[KL7AA] Morse Code in Navy pilot training ...

[J D Delancy]

A true Morse Code life experience from N9ACC; see below

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Begin forwarded message:
From: "Cook, Arnal  USNCDR NAVRESFOR 1, 1, 107"
Date: September 27, 2006 9:40:57 AM EDT

True sea story.  Forward as you see fit.  For family, memories of Dad.

     I went into the Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1980,
age 22.  Since I was already a Ham radio operator, I knew Morse Code
before I went.  By age 23, I was in Flight Training.

     Pilot training in 1980/81 still contained Morse Code.  Sort of.
The Instructor was a reel-to-reel tape player.  The tape went "dah".
I wrote down "t".  The tape went "dah".  I wrote down "t".  The tape
went "That was the letter M" (which is "dah dah" if you are not a
Ham)!!!  The tape was too slow for me to decode properly.   I got up
and left.

     I was immediately caught in the passageway for going "AWOL" from
my pilot ground school training and it quickly got serious.  I was
able to produce my Ham radio license (doesn't everyone carry it in
their wallet?), and even my FCC 1st Class Phone license, allowing me
to operate and repair broadcast radio or TV transmitters.  Between
the two, I was able to convince them I knew a thing or two (more than
they, even at 23) about radio and Morse Code.  My "allowed absence"
was probably filled with some other duties (that would make me wish I
had stayed).

     The last flight of the Advanced training to get your Navy Pilot
Wings was preceded by "Flight #13."  (Primary and Intermediate
schools preceded Advanced, so it takes a lot more than just 13
flights to get Navy Wings!)  Flight #13 was the flight "test" from
hell.  THIS was the one where the Instructors purposely grilled each
Student Naval (Navy or Marine Corp) Aviator-wanna-be that he or she
was NOT God's gift to Naval Aviation.  The questions start in the
Ready Room.

     ' Which way are the threads on the left main mount upper right
widget?'  Minutia one can only get after 10 years of experience.  The
point is to knock the cockiness off of even the best Student Naval
Aviator and impress upon them that they do NOT know it all, and never
let down your guard.

     Flight #14 is THE TEST for the Wings.  But one must first not
only survive, but pass, Flight #13, no matter how many times you must
(re)take it!

     For my Flight #13, I had a 13 year Marine Corp pilot and Vietnam
Vet.  I had held my own in the Ready Room.  Now it is time to man up
the aircraft.  He is going to play the part of a dumb copilot and try
to get us 'killed' by some dumb mistake I don't catch.  Our
'passenger' for this flight is the Senior Standardization Pilot for
the Squadron, in other words, it is also my Instructor pilot's annual
check ride, to see if he is sticking to the Instructor program as he
is supposed to do, such as on this Flight #13.

     In the start-up checklist there is a "routine" (nothing is
"routine" is one of the lessons) query and (by now, rote
memorization) response.  The co-pilot asks "Radio Navaids?"   After
tuning (and turning up the volume to ID the station by the Morse Code
ID?), the Pilot's response is "Tuned and Identified."  Well, that
day, this is where the grilling in the aircraft is going to start by
the Instructor.

     "How do you know?"

     "Channel 95X is the Whiting Field TACAN," and electronic ground
beacon that gives electronic lines of bearing in the sky.

     "How do you know that's not the one from Texas?"

     "Dah dit.  Di di dit.  Dit, sir."

     "What's that?"

     The Morse Code IDs are printed out on our Approach (or
Departure) plates on our knee boards.  I never looked down to answer
"Those are the Morse Code letters for NSE" (the desired ID).

     "How do you know?" he asked, since he saw I never looked down at
the Approach plates.

     "Sir.  I am a licensed Ham radio operator and tested at Morse
Code.  You'll have to trust me that those are the letters NSE, which
is the station we want."

     "He bounces his head and looks first outside, then back inside,
turns past me to the senior Instructor and says "One out of thousand
*#)!@#&^ students that actually knows Morse Code and I gotta get
'em."  BOOM!  I had that Instructor in the palm of my hand!  It was
the most perfect flight I or most any Student Aviator had flown for #13.

     Go back 20-some years before this.  My Dad was an Air Force SAC
pilot.  He failed one of his annual check-rides because he did not
have enough turn in on his plane to intercept the correct line of
bearing from one of these electronic ground beacons.  That meant he
flew through the line of bearing, rather like on the road where you
hold the steering wheel with what you've got, and you'll graze the
outer edge but will return to the center as the road straightens
out.  "I didn't tell you to fly THROUGH the radial and correct back,
I told you to INTERCEPT the radial and fly inbound."  It's a guessing
game as to winds aloft, how much turn has to be made, momentum of the
aircraft, how close or far you are away from the ground beacon, speed
of the aircraft, etc.  Practice it once, pay closer attention (that
was the point), and go re-do the annual check ride and pass.  "Such
was the pride of SAC that we had to do everything perfect ..." was
the story we kids heard growing up.

     After a virtually perfect Flight #13 of my own, the best I had
ever flown, the Instructor was getting flustered since he wasn't
looking very tough to the Senior Standardization Pilot sitting behind
the cockpit observing us.  After the last maneuver that usually ends
the flight, and no flaws to speak of on my part, my Instructor throws
out a wild card.  "Intercept the Crestview 280 and fly inbound."  By
the time I 1) Aviated (made sure my flying wouldn't kill us; first
things first), 2) Navigated (find the correct frequency for the
beacon, dial it in, AND IDENTIFY IT BY MORSE CODE!), and 3)
Communicate these facts to the Instructor Pilot, we were crossing the
280 radial.

     The story of my Dad floods my head.  Starting a turn now would
be too late, meaning we would have flown through the designated
radial, and I might have my first flaw of my flight.  Rather than do
that, I pulled the approved maneuver out of my hat and made the "270
degrees turn outbound"  that would return us to an inbound course,
properly established on the inbound radial, just like an Interstate
clover leaf ramp after you cross under the bridge and then turn up to
the bridge that crosses you to the other side of the highway.

     He gigged me for that.  "I told your to turn inbound, not
outbound!"  Prior to Flight #14, the Senior Standardization Pilot
called me into his office (as he had for the first Morse Code AWOL
incident) to ask why I had turned outbound instead of the instructed
inbound.  After explaining that I was on top of the radial when I had
everything else figured out, and a turn inbound started at that time
would be late, I virtually quoted the book on the permitted procedure
to turn outbound  270 degrees making the course reversal to inbound.
He said "Most Students don't read down that far in the book.  I just
had to make sure you knew what you were doing.  Good job.  I'll have
him change your grade, which makes your hop #13 perfect.  So, you got
your Navy Pilot Wings yesterday!  Go have fun on #14 today!!"

     Now, just a few years ago, the children of the Air Force pilot
who checked and failed my Dad that one hop oh so many years ago
called to ask if I had any stories for his 75th birthday roast.  I
said I did and relayed the above.  Their daughter wrote me back to
say it was the only story he cried over.  When they asked him why he
was crying, his reply was "Hell, I'm not crying!  But do you know how
galling it is to think my Air Force professionalism all those many
years ago saved some NAVY KID'S BUTT many years later!"  Such is the
pride and professionalism of all the Services, and those who serve.
We may argue and fight amongst ourselves who is better, but don't
ever step in between us, or attack America, for surely we will unite
to beat our enemies.  Then go back to our infighting. FLY NAVY!

CDR Arnal Cook
Assistant CAT Chief, Pentagon, 1D652
NOCCatAsstChf.fct at navy.mil
OPNAV CAT, Navy Crisis Action Team
703-571-2839       DSN (312) 671-2839
Arnal.Cook at navy.mil