From: "J1a2c3k@aol.com" <J1a2c3k@aol.com>
To: webguy@55srwa.org
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 8:38:19 PM
Subject: A Tell-Two tale for Memory lane

Location and time: Incirlik Air Base, [OL-4] Turkey in the early 1960s....in the Holiday Inn [SAC's crew quarters Quonset hut]...those that were there, remember, we couldn't even acknowledge the existence of the EB-47TTs/RB-47H models sitting on the ramp near our hangar, much less talk about the missions. But being mysterious also meant you could pull people's chains and leave lots of doubt in their minds, such as the fighter jock below.

 

Participants: one Tell-Two crew member and one USAF F-100 fighter jock, both full of beer.

 

Sitting on someone's bunk, the fighter-jock was revealing his F-100 carried more "bomb power" than the B-47s we flew carried, and that "he knew" what kind of missions the SAC guys flew and that Russian MIGs came up to get them many times. [SAC guy remains quiet]. Then the fighter jock makes an offer, that 'if any of those MIGs start shooting at us[SAC Guys], just give them [fighter jocks] a call and they'll come up and blast them out of the sky.

 

The SAC guy casually starts to explain how we really didn't need to worry about being shot down because we had an "RTF" button that would solve the problem....he continued with meaningless prattle, for about 30 seconds, when the jock said 'hey, wait a minute...what's an RTF button?"

 

The SAC guy goes on asking the jock if he's seen the two big pontoon "things" hanging on the side of the cockpits of the EB-47TTs.  The jock acknowledges that he has seen them. The SAC Guy continues, "well, those are RTF antennae and if a fighter fires a missile at us, we push the RTF button ..which means 'return to fighter'...and the antnnae send out a signal that causes the missiles to turn around and target the launching fighter.

 

Fighter jock's jaw drops to floor and eyes open wide as he says....."really?"........No more explanations at that time left the situation unchanged forever.

Jack Kovacs
Aspire to inspire before you expire
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From: Sam Pizzo <sampizzo@webtv.net>
To: J1a2c3k@aol.com; webguy@55srwa.org
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:16:33 AM
Subject: Re: A Tell-Two tale for Memory lane

Jack
As I was priveledged to fly only on the H model,I believed that ERB guy's same version myself when I asked what those pods were for.Are you saying it's not true ???? You ruined my day. Ha
Great yarn.
Sam
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From: "J1a2c3k@aol.com" <J1a2c3k@aol.com>
To: sampizzo@webtv.net; webguy@55srwa.org
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:31:22 AM
Subject: Re: A Tell-Two tale for Memory lane

Well, I still remember the look on the fighter jock's face at the time...

       You probably also remember when landing an "H model" at another B-47 base, all the flight line people gathered to gawk at the "black-nosed" B-47 and wanted to know what the black nose was for...

      ...of course the answer was it's a "air refueling bumper" for training new pilots....

     and ...similarly, the story of  "getting a sandwich for the raven who stayed in the pod" while going for lunch at an alternate base. [I think that's from a Bruce Bailey story]

 Jack
Aspire to inspire before you expire.
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From: "MaxMoore55@aol.com" <MaxMoore55@aol.com>
To: J1a2c3k@aol.com; sampizzo@webtv.net; webguy@55srwa.org
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:42:34 PM
Subject: Re: An RC tale - s'mo

Another fantasy version:

The RC would fly low over water, find a bad guy submarine, spray paint periscope with blue paint.

When the sub went to surface, it would keep rising with the crew thinking it was still under water.

When it got high enough, the RC would ram it with the rubber nose.

 

Nuk, nuk, nuk. 
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