Real Pilots?

[2ndsegment]

In dealing with the F-4 forum where many members are family or maintainers I had a key date for when the back seater in the Air Force had to be a pilot. Because this date was not comprehensive for all Phantom crew members in all services it seems confusing because the Airforce Phantoms remained beyond 1968 when the ground forces began to leave Viet Nam and remained in Thailand and operated in nearby countries also. US. Navy Phantoms remained on aircraft carrier ships off shore until the peace treaty was signed in 1973. Exactly, when USMC Phantoms or crews ceased to operate off carriers I don't know. Why is my information so sketchy? Get a copy of the Pentagon Papers. Look up government agreements about what sort of aircraft were allowed to operate in Southeast Asia after Dien Bien Phu. Learn about the origins of the OV-10. Ponder how the AD and T-28 got into the inventories of local countries in SEA. Research, the use of the F-8F "Bearcat" as a troop transport. Then look really hard at 1968 and how the role of navigators and the other roles they played were going to be taken over by avionics and how simulators were going to replace all the procedures trainers built by training commands. Then examine the collapse of the total scheme as celestial navigation was dismissed by INS and the controlled temperature INS was taken over by strapdown first for missiles and later by laser ring gyro and then radio took over to get out of the airplane as GPS. Amuse yourself as LABS toss bombing for nuclear and SHRIKE delivery was first replaced by CCRP and CCIP as computers and stable platforms made possible accuracies of 10 mills all to be taken over by PAVEWAY and PAVE TACK laser guided bomb delivery in clear day and occluded conditions with IR using pods. 3mils accuracy?