My Air Force Flying Experience

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:15 pm

It was 1955, I was a 19 year old enlisted instrument technician now assigned to SAC after returning from 18 months in Korea where I worked on F86 Sabre Jets. Now it was B47 Bombers. The 47's had a three man crew. Pilot.co Pilot, Navigator. A fourth non crew member could sit in the stair well going up to the cockpit for the Pilot and Co Pilot, the Navigator sat in the nose of the air craft. I of course had the stair well seating with no view other than looking up and out over the pilots head at the sky through his canopy. This was the Cold War Days and SAC with it's Nuclear Armed B 47's were constantly on the alert and in the air. I was given very little info about our up coming flight other than it would be 12 hours with in flight re-fueling. I was also reminded that I was riding the so called Death Seat because the crew members could all eject from their respective seating in the event of an emergency. I finished my boxed lunch about four hours into the flight and was able to listen to the chatter from the crew members over my head set. At some point during the flight the pilot said he was going to bank the plane so I could get a view from where I sat. He banked the air craft some where over the North Pole and I had a magnificient view ? of a lot of ice and snow. Further on with the flight we met up with a KC 97 Refueling Tanker where I had a limited view of the refueling procedure. I made many TDY's with the wing to Africa but always flew on the tankers and not the 47's. All this was a great experience for a young kid and though I have flown many times on commercial flights over the years this was my only flight in a combat aircraft. I think they even paid me $45 for the flight.

THOUGHTS AND TRAVELS

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:30 pm

Golly, I always been interested in military aircraft.

My dad worked on f-86's and 100's.

I am envious you actually flew in B47's.

It a while ago that I got to get close enough to a F-86 just to see how small it was, or so as I expected.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 11:25 am

Out of Interest Bonny Lonnie... Do you have any lung disorders ? You can PM me If you don't want It put here.

My husbands Pulmonary expert believes his Is due to breathing In jet fumes from many years In the RAF. He even flew with the Red Arrows..

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 12:02 pm

Oscar Namechange;1468939 wrote: Out of Interest Bonny Lonnie... Do you have any lung disorders ? You can PM me If you don't want It put here.

My husbands Pulmonary expert believes his Is due to breathing In jet fumes from many years In the RAF. He even flew with the Red Arrows..

No lung disorders of any kind. Just a profound hearing loss due to jet engine noise and no ear protection used in the 1950's.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 12:03 pm

Lon;1468944 wrote: No lung disorders of any kind. Just a profound hearing loss due to jet engine noise and no ear protection used in the 1950's.

Pardon ?

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 12:04 pm

Lon;1468944 wrote: No lung disorders of any kind. Just a profound hearing loss due to jet engine noise and no ear protection used in the 1950's.

Thanks... I asked as It appears many factors can cause my husbands disorder... even working with brick dust.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sun Dec 07, 2014 12:59 am

Oscar Namechange;1468946 wrote: Thanks... I asked as It appears many factors can cause my husbands disorder... even working with brick dust.
Especially when dealing with asbestos that was used as an everyday building material until fairly recently - certainly well within my time.