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Capt S. O'GRADY
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Jagdflieger
www.rareaviation.com
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Pistlpetet
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Pistlpetet
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RJP
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Kelly Flynn: One of the finest pilots you'll ever see......naw, just kidding. Heard she was in an American Eagle groundschool with a bud a few years back. Stands to reason that she's a regional capt. by now. Great morals on that chick.
Scott O'Grady: Heard that his aborted second book, entitled: "SAM Avoidance, My Personal Technique" didn't get the support he'd hoped.
Since his near-movie experience, he found jesus so he's probably speaking at your local church fund-raiser this weekend. Either that or he's been contracted to make a SERE video about how NOT to approach your rescue helo waving your pistol! Moron.
While we're at it, what ever happened to the guy that stole the A-10? No, really. What happened to him?
Scott O'Grady: Heard that his aborted second book, entitled: "SAM Avoidance, My Personal Technique" didn't get the support he'd hoped.
Since his near-movie experience, he found jesus so he's probably speaking at your local church fund-raiser this weekend. Either that or he's been contracted to make a SERE video about how NOT to approach your rescue helo waving your pistol! Moron.
While we're at it, what ever happened to the guy that stole the A-10? No, really. What happened to him?
The A-10 ended up in the side of a Colorado mountain with him still in the cockpit. If I remember correctly, the bombs were never recovered. Some speculation that he pickled them before he committed the suicide-crash. That was in mid-97, I think. Was his name Craig Buttons??
O'Grady went to the Reserves, but left after a short while. Those that know him (including an interrogator that I met) really like the guy. They say he has a lot of integrity, and minimal ego. Sure, everyone liked to have fun at his expense, but we can all be glad we weren't put to the test. Found Jesus? More power to him.
O'Grady went to the Reserves, but left after a short while. Those that know him (including an interrogator that I met) really like the guy. They say he has a lot of integrity, and minimal ego. Sure, everyone liked to have fun at his expense, but we can all be glad we weren't put to the test. Found Jesus? More power to him.
sandman2122
who's light?
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Pistlpetet
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mzaharis
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Pistlpetet
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Nobody takes anything away from the guy. The fact that the guy got shot down, and survived the bail out, evasion, and rescue is highly commendable.
What burns peoples shorts is how the whole matter was blown out of proportion, when there are 100's, if not 1000s of common guys who in past wars had to endure far worse conditions, and much more harrowing experiences in order to survive. These other guys go through life as humble regular guys who rose to the occasion when bad luck came their way.
The whole Scott O'Grady rise to stardom was just a precursor to today's PVT Lynch Story. Highly unpreventable, and unstoppable once the America media decides they need a "Hero".
I don't know the guy personally, so I can't really pass judgement on his personality, and whether he could have been more humble, and not fueled his whole legend.
My 2
What burns peoples shorts is how the whole matter was blown out of proportion, when there are 100's, if not 1000s of common guys who in past wars had to endure far worse conditions, and much more harrowing experiences in order to survive. These other guys go through life as humble regular guys who rose to the occasion when bad luck came their way.
The whole Scott O'Grady rise to stardom was just a precursor to today's PVT Lynch Story. Highly unpreventable, and unstoppable once the America media decides they need a "Hero".
I don't know the guy personally, so I can't really pass judgement on his personality, and whether he could have been more humble, and not fueled his whole legend.
My 2
Swede
Live from Caracas
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Thread drift... Remember the famous P-80 survival story from the 50's? I did a google search but came up empty.
Apparently some guy is cross-country in a P-80 in the 50's, and simply vanishes in the winter-time California mountains. A massive search reveals nothing. Plane and pilot were written off.
After a month or more, an injured, bearded guy in a ragged flight suit staggers out of the high Sierras with an unbelievable tale of survival. The authorities decide he's full of B.S. "No one could survive the way you did." The rumour went around that he flew the jet to Mexico and sold it, or some other hogwash. He became hated nationwide as a possible traitor, and eventually resigned in disgrace. The guy dies in the 60's in a light-airplane accident.
Then, I think in the early 90's, a group of boy scouts finds a P-80 canopy on a hike in the exact area of the accident. The serial number on the canopy matched the missing jet. Supposition is that the jet itself went down into one of those 5,000' deep lakes up in the hills and will probably never be found.
This guy got the a$$-hosing of the century. What he went through, despite the lack of an enemy, makes O'Grady's episode a stroll in the park. Ditto dozens if not hundreds of Viet-Nam era rescues, which received limited accolades.
Apparently some guy is cross-country in a P-80 in the 50's, and simply vanishes in the winter-time California mountains. A massive search reveals nothing. Plane and pilot were written off.
After a month or more, an injured, bearded guy in a ragged flight suit staggers out of the high Sierras with an unbelievable tale of survival. The authorities decide he's full of B.S. "No one could survive the way you did." The rumour went around that he flew the jet to Mexico and sold it, or some other hogwash. He became hated nationwide as a possible traitor, and eventually resigned in disgrace. The guy dies in the 60's in a light-airplane accident.
Then, I think in the early 90's, a group of boy scouts finds a P-80 canopy on a hike in the exact area of the accident. The serial number on the canopy matched the missing jet. Supposition is that the jet itself went down into one of those 5,000' deep lakes up in the hills and will probably never be found.
This guy got the a$$-hosing of the century. What he went through, despite the lack of an enemy, makes O'Grady's episode a stroll in the park. Ditto dozens if not hundreds of Viet-Nam era rescues, which received limited accolades.
Because I was interested
[http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/steeves.htm]
"Forty years ago a young Air Force pilot disappeared on a routine mission in the West. 54 days later 1st Lt. David Steeves, long declared dead, emerged from the snowy Sierra Nevada with two sprained ankles, a full beard and a survival tale featuring pluck and a canned ham.
His tumultuous homecoming turned to suspicion when his T-33 training jet could not be found, giving rise to rumors that hounded him for the rest of his life and were dispelled only after his death.
On May 9 1957, a 23-year-old pilot took off alone from Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco, headed to Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Ala., when he disappeared.
Rescue missions found nothing. The Air Force declared Steeves legally dead, and mailed a certificate saying so to his mother in Trumbull, Conn. But 54 days after the crash he came out of the Sierra Nevada alive.
Steeves told reporters "something blew up" in the cockpit shortly after he took off and he parachuted over California's rugged southern Sierra. He didn't eat for two weeks, then found a ranger's cabin in Kings Canyon National Park where he found fish hooks, beans and a canned ham.
Weeks later, after wandering more than 20 miles, he stumbled upon some campers and told them who be was. He was treated like a hero. But when his T-33 could not be found, the cheering died.
Rumor and innuendo found its way to Steeves. One scenario had him selling the jet to Russia, and another shipping it piecemeal to Mexico. It was the late 1950s and a time when Americans were told to keep an eye out for Communists and attempts to infiltrate the nation.
The Saturday Evening Post reneged on a $10,000 story offer after its writer said he found discrepancies in Steeves' story, although they weren't explained at the time. Steeves' young wife left him, taking their toddler daughter.
The Air Force investigated. Although the inquiry never led to charges, it ruined Steeves' career. He was granted his request to return to civilian life.
He found work as a commercial pilot and designing parachute planes, but he spent years searching for his jet, renting planes and scouring the countryside.
In 1965, he died in a plane crash while demonstrating one of his new designs.
It wasn't until 12 years later, in 1977, that the mystery was solved. Some Boy Scouts hiking through Kings Canyon National Parlc came across a cockpit cover in the mountains. There was a serial number on the piece, and it matched Steeves' missing T-33."
[http://www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/steeves.htm]
"Forty years ago a young Air Force pilot disappeared on a routine mission in the West. 54 days later 1st Lt. David Steeves, long declared dead, emerged from the snowy Sierra Nevada with two sprained ankles, a full beard and a survival tale featuring pluck and a canned ham.
His tumultuous homecoming turned to suspicion when his T-33 training jet could not be found, giving rise to rumors that hounded him for the rest of his life and were dispelled only after his death.
On May 9 1957, a 23-year-old pilot took off alone from Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco, headed to Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Ala., when he disappeared.
Rescue missions found nothing. The Air Force declared Steeves legally dead, and mailed a certificate saying so to his mother in Trumbull, Conn. But 54 days after the crash he came out of the Sierra Nevada alive.
Steeves told reporters "something blew up" in the cockpit shortly after he took off and he parachuted over California's rugged southern Sierra. He didn't eat for two weeks, then found a ranger's cabin in Kings Canyon National Park where he found fish hooks, beans and a canned ham.
Weeks later, after wandering more than 20 miles, he stumbled upon some campers and told them who be was. He was treated like a hero. But when his T-33 could not be found, the cheering died.
Rumor and innuendo found its way to Steeves. One scenario had him selling the jet to Russia, and another shipping it piecemeal to Mexico. It was the late 1950s and a time when Americans were told to keep an eye out for Communists and attempts to infiltrate the nation.
The Saturday Evening Post reneged on a $10,000 story offer after its writer said he found discrepancies in Steeves' story, although they weren't explained at the time. Steeves' young wife left him, taking their toddler daughter.
The Air Force investigated. Although the inquiry never led to charges, it ruined Steeves' career. He was granted his request to return to civilian life.
He found work as a commercial pilot and designing parachute planes, but he spent years searching for his jet, renting planes and scouring the countryside.
In 1965, he died in a plane crash while demonstrating one of his new designs.
It wasn't until 12 years later, in 1977, that the mystery was solved. Some Boy Scouts hiking through Kings Canyon National Parlc came across a cockpit cover in the mountains. There was a serial number on the piece, and it matched Steeves' missing T-33."
Pistlpetet
Well-known member
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RJP
Registered Eye-Poker
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- Jul 20, 2004
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Pistlpetet said:
Uh, you got most of this correct. He "GOT SHOT DOWN". You cannot be a hero if you're droning along with your ECM off and get blown out of the sky. Sorry.
I'm still waiting for a book from the "killer chick" that miraculously brought her hog back on one motor in Iraq. Wow. Either that or the ONLY alied pilot to get shot down by the enemy in this latest affair. Is he a hero too for bailing out and not dying? I think not.
But your take on the media is dead-balls-accurate. They need a hero.
I had dinner with Scott way back in '97. I was a young PFC in the Marines at the time and he was staying at a resort my old man ran. He was a very nice guy and it was my pleasure to have met him. At that he was with the 419th FW out of Hill.
If anyone's got any contact info on him drop me a PM.
If anyone's got any contact info on him drop me a PM.
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