Adaptation course in the USA

The pilots that went to the United States for the adaptation of the F-104G, had a series of incidents and curious anecdote. 

Among the incidents, two of them had to do with the airplane it self, but without any consequence that could have affected the process of the creation of the new F-104G Unit.

We will start with what happened during the move to the Language School in LACKLAND (San Antonio, Texas) to LUKE Air Base, where the adaptation course took place.

Four pilots made move in a car and the whole project was almost truncated because they were almost in an accident at a railroad crossing. As they approached the railroad crossing, the driver saw two lashing red lights and he though it was a warning light for the approaching to the railroad crossing when in reality it was the warning light for the STOP sign for the approaching train, so he continued on his way and went onto the train tracks.  

His companions started screaming, “the train is coming” and since he was already on the train tracks, he steeped on the accelerator and after a few seconds on the other side, the train went by at a grate rate of speed.

Another of the incidents that happened to one of the pilots was to break his leg when he came out of the truck that took him from the Flight Line to the Squadron. After finishing his flight and being pick up by a different truck than the one normally used, as he was getting off, his spur got caught between the bumper and the rear part of the truck, he fell and broke the tibia, he had to be hospitalized and he could not continue to finish the adaptation course, later on he would finished it in Spain in the new F-104G Squadron.  

A Curios anecdote took place during the technical course.

It was evident that the problems of the Spanish pilots had with the technical course was, having to learn about an airplane so different that the F-86 Sabre and above all the explanations in English.

When the four Spaniards were having dinner in the mess hall, the German officer who was the liaison for the German students came over, and after some trivial conversation, he asked them if they were having problems with the exams because of the language and he offered to give them the next exam.  

At first it seemed like a good idea, but talking some more they discovered that he had been sent by the American instructors, since these instructors had noted that the Spaniards had weaker exams than the Germans and they were interested that all of them could pass the theoretical phase, they were offered the exams with anticipation.

Ante esto, salto el orgullo español y los cuatro españoles desecharon la oferta, comprometiéndose en sacar mejores notas que los alemanes. Desde ese momento, después de cada clase teórica, los españoles se reunían en una de las habitación de uno de ellos y repasaban y se explicaban todos los sistemas del avión.

Aware of this, the four Spaniards, with their pride reenergized, rejected the offer and they committed themselves to get better marks that the Germans. From this moment on, after each theoretical class, the Spaniards would get together in one of their rooms to review and explain all of the airplanes systems

When the exams came, the Spaniards grades were in the 95%, being very good compared to the Germans. In the following learning phases, that consisted of newer and more concrete systems like the Inertial, Radar, Armament, Etc.  the forces were more equalized and there were not differences between the students.

Later on, it was learned that the Germans had previously studied the airplane in their country, before starting the course.

The last anecdote, had to do with the airplane, it was the first flight in a dual controls that one of the Spanish pilots took and that it characterized this airplane.

During the preparatory briefing before the flight, the American instructor explained that because the aerial terminal of LUKE Air Base and the existence of an air way near by, the afterburner had to be disconnected after take off and to fly at 350 KNOTS at a height below the air way and continue climbing once passing the air way.

Once on the runway and after turning the afterburner on, and releasing the brakes, he was surprised by the speed and as it was normal he didn’t have time to take off, retract the landing gear, raise the flaps and forget the afterburner resulting an increase of speed to 400, 450, 500…and after a while he heard a voice telling him: “When you are supersonic, turn of the afterburner”