CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 2 - 10

ASI MESSAGE
SIMPLE STUFF
WHAT AM I MESSING UP?
BY RICHARD G. MCSPADDEN, JR.
" TWO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? " My flight lead's frustration
exploded through the radio. I was in a full afterburner sprint
trying to " sneak " my F-15 away from the north waypoint, which I
had confused as the south waypoint.
My flight lead/instructor, who also happened to be our squadron
leader, caught me in the escape and was understandably confused,
then angry. I had wasted a lot of precious jet fuel in my buffoonery.
And the day had begun on such a positive note.
Unbeknownst to me, I was flying with the squadron commander
because I was in consideration for top graduate honors in the
six-month F-15 upgrade training program. My supervisor paired me with
our commander on the final intercept sortie-the phase check-so the boss
could gain exposure to my flying that would help confirm his selection for
the number-one graduate. I didn't think much about why I might be paired
with the squadron leader. I was heads down, grinding each day and enjoying
some obscurity.
My strong performance in the notoriously challenging F-15 program brought
more relief than reward. After graduating U.S. Air Force Undergraduate
Pilot Training with distinction, I had stumbled and almost " washed out " of
Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT) in the AT-38. I arrived at Luke Air Force
Base for F-15 upgrade training on what would be analogous to a performance
improvement plan. My gradebook was outlined with a colored stripe-as was
my name badge on the scheduling board-which annotated my struggles
in LIFT for all to see. The only thing missing was a big scarlet letter to wear
on my chest. Thanks largely to superb instruction, I excelled in the F-15
course from the start, and after the punishing Basic Fighter Maneuvers
(BFM) phase, had my colored badges removed, while others in my class
had them applied.
Intercept sorties taught different styles of intercepts on dissimilar types of
targets: fast mover, slow mover, high-to-low, low-to-high, radar lock, no-radar
lock, pure horizontal offset and pure vertical offset. Figuring out aspect
angles, closure speeds, collision antenna train angles (CATA), and heading
crossing angles was mentally challenging. Students had to demonstrate
mastery of all these concepts while maneuvering to an offensive position.
This phase check started fine. En route to the working area, the instructor
sent me to tactical formation-one mile spacing, line abreast, and level.
Entering the area we executed G-awareness maneuvers, then the boss split
me off to the " south " point. The south point. Every other instructor had sent
me to the north point for our intercept drills. I selected the north point in my
navigation and called, " South point ready. "
" Nickel One's at the north point. Turn in, fight's on, " called my instructor. I
turned in and immediately grew anxious. My instructor-the target-should
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 14 Issue 2

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