The new pilot was a real eager beaver. Ensign, just up from Pensacola. He seemed like a happy guy, curious and interested in everything.
But he was one of those cats who is just too eager. From across the flight line you could see him vibrating like banjo string.
He tried hard. He really did. But he tried too hard. Everything he touched turned instantly to shit. We said he had the feces touch.
Today he was having a bad day. Had to make a head call as we were manning up. He sprinted out to the aircraft after we'd fired up and engaged the rotors.
Wasn't wearing his LPA/SV2 (survival vest). Had his helmet on though. Good thinking. Had to go fetch his vest from the hangar. He disappeared from sight. Surely he hadn't...
WHACK! The aircraft jerked and shuddered and began shaking like a dog shittin' peach pits.
Directly behind the aircraft, laying face up in a pool of blood, you know who.
Shut it down. "Go check him Doc." Firetruck. Got a hangover, I'll puke for sure.
YGTBSM. Little fucker is still alive! Hell of a scalp gash though.
He went somewhere else after he recovered. CH-46's I think. No tail rotor.
I hope he settled down, and paid attention, after that.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that he did -- how couldn't he? But you never know.
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Certainly a bit of a wake-up call. Whacked the ensign right out of him I'll wager.
ReplyDeleteHa -- I believe it did. He was a couple of millimeters from being a statistic.
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YOWSER!
ReplyDeleteADM Rickover is reputed to have said "Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself."
John Blackshoe
The close shaves don't get much closer. Rickover had a lot of snappy sayings. The submariners I've talked to who met the man tell some interesting stories.
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