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Day 1 - There I was at the beginning of what would prove to be a bewildering experience for me, because by the time this weekend was over, I would have gone through various stages of confusion, of discontentment, of excitement, and of joy. Just what would stir up all these strong emotions in a veteran virtual fighter pilot (VFP), who has been trained for years to remain calm and collected under the fire of enemy forces? The answer is the West Coast Fly-In 2 (WCFI2).
The WCFI2 was unlike the Delta Hawks� regular monthly fly-in�s, because as soon as I entered operations, I noticed that there was a larger contingent of VFP�s present than normal. As I slowly scanned the room I saw many faces that I recognized, and some faces that I did not. Then the first reason for my confusion appeared, which was locating my assigned stall. After checking in, I discovered that my ground crew and I had been assigned to a stall at the very end of the tarmac. The ground crew would not be happy with this, but the long walk would do them some good.
The next reason for my confusion was the Rules of Engagement (ROE) for this little get together. The ROE used for dealing with hostile enemy forces during our regular monthly fly-in�s is very straight forward. Once a declaration of war has been made, all friendly forces are free to use any and all weapons available to engage and destroy opposing enemy forces. The ROE for WCFI2 would at times place severe restrictions on the quantity, type, and implementation of weapons to be used. It was very clear that the ROE for WCFI2 was designed to measure the skills of the VFP�s, and that everyone present had the potential to be the Top Gun. This level of competitiveness would prove to be the driving force for all of us during the three day event.
Competing at the WCFI2 was an event that would test the mettle of any VFP, because it was three days of grueling stages that consisted of campaigns, of 2v2�s, of 4v4�s, and of William Tells (air to ground attacks). Plus at the end of each stage the VFP�s performance was measured and compared to that of other competitors. At this level of competition it is very easy to become dissatisfied with yourself when you feel that you are not performing at your best. The WCFI2 demands your best and I was having a very bad start during the campaign portion of the event. Needless to say I was not too pleased with myself, and my fellow Delta Hawks can tell you that being around a disgruntled "Grizzly" is not always the best place to be -- hence a large part of the reason for my callsign. The campaigns went on into the early hours of the morning before our adrenaline levels gave out, and we stumbled back to our quarters.
Day 2 - We continued the campaigns again when operations resumed in the morning. I was beginning to feel much better about my performance in the campaigns... however, that feeling would not last for long, because we were all about to feel the intense pressure associated with direct competition when the 2v2 stage started.
My wingman for the 2v2 would be "Fixer," whom I had been flying with during the campaigns. Both "Fixer" and I had been designated as team two, and it did not take long before we found ourselves in the thick of some fierce dogfights. During our first match, team one came after us as if we had just insulted a member of their family. As the fight progressed I fired two "mikes" at the leader of team one, who had already sent a barrage of "mikes" my way. I kicked in full AB and dove for the deck to evade the incoming missiles with my "Scorched Earth" maneuver, only to find a very determined member of team one on my six. I kept wondering to myself, just what did I do to get this guy on my tail? Not to mention the fact that I had lost contact with my wingman, a very bad situation to be in, one that I needed to rectify immediately or I would be dead.
Well, while I was doing a good job of mowing, and then burning the surrounding landscape, my "Scorched Earth" maneuver was not doing a damn thing to shake my opponent from my six. It was time to change tactics, so I cut my power and dirtied my ship, bleeding off airspeed to tighten my turn. The change of tactics worked and my opponent overshot, I then leveled out, got a missile lock, and fired my two remaining "Mikes."
I watched with relief and excitement as both missiles hit my opponent as he was turning around resulting in a huge fire ball. I quickly performed a radar scan to find "Fixer" and the wingman of team one engaged in their own little battle. I made one high speed gun pass that damaged the opposing wingman before he was successfully shot down by "Fixer." All of the remaining 2v2 dogfights continued on in this manner for every team before they finally came to an end.
The 2v2�s proved to be the most intense, the most grueling, and the most exciting stage of the WCFI2. After each dogfight, the teams did a debrief of what had happened, with the winning team reliving their victory. However, this did not last long, because as soon as the scores were recorded you were back in another dogfight. Operations was proving to be very adept at keeping several 2v2 matches running simultaneously, therefore there was little time to savor your victory or agonize over your defeat. No team survived the 2v2 stage undefeated. Plus those teams that appeared to be the underdogs proved, to the dismay of the heavily favored teams, that they were a threat with which to be reckoned. End result was that team two place third, while this was considered a respectable performance, it was not enough to make me happy.
Operations and the ground crew teams were proving that they were up to the task of the WCFI2 better than the pilots because there were no major hardware issues to report. All computer systems and data links after setup were fully functional, and with the exception of one minor little hiccup during the 2v2�s, worked flawlessly. Plus, although I had only partial communications with my 2v2 wingman, which was caused by an old antenna mil. spec., communications also worked flawlessly. There simply were no mechanical excuses for any of us to use for performing poorly. Consequently the adrenaline levels were back to maximum again.
The next scheduled stage was William Tell (air to ground attack). This was a more relaxed part of the competition, because it was designed as an individual piloting event, with the highest score given for the most damage generated in three bomb runs. This stage went into a two way fly off for which I did not place in the top three. Once again you do not have a happy "Grizzly" on your hands. Back to campaigning.
Day 3 - We continued the campaigns that resumed after William Tell yesterday, however, we did suffer a casualty and lost one pilot at the end of day 2. Therefore we had to go on a missing wingman rotation plan to continue the campaign. Finally we moved to the last stage of the event, the 4v4.
The 4v4 stage proved to be almost the exact opposite of the 2v2 stage. While the dogfights during the 2v2�s were intense, dirty, and improvised, the dogfights of the 4v4�s were a little more relaxed, clean, and orchestrated. The 2v2�s sometimes became a deadly game of hide and seek that usually ended with a surprise attack caused by an ambush. The 4v4�s were a head on search and destroy mission. It was simply a matter of locating and identifying whom was perceived as the most dangerous pilots on the opposing team, and then trying to take them out. Evidently judging by the way I was attacked, someone must have thought pretty highly of my dogfighting skills, because once again I found myself being pursued by a very determined foe. Therefore once again I choose to follow my "Scorched Earth" policy for missile avoidance.
However, this time I was in even more trouble than my first 2v2 battle, because my team had lost one of our wingmen during takeoff, putting us at the disadvantage of a 4v3 dogfight. Plus with an aggressive and determined pilot on my tail, I was a sitting duck for the fourth wingman of the opposing team if he was close enough to engage me. Since I liked this position even less than my 2v2 experience, I reached into my bag of tricks that I keep for desperate situations, and pulled out a maneuver that I had learned fighting SU35�s with guns only.
Basically I pinned myself against my seat straps and did a double reversal. My opponent apparently became disoriented by my violent maneuver, which allowed me to pull in on his six and get a gun kill. This was very fortunate for me, because the fourth wingman of the opposing team had just begun to engage me. After a series of more violent turning maneuvers, I was able to gain the better angles and get my second gun kill.
This still left two more enemy aircraft to deal with and I had no idea how either of my two wingmen were doing, or even if they were still alive. I immediately turned to do a radar sweep and picked up only one friendly aircraft, but no enemy aircraft. Since there were a couple of fjords in the immediate area I decided to stay low on the deck and search the nearest one. As I dove into the fjord and turned inland I immediately picked up an enemy aircraft. I announced myself to my third opponent, reported his position to my remaining wingman, and started my engagement. After a couple of turns, my third opponent lawn-darted his aircraft into the side of the fjord, match over. I later learned during our debriefing that my wingmen had successfully taken out the fourth opponent while I dogfighting with the first two. End result was first place for my team and a very contented "Grizzly."
During the awards ceremony I watched the procession of winners step up to claim their trophies. Everyone had performed admirably, everyone had proven themselves to be a winner, and everyone had earned the respect of their peers. Although the WCFI2 was the catalyst for many strong emotions for me, it will forever be remembered as one of the best events I have participated in recently; because for three days I met and competed with or against some of the best VFP�s on the west coast. I am looking forward to West Coast Fly In 3, because I am sure the competition will only get better.
Ken "Grizzly" Webb
209th VFS Delta Hawks
Last Updated February 20th, 1997