I\u2019m about to relate the story of the US Air Force\u2019s \u201cCornfield Bomber.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/center>. . .<\/strong><\/p>\nOn 2 February 1970, four F-106As from the 71st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, were scheduled for a training mission.\u00a0 The mission was to make history – but in a way that none could foresee.<\/p>\n
The mission was scheduled to be a \u201c2-on-2 combat maneuvering exercise\u201d.\u00a0 As the name implies, two teams of two aircraft each would engage, attempting to get in position to score a simulated air-to-air \u201ckill\u201d.<\/p>\n
Before takeoff, one aircraft experienced a mechanical issue \u2013 an on-ramp drag chute malfunction.\u00a0 To preclude scrubbing the mission, the day\u2019s flight activities were altered to \u201c2-on-1 combat maneuvering exercise\u201d.<\/p>\n
The remaining 3 aircraft took off, ascended to altitude \u2013 and engaged.\u00a0 The single aircraft made a high-speed approach at the other two, then went vertical.\u00a0 His two opponents followed.<\/p>\n
. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n In the maneuvering that followed, the pilot of one aircraft in the two-plane group \u2013 Capt. Gary Faust – appears to have \u201cpushed the envelope\u201d a bit too much while maneuvering.\u00a0 His aircraft stalled, then entered what aviators term a \u201cflat spin\u201d at approximately 35,000 feet elevation.<\/p>\n Now, I\u2019m not a pilot.\u00a0 But even I know that a flat spin is some seriously bad<\/span> juju<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s essentially God (or Budda, Rama, Fate, Gaia, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or whoever\/whatever entity you choose to worship) telling you, \u201cYou are now in deep (trouble).\u00a0 You have a very<\/u> short time to figure this out or we\u2019ll be meeting in person.\u201d<\/p>\n Faust attempted to recover.\u00a0 He was unsuccessful.\u00a0 So after falling somewhere between\u00a0 21,000 and 27,000 feet while in said flat spin, he ejected.<\/p>\n Faust’s ejection was successful.\u00a0 He deployed his parachute, and drifted in his parachute into the local Bear Paw Mountains.\u00a0 He was rescued by local residents using snowmobiles.<\/p>\n . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, when an aircraft\u2019s pilot ejects three things happen to the aircraft.\u00a0 First, the weight and center of gravity change.\u00a0 Second, the ejection seat imparts a substantial downward force to the front of the aircraft.\u00a0 And, third, loss of canopy changes the aerodynamics of the aircraft somewhat.<\/p>\n The combination of those changes caused something quite remarkable.\u00a0 On its own<\/span>, Faust\u2019s aircraft came out of its spin. It then began to glide \u2013 straight and level<\/em> \u2013 at around 175 knots.<\/p>\n It seems that one of the things that Faust had done during his attempts at recovery was to put his aircraft\u2019s control surfaces into \u201ctakeoff trim\u201d settings.\u00a0 These settings turned out to be virtually perfect on the F-106A for gliding under the conditions the bird now exhibited (no pilot\/ejection seat\/canopy, idling engine producing minimum thrust, straight and level).<\/p>\n The aircraft \u2013 now somewhere between about 8,000 and 14,000 AGL (accounts vary), then flew\/glided, straight and level, for a number of miles.\u00a0 It approached the ground in farming country near the town of Big Sandy, MT.<\/p>\n Being February in Montana, the ground was covered with several inches of snow.\u00a0 The aircraft touched down in a farmer\u2019s field (one account says alfalfa, another wheat).<\/p>\n After touching down, the aircraft skidded a substantial distance along the snow-covered ground.\u00a0 A low stone wall was blocking its path.\u00a0 Somehow, with no pilot it turned about 20 degrees right while skidding and skidded through a gap in the wall.\u00a0 It came to rest.<\/p>\n The engine was still running when local LE authorities reached it.\u00a0 They contacted the USAF, who advised them to simply let the aircraft continue to idle until it ran out of fuel \u2013 which it did, about 1 hour and 45 minutes later.<\/p>\n . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n USAF personnel went to the site afterwards and inspected the aircraft.\u00a0 It indeed seemed effectively intact.\u00a0 However, there was no good way on-site to determine the amount of damage to the aircraft\u2019s underside.<\/p>\n The aircraft was partially disassembled, then recovered by the Air Force.\u00a0 Amazingly, there wasn’t much more than minor damage to the underside of the aircraft.\u00a0 One of those involved with recovery efforts reportedly commented that if there had been any less damage, they could have simply flown the aircraft out (there was a paved road nearby that was straight and level enough to allow that).<\/p>\n The aircraft was sent to McClellan AFB, California, for depot inspection and repair.\u00a0 (Ya think?)\u00a0 It was determined to be repairable, and was indeed repaired and return to service.\u00a0 Capt. Faust reportedly later flew the same aircraft while the aircraft was assigned to a unit at Tyndall AFB, Florida, and he was TDY there for training several years later.<\/p>\n . . . <\/strong><\/p>\n Well, “That\u2019s the story, and I’m sticking to it.” (smile)<\/p>\n But perhaps you think I\u2019m \u201cBS-ing\u201d you?\u00a0 Well, if you think that \u2013 read\/watch the links\/videos below.\u00a0 They document the fact that the incident described here really happened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n http:\/\/www.f-106deltadart.com\/580787cornfieldbomber.htm<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/fly.historicwings.com\/2013\/02\/the-cornfield-bomber\/<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.airforcemag.com\/MagazineArchive\/Pages\/2009\/April%202009\/0409gary.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cornfield_Bomber<\/a><\/p>\n