AB3A's Journal: Hats off to KC!

No matter what you think of the war in Iraq, you have to admire the bravery in this story:

A few days ago, while assisting with close air support over Baghdad, one of a pair of A-10 "Warthogs" took heavy fire and lost all hydraulics in the aircraft. As with power steering in your car, when you lose the hydraulic assist, it takes substantial strength and concentration to move or hold the controls. That's why there are TWO redundant sets of hydraulic controls in addition to the mechanical linkages. With both hydraulic systems gone, not only did the controls in the jet require substantial force to move, but they were sluggish as well.

But despite the physical demands, Captain Campbell maintained control of the aircraft for the entire one hour trip back to base. Upon arrival, mechanics swarmed around the aircraft in shock. The tail end of this aircraft looked like Swiss Cheese, with substantial chunks missing. Chief Master Sergeant, Robert Blackburn, Chief of maintenance for the squadron, pointed out that given the condition of the aircraft, returning to base was a "gutsy call" and given the complete lack of hydraulics there probably would have been a good case for ejecting.

But the best part is this: Captain Kim Campbell stands 5'2" tall and she weighs a mere 110 lbs. Her callsign "KC" stands for "Killer Chick."

Bravo!

Read more here and here.

Re:KC

[AB3A]

...Not according to Air Force Times. Read the links.

i hope she gets a medal for that

[intermodal]

it's an unusual act of courage and valor to do such a thing. If she had bailed upon being hit, other planes would have been shot at instead. It also would have caused another potential prisoner if done in the wrong region, or even potential death if the ejectors failed. Regardless of whether the plane is a total loss or not, this is also a moral victory in that they did not shoot down our plane, giving us one more pilot "returned to base safely".