The notion keeps hitting me time and again. Was the last year a dream? And if so, was it a good one or a nightmare? It passed so slowly, yet now it seems fleeting. The tribulations we suffered don't seem all that distressing now. I don't regret it. My military flying career began as one war ended, and spanned twenty years to the close of another one. I'll be content to let it end there.
I know I'll miss the camaraderie; there's not much of that in this job. To fly with someone is to share, but to fly and serve with someone is to bond with them.
I'm glad to be back to these "friendly skies." Yet I'll always be glancing backward, always checking six. But for memories, not bandits. And when I do, I'll see not places, nor planes, but faces. More important than flight itself are the faces of flight. And they reside in me in abundance.
Glossary
A
AC Aircraft commander.
AFB Air Force base.
AHARS An emergency backup system for attitude and heading.
AIM-9 Heat-seeking air-to-air missile.
Aircraft commander The pilot responsible for the plane, its crew, and its mission. Same as "captain" in the airlines.
Airlift control element A unit that controls and coordinates airlift operations in a deployed area.
ALCE Airlift control element.
Alert time The time at which a crew is alerted for a mission, after it has received a legal rest period.
Altimeter The instrument that indicates aircraft altitude, pronounced "altim-eter."
AOR Area of responsibility.
APU Auxiliary power unit.
Area of responsibility The operational area for which a major commander is responsible. In the Persian Gulf War, Central Command's AOR spread from east Africa to the Indian subcontinent.
AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System.
AWLS All Weather Landing System.
C
Call sign A name, number, or combination of the two, assigned by higher headquarters, by which aircraft identify themselves via radio. During routine home base training, call signs may be permanent. They vary for operational missions.
CDS Container delivery system.
CINCMAC Commander-in-chief, Military Airlift Command.
Command post A continuously manned facility that controls and coordinates air operations.
Conn The verb form of contrail, i.e., to leave a contrail.
Copilot Pilot qualified for right seat operations only.
CP Command post or Copilot.
CRAF Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
Cursor A marker that can be set to a desired range on the radar scope.
D
DZ Drop zone.
E
ETIC Estimated time in commission.
F
FAA Federal Aviation Administration.
FAR Federal air regulations.
Federal air regulations The rules established by the FAA to which all pilots must adhere.
Federal Aviation Administration The branch of government that regulates and controls flight in the United States.
First pilot Pilot qualified to fly in either the left or right seat but not as aircraft commander.
Flameout The complete loss of thrust in a jet engine.
FP First pilot.
G
G Symbol for gravitational force. A pilot is "pulling Gs" when he is pushed down into his seat by centrifugal force as a result of a flight path that is circular, either horizontally or vertically, as water is forced to the bottom of a bucket when the bucket is swung overhead.
Glideslope The angle at which an aircraft descends toward a landing on an ILS approach. Usually about 3 degrees.
GMT Greenwich mean time.
G-suit A garment worn on the legs and abdomen by fighter pilots that inflates with air pressure to keep blood from pooling in the lower extremities during high "G" flight.
Guard bum Air Guard crew member who has no regular civilian job and who derives most of his income flying more missions than are required.
H
Head-up display A transparent screen over the instrument panel in some planes that displays vital information to the pilot as he looks out ahead of the aircraft.
HF High-frequency radio.
High-frequency radio A long range transmitter/receiver used in oceanic operations.
HUD Head-up display
I
IFR Instrument flight rules.
ILS Instrument landing system.
Instrument flight rules Rules for flying in low visibility weather. This type of flying is closely monitored by radar or other controlling facilities.
Instrument landing system A system that sends electronic signals up from the runway, allowing pilots to align with the runway and to descend toward it in inclement weather.
Intell Intelligence, the people responsible for gathering and distributing classified information.
Interphone A closed-circuit communication system for crew members aboard an aircraft through the use of headsets equipped with boom microphones.
IP Instructor pilot.
J
JP-4 Type of jet fuel used by most Air Force aircraft.
K
KTO Kuwait theater of operations.
L
LC Lieutenant colonel.
Loadmaster Crew member responsible for passenger safety, supervision of loading and offloading cargo, and computing weight and balance.
Localizer The course that aligns an aircraft with the runway on an ILS approach.
M
MAC Military Airlift Command.
Mark-82 Commonly used 500-pound general-purpose bomb.
Mic Slang for microphone. (Pronounced "mike.")
Mike mike Slang for millimeter.
Military Airlift Command Formerly the organization responsible for all airlift operations, now called Air Mobility Command.
N
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATS North Atlantic Track System.
NDB Nondirectional beacon, a simple navigation station that an aircraft can home in on or can fly away from on a desired straight line course.
Nomex An olive green fire resistant material from which flight suits and gloves are made.
P
Pitot-static System that supplies atmospheric pressure information to altimeters, airspeed indicators, and other instruments. (Pronounced "peeto-static.")
Prop wash Wind blast generated by an aircraft's propeller.
R
Radar vectors Instructions issued by a radar facility directing an aircraft to fly a certain compass heading.
Radome The nose of an aircraft, which houses a radar antenna.
RAF Royal Air Force, the air force of Her Majesty, the Queen of England.
Reporting points Points identified by latitude and longitude over which aircraft not in radar contact must report their time and altitude of passage to the controlling agency.
ROTC Reserve Officer Training Corps, the curriculum through which college students earn commissions as officers in the various U.S. military services.
RSU Runway supervisory unit.
S
SAC Strategic Air Command.
SAR Search-and-rescue operations.
SKE Station Keeping Equipment.
Slipstream The rush of air around an aircraft in flight.
Special instructions Guidance, issued to aircrews, with regard to a specific combat operation.
SPINS Special instructions.
Stall A condition in which the airflow over a wing becomes turbulent rather than smooth, causing a sudden loss of lifting power.
Stan/Eval Standardization/Evaluation, the office responsible for monitoring proficiency and job knowledge through periodic written tests and check flights, which is historically loathed by crew members.