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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Navy's Ruling on Low Fly GA Tech Game Pilots Too Harsh? |
| 2010-03-23 |
| According to several media reports, two Navy pilots flying F/A-18 Super Hornets, flew a couple hundred feet above Bobby Dodd Stadium last November, just before a Georgia Tech football game. While it is a tradition to fly the planes above the stadium following the national anthem, Navy requires that flyovers stay over 1,000 feet from the ground. Apparently pilots Lt. Cmdr. Marc Fryman and Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Condon, both Georgia Tech graduates, simply made a slight miscalculation in flight height, and the incident cost them both their careers as naval aviators. Both pilots were permanently reassigned to non-flying positions. Fryman's family tells the AJC that he was upset about the incident and reported it immediately after landing. "He would never intentionally put his career or lives on the line to give 'a good show.'" In the Navy Times, Rear Adm. R.J. O'Hanlon advises that 'despite his spotless record, his complacent, passive response to a major altitude transgression is unforgivable in my view'. Fryman's family was not satisfied with the decision. After 2,500 hours of service to the Navy, seven medals, and countless operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom, his family see's him as nothing short of a hero. Fryman graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and was the top jet pilot in his Navy flight class. The decorated fighter pilot is now about to leave for his third assignment in the Middle East, a one year deployment in June. His family tells the AJC, We are astounded by the fact that he still remains grateful of heart to serve in whatever capacity his career takes him -- even if that means he can never fly for the Navy again. We see that as a heart-wrenching consequence of this incident." video |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #16 The formidable Iranian Military went out without even a wimp, the present one here will do the same, it will obediently go home... I wouldn't bet on that. I do believe there is a line that should he cross it, that will be all she wrote. |
| Posted by: Secret Asian Man 2010-03-23 21:57 |
| #15 OS, I am not a pilot, (but I wanted to be when I was a kid), but it seems to me that a qualified pilot should be able to tell the difference between 1000 ft AGL and 200-300 feet visually. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-03-23 21:40 |
| #14 If you want a low flyby, by a navy jet, watch this Marine show you how its done - this was TCU at Navy. I guess the Admirals have a different standard for USNA games. Coulda snagged the flag mast with his tailhook. Supposedly featured it on 60 minutes, supposedly he was trying to avoid a civilian aircraft. Pre 9/11. Allegedly did not cost him his wings. (Can anyone verify?) |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-03-23 20:51 |
| #13 "I doubt the administration wants skilled military personnel anymore " It's like with the Mambo Chimp Hoogo Cha-vez, who set up his own private army based on Al Qaida, the Caliph Hussein has stated repeatedly that he is GOING TO SET UP HIS OWN MILITIA! The foreigner from Kenya has managed with his friend to hijack the US Presidency, you'd think that will be a piece of cake. First, like hoogo, he'll pack the supreme court, set up a crisis like Putin did(blow up something big downtown)delay elections then get himself nominated "President for Life". The formidable Iranian Military went out without even a wimp, the present one here will do the same, it will obediently go home... |
| Posted by: Hotspur666 2010-03-23 20:39 |
| #12 OS, I doubt the administration wants skilled military personnel anymore - if you don't have them you CAN'T fight wars, and don't have to make phony excuses. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-03-23 20:25 |
| #11 VARIOUS NET POSTERS > opine or believe that POTUS BAMMER intends to use Amerika's newfound national weaknesses to "justify" a weak andor non-response by the US to ANY SERIOUS ISLAMIST/JIHAD-LED ESCALATION IN REGIONAL-OR-BEYOND VIOLENCE, NEW INSURGENCIES DURING THE BAMMER PERIOD OF PRESIDENCY [2010-2012/2016]. IOW, ARTIC SCOPE > "Permanently reassigned" may not be so??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-03-23 20:24 |
| #10 Rambler, wrong. Simply wrong. If the guy had a habit of cutting corners or ignoring rules, then yeah. But that's not the case, and the entire chain of command recommended otherwise. Not to mention this is the FIRST flyby this pilot has done as a lead, so there is possibility of the error described. On top of that his record was spotless and he has tons of combat hours as well. "All that Attaboy gets wiped out by one Awshit", as we used to say, but it shouldn't have gotten his ticket pulled. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-03-23 20:23 |
| #9 As I thought: got more facts, it was the RADM being an ass. According to documents obtained by The Virginian-Pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Condon and Lt. Cmdr. Marc Fryman reported the breach immediately after landing. The Navy quickly convened an evaluation board to consider whether they should continue flying. The board found that they chose to fly using barometric altitude measurements (feet above sea level) instead of radar altitude measurements (feet above ground level) but failed to adjust their low-altitude warning systems accordingly. By the time the alarm sounded, the pilots didn't have enough time to correct the mistake. Although the pilots "inexplicably failed to recognize" how low they were flying, the board concluded, their lapse was neither intentional nor malicious. It recommended putting both pilots on probation, an outcome endorsed and forwarded up multiple levels of the chain of command. The removing them from flying was exclusively the RADM showing his ass. Another flag-rank politician. You have to figure that other than SOCOM rotor heads, and some Coasties, these are probably the best pilots in the world. To hit those wires on a moving flight deck at 100+ kts after flying and taking the war ot the enemy, that takes courage and skill that we can ill afford to lose on the basis of some ring knocker's fit of spleen. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-03-23 20:20 |
| #8 Hotspur - you broke the page - see frequent "tips to commenters" on page width... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-03-23 20:15 |
| #7 Sorry, I have to agree with Adm O'Hanlon on this one. If the rules say to stay above 1000 feet, they need to stay above 1000 feet, especially over a civilian area. Some small glitch in the engine could have caused a loss of altitude, and they could have crashed in to the stadium, killing who knows how many hundred or thousand people. Pilots, especially fighter pilots, try this crap all the time, using the "I forgot" excuse. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2010-03-23 19:53 |
| #6 The guy is decorated, spotless record, self reported, and they copped his wings? Lemme guess that RADM, therefore ring knocker. No chance of informal "Rocks and Shoals" style being put in hack instead? I would think that don't destroy a career like that so capriciously unless you can reliably determine there was serious intent to break the rules. Doesn't sound like that was the case to me. But what do I know, I was only an NCO, and knew that some of our best usually got a little slack because they were worth it, having a real soldier next to you in the shit, instead of some rules bound pogue. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2010-03-23 19:47 |
| #5 When I was in college, some ROTC graduate buzzed his frat house on a Sunday morning with an F-4. 200 feet AGL, at best, with the afterburners lit. I was walking past the frat house when it happened. I heard he got a dishonorable out of it. |
| Posted by: Mike 2010-03-23 18:22 |
| #4 As Navy reserve officer, I think you are spot on. The Navy has become risk averse. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2010-03-23 18:20 |
| #3 The Navy is now run by people who think its purpose is not to fight as indicated by Ms O'Hanlon's comments. They're going to suffer major defeats in the beginning of our next war until they are replaced by folks like Lt. Cmdr Fryman. It is unfortunate, but probable. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-03-23 17:53 |
| #2 Hmmm. Funny, RADM O'Hanlon. Where were you the last 15 years when Holly Graf was abusing crews as XO and CO of Naval surface combatants? |
| Posted by: anymouse 2010-03-23 15:40 |
| #1 Hmmm. The guy flying slot has a hydraulic leak in the port side aileron pack. |
| Posted by: Secret Asian Man 2010-03-23 13:57 |