China ) , A 320 /21 based Shanghai and B 777 at Qatar Airways . First Lieutenant ( Ret ) Giancarlo Garlaschi Air Force of Chile Class 7606 " Desert Hunters " , Webb AFB , Big Spring , TX.

My uncle was a T-37 instructor in the 80’s. I was never given the opportunity to talk to him about. Really wish I had but life had different plans. Thank you for sharing your story.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

You are very welcome!

Ron, your second student ? You did the right thing getting the guy through, or more correctly, showing him how to figure it out for himself. Are you doing the 'what if' and 'if only's' ? They don't work (I've tried), because you can't second guess yourself in a time that's gone, when you did the best you could with the information you had at the time. You didn't go outside your role as in instructor, and you helped the student grow into his role as a pilot. Like any accident, it was at the end of a chain, but you weren't part of it.

Great to hear about an instructor's perspective! I've always wondered what an IP or CFI thinks while training their student.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I had just returned from Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and the Army sent me to Emby Riddle to get my airplane ratings. On one training solo flight I was practicing power on stalls. But I was not quite in trim and when the aircraft stalled, the left wing dropped and I went into a spin. I had about 11 hours in an airplane and no spin training. At first, my brain clearly said to me, "Oh, you are a dead man." But I started doing a bunch of pilot stuff, still don't know what I did, and I got the aircraft out of the spin. The next day I told my instructor about the incident and he said," Yeah, that kills more students than any other maneuver." That day I made sure we did noting but practice spins. I got pretty good at it but I still didn't like them. Remember, I am a helicopter pilot and we like keeping the dirty side down, all of the time. In helicopter flight school, I did have a hell of time with partial panel in IFR. Partial panel in a helicopter without an attitude indicator is no joke. Airplanes want to fly straight and level but helicopters want to crash. One warrant officer took some time with me and I got to be pretty damn good at it. If you can get over these hurdles you can turn out to be a good pilot.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

I was flying a T-38 out at Edwards and got a chance for some flights in a UH-1N. I told the instructor that I never worked so hard to go so slow!

@pi-sx3mb

9 ай бұрын

Holy schnikies! That is terrifying! You did better than I would have. Just retired - quit counting hours after 25,000, but the scariest moment I ever had in an airplane was at about 12 hours. Going through AFROTC flight screening - roughly 20 hours in a Cessna 150 at an FBO near my university - I was on my second solo flight (initial solo was of course just pattern work). My instructor tells me just go out to the practice area and do what ever I felt like and then come back for landings. I start setting up for power on stalls but the air is really bumpy and the hair is standing up on the back of my neck, so I break it off and head back in. VERY NEXT FLIGHT (dual) we're doing power on stalls and just like you said, it had never happened before but one wing dropped off and we're in a spin with me putting in opposite aileron. Instructor is laughing and takes the plane and recovers. It still makes me sick because I know if that had happened on the previous ride I would have died. It's inconceivable to me that spin training is not mandatory. Later as a Tweet IP I did them in my sleep, but I made a point of going outside the syllabus and putting the plane in every conceivable position for students to recover from to take the mystery and fear of the unknown out of the equation.

Good points, Ron. I understand your grief. Obviously, we we never want to continue an aviator who poses an unacceptably high risk to themselves or others, either in the air or on the ground. After all, aviation isn't inherently dangerous, just terribly unforgiving. Yes, you want to select for low risk, but you also need to select for high mission accomplishment, and preferably a reasonable balance between the two. The greater the supply of trainees, the higher mean mission accomplishment to risk ratio you can achieve. Even in the best of supply and training conditions, however, we'd still wind up with imperfect human beings who would still be subject to various incidents and accidents. At some point in time, every instructor must make that yea/nay judgement call and live with the consequences. Combat aviation was risky when I got into it, and while improvements to overall safety were significant over the years, it was still risky when I got out. I lost several good friends along the way. Yes, it's tough. By all means, take the time to grieve. One day, however, it's time to take a deep breath and get on with life knowing we all did the best we could, accomplished much, and yet were amazingly human in the end.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your touching comments. I try to move on but it is hard to let go.

My introduction to T-37 was with an foreign/non-USAF Instructor "Do you really want to do this?" High speed at IP 80 deg bank & 3-5 G's pull to downwind. "Always go for Max performance". And he loved inverted spins. I was switched to a new 2LT instructor, it was great! Graduated, very nicely.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Yes, Instructor changes can be necessary and important. I how this IP was given some "remedial" training.

@Van_The_Man

9 ай бұрын

He was form Canada. Former F-104 driver. Loved to show his 'Max Performance' fighter techniques in order to weed out the weak, right away. I knew it was just not right! My 1st 2 flights, open canopy on startup and taxi due to 100F temps, I had loose fitting ear pads, Iwas in pain. Then got custom ones 3rd flight and thereafter. I have tinnitus at that engine frequency. I can hear them as I type. I liked the T38 much better went into heavies. Great YT video, THanks.@@ronrogers

@fdhicks69

9 ай бұрын

@@Van_The_Man I used the foam ear plugs (bench stock) and turned the volume up. It was a recommendation from Bennie Davis ( my dad was his upper classman at USMA) prior to my UPT. My hearing is fine to this day.

@Van_The_Man

9 ай бұрын

I even used earplugs mowing lawans as a kid. Then these 2 mishaps. I used earplugs faithfully in my subsequent jet flying and using tools, etc. My hearing is perfect except for the "V" at T37 engine inlet freq just a few feet away. Regards.

Hey, great video. I lived in Fresno (no jokes) and as a kid my dad who was a former RCAF Nav took us often to watch the 106s launch and recover. So much so that my brother later attending UPT at Laughlin. He was in the first class that did the two track SUPT (I think it was called) and he went through the “fighter” track. I instructed as a civilian and will think of former students and how well or not well I trained them.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Very cool!

Back in the late 70s, we'd see AT-37s at Cessna-Wallace (as it was known at the time). They would go to the Experimental shop, not sure what they did to them over there. Worlds biggest dog whistle. LOL. Back in 2001-2002, one out of Sheppard crashed on the old family farm near Comanche, Oklahoma. A mid-air, IIRC. The farm was evidently under a practice area, as we would see them cavorting around the sky every time we visited.. I remember hearing the radio saying it crashed near Comanche. Then "southwest of Comanche". Then "near Grandview School" which meant there was a one in four chance it crashed on the farm. Then found out that it crashed in the pasture just south of the school. Cuzzin Danny owns the farm now. He was in town when it happened. On his way home, about a mile from the house, he runs into an Air Force roadblock. They, being cops, started asking what he was there for. Danny, comes back with "This is my property. The bigger question is what are YOU doing here on my property??" They did an excellent job of cleanup. Recovered every scrap of the airplane, then removed all the topsoil to a depth of a foot or so, refilled with clean topsoil, and then replanted. He say you can't tell that there was ever a crash.

@bizjetfixr8352

10 ай бұрын

BTW......no fatalities, or even serious injuries. One aircraft returned to Sheppard, the crew punched out of the one that crashed

Ha, ha! I was StanEval in the T41 program at Hondo, TX. We sent you these people from the FSP to fly Tweets, so they didn't have 0 hours. Oh, well...😅

Hi Ron. Washing out was not fun but let me thank you and all of the ip’s for making the tough calls. I was a puker, never touched the tweet without yacking and should have (imo) had way more flight time before reporting to Reese. That wash out though served to fuel my future success, promotion btz to O5, ops o, sq cc for flying squadron, yeah I was that Nav/guy, law school after retirement top of my class, pass cal bar on first try, recently became grandpa, two daughters doing very well, yeah so maybe none of it happens without the ip suggesting the career change. You did your job, did your best which is all anyone should ask. Finally, though this won’t make your viewers happy, life is full of occupations other than aviation, I know hard to believe. So try it if u want if it works our cool otherwise use what u learn to live your life. I met many that did just that. Cheers, Mac.

@ronrogers

6 ай бұрын

Yes, there is more to life than just flying. I could have had a number of alternative careers and I'm not sure that I might have been more happy with some off the ways I though my life might go. Glad you did well!

@pmcman7704

6 ай бұрын

Thanks. Great to look back on those experiences.

Thank You for your

Aww man, I don’t believe it was your fault Mr. Instructor that he broke towards the water. Don’t blame yourself.

I was a Navy student pilot back in '87 at NAS Whiting. The week before my solo, a student and instructor crashed and died. We never found out what went wrong - there had been discussion about the possibility that the prop went into beta in-flight, something that was supposed to be impossible. Anyway, for my check ride I drew one of the toughest instructors in the squadron. He threw every trick in the book at me, and the only one he caught me on was a prop overspeed during run up, but he complimented my situational awareness otherwise. We headed out to one of the MOAs and he had me climb to around 8,000 feet. Then he said, "Let's practice a skidded turn stall". The T-34C had the pitot tube at the tip of the right wing, which could result in no stall warning if the left wing slowed too much - as could happen in a landing pattern if you put in too much left rudder to correct an overshoot to final. I had, up to that point, never experienced what would happen if you failed to correct this error. My instructor MADE SURE I experienced it! As we were going through the left hand turn, he kept barking at me to PULL THE NOSE AROUND . . . C'MON . . . YOU'RE OVERSHOOTING THE RUNWAY . . . PULL THE NOSE ON AROUND. I knew what could happen, so I was just barely stepping on that left pedal. He would have NONE of that. I honestly think he MAY have stepped on it himself. The plane completely departed flight, all dirtied up as we were. We weren't in a spin - we were just falling. I was "cleaning out the cockpit" as we used to say. "I've got it sir . . . I've got it . . . " I yelled over the ICS. My instructor replied with a very coooooool, "Oh . . . I can SEE that." Eventually we entered a spin and I recovered us. He then had me tell him our altitude, about 3,000 feet. He asked what our STARTING altitude had been. About 8,000 feet. He asked me what the pattern altitude is at Whiting . . . 1,200 feet. "Would you have time to recover from that if we were in the pattern?" NO WAY. I don't know if he saved my life, but I will say that there was NOT going to be any way I would EVER kick in too much left rudder, EVER again!! That's a GREAT instructor!

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Wow! Thanks for sharing your story!

@blackbeardsghost6588

9 ай бұрын

@@ronrogers My "on-wing" instructor (the first instructor you get, who stays with you for the first six flights) once grabbed the controls away from me in the pattern and yelled, "I've GOT THE CONTROLS!" He then flew us out of the pattern where he could give me a lecture. "I DON'T WANT A GOLF COURSE NAMED AFTER ME!", he said. He went on to explain that during my career in aviation, I would probably notice that an enormous number of airports have a golf course just off the end of a runway. He told me that was because some poor guy put in too much left rudder on final to pull the nose around during an overshoot, and the plane departed flight, and he plowed down the trees for the first fairway. They would name the course "Lt. Schmuckatelli Memorial Golf Course". He then repeated, "I don't want a golf course named after me!!"

I was an aircraft maintenance instructor. You can train them only so far, then they have to make the commitment to learn more and improve their skills.

I flew with some USAF guys at Ft. Rucker going through the UH-1 course. I was a WO1 in the Army and my class attended UH-1 academics with the USAF class, but we usually didn’t fly together. We already knew how to fly helicopters, but the AF guys were just learning , they were already rated aviators in fixed wing. I just happened to get a chance to fly with them one day because my flight got scratched. I always remembered that flight because they seemed to be more laid back and had more fun than the flying I was accustomed to in the Army.

@teeembeee

9 ай бұрын

what time frame would that have been? I was AF and went through the Army program in 71/72. At that time us AF guys had no previous fixed wing time. The AF changed their helo pilot training system numerous times.

@mitchjohnson9240

9 ай бұрын

@@teeembeee I went through IERW at Ft. Rucker in 1998 &1999. At that time, Army flight school (Initial Entry Rotary Wing) was three phases: Primary, Instrument, Combat Tactics. In the first two phases we flew the TH-67, which was a Bell 206 Jet Ranger. Once you made it to Combat Tactics, most flew the OH-58. The taller pilots ( I am 6’2) flew the UH-1. The AF guys were already rated aviators when they arrived at Ft. Rucker. We all attended the same classroom instruction for the UH-1, but we flew separately because the AF guys were just learning the basics of rotary wing flight and we were in the last phase of flight school.

@mitchjohnson9240

9 ай бұрын

@@teeembeee The AF now has their own helicopters for flight training. The Army gave the AF a bunch of UH-1 s. The AF had the UH-1 upgraded with glass cockpits and some other stuff. I think it is basically the Huey II specifications. They are really nice. The AF painted them in a new grey paint scheme and replaced the seats with new more comfortable ones. I think they even added air conditioning.

R**d Sheriden had the exact same problem. Just couldn't get the downwind sequence right. Ended up a C130 Navigator. What a shame. But that was the reality of the job.

Such a cool plane

If he excelled after you, then other instructors saw the potential as well. Life is full of what-if's. While it's true some people are just more of a natural (at whatever), but we can't hold back all others who had the desire and a good work/training ethic to reach the level needed. In a sense, that is the basis of the American Dream; Work hard and achieve your dreams.

You were briefed on the gust lock during the flat spin incident at Reese? That was my class. 1974.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Yes, remember the event.

This video really hit home with me. Especially the poor guy who didn’t make it. I went to UPT in 1972 after about 3 years as a Manpower Mgmt officer. I washed out in T41s. Bottom line…I was a terrible pilot. I passed on Mather and went back to Manpower. For a lot of years later I was really bitter about the wash out. Even went out and got a private ticket just to prove a point. But even that took a while. Lousy pilot but a great Manpower officer. Retired after 25 years active as an 0-6 and Director of Manpower at a large MAJCOM. Got great civilian jobs later and now enjoying life after two successful careers. Finally came to grips with the wash out and realized they did me a favor. I got to stay alive to enjoy my grandkids.

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

I fully agree, we all have our victories and setbacks; I certainly had mine. But it sounds like you ended up doing very well Colonel!

I flew these at Mather AFB back in 1987 during SUNT. Lovely. Great bird.

I’ve occasionally wondered what became of a young student at PIT. I saved his wings at an FEB and identified the areas that caused him the trouble, but I’ve wondered how he did after that. As to yours, the 106 was never designed for DACT. Visibility wasn’t that great looking forward and, as you alluded, spacial disorientation is a constant risk.

Thanks for this👍✈️

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

One of those pictures, there is a tweet parked on the ramp. Dang if it don't look like Mather AFB. I was there 1975 - 76. I was Comm/Nav and worked T-37's and T-43's.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

I was using a stock picture and I think you are right on it being Mather.

@darrylnelson6264

9 ай бұрын

@@ronrogers my shop is in the background.

@Hawker900XP

9 ай бұрын

That large building behind the T-37 is still there, Mather Aviation.

I always thought that it was ironic that some who washed out of pilot training due to air sickness ended up at Mather training as B-52 navigators. The claustrophobic, no window environment must of been brutal for air sickness prone crew members 🤮

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

I agree!

I understand the people who say at some point you have to let go and move on. I understand. I agree. I know. I get it. What I struggle with is feeling that letting go and moving on is saying I don't care anymore. It didn't mean anything. The people I knew have ceased to matter. Their sacrifice, their deaths whether just bad luck or stupid mistakes don't count for anything anymore. My wife tells me ya have to let go. I have let go and yet I will never let go. But for the grace of God that was me. I should be there. Their lives mattered. They were my friends or at least I knew them for a period of time. In the last10 years I've had some Veterans days, Memorial days and Fourth of July's where I actually got through the day and didn't think about anything. Maybe didn't even realize what day it was. I have peace. I've moved on. Aren't ya happy? I've grown up. But I will never forget. Sometimes a smell or a sound or the way the sky looks or ?? I don't know what it is but I'm there again and it's all fresh. If I'm lucky I'll feel my wife's hand on my arm standing quietly next to me and she'll tell me it's ok and give me a hug. I'll wipe my tears and move on. But I will never forget. I understand. Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people and some people are just dumb. I know. I also know that I've been very blessed. God loves me beyond measure. But for His grace someone is remembering me. I have no idea what I was trying to say but I'm sorry for your loss. I thank you for your service. Sometimes there's a cost even when you get out alive. The first time I went out to eat after the army someone dropped a glass. Without thinking I was under the table and yelling. It was very embarrassing. It's a different world. Took a while to ?? be normal?? I laugh about it now. People who haven't served will never understand. And guys who have served - we're all different. Some shake stuff off and move on and they're fine. Some of us struggle a little bit in that area. I love my wife deep deep and I love God even more. Again, thank you sir for your service and thank you for sharing.

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for your service and a very touching comment.

Former T-37 Crew Chief....my ears still hurt !

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

6,000 Hz notch in my hearing!

Don’t blame yourself for what happened as a T-37 Instructor based then sir just honor the hours you got to teach him and thank you for your service

No, you can not say...."he'd probably still be alive" we have no control over that! I know pilots, lots of them, they are thrill seekers, he could have bought a sports car and had the same results! We just don't know but if he legitimately passed flight school, then he earned it. Besides, you fully understand just as I do, training continues well after school, it never ends. His Commander, peers and immediate supervisors would have questioned his pilot abilities....they trusted him. Things happen, crossing the street can be dangerous! You did your job above and beyond from what I hear. Peace!!!

@ronrogers

9 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for your nice comments!

Yeah, I can't help but think about how popular culture repeats the mantra that the only thing you need do to do attain your goals is to want them hard enough. Yet is that outlook really helping anyone? The harsh reality is that any achievement of any real value requires persistent hard work, talent and yes perhaps a bit of good fortune.

As a man from a "flying family", I hereby take it upon myself (only if you accept) to carry a tiiny bit of that burden. (Wich you shouldn't actually have, anyway). -Anyhoo, my best regards, here from Iceland, -K. 🇮🇸

@ronrogers

10 ай бұрын

Thanks!