Bogeys Are Buggin’ Out -Thomas Calabrese

Engage In A Non-Event

Thomas Calabrese – Definition of Non-Event is a situation that is anticipated but occurs with much less than the expected impact, especially one that has been widely publicized. It can also be an occurrence of superficial interest or content or a dull or insignificant occasion. Finally, it can also be used to minimize, mislabel, deceive or mislead the public about a serious situation. This last explanation is the one most  used and often abused by the politicians and bureaucrats in our government.

 Lt. Commander Nick ‘Rattler’ Mitchell came from a distinguished background of aviators. His great-grandfather Dave ‘Cobra’ Mitchell served with Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyinton in the legendary Flying Tigers and also flew with the Black Sheep squadron in the South Pacific. He racked up 29 confirmed kills during his distinguished career. His grandfather Ben ‘Python’ Mitchell flew in the Vietnam War with Randall ‘Duke’ Cunningham and had nine victories before he was shot down over North Vietnam and held prisoner for six years in the infamous ‘Hanoi Hilton.’ His father Mike ‘Mamba’ Mitchell flew combat sorties in Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom which were military operations of the first and second Gulf Wars. Afterward he became a Top Gun instructor before retiring from the military to become a test pilot.

The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group was currently in the South China Sea under the command of Rear Admiral George Wykoff. The group was there as a deterrent to Kim Jong-un and his rogue North Korean regime. Nick was currently assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 25 (VFA) from the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. The squadron was called the ‘Fist of the Fleet’ and it flew the F/A-18E Super Hornet. This fighter jet was a twin–engine single seat aircraft equipped with an internal 20mm M61 rotary cannon and carried air-to- air or air-to-surface missiles. The Super Hornet had a top speed of 1,190 mph and a range of 2,069 mi. Additional fuel could be stored in five external tanks.

Tension was growing between the United States and North Korea and every pilot had been briefed on the capabilities of the Korean People’s Army Air Force. They possessed 940 aircraft of different types, mostly obsolete MIG-17, MIG-19, MIG-21 and MIG-23 fighters. Although it did have a few modern and capable Mikoyan MIG-29’s. This was a twin engine jet fighter with a top speed of 1,520 mph and a range of 888 miles. These were reserved for their best pilots including its number one ace, Chan Woo Lee.

Nick landed softly and perfectly on the deck after a routine flight and his tailhook caught the number two arresting wire. Landing on the flight deck of a rocking aircraft carrier is one of the most difficult things a navy pilot will ever do. The flight deck has only about 500 feet of runway space for landing planes. Nick enjoyed the challenge and in his eight-year career and 160 traps (carrier landings) and only missed the number 2 target wire once. The number one wire was too close to the stern and number 3 wire was the last one before hitting the barrier so every pilot’s sweet spot was number two. After Nick landed his Super Hornet, his plane captain Aviation Structural Mechanic 3^rd Class Katrina Garfield approached him, “The CAG wants to see you.”

A plane captain is responsible for making sure that a plane is fit to fly. His duties included performing pre and post flights. Kit, as she was called, was one of the best at her job and Nick had complete confidence in her abilities to keep him flying at peak efficiency in the danger zone.

           “Copy that,” Nick said and went below deck to the quarters of Commander Ron Garreston, “You wanted to see me, Cag.” (CAG is the informal name for the senior US Navy officer responsible for all the embarked squadrons, their aircraft and personnel aboard an aircraft carrier. Commander Air Group.

Commander Garreston complimented, “You’re one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen, you can land a Hornet in a crowded Costco parking lot in a hurricane without scratching a car.”

          “Thanks to you, when I’m in my plane all I have to do is think to about how the CAG would do it, close my eyes and everything works out,” Nick joked.

 CAG responded, “Yeah right, my dad used to tell me, don’t yank the chain of a man who is missing a few links. Dinger is scheduled for Top Gun next week.”

          “Yeah, and I was supposed to take the next class,” Nick said.

          “Dinger tested positive for the Coronavirus while he was in Yokohama. They have him in quarantine.  You take his place and I’ll move him to your slot. Wheels up in 36 hours.’

          “Copy that,” Nick said.

Two days later, Rattler was in the cockpit of his Super Hornet and prepared for his last flight before leaving for Navy Fighter Weapons School in Fallon, Nevada. He signaled that he was ready for take-off and the powerful steam catapults accelerated his aircraft to 200 mph in less than two seconds. Nick was airborne and immediately executed a clearing turn to port side. He loved the rush of being launched at 3G off a carrier, just one of the unique quirks that made him a great carrier pilot. He kicked in the afterburners of his twin F414-GE-400 engines, each with 22,000 pounds of thrust and rocketed to his designated altitude of 30,000 feet. He engaged his onsite radar and set it for search mode and it emitted a high frequency beam across the sky. Rattler checked his vector on the display screen and radioed to confirm his position, “Zero, niner, six four, Rattler on patrol, please confirm.”

Carrier air traffic controller responded, “Roger that, zero, niner, six four. Rattler, we have you.”

Rattler continued flying and even though his radar didn’t pick up anything, he had a feeling that an enemy aircraft was somewhere out there.  In a matter of ten seconds, a MIG 29 dove down from 40,000 feet at Mach 2 and whizzed by Nick’s Super Hornet.  It only cleared his left wing by thirty feet and the air turbulence flipped his aircraft over. Nick regained control and saw the MIG in the distance doing a series of aeronautical maneuvers that were an invitation to join in.

          “So you want to play, huh? I’m your Huckleberry, skin that smoke wagon!” Nick took a directional heading of 180 degrees. When he got closer, he was able to identify the tail markings on the MIG 29 as those of the infamous North Korean pilot, Chan Woo Lee. The two fighter aces used every bit of skill they possessed to get the advantage over each other. After three minutes of dogfighting at speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 2 where split-second life and death decisions were demanded, Nick did an inverted roll and increased altitude. He accelerated over the MIG 29 and used his wake turbulence to flame out the starboard engine. Nick’s next maneuver was to pull alongside the North Korean until their cockpits were only twenty feet apart and their wingtips touched.

 Both pilots made eye contact and Chang Woo Lee nodded to acknowledge who was the better pilot on this day. He descended and limped back to North Korea on one engine while Nick hit the afterburners turned to the U.S.S. Reagan.

After a thorough de-briefing by the CAG and intelligence officers, the information was relayed up the chain of command. Since the United States had scheduled disarmament meetings with the North Koreans, the State Department designated Nick’s confrontation with Chan Woo Lee as a non-event.

Nick arrived for the nine-week Top[ Gun course and was looking at the portrait of his father on the wall with previous instructors. Captain Edwin Morrison approached him, “Lt. Commander Mitchell, I was hoping that while I was still in command here that you’d make it here. How’s your dad the ‘Big Mamba’ doing?”

          “He’s still flying Red Bull races and raising hell in the heavens. He told me that if I was lucky enough to pass the course, he’d show up for my graduation, “Nick smiled.

          “I was just out of flight school and feeling pretty full of myself and your dad’s squadron was my first assignment. He gave me a long disapproving look when he first saw me. You know what he said?” Captain Morrison asked.

          “I can guess, let’s see if you’re worth a damn!” Nick replied, “That was his usual greeting to new pilots.”

          “He took me up in his Tomcat and proceeded to tie my intestines around my throat. The first thing that I wanted to do when we landed was put my feet on solid ground. The second thing was to turn in my wings and get another MOS. The Mamba put his arm around my shoulder and snarled ‘not half bad, rookie,’ you just might make it. I swore I’d do my best to never disappoint him.” Captain Morrison reminisced.

          “The thing about the Mamba was that he was ten times harder on himself than he was on anybody under his command,” Nick smiled, “The other thing that most people didn’t know was that when he wasn’t flying, he was the easiest going guy, you’d ever want to meet. My mom used to tell me and my brothers that the ‘Mamba’ had a switch that he could turn on and off. He never brought his work home with him. I’ve never been as good as him separating my professional life from my personal one. When I’m not in the air, I’m thinking about my next mission. I’m going to have to change that if I don’t want to die alone living in an airplane hangar.”

Top Gun school lasts nine weeks and is designed to train already experienced Navy and Marine Corps pilots at the graduate level. It includes tactics, hardware, techniques and current world threat for air-to- air and air-to –ground missions. The course includes eighty hours of lectures and twenty-five sorties that pit students against Top Gun instructors.

Nick was eight weeks into the course and the tension between North Korea and the United States had been escalating to a fever pitch.. The North Korean pilots were being extremely provocative and when he heard that Chan Woo Lee came within 50 feet of Dinger’s plane while flying in the inverted position, Nick kept it to himself on where the North Korean learned that trick.  He was eager to get back to his squadron and his position as tip of the spear. Graduation day could not come soon enough for the ‘Rattler’.

 Captain Morrison approached Nick, “I just got word that the Mamba is airborne.”

Because of his status as a former Top Gun instructor, Mike ‘Mamba’ Mitchell was given permission to land his P-51 Mustang at Fallon Naval Air Station.  The ceremony was almost over and Nick had just been given his award for best pilot in his class when Captain Morrison stepped up to the podium and interrupted the festivities, “Excuse me gentleman, I have just received word we are officially at DEFCON 2. (The last time America went to DEFCON-2 was on October 22, 1962, when President Kennedy publicly denounced the Soviet Union’s construction of missile sites in Cuba.) Pilots return to your squadron!”

Nick turned to his dad, “Gotta’ go, thanks for coming, sorry we don’t have time for socializing. Give my best to mom.”

Mamba embraced his son as tears filled his eyes, “I know, duty calls. I know the drill much too well”

After Nick and the other aviators left, Captain Morrison walked over to his mentor, “Your son is a hell of a pilot. You should be proud.”

          “I was proud of him long before he ever decided to be an aviator,” Mamba replied, “I can tell you one thing, it’s a hell of a lot easier going into harm’s way than watching my son do it.”

When Nick got to the airfield, Master Chief Will Halstead approached, “We just received our shipment of new aircraft. Your orders are to take one back to your squadron,” and pointed to a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth multirole combat aircraft.

It was 2564 miles from Fallon, Nevada to Honolulu, Hawaii. The F-35 was equipped with external fuel tanks and once Nick got airborne, he quickly reached 50,000 feet and attained a cruising speed of 1400 mph and made it to Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station in under two hours. Nick got something to eat and took a four-hour nap while maintenance crews did a post-flight maintenance check and refueled the F-35. His next stop was Guam, a distance of almost 4000 miles. He did a mid-air refueling at 2000 miles, spent the night at the island base and took off at sunrise. The last leg of his trip was 1900 miles and Nick landed on the deck of the U.S.S. Reagan, an hour and 16 minutes later. The CAG was there to meet him when he climbed out of the cockpit. “Welcome back.”

          “How’s things?” Rattler inquired casually.

          “You’re about to find out,” CAG said.

Lt. Commander Shannon McLane, call sign ‘Fury’ walked up, “I heard you did alright at Top Gun.”

          “I passed,luckily” Rattler replied.

Commander Garreston said, “The North Koreans are pushing it.”

          “I’m ready to push back harder,” Nick smiled.

          “Get yourself checked out by the flight surgeon and rest up. If he clears you, I’ll put you on the flight schedule for the day after tomorrow.”

          “Copy that.”

Commander Robert Adamson, the flight surgeon, gave Nick a thorough examination. Afterward Nick took a hot shower and went to his quarters and slept soundly for the next 10 hours. When he awakened, “I needed that,” and stretched the stiffness out of his muscles.

Lt. Commander ‘Fury’ McLane smiled when she saw Nick at morning chow, “Looking a lot better than the last time I saw you.”

          “Permission to speak freely,” Nick quipped.

          “Permission granted, Rattler,” Lt. Commander McLane answered.

          “You always look good to me, that was meant as a personal observation, not sexual harassment,” Nick said.

          “That is the way I took it.”

The North Korean pilots greatly increased their aggressive behavior, and they were writing checks that their aviation skills couldn’t cash. Naval Intelligence made the assessment that the rogue regime was trying to prove that North Korean pilots were the equals of the American navy pilots to increase their leverage at the negotiating table.

The CAG addressed his pilots at the briefing room, “I know your patience has been wearing thin and I appreciate you holding back.  As of right now our passive flying strategy is officially over. The Commander-in-Chief wants you to send a clear message that we own the skies.  If the North Koreans come in hot, burn ‘em!  You have permission to engage.”

The pilots burst out in applause and expressed their approval.

          “Fury, you’ll be leading the patrol. Rattler, you’ll be her wingman,” CAG said.

          “You don’t have a problem being my wingman especially after graduating Top Gun?” Lt. Commander McLane grinned.

          “I’ll be your wingman anytime,” Nick responded.

The four American jets were in a diamond formation and cruising at 30,000 feet when they picked up enemy contact at a distance of 15 miles on their radar. “You see what I’m seeing?” Fury asked.

          “Roger that,” Nick radioed back.

Their radar then picked up three missiles headed in their direction, “Disperse and evade!” Fury ordered. The four American jets immediately went in separate directions. Two of the missiles followed Nick and the third one locked onto Dinger.

Fury radioed, “Two on your six, Rattler!”

          “I got it,” Nick responded.

Fury radioed, “Dinger, take a vector of 180 and I’ll intercept.”

Dinger changed direction and headed toward Fury, who came in high and shot down the missile with her 25 mm cannon. At the same time, Nick was just a few seconds ahead of the other two missiles. At the last instant, he idled his engines and deployed his decoy flares. This was done to counter the infrared homing (heat-seeking) guidance system of the missiles, hoping that they would lock in on the heat signatures of the flares. Fortunately for Nick, they exploded harmlessly behind his aircraft. He turned his engines back on and regained control of his jet fighter. He picked up three North Korean aircraft on his radar and went after them, “In pursuit of enemy aircraft,” Nick radioed.

Right behind you, “Lt Commander McLane responded.

When Nick got close enough, he had a feeling that Chan Woo Lee was one of his adversaries. Only this time the North Korean pilot was flying the Sukhoi Su-30 a twin-engine, highly sophisticated and supermaneuverable fighter. Fury, Dinger and Jester engaged the other two North Korean fighter jets, leaving Nick and Lee, mano a mano in the wide expanse of the wild blue yonder. The two pilots could have used missiles against each other, but this was going to be a test of aeronautical skill and courage and done up close and not from a distance.  

The two aerial warriors came directly at each other at Mach 2 closing the distance between them in microseconds. At the last instant, Nick made a port turn and Lee’s machine gun fire missed his fuselage by inches. He pulled back on the controls and hit 10 G’s. What Lee didn’t realize was that the Rattler had an extremely high G tolerance. No sooner did he pull out of his vertical climb that Nick was back in control of the F-35 Lightning. He got Lee’s jet in his sights and this time he took out both his engines with a burst from his 25mm cannon. Lee had no choice, but to eject from his disabled aircraft.  His chute deployed and the ‘Rattler’ buzzed him as he floated to earth. An undeniable fact was lodged in Lee’s mind, once again he had been defeated by one of America’s best.

The two other North Korean jet pilots were no match for Rattler, Fury, Dinger and Jester. Rattler shot down one and Fury got the other. Eight Korean fighters appeared on the horizon.

Fury radioed, “We’ve got eight bogeys coming our way…run or fight?”

          “It looks like a target rich environment to me,” Rattler said.

          “Copy that,” Dinger said.

          “I’m in,” Jester stammered

          “Engage!” Fury radioed and all hell broke loose when the Navy pilots flew into harm’s way.

Missiles, cannons and machine guns sought out their targets. Instincts were more useful than high tech equipment and split-second decision making was essential for survival. Rattler quickly took out one North Korean jet with his 25mm GAU -22/A rotary cannon and another with an AIM-9X Sidewinder short range missile. He saw that Jester, the newest pilot in the squadron was having some trouble two… three!” Jester broke right and Rattler came in hot and destroyed the North Korean jet with cannon fire. When the fight was over, Fury had two confirmed kills and Dinger got one and Rattler had three more for a total of five for both dogfights.

 The remaining two North Koreans lost their appetite for continued fighting and turned tail.

 Fury radioed, “The bogeys are buggin’ out!”

When the disarmament talks are extremely cooperative, having lost nine of the jets in less than five minutes. The epic aerial dogfights between the Navy aviators and North Korea’s elite pilots were diplomatically handled and never publicized. To high altitude warriors; Rattler, Fury, Dinger and Jester who were in the skies on that fateful day, they would always be ready, eager and able to Engage In A Non-Event.

The End