THE LONG BLUE LINE - LESSONS FROM GRANDFATHER'S WWII AERIAL BATTLES RING TRUE TODAY

  • Published
  • By Maj. BRENT G. BROCKINTON
  • Air Land Sea Application Center
Langley Air Force Base, Va. --  I spent the entire summer of 1981 listening to my grandfather talk about flying. From then on, I knew I wanted to be a pilot.

Navy Capt. Richard E. Britson, my grandfather, was an F-6F Hellcat pilot during World War II. He passed away in 1995, but I vividly remember two of his stories. As my own experience as an Air Force pilot grew, these became more than just exciting stories for me; they became life lessons.

In the first story, he earned the Navy Cross for sinking a battleship. His citation reads, "Leader of a flight of fighter planes from Fighting Squadron Eighty Two flying off the U.S.S. Bennington, in the Japanese Inland Sea on March 19, 1945, Lieutenant Britson escorting bomber and torpedo aircraft bombers led strafing attacks on enemy battleships. He scored a direct hit and seriously damaged one battleship."

The best part of the story was hearing about the sheer number of aircraft and bullets in the sky and how incredibly brave and inexperienced his wingmen were as they attacked heavily-defended battleships. He often spoke about how lucky he was to still be alive.

The second story is my favorite. My grandfather was closing into gun range on a Japanese Zero over the Pacific Ocean near Okinawa when he smoothly squeezed the trigger, destroying the
enemy aircraft. But he was too close to the fireball, and suddenly he was blinded. Oil covered his windscreen, and sections of the enemy plane took out part of his tail and elevator.

He froze momentarily in fear as he saw red fluid pooling beside him. Thankfully, it turned out to be hydraulic fluid and not blood. He wasn't injured, but his airplane was low and barely controllable. Based on his altitude and aircraft damage, his only option was to ditch the aircraft. He leveled it and slowed down as best he could before he hit the water. Fortunately, he got out of the plane safely and was rescued a short time later.

The long blue line is often referenced when talking about lineage of Air Force Academy cadets. Instead of thinking about it in terms of the Academy legacy, I think about it compared to fellow aviators like my grandfather. Just like driving a car is difficult for the average 16 year old, so is flying. As a new student pilot your situational awareness is usually very low. As an experienced instructor pilot, your situational awareness is typically high. However, as your experience increases so can complacency.

The key is to know where you are on the long blue line and remember to consider your strengths and weaknesses as you learn more about your craft.

Since WWII, there have been dramatic improvements in aircraft safety. However, even with the advances in flight safety, you are still only one second away from ending your flying career (or your life). You must take every moment seriously from the instant you step to the jet and climb into your cockpit until you get out of the aircraft after engine shutdown.

As a new aviator, you must try to gain experience by listening, reading, studying, chair-flying and flying. My near mishaps as a new pilot were usually attributed to low situational awareness.

In 1996, I was waiting to cross the runway after my first solo flight in the T-38. After about 10 minutes, a garbled transmission came across the radio. I instantly assumed it was "North cross one," meaning the north aircraft was cleared to cross the inside runway. In reality, the call was "South cross one."

As I was halfway across the runway, I noticed a light from the end of the runway coming toward me. The light was from a T-37 in the middle of take-off roll. I was able to continue across the runway safely, but I caused a great deal of angst for the departing aircraft and the tower controllers.

Needless to say, I had to see that ride again.

One of the keys to take away is not to assume anything. Remember, the sortie is not over just because you are on the ground. You can't rest until the engines are shut-down, and the jet is chalked. Your situational awareness increases as you gain experience, but it does not mean you are less likely to have an incident.

As a more experienced aviator, you must guard against complacency. My near mishaps as a more experienced pilot were generally because I got too comfortable.

As I transitioned from a new pilot to a brand new F-15C flight lead in 2000, I had an opportunity to gun my flight commander for the first time. I had recently finished my flight lead upgrade program and considered myself pretty good at basic fighter maneuvers.
But I was too complacent.

I did everything correct, except properly set up the master arm, which allows the aircaft to fire. My break turn was nearly perfect. I assessed my turn circle entry and modulated power as I approached the gun weapons engagement zone. I relaxed back stick pressure and smoothly came down on the trigger. My range to the adversary aircraft was 1,500 feet, but we were both about 30 degrees nose low. I expected to see the simulated bullets show up on the aircraft I was shooting any second. ... Nothing. I released the trigger and tried again. ... Still nothing.

The range was now 700 feet. I looked around and noticed the master arm switch was still in the "safe" position. One second later, I switched the master arm on and noticed the other aircraft getting extremely large in my canopy as my bullets finally showed up on his aircraft. The range had closed to well inside of 500 feet (the minimum distance). If the bullets were real, I would have been taken out by the debris of the enemy aircraft.

There was no excuse for my mistake.

Just like my grandfather more than 50 years earlier, I was too close to my work, and it almost ended in catastrophe. We passed too close together for no reason other than my complacency. After the flight, I had an excellent debrief. I will never make that mistake again.

Mistakes like these happen all too often. I was lucky that day, but I hadn't internalized my grandfather's stories. Sometimes it takes a really close call to turn on the light. My hope is someone will hear my story, and the light will turn on early. Instead of scaring the tower or hitting his flight lead, he will cross the runway with clearance or "gun" his flight commander "safely."

The key is to know where you are on the long blue line and plan accordingly. Let's not risk our own lives because we are complacent or unprepared. Fight's on!
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Maj. (lieutenant colonel select) "Raygun" Brockinton is assigned to the Air Land Sea Application Center at Langley Air Force Base, Va. He is a T-38A/C and F-15C instructor pilot.