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The story of a legendary F-14 pilot and the gun kill on an F-15
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The story of a legendary F-14 pilot and the gun kill on an F-15 that could sell Tomcat to Japan
By Dario Leone
Aug 18 2014
Known and unknown stories of a legendary F-8 Crusader and F-14 Tomcat pilot
Look at the picture above.
It’s a 8” x 10” frame of a 16 mm gun film shot which shows an F-15 Eagle locked through an F-14 Tomcat Head Up Display, at 250 feet, with piper on the Eagle’s pilot, gun selected, master arm on.
Even if the photo itself is already very interesting, the story behind it, is by far more fascinating. In fact the naval aviator at the controls of the Tomcat was a real legend in aviation history.
As explained by Alvin Townley in his book Fly Navy, maybe other pilots have scored more kills, held higher ranks or more prestigious commands, but few living aviators embody the untamed nature of aviation like the one of a kind legend known to decades of F-8 Crusader and F-14 Tomcat pilots: Joe “Hoser” Satrapa.
Skilled rifleman since young, Joe joined the Navy with the aim to fly a jet fighter to continue his interest in guns, an interest that guided him after the flight school graduation, in 1966, when he was called to opt for the F-4 Phantom or the F-8 Crusader. The Phantom had no guns and Satrapa thought: “No guns? What kind of aircraft is this with no guns?” and he immediately chose the “Last Of The Gunfighters” as the Crusader was dubbed by it aircrews.
But the “Satrapa legend” began the day he gained his call sign, Hoser (but he is also known as “Da-Hose” or “D-hose”), during a mission at the gunnery range in which he was flying in the tail position in a flight of four Crusaders. He cut off the preceding aircraft as they approached the target and started shooting from two thousand feet up, one and a half miles out hosing off all his bullets in one pass. After having seen it, his flight leader J.P. O’ Neill told him to return to the airfield at El Centro and the same night O’ Neill had the final say on the incident when he nailed Satrapa: “Lieutenant junior grade Satrapa, for hosing off all his bullets in one pass, will hence forth be known as Hoser. That’ ll be five bucks.”
Hoser became famous also during the Vietnam War as a fearless F-8 pilot who regularly carried a good forty pounds of lethal ordnance, leaning toward small automatic weapons and hand grenades, in case he was suddenly compelled to leave his aircraft and face an entire platoon of North Vietnamese Army regulars.
His interest for guns continued when he transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat. But as explained by George Hall in his book Top Gun – The Navy’ s Fighter Weapons School, Hoser knew also some things about the element of surprise.
During the AIMVAL/ACEVAL (the Air Combat Evaluation/Air Intercept Missile Evaluation) fighter trials that put the F-14s and the F-15s against the F-5Es to test new weapons and tactics which took place from 1974 to 1978 at Nellis Air Force Base, Hoser (assigned to the VX-4 evaluators) was put in a 1 V 1 against an F-5.
As the two combatants sat side-by-side on the Nellis runway, awaiting tower clearance for takeoff, Hoser looked over at his opponent, reached his hand up over the control panel, and mimicked the cocking of machine guns in a World War I Spad. A thumbs up came from the other cockpit, meaning that guns it would be, the proverbial knife fight in a phone booth, forget the missiles.
Both jets took off.
As soon as they reached the assigned area, the fighters set up twenty miles apart for a head-on intercept under ground control. Seven miles from the merge, with closure well over 1,000 knots, Hoser called “Fox One”, a Sparrow missile away, scoring a direct hit.
As they flashed past each other, the furious F-5 driver radioed, “What the hell was that all about?” “Sorry.” said Hoser, “lost my head. Let’s set up again. Guns only, I promise.”
Again the two fighters streaked towards the pass, again at seven miles Hoser called “Fox One.” The F-5 driver was apoplectic.
Hoser was first back to the club bar, nursing an end of the day cold one as the flushed Aggressor stomped in. “Hoser, what the hell happened to credibility?” asked the F-5 pilot. Hoser replied “Credibility is DOWN, kill ratio is UP!”
This story became very popular around Topgun, but even more important is the lesson learned that came from it: from 1 V 1 to forty-plane furball, expect anything. But never expect your enemy to be a sweet guy.
Still, Hoser’s best experience during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL most probably came after the end of the trials. Even if Tomcat and Eagle drivers could not engage each other, Hoser and his RIO Bill “Hill Billy” Hill with Dan “Turk” Pentecost and Frank “Fearless” Schumacher onboard the second F-14, went 2 V 2 against a couple of F-15 instructors from 415th Training Squadron (415th Flight Test Flight).
As told by Hoser to airwarriors.com “All pre-merge heat and radar missiles didn’t count. It was GUNS only at the merge.”The two Tomcat split the fight into two 1 V 1 with one F-14 high and the other low with fair lateral separation. Once Hoser and Hill Billy closed for a 250ft, gun kill on their Eagle, a minimal communication over the radio took place as Hoser recalls. Hoser: “Where are you Turk?”Fearless:”Right above you Hoser” Hoser: “We got two cons! Who’s out front? “Turk (mildly offended): “Who do ya think?”
Both Eagles were gunned, “knock it off” was called, and the Tomcats RTB’d with a 500 knot, 6.5g, half second break at Nellis.”
But there was something more, as explained by Satrapa:
“Knowing the gun camera film would be destroyed by the Nellis Photo lab, it was covertly sent to a secret contact at Grumman for processing. Bout a month later, December 6, the door slams open and General Knight, with 2 of his staff, doggie wobble heads entered demanding to know “who and where are Hoser and Turk?” Falcon (J.W. Taylor), OinC (who was the Officer in Charge) stepped up asking if he could be of assistance. The General responded with, “Your fighter jocks have no idea how their playful antics affect important political decisions!”
Well, as General Knight proceeded to explain, Japan had contracted for twenty one F-15s, but an article in Aviation Week had talked about the F-14 being superior to the Eagle. With gun camera film to prove it, Japan was considering buying F-14s instead.”
The General wanted and received all copies of the gun camera film, the TVSU/VCR (the Television Sensor Unit and the Voice Cockpit Recorder) and audio recordings on his desk the following day, but few months later Hoser asked to Falcon: “Hey Falcon, I know ya got a copy of that 16mm gun film…. how bout it?” JW returned few moments later with a copy of the film from which the original Tomcat gun camera image you can see in this article comes.
Image credit: U.S. Navy
The Avionist
By Dario Leone
Aug 18 2014
Known and unknown stories of a legendary F-8 Crusader and F-14 Tomcat pilot
Look at the picture above.
It’s a 8” x 10” frame of a 16 mm gun film shot which shows an F-15 Eagle locked through an F-14 Tomcat Head Up Display, at 250 feet, with piper on the Eagle’s pilot, gun selected, master arm on.
Even if the photo itself is already very interesting, the story behind it, is by far more fascinating. In fact the naval aviator at the controls of the Tomcat was a real legend in aviation history.
As explained by Alvin Townley in his book Fly Navy, maybe other pilots have scored more kills, held higher ranks or more prestigious commands, but few living aviators embody the untamed nature of aviation like the one of a kind legend known to decades of F-8 Crusader and F-14 Tomcat pilots: Joe “Hoser” Satrapa.
Skilled rifleman since young, Joe joined the Navy with the aim to fly a jet fighter to continue his interest in guns, an interest that guided him after the flight school graduation, in 1966, when he was called to opt for the F-4 Phantom or the F-8 Crusader. The Phantom had no guns and Satrapa thought: “No guns? What kind of aircraft is this with no guns?” and he immediately chose the “Last Of The Gunfighters” as the Crusader was dubbed by it aircrews.
But the “Satrapa legend” began the day he gained his call sign, Hoser (but he is also known as “Da-Hose” or “D-hose”), during a mission at the gunnery range in which he was flying in the tail position in a flight of four Crusaders. He cut off the preceding aircraft as they approached the target and started shooting from two thousand feet up, one and a half miles out hosing off all his bullets in one pass. After having seen it, his flight leader J.P. O’ Neill told him to return to the airfield at El Centro and the same night O’ Neill had the final say on the incident when he nailed Satrapa: “Lieutenant junior grade Satrapa, for hosing off all his bullets in one pass, will hence forth be known as Hoser. That’ ll be five bucks.”
Hoser became famous also during the Vietnam War as a fearless F-8 pilot who regularly carried a good forty pounds of lethal ordnance, leaning toward small automatic weapons and hand grenades, in case he was suddenly compelled to leave his aircraft and face an entire platoon of North Vietnamese Army regulars.
His interest for guns continued when he transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat. But as explained by George Hall in his book Top Gun – The Navy’ s Fighter Weapons School, Hoser knew also some things about the element of surprise.
During the AIMVAL/ACEVAL (the Air Combat Evaluation/Air Intercept Missile Evaluation) fighter trials that put the F-14s and the F-15s against the F-5Es to test new weapons and tactics which took place from 1974 to 1978 at Nellis Air Force Base, Hoser (assigned to the VX-4 evaluators) was put in a 1 V 1 against an F-5.
As the two combatants sat side-by-side on the Nellis runway, awaiting tower clearance for takeoff, Hoser looked over at his opponent, reached his hand up over the control panel, and mimicked the cocking of machine guns in a World War I Spad. A thumbs up came from the other cockpit, meaning that guns it would be, the proverbial knife fight in a phone booth, forget the missiles.
Both jets took off.
As soon as they reached the assigned area, the fighters set up twenty miles apart for a head-on intercept under ground control. Seven miles from the merge, with closure well over 1,000 knots, Hoser called “Fox One”, a Sparrow missile away, scoring a direct hit.
As they flashed past each other, the furious F-5 driver radioed, “What the hell was that all about?” “Sorry.” said Hoser, “lost my head. Let’s set up again. Guns only, I promise.”
Again the two fighters streaked towards the pass, again at seven miles Hoser called “Fox One.” The F-5 driver was apoplectic.
Hoser was first back to the club bar, nursing an end of the day cold one as the flushed Aggressor stomped in. “Hoser, what the hell happened to credibility?” asked the F-5 pilot. Hoser replied “Credibility is DOWN, kill ratio is UP!”
This story became very popular around Topgun, but even more important is the lesson learned that came from it: from 1 V 1 to forty-plane furball, expect anything. But never expect your enemy to be a sweet guy.
Still, Hoser’s best experience during the AIMVAL/ACEVAL most probably came after the end of the trials. Even if Tomcat and Eagle drivers could not engage each other, Hoser and his RIO Bill “Hill Billy” Hill with Dan “Turk” Pentecost and Frank “Fearless” Schumacher onboard the second F-14, went 2 V 2 against a couple of F-15 instructors from 415th Training Squadron (415th Flight Test Flight).
As told by Hoser to airwarriors.com “All pre-merge heat and radar missiles didn’t count. It was GUNS only at the merge.”The two Tomcat split the fight into two 1 V 1 with one F-14 high and the other low with fair lateral separation. Once Hoser and Hill Billy closed for a 250ft, gun kill on their Eagle, a minimal communication over the radio took place as Hoser recalls. Hoser: “Where are you Turk?”Fearless:”Right above you Hoser” Hoser: “We got two cons! Who’s out front? “Turk (mildly offended): “Who do ya think?”
Both Eagles were gunned, “knock it off” was called, and the Tomcats RTB’d with a 500 knot, 6.5g, half second break at Nellis.”
But there was something more, as explained by Satrapa:
“Knowing the gun camera film would be destroyed by the Nellis Photo lab, it was covertly sent to a secret contact at Grumman for processing. Bout a month later, December 6, the door slams open and General Knight, with 2 of his staff, doggie wobble heads entered demanding to know “who and where are Hoser and Turk?” Falcon (J.W. Taylor), OinC (who was the Officer in Charge) stepped up asking if he could be of assistance. The General responded with, “Your fighter jocks have no idea how their playful antics affect important political decisions!”
Well, as General Knight proceeded to explain, Japan had contracted for twenty one F-15s, but an article in Aviation Week had talked about the F-14 being superior to the Eagle. With gun camera film to prove it, Japan was considering buying F-14s instead.”
The General wanted and received all copies of the gun camera film, the TVSU/VCR (the Television Sensor Unit and the Voice Cockpit Recorder) and audio recordings on his desk the following day, but few months later Hoser asked to Falcon: “Hey Falcon, I know ya got a copy of that 16mm gun film…. how bout it?” JW returned few moments later with a copy of the film from which the original Tomcat gun camera image you can see in this article comes.
Image credit: U.S. Navy
The Avionist
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