[Chris Vais]

http://youtu.be/wfOD2y_AD_w



Boy, do I ever miss this. What I wouldn't do to go back a few years in time.

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[JWahlsten]

What did you fly? Hornets, Tomcats, or Intruders? I have utmost respect for the guys who fly off of a moving postage stamp in the middle of the ocean.

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[ds968]

great videos.

yeah, I suppose they're a bit quicker 0-60 than the 968 so the seat of the pants sensation might offer a sligthly bigger rush , lol.

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[flash]

that is possibly the only career path i did not take that i regret. unfortunately, by the time i made the decision, i was not going to be able to make OCS by my 26th birthday. they offered me choppers, but i wanted to fly falcons (though i probably would have settled for eagles)

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[Lear35A]

Jets are cool. Fighters even more so. It's all the power to weight ratio just like cars.

Military flying was an aspiration in my youth, but I didn't have the eyesight. Getting to pilot biz jets in more recent years has been tremendous fun.

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[Rap]

My brother flew choppers in the Navy. Didn't want to fly jets because of landing on a postage stamp!! Though hovering over a frigate in a storm waiting for the split second you could land seemed pretty unnerving to me.

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[Bulti]

What did you fly Chris?

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[Chris Vais]

Let's see, I flew the RF-8G photo recce version of the Crusader (Unarmed and Unafraid), F-8E Crusader (Last of the Gun Fighters), RF-4B (Marine exchange tour), F-4J, F-4S, F-4N, F-15 Eagle (AF exchange tour) and the F/A-18D. Did 1/2 of my first Vietnam combat tour flying the RF-8G, but received a cross deck transfer to one of the ships F-8E fighter squadrons. Second Vietnam combat tour in F-4J. The F-18D is a two seat version of the Hornet that serves in a night fighter role although I think that role is now covered by the F-18F Super Hornet.



Carrier landings at night were the toughest perhaps matched only to landing on a pitching deck.



We always took great pride in executing a really sharp break into the landing pattern over the ship.

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[JWahlsten]

Now that was a career! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rock.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Military aviation was certainly a dichotomy (great times and really not so hot). Never got to fly fighter aircraft, but I have to say flying big fat FRED into the combat zone with a load and folks taking pot shots at was exhilarating...Then again flying less than solo with a student not quite getting it was a challenge in itself. Nothing more satisfying then getting the light to come on. The 24hr plus days pretty much blew, however.

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[Bulti]

The F-4 is awesome, a true Vietnam war veteran. Must have been pretty scary keeping the MIG's of your tail.



What would be your aircraft of choice for dogfights if you had to choose between the MIG 21 and Phantom (trying to be objective if even possible)?

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[Chris Vais]

I would take the F-4 for a dogfight. The MIGs delta wing made for a fast aircraft, but in a turning fight the delta wing configuration bleeds off airspeed quickly, so the F-4 had a clear advantage in a turning dogfight. Most MIG attacks during air combat over North Vietnam were hit run attacks against fighter bomber formations. Both aircraft were equally fast is a straight line and the MIG, much smaller in size and lighter in weight could accelerate very quickly. The also had a small fuel capacity and without external fuel tanks their endurance was very limited. In Vietnam they would launch, make a hit run attack and head back to their base avoiding extended combat with the fighter escort if they could.

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[Lear35A]

Great military flying resume, Chris. Impressive and thanks for your service. Do any civilian flying after?

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[Chris Vais]

Lear35A - I did fly for a bit after I left active service, but flying purely for pleasure got to an expensive undertaking and I had other priorities. I have a friend who owns a NA T-28. Every once in a while I go up in that with him and spend a couple of hours flying the living daylights out of it. Lot's of fun to fly.

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[ds968]

Just read that Russia is deploying a number of MIG 31s to its arctic base , as permanent patrol aircraft starting at the end of next year.

Those things can reportedly fly at Mach 2.8 . Yikes that's friggin' fast !! Wonder how maneuverable they are ..



But no doubt Sarah Palin will be able to spot those also, from the window in her house ..

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[Chris Vais]

MIG 31s are a point defense fighter that is designed to climb and fly very fast and very high. They are big and heavy and I don't thing they would be much of a match for an F-22. They were designed to counter the SR-71 Blackbird that flew recce missions over Russia with impunity because of their great speed and altitude capability. These days the primary threat from the US might be a B-1B which the MIG 31 might be capable of catching.

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[JWahlsten]

You'd have to find the either of our bombers first. Neat trick with the B-1B on the deck or the B-2, read stealthy.

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[ds968]

I was at the World Cup final in Pasadena, Ca. when one of those did a low level ceremonial fly-by, before the match. To this day there is nothing I have seen or experienced in my lifetime that was more intimidating, more powerful, more frightening, and at the same time awe-inspiring as that aircraft. It appeared surrealistic, this dark presence, as if "death" had a form and it was hovering over your head, making you feel like a completely helpless spec of life that could be extingushed in a flash .. very weird feeling, I'll never forget it.

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[Chris Vais]

I still think the SR-71 Blackbird was the most powerful and sinister looking aircraft I experienced. I once shared a drink with one. As I was approaching a KC135 Tanker for fuel, I was asked to maintain my current position in favor of an SR-71 that was having a fuel transfer problem and need an emergency fill. The Blackbird slid in off my right wing and then edged up to the boom. Once done he banked off to the right. Lit off his afterburners, pulled his nose up and just disappeared almost literally in a flash, very cool.



I think the B-2 Shadow is very cool. It doesn't look as if it should be able to fly and the saw tooth trailing edge makes it look as if it belongs in a Batman movie.

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[JWahlsten]

I concur with the SR-71 sentiments. That thing was designed with slide rules... UNBELIEVABLE! Articulating cones to control the shockwaves for the inlets. Skin constructed from titanium alloy that leaked like a sieve on the ground then heated up with air friction once airborne. Kelly Johnson was the man. To think it was conceived as an attack bird.

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[ds968]

Chris may indeed have been an extraordinary and courageous pilot, but surely when looking at these photos even he would be humbled by the fierce uber-pilot pictured here. Besides, I bet Chris never had a magnificent headrest cover like that one in his plane.



..highway to the danger zone .. Top Un ?

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