Pilot Dominance

Written by Brian Schul - former sled (SR-71 Blackbird) driver

There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the
fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this
fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly
the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying
this plane -- intense, maybe, even cerebral. But there was one day in our
Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the
fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We
needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission
Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark! We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet.

I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he
was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked
with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for
when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from
headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to
relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had
controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties
in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the
radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury. Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace.

We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot who asked Center for a read-out of his ground speed. Center replied: November Charlie 175, I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground. Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the "Houston Center voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that and that they basically did. And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.

Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on
frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed in Beech. I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed. Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren.

Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on
frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check. Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a read-out? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground. And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done -- in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.

Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it -- the click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew.

Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check? There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request.

Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots,
across the ground. I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best,
so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without
hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money.

For a moment Walter was a God. And we finally heard a little crack in the
armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A. came back with, Roger that
Aspen. Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one. It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly,
Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day's work.

We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the
coast. For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

 

Flying into Anoka MN. I had to wait for the deer to get off the runway.

About controllers,
When I was getting my pilots license about 20 years ago, we flew to Timmerman field, just NW of Milwaukee to practice radio work. It was a small airport that was good for student pilots. If I ever got confused, my instructor told me to say I was a student pilot when commutating with the tower to get special treatment, so they would not get frustrated with a newbie's mistakes. They were very patent, to keep the beginner as ease. One time I got confused in the pattern and had to request more instruction, so I mentioned I was a student pilot. The controller came back and said, "That's OK, I'm a student Controller" I found out later, they trained controllers there.

About 2 years later when we were living in Rochester MN, I went for a flight with my daughter who was 16 at the time. We took off and headed North, following the expressway, and about 5 miles out, the tower radioed "traffic @ 12:00, heading South, 4 miles out and closing". I looked for the traffic and reported back "no traffic in sight". 30 sec later the tower said, "traffic @ 12:00 2 miles out and closing" I replied "no traffic in sight". My daughter looked at me worried. The tower radioed "traffic @ 1 mile and closing". I asked my daughter if she saw anything, I could not see any traffic, hell, I was getting worried. Then the tower radioed " Traffic had passed, they picked up an 18 wheeler on the South bound lane on the expressway" (Nevermind)

Controllers are just as human as pilots