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- 60th Reunion August 9, 2022
- Silver Wings July 25, 2022
- Checkride! June 27, 2022
- On Being a Fighter Jock April 27, 2022
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© John Norvell
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Category Archives: Navigator
Silver Wings
Mather Air Force Base—UNT graduation 25 July 1972 It’s hard to believe that it has been 50– 50 years; I repeat this almost in unbelief. Why? Because I only became a navigator through an odd series of circumstances. I received … Continue reading
Checkride!
As flyers one thing we always had to deal with was a checkride. My first checks were in Nav School on the T-29. If all went well, it was straightforward. That was the operative phrase—all went well. Sadly, for me … Continue reading
Fighters and Targets
In the fall of 1972, I arrived at Luke AFB outside Phoenix, Arizona. I joined several others from my nav class, assigned to the 310th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, to transition to the back seat of the F-4. The F-4 … Continue reading
Thoughts from the Pit Part Deux
More Thoughts from the Pit Flight Surgeons: The Docs were great, never met one that didn’t look out for the best interest of the jocks. Two things to remember though: you never told a Doc that you passed out. That … Continue reading
Posted in 13 TFS, Air Force, Air Force lingo, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Anchorage, Anchorage Alaska, Arizona, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang, Navigator, Navigator Training, Thailand, U Dorn RTAFB, Udorn RTAFB, Veterans, Vietnam War
Tagged Fighter Pilot, GIB
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Hail to the Chiefs — Crew that is
Some thoughts on a most important member of the Phantom II Team: The ground crews. When I was a non-rated officer, that is non-flying, I knew nothing about crew chiefs. Even when I was in navigator training, they did not … Continue reading
My special love – The F-4 Phantom II
By 2016 I had not thought about flying fighters for a long time. My good friend from Alaska, the former Capt Jim (now Lt Col retired) suggested we meet in Dayton and go through the Air Force Museum. Jim was … Continue reading
Posted in 13 TFS, 43 TFS, Air Force, Alaska, Alaskan Air Command, American History, Arizona, F-4 Phantom II, F4 Phantom II, F4 PhantomII, Fighter Aircraft, Navigator, Vietnam War
Tagged Air Force Museum, Combat, Udorn
5 Comments
At Fairchild 1972
After my graduation from navigator training in July 1972, I went almost immediately to basic survival training. When I got the F-4 aircraft assignment, I knew that this virtually ensured that I would find myself in combat soon. To … Continue reading
Posted in Air Force, American History, Combat, F-4 Phantom II, F4 emergency, F4 PhantomII, Family History, Fighter Aircraft, Fighter pilot lingo, Fighter pilot slang, Luke AFB, Mather AFB, Navigator, Navigator Training, POW training, SEA, Vietnam War
Tagged Fairchild AFB, Pow camp exoeriences, Survival training, Trek
13 Comments
Thoughts from the Pit
As I completed my time at Luke upgrading into the backseat some thoughts crossed my mind: 1. The Ejection seat was my friend and I took great care to make sure that everything was right. When I stepped in the … Continue reading
In the Land of the Brown Bars
In early November 1971 I, an older captain who had been non rated for nearly four years, arrived at Mather Air Force Base, outside Sacramento, California, for undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT). I settled in the BOQ (bachelor officer quarters) … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Mather AFB, Navigator, Navigator Training
Tagged 1970s, Mather AFB, Sacramento, Undergraduate Navigator Training, UNT, Vietnam
2 Comments
Flying on “Old Shakey”
After weeks of preparation at Navigator school, at Mather Air Force Base, we nav students were set for our first actual airborne mission. Our training aircraft was the twin engine T-29, outfitted with about 12 training stations in the cabin, … Continue reading
Posted in Air Force, Air Force lingo, American History, Navigator, Navigator Training
Tagged Mather AFB, Navigator Training, Sacramento, T-29, UNT
8 Comments
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