Photo by Ken Scott
'You gotta be kidding, straight up?'
A look of slight apprehension is given by Mike Walker, Atchison senior, as he is being seated in an ejection seat trainer by Navy petty officers.
Photo by Mike Walker
'Don't worry, just smile'
This is part of the advice given to the people taking the high-altitude chamber test from one of the petty officers.
Spring Break Navy Style
While many KU students were going home for spring break, 29 Naval ROTC candidates were flying to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas for among other things, a flight in a Navy training jet.
"The purpose of the trip was to give those students interested in Naval aviation a closer look at the program and some of the training a student pilot goes through," said Lt. James McAllister, professor of Naval science and escort officer for the trip.
The Navy provided a flight from Naval Air Station, Olathe, with a box lunch served aboard. During this flight the students first experienced the feel of an aircraft when they were allowed to "take the stick" for a few moments under the watchful eyes of the command pilot.
After a briefing and welcome from Admiral R. J. Turner, Capatin of the Carrier America, at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi the group split into three sections and each section entered a different phase of the orientation.
The first phase covered aviation physiology. Through lectures the Midshipmen were instructed in flight safety and equipment functions. A complete understanding of the safety oxygen mask and operation of the ejection seat was mandatory before the student was allowed to get an introduction flight in a training jet.
A session in the high altitude chamber was held to determine how well the Midshipmen's ears and sinus cavities could withstand the pressure change and also to insure the understanding of the oxygen mask system. The pressure inside was set equal to that at 30,000 feet.
The next test was a quick acceleration "up the rail" on an ejection seat trainer. After a complete flight suit was donned the student was secured in the practice seat and lowered into the training cockpit.
Once the student pilot was securely strapped in, the assistant placed a 37mm. powder charge into the chamber beneath him. After all the safety precautions were observed, the student was given the command to "fire." The charge was set off when the student reached over his "hard hat" and pulled a "D" ring and a canvas face protector came out of the seat to protect his face from the wind.
Ashley Erwin, a Naval Enlisted Science and Engineering Program candidate (NESEP) said, "the first thing I knew,I was coming back down the rail."
The students were taken up in two types of aircraft, both training models, the ST2F, a twin engine high-wing type used in search patrols, and a TF-93, a single-engine jet known as the "Cougar."
The hop in the jet was the highlight of the trip. Arobatics during the flight gave delight to some of the student pilots, and a desire to stay earth-bound to a few others.
Photo by Mike Walker
'Where are the brakes on this thing?'