chase the light

Just 14 days after the Pan Am bombing two U.S. fighters engaged some Libyan MiGs today. Something’s up. I was home tonight with my recorder and put it up to the TV so I could listen to the tape a little closer. The video they’re showing isn’t very good but the audio is pretty scary sounding. Not sure what’s going to happen with all this, but it can’t be good. Here’s a transcript.

Gypsy 207 (F-14A, BuNos 159610 AC207)
– Pilot: Joseph B. Connelly (207P)
– Radar Intercept Operator (RIO): Steven P. Collins (207R)

Gypsy 204 (F-14A, BuNos 159013 AC204)- Wingman
– Pilot: Hermon C. “Munster” Cook III (204P)
– Radar Intercept Operator (RIO): Leo F. Enright (204R)

Alpha Bravo
– CVG-67 USS John F. Kennedy Air Command (AB)

Closeout
– Orbiting control aircraft. (CLOSE)

CLOSE- “Roger Ace, take it north.”
204P- “Looks like we’ll have to make a quick loop here.”
204R- “Come starboard, ah I need to give ya collision here. Yeah, come starboard about 40.”
207R- “207 ah, 61 miles now, bearing 180, Angels 8, heading 330.” 204R- “Steady up.”
CLOSE- “Alpha Bravo this is Closeout.”
204R- “Come back port, ah, 20 degrees here, he’s jinkin’ now.”
207R- “Bogies appear to be coming, ah, jinking to the right now, heading north, speed 430, ah, angels 5,000 now in the descent. So lets take her down now, we’re goin’ down.”
CLOSE- “Concur.”
207R- “Closeout, 53 miles now. Bogies appear to be heading directly at us. I’m coming towards. Steady up 150 for 33 offset, 50 miles. 49 miles now, speed 450, Angels 9, I’m goin’ down to 3.”
204P- “(unintelligible, from 204P, formation flying?)”
207P- “Roger.”
207R- “Roger that, 30 degree offset now. Bogies heading 340, speed 500, lets accelerate.”
207P- “Okay, it looks like they are at 9,000 feet now.”
207R- “Roger, bogies are jinked back into us now, now lets come starboard 30 degrees the other side.”
204P- “Coming starboard, say your Angels.”
– “(unintelligible) patrol setting up station.”
207R- “Roger, Angels now 11, ready up.”
AB- “Closeout ah, Warning yellow, weapons hold, I repeat, warning yellow, weapons hold. Alpha Bravo out.”
CLOSE- “Roger, Gypsies, pass up, Alpha Bravo directs warning yellow, weapons hold.”
207P- “35 miles here.”
207R- “Roger that. Bogies have jinked back into me now for the third time. Nose is on at 35 miles, Angels 7”
CLOSE- “Alpha Bravo cleared that, did you copy?”
207R- “Okay, I am taking another offest, starboard, starboard, ah, 210.”
CLOSE- “Guys, I’m locked up here 30 miles, Angels 13,000, he’s the trailer”
207R- “Roger that, level off here, bogie jinked back into me for the 4th time. I’m coming back starboard. I’m back port now. Port 27 miles, bogie is at 7,000 feet.”
207P- “We’re at 5.”
AB- “Watch out, bogies 135-50, Angels 16, heading 340.”
207P- “Okay.”
CLOSE- “Roger, same bogies.”
207P- “Okay, you’re in collision now, steering.”
207R- “Okay, bogies have jinked back at me again for the fifth time. They’re on my nose now. Inside of 20 miles”
– {Master arm alert}
207R- “Master arm on, master arm on”
CLOSE- “Okay, good light”
207P- “Good Light”
207R- “Okay, centering up the T, bogie has jinked back into me again, 16 miles, at the center of the dot.”
CLOSE- “Say your Angels.”
207R- “I’m at Angels 5, nose up.”
CLOSE- “No, his Angels.”
207P- “No, wait a minute.”
207R- “Angels are at 9!”
207P- “Alpha Bravo from 207.”
207R- “13 miles. Fox 1! Fox 1!”
207P- “Ah jesus!”
204P- “Breaking right.”
207R- “Roger that, 10 miles, he’s back on my nose. Fox 1 again!”
207P- “Watching ’em up.”
207R- “6 miles, 6 miles.”
204R- “Tally 2, Tally 2! Turning into me.”
207R- “Roger that, 5 miles. . . 4 miles.”
207P- “Okay, he’s got a missile off.”
204R- “Breakin’ right.”
207P- “Good hit, good hit on one!”
207R- “Roger that, good kill, good kill!”
204P- “I’ve got the other one.”
204R- “Select fox 2, select fox 2!!”
204P- “I got fox 2.”
CLOSE- “Keep your eye for the trailer.”
207R- “Comin’ hard starboard.”
204P- “Those fuckin’!”
204R- “Shoot him!”
204P- “I don’t got tone.”
207R- “That’s the second one.”
204P- “I’ve got the second one on my nose right now.”
207R- “Okay, I am high cover on you.”
204P- “Get a fox, get a, lock him up! Lock him up.”
204R- “There! Shoot him, fox 2!”
204P- “I can’t! I don’t have a fucking tone!”
204P- “Tone’s up!”
– {Fox 2–AIM-9 Sidewider launch}
204R- “Fox 2.”
204P- “Good kill! Good kill!”
207R- “Okay, good kill.”
207R- “Pilot ejected.”
CLOSE- “The pilot’s ejected out of the second one.”
204R- “Okay Munster, lets head north, head north.”
207R- “Okay. Port side high, comin’ down hard.”
204R- “Roger.”
207R- “Roger that. Just revert. Blowin’ north, let’s go down low on the decks, unload, 500 knots, lets get out of here.”
204P- “Okay, two good chutes.”
CLOSE- “They’re showin’ two good chutes in the air here, from Munster.”
207R- “Roger that, I see the, ah–.”
207P- “I’ve got the splash, one splash.”
207R- “One splash.”
204R- “Take that down to, ah, 3,000 here Munster.”
CLOSE- “The, ah, splash 160 at 96.”
204R- “Lets go, Munster down to 3,000 and lets get outta here.”