Qualities of a Good Wingman

A little while back, lex spoke of the qualities of a good wingman.  Today, comes the story (courtesy of a cell-, er, cube-mate) of another wingman, albeit from the other Service with pilots who fly jets, but compelling nonetheless. -SJS

"Nearly all plumes of black smoke on dry lake beds are resulted from planned, normal exercises where nobody’s hurt. Of course test pilot crashes happen ; but typically the obscure test pilot’s name means nothing to the locals. And the accident report might be noted adjoining an anecdote of a local’s kid being surprised after opening an egg with a triple- yoke.

But here’s one of those test pilot crash stories.

It was an odd mission. Since most jet fighters land at high speeds, many are equipped with drag chutes to shorten the landing roll, then a drag chute is popped open after the tires touch.

However, in this case, the plan was to open the drag chute at 20,000 feet . . just to see what would happen. Why ? If a fighter aircraft could be quickly slowed down in mid-flight, it might have value as a last ditch maneuver in a ‘dog fight ‘. . or perhaps it could save a pilot’s life during a high G tumble, or an inverted flat spin. Hey . . any kind of flat spin.

Richard Harer, an Air Force Captain, was assigned to give it a try using a test bed Lockheed F-94B ‘ Star Fire.’ The plane was equipped with a manual release, so Harer could get rid of the drag chute if necessary. If that manual release failed, Harer could just flick an electrical switch to make a little ‘ boom ‘ allowing the chute to select its own way down.

If both systems failed, Harer had a third possibility. The Star Fire test bed might have enough maneuverability to allow deft manipulation of the attachment line into the torch of the after-burner. In any case, there appeared to be enough thoughtful combinations to handle any emergencies. And closeby, in a chase aircraft would be a ‘ cool kitty-cat ‘ test pilot named Milburn Apt.

So test pilot Dick Harer simply stepped into the Star Fire, took-off, climbed to 20,000 and popped open the drag chute while cruising at several hundred knots. The test bed destabilized instantly.

Crazily . . it tumbled ‘cross the sky.

As far as anyone knows, Harer pulled the drag chute’s manual release. It didn’t work and the aircraft kept tumbling. Probably, Harer then attempted to detonate the explosive charge designed to cut through the chute’s attachment line.

It was a ‘ cold charge. ‘

At an airspeed of nearly 500 knots, Harer now headed toward a dry lake bed with Milburn Apt shouting encouragement and advice over the radio.

Wallowing and gyrating, the drag chute incumbered bird seemed to be awkwardly climbing in an effort to line up the chute with the trailing fire of the afterburner. And that didn’t work out.

Now the ground was coming up fast. And just before striking the flat surface, Harer hauled the airplane into a semblance of level flight and bellied it in gear up. While sliding to a halt on its fuselage and wing tanks . . Harer’s airplane burst into flames.

It wasn’t sliding solo.

It was sliding along the dry lake bed in perfect formation with its chase bird.

The incredible Captain Apt had moved in close and he was flying in close formation on Harer’s wing during the actual crash landing. After an incredibly swift and decisive move, Apt was grinding the belly off his airplane to provide rescue assistance to Harer’s fiery crash.

As soon as both aircraft ground to a halt, Apt popped his harnesses as he raised his canopy, then vaulted the rail, and raced over to Harer’s airplane as it was being devoured by its remaining fuel.

" I saw nothing but fire. The only part of the plane I could see sticking out of the flames was the tip of the tail," Apt said recalling ‘acid-etched images."

He dashed around to the burning plane’s windward side where the flames had not yet concentrated. The cockpit was filled with dense smoke, but he could see Harer feebly moving his head. With adrenaline-laced strength, Apt grasped the outside canopy release and pulled hard. Almost unbelievably . . the canopy release failed.

The dry lake bed had absolutely nothing on its surface except fine-grained sand. No sticks, no stones, nothing that he might pick up from the ground to smash the plexiglas of Harer’s fiery coffin. He smashed at the plexiglas with elbows and fists, extreme measures that, had it not been for the circumstances, would have been ludicrous. He only succeeded in injuring himself. Meanwhile, he could see the fire touching Harer’s lower body.

As Captain Apt smashed his fists on the canopy, a single jeep sped across the dry lake bed at its highest speed. Reaching the plane, the driver leaped out and ran, carrying a small five pound brass fire extinguisher. The driver might as well have tried to put out the JP-4 fire with spit.

The jeep driver emptied his extinguisher on the forward part of the plane, then handed the empty brass container to Apt. Apt raised it above his head and smashed it down on the canopy. It bounced off. He pounded the canopy again and again, as hard as he could. " But it was like hitting on a big spring . . I couldn’t break it" Apt clearly recalled.

By this time, Captain Harer’s legs were on fire. The jeep driver dashed back to his vehicle and quickly ran back to the burning aircraft with a (5) five-gallon gas can !

Apt shouted : " NO ! " But the jeep driver urgently insisted : " IT’S O.K. IT’S F-U-L-L O- F W-A-T-E-R !

Milburn Apt grabbed it away . . hefted the nearly 45 lb. can high in the air . . then muscled it down into the plastic canopy.

The canopy cracked.

Apt hit it hard again . . and then began bludgeoning a large jagged hole. In a few more seconds he had broken an opening large enough to reach in and Harer’s harnesses and then both men levered out the large, severely burned man. Apt said : " It was a tough job. Harer was a tall, heavy man ; now he is not tall. " Both of his feet had been incinerated.

But Harer survived. And quite soon he got around very well on his artificial feet. With no memory whatever of the accident, Harer only recalls flying at 20,000 feet and popping open the drag chute. And his next memory was waking up in a hospital, a couple of weeks later.

Just thirty minutes after his return from the crash, with a bandage on his nose, Milburn Apt was back flying another test mission. But this flight in a marvelously performing airplane some skilled and responsible sergeant had worked on.

Far below he could see the huge, wind-swept base and noticed a particularly big puff of black smoke on a dry lake bed and thought to himself :

" Hmmm. I wonder what’s going on down there ? "

Epilogue: After having been dropped from a ‘ mother aircraft ‘ over the Mojave, Captain Milburn G. Apt, flying an X-2 rocket-powered plane on its 13th powered flight, established a speed record of 3,377 kph, or Mach 3.196 at 19,977 meters. Subsequent loss of control from a phenomenon called ‘ inertial coupling ‘ led to the instant destruction of the X-2 and the death of incredibly courageous Mil Apt."