Chains of Command

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I’ve been out of the go-fast kerosene-burning flying game for six years now, so it was time to go back to school. When you want to know about the F-111 weapon system, there is only one place to go, the world’s one-stop Aardvark base: the Twenty-Seventh Fighter Wing, Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, NM, and go talk to its commander, Brigadier General Richard N. Goddard. Thanks to him and his people, I was able to get reacquainted with the swing-wing bomber I loved so much.

Very special thanks go to Lieutenant Colonel John L. Carnduff, Jr., commander of the 428th Fighter Squadron “Buccaneers,” probably the “final resting place” for the FB-111A bombers I flew (now called the F-111G), and three of their fine crew dogs, Captains Rich “Hawkeye” Pierce, Tom “LaBrush” Lacombe, and Dirk “Hutch” Hutchison. These gentlemen got me back in the F-111G simulator, gave me an introduction to the new systems, and then got me back to where I belong — hand on the “goat turd,” eyes in the “feed bag,” checking offsets and shacking targets. It was good to be back in the cockpit again. Many thanks for your time, your help, your ideas, and your inspiration.

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