Carrier 22 Final Justice by Keith Douglass

Author:Keith Douglass
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

F/A-18E patrol

Sea of Japan

Friday, 4 October

0730 local (GMT +9)

Lieutenant Commander Gene "High Roller" Erickson was the lead plane in a formation of three with Lieutenants Benny "Peanut" Lemmons and Charlie "Tight Lips" Fredericks following him.

They were in a classic old-fashioned "Vic" formation with Lemmons and Fredericks spread out to Erickson's left and right rear respectively. Erickson, always the tactician, liked to experiment with different aircraft arrangements while out on patrol. It not only broke the monotony, but gave the pilots some expanded experience in maintaining their places in various configurations. The "Vic" was a basic World War II anti-bomber formation favored by the RAF, and Erickson used this patrol to consider its usefulness in mounting a concentrated attack during intercept operations. He had taken his two wingmen through some mock attacks, and after several maneuvers, concluded that his idea of combining a modern jet one-seater with a two-seater fighter would be superior. Modern aerial combat was more widespread and faster than the old days. It was a matter of efficiency of numbers. Too many aircraft in a formation was like an old Western sheriff taking an oversized posse to track down a lone had guy. They would get in each other's way. The three pilots, like others on patrol that morning, were glad to be off the carrier for a while and actually earning a living. The rest of the Lincoln's crew had been standing watches, practicing emergency drills, and living a life of hell in what seemed to be a perpetual state of General Quarters. The aviators didn't have much to do, spending most of their time in their cabins, the ready room, or the wardroom. Their frantic flying schedules had been suspended in order to conserve fuel until the next resupply. They were in the way when they were out and about from their living areas, and the resentment shown them by the rest of the crew though silent, was so unsubtle and blatant that it might as well have been shouted out loud. Sometimes the glare of dozens of angry eyes is more effective than bellowing insults.

To make things worse, they eased their boredom by hanging around the plane captains on the hangar deck during maintenance and repair. This bugged the hell out of the aviation machinists and electricians who didn't appreciate having nosy aviators looking over their shoulders as they worked. The chief petty officers were also irritated because they liked to keep most of their nefarious activities to themselves. These intrepid individuals did whatever was necessary to get the job done efficiently and correctly. They were capable of lying and stealing to meet these ends. This was particularly true when it came to switching parts between airplanes.

Now, as the patrol continued its assigned duty, Erickson went the route of the waypoints, going off autopilot now and then, steering manually to break the monotony. He was a man easily bored, which was one reason he never opted to leave the Navy and get a cushy job on an airline.

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