Trip to Saufley Field

We left on the next Friday by Marine "Cattle Car" tractor-trailer bus, for Saufley field, At least my group did, other schools went to some of the other outlying fields. Saufley is out in the middle of the "Piney Barrens" quite a distance from the nearest town, Recreation choices were few, the Officer's Club, the Bowling Alley, or Base Movie. So by the first Friday, I had had enough of them all, since I still hadn't been up in an airplane, I decided to see what I could do to occupy myself,

I went over to the operations shack and asked if there were any chances of getting a hop. I was told, Not now, but go sit outside, and he would see what he could do. After sitting there for about 15 minuets or so, a Marine Captain came up to me and said, Hey Middie, they said you wanted to go flying. Go over by that twin Beach, and wait for me, I'm going to round up a few more, and a co-pilot. Soon he returned with a Chief AP, and 3 other middies, He unlocked the door to the plane and I followed aboard, close behind the 2 Flight Officers. I took the seat right behind the pilot, and watched over his shoulder at every thing he did. Noticing my great interest, he began to explain each move, and soon both engines were running, and we taxied to the active runway, where about 24 aircraft were in the pattern, making touch and go, landings on a simulated carrier, with the paddles and lights for practice. The flight was ordered to break right and re-enter the pattern so we could take off, and we departed and turned east towards a line of clouds, which soon vanished. We were ordered to break off and clear the area, and return in a couple of hours. We turned to the west and began to climb to 2500 ft, when the Captain climbed out of his seat and told me to take the Pilot's seat and the Chief would tell me what's going on. He commented that he had been flying since 3 AM that morning, and he was going to take a nap in the back of the plane.

I quickly strapped myself in, and put on the earphones. The Chief turned to me and asked me if I knew how to fly? I replied, Chief, this the first time in my life that I had been in an airplane, But I said, I did have a half hour in a link trainer about three months ago, In St Louis. He replied, you can fly then, in fact you are going to have to. I've been drinking beer since noon at the Chief's Club, and was on my way to the sack, when I got ordered to take this flight. I think that I'm going to pass out at 2500 ft. I'll set you up to fly the needle to Mobile, but don't go below 2500 ft, just listen to the Mobile radio, and keep the needle centered, and wake me up when we get to Mobile, OK? And he promptly passed out. So here I was, at 2500 ft, with a passed out co-pilot, a pilot asleep on the deck in the back, and all 3 middies also asleep, listening to a show I was familiar with, Candle light, and silver, a program format that I used on station WDBS, Hanover NH. Listening to the Grand Canyon Suite, Verdi Groffee, The Pines of Rome, and other soft dinner music with the needle centered. Pretty soon, I was relaxed, and beginning to enjoy the ride, Boy, this is easy. Then all of a sudden the plane shook, and there was a sound of a knock, but every one was passed out. Then there was a harder knock, and the plane tipped to the left, I looked out, and there was a SN-J, with only one pilot in it knocking on my wing, with his wing. I guess he thought he knew who was flying this plane, but he wasn't, he was seen talking into his mike, Microphone? Where? I don't even know where the radio is, let alone the mike!, He soon saluted, and pealed away in the dark.

Down below in the night, I could see the headlight of the freight train on the way to the east. It reminded me of a story I had heard several days earlier, how a middie flight student flying at night, thought he would have some fun, He got down on the deck, flying right at the train, and from 2 miles a head, he turned on his single running light. Now this a one track line, so the engineer must have thought for sure there was a train bearing down on him real fast. He set the brakes so hard, that the wheels were ground flat, and several days later, the train was still there. I over flew the train at altitude, and continued to Mobile. Suddenly, both engines quit!  Now, Come on Skip keep your cool. They wouldn't have put you in a plane, and told you to fly it to Mobile and back without sufficient fuel! Find it! I remembered from ground school, what to look for, and soon I found it, over by the Chief's foot. The first thing that caught my eye, was a mark that said ALL, I turned to it, and those great engines just started up, both of them, and we climbed right back to 2500 ft and continued to Mobile. Upon reaching Mobile, I figured that it was about time I learned to turn. So I started a slight left bank, with the wheel and the left foot pedal. Mobile is just beautiful from the air, it was laid out by the same person who laid out Washington, D.C., Lafayette. It looks like a giant cartwheel from the air, and I must have gone around several times. Because the Chief woke up and chewed me out. I thought I told you to stay at 2500 ft, not 1800ft. He climbed back to 2500 ft, and told me to wake him when we got back to Saufley Field, and promptly passed out again.

This presented me with a real problem; I had been so engrossed with the music, centering the needle that I had no idea of what the reciprocal course might be. I could not see the railroad tracks through the trees in the dark, so now what to do? Come on, Skip, think this thing through, you're on your own, so get to the core of the problem. In the mean time, I had been following the river south, That's it! I thought, the Gulf is south, and when I can see the shore break, I can follow it east to Saufley, and Pensacola! I remembered as we took off, the Saufley tower had a rotating beacon flashing above it. All I had to do was head east and watch for that flashing light, 2 whites, a red, and a green, and I'd be home! And that's just what we did. We were flying over an area that looked to be deserted, not a light to be seen, only the breaking surf, glimmering in the full moonlight. It seemed as if time had slowed down, but then, the loom of city lights began to brighten on the eastern horizon, and there, right ahead of me was my beacon, 2 whites, a red, and a green. But something wasn't right; Saufley isn't near the Gulf. That can't be it ahead. It was obviously an airport, but which one?

I stayed at altitude, and circled well clear of all traffic. I know where we are, that's Pensacola Main. With that in mind, I could concentrate on finding home field. I remembered our trip in the tractor-trailer bus, out the main gate, there it is, just below the left wing. Turn left, and 2 traffic lights down, turn right, out over the causeway, and straight on to home, That's just what I did, I shifted to IFR mode, and I Followed Road, all the way until I again saw the right flashing beacon. Later, I learned what it meant, this is a military airfield, and it is open for military aircraft only. Every military field, Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine field was flashing the same signal.

I approached, and circled. There were still several planes making touch and go landings. I stayed in the area, out of the way. Soon, the last plane taxied off the active runway. Well, I guess it's my turn, I noted that the gas gauges was getting very close to the bottom. It's time to land. I set up a long, straight in approach, just as I had read in ground school. I remembered GUMP Ground speed, throttle back to a 500-ft. a minute descent. Set a notch of flaps. When the air speed got in the arc, I set under carriage, wheels down and locked three in the green. Full mixture, carburetor heat on, Set Props to full pitch. Stay on the centerline.

We crossed the fence at 300 ft, when all of a sudden, the Chief shouted, I've got it as he grabbed the controls, flared foe a perfect three point landing. As we rolled out, he asked, did you get clearance to land? What clearance? Did you talk to the tower on the radio? What radio, did you get a green light from the tower? Only that one, I said, pointing to the rotating beacon. He picked up the mike, and I could only hear his side of the conversation, Oh, nothing, but it seems OK now, maybe the landing fixed it. We were taxiing towards the Operations shack, when both engines quit, I said, It did that to me, too, about 20 minuets before I got to Mobile. He gave the queerest look, like are you out of your mind? WE rolled right up to the chocks, and the Chief was throwing switches, and tapping the fuel gages. This bird is completely dry, there is no gas left anywhere! He continued shutting down and securing the plane, while I sat there and thought over the miraculous flight I had just made. The Chief left, and I still sat. Finally, the Captain shouted Hey, are you going to spend the night in there? I woke up from my reverie, unhooked and climbed out. Well, he said, how did you like your flight? Captain, I've got to tell you what happened! And I gave him a quick review of the night's happenings.

ATTENTION! I snapped to. Crawford, If you ever tell anyone what went on in that cockpit tonight, I'll have you court martialed. Yes Sir, Now stand at ease, They call you Skip, don't they? Then he put his arm on my shoulder and said, come on, I think we both could use a couple of beers, I want to hear the whole story. We went to the Officers' club and he sat me at a table and said, the beer is on the way, I'll be right back. Soon he was, with about three other flight instructors. I was introduced around, and then the Captain said, I want you to hear his story, It's unbelievable, but I can vouch for every word, I was there. Now, Skip, I rescind my last order, I want you to tell these flight instructors everything that happened tonight. Your story might just be of some help to some students, If you could do what you did tonight, on the first time you had ever been in an aircraft, it might motivate them to get on the stick. It was almost midnight when the took me back to my barracks and explained that I had been helping them, and I should be excused for being out after curfew, It was their fault and not mine.

That was some night.