{"id":3799,"date":"2016-04-08T05:34:58","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T12:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.mechadigital.net\/?p=3799"},"modified":"2021-08-26T20:37:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T20:37:55","slug":"152-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/152-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"#152 Responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Perhaps no benefit of my airshow days was as memorable as the fact that it simply shined a light on personalities.\u00a0 I think I learned a lot of lessons simply from watching the way others operated.\u00a0 This story contains two opposites and that is perhaps why I\u2019ve included it here.\u00a0 Written in May of 2013, this is its first appearance.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My pal, Dick Dennis, (he\u2019s the cadet in the photo featured in \u201cOne Last Flight\u201d https:\/\/tailwheelersjournal.com\/\/2012\/27-one-last-flight\/<\/a><\/span>) recently sent me a wonderful video featuring a demo by an Air Force C130 pilot at the Paris Air Show.\u00a0 It brought back a memory:<\/h3>\n

I was doing an airshow in, I believe, Stockton, California.\u00a0 On the bill was a C-130 demo by the Air Force.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m just a sucker for these demos, having been a C-130 crewman in the Coast Guard.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always thought of the aircraft as the modern day version of the DC3 and destined for the same reputation and standing when it is no longer in the arsenal.<\/h3>\n
\"C-130\"
A C-130. This one is equipped as a gunship. There are many versions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The demo I witnessed was great.\u00a0 I thought the pilot and his crew did a great job.\u00a0 They topped it off by backing up the aircraft in front of the crowd.\u00a0 I assume that the pilot depends on the scanner hanging out the ramp in the rear and letting him know on the ICS how he\u2019s doing. \u00a0After all, with the exception of tow planes, we don\u2019t normally have rear view mirrors on our airplanes! Either because of the Scanner\u2019s inattention or the pilot\u2019s goof, the Lockheed\u2019s considerable prop wash hit a row of \u201cChalets\u201d (glorified tents), and blew some of them over, showering the VIPs within in a cloud of dust and spilled champagne.\u00a0 Oops!<\/h3>\n

After the next act finished, the audience was witness to an un-scheduled event.\u00a0 The pilot of the C-130 stepped up on the announcer\u2019s stand and asked for the microphone.\u00a0 He introduced himself to the audience and gave them a heartfelt apology for what had occurred.\u00a0 He accepted full responsibility, offering absolutely no excuse for the incident.\u00a0 I thought he was a class act.<\/h3>\n

After the show several of us were gathered at the motel pool.\u00a0 The Navy\u2019s \u201cLeapfrogs\u201d were there.\u00a0 They are a group of SEALS who do parachute demos at air shows.\u00a0 Several other acts were present.\u00a0 I looked up from my socializing at a chaise lounge poolside to see the C-130 pilot in conversation with a member of a prominent civilian aerobatic team.\u00a0 The latter was chastising the pilot for his performance.\u00a0 As I recall, he was even poking the man in the chest to emphasize his words.\u00a0 The Air Force officer reached his limit at that moment.\u00a0 He told the aerobatic pilot to back off.\u00a0 Just then some other performers came to the same conclusion.\u00a0 Several of the Navy Leapfrogs stepped up and let the aerobatic team pilot know that if he uttered one more word he would be launched into the pool, tailored flight suit and all.\u00a0 He skulked off.<\/h3>\n

My lasting impressions from these events were that I\u2019d witnessed a refreshing example of interservice solidarity. I saw the dark side of an individual.\u00a0 \u00a0I\u2019d also witnessed a case of a person accepting responsibility without ever offering any excuses.\u00a0 I will always remember his class act.<\/h3>\n

Happy Swooping,<\/h3>\n

Brian<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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