Page 56 - Never Fly Solo

CHECK SIX | 29
Once he jettisoned his wing tanks to reduce weight and
drag, Rose then had a problem with the landing gear. After
engaging the emergency gear-extension system, he finally got
the gear down and locked.
His wingmen did all the communicating with the tower
so that Rose could stay focused and literally glide the plane in
to land. On final approach, Shiban made a call to the tower:
“Tower, confirm he is cleared to land. He is an emergency. He
is engine-out, his gear is down, he’s on short final!” Tower
acknowledged his clearance.
“You’re doing good. You got three green; you look good!”
Shiban called out to Rose, confirming that his gear was down
and locked.
That problem solved, Rose still had to land on a runway
that was a thousand feet shorter than the recommended length
for a flameout landing. He landed two thousand feet down its
length, then had to stop very carefully because he was using
a limited emergency braking system. He came to a halt a mere
thousand feet from the end. 1
Captain Rose breathed normally and sounded calm, cool,
and relaxed during the entire emergency.
This truly is a perfect example of training and mutual
support in the fighter pilots’ world. The pilot’s success (and
survival) can be attributed to three things:

1. Effective communication. Obviously, Captain Rose
was under intense pressure. He had only one shot at landing
that aircraft. And if he hadn’t managed to make the runway,
he would have had to bail out of the jet. Not only are low-

1. National Guard Association of the United States, “Air Guard Fighter Pilot
Receives Air Force’s Koren Kolligian Trophy,” National Guard, May 1997, http://
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3731/is_199705/ai_n8771125.