FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
During the services for my father in law I got to meet many of his old flying buddies. One of them was Mike Ross, LtCol USAF Ret.
Mike Ross flew with my father in law as a B-52 navigator. Eventually Mike went on to flight school and became an F-4 driver. Mike made national news in 1987. Here's the story, taken from two sources...
22 September - A U.S. Navy F-14A-70-GR Tomcat, BuNo 162707, of VF-74 out of NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, operating from the USS Saratoga, accidentally shoots down a USAF RF-4C-22-MC Phantom II, 69-0381, 'ZR' tailcode, of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, out of Zweibrucken Air Base, West Germany, at 1550 hrs. EDT over the Mediterranean Sea during a NATO exercise, DISPLAY DETERMINATION. Both RF-4C crew eject, pilot Capt. Michael Ross of Portsmouth, Ohio, and WSO Lt. Randy Sprouse of Sumter, South Carolina, both of the 38th TRS, and are rescued by a helicopter from the Saratoga within 30 minutes, suffering numerous injuries. A Navy spokesman said that the F-14 downed the RF-4C with an air-to-air missile, but did not know whether it was a Phoenix, a Sparrow or a Sidewinder. When told by the Saratoga's Admiral that they had been shot down, Sprouse remarks "I thought we were supposed to be on the same side?" to which the Admiral replies "We're sorry about this, but most of the time we are." The Tomcat pilot is duly disciplined and leaves the Navy.
A F-14 Tomcat downed a USAF RF-4 during an exercise in the Med after getting the call "Warning Red, Weapons Free", which was a standard exercise call at the time (vice Weapons Tight or Hold). The nugget pilot was alarmed by the call and asked his RIO if he was supposed to shoot. The infamous reply was "Yeah, go ahead and shoot em". Of course, the RIO meant making an exercise shot call, but the pilot was not on same wavelength and armed the jet, selected Sidewinder and shot the RF-4. Fast forward....the USS Saratoga plunked the hapless and demoralized aircrew out of the water who it turned out had no idea why their Phantom departed controlled flight and thought their careers were over. When told they had been shot down in error, their morale improved knowing they wouldn't be saddled with burden of losing a jet to unknown causes.
Mike is a hell of a guy and I'm glad, despite the circumstances, I had a chance to meet him!
Mike Ross flew with my father in law as a B-52 navigator. Eventually Mike went on to flight school and became an F-4 driver. Mike made national news in 1987. Here's the story, taken from two sources...
22 September - A U.S. Navy F-14A-70-GR Tomcat, BuNo 162707, of VF-74 out of NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, operating from the USS Saratoga, accidentally shoots down a USAF RF-4C-22-MC Phantom II, 69-0381, 'ZR' tailcode, of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, out of Zweibrucken Air Base, West Germany, at 1550 hrs. EDT over the Mediterranean Sea during a NATO exercise, DISPLAY DETERMINATION. Both RF-4C crew eject, pilot Capt. Michael Ross of Portsmouth, Ohio, and WSO Lt. Randy Sprouse of Sumter, South Carolina, both of the 38th TRS, and are rescued by a helicopter from the Saratoga within 30 minutes, suffering numerous injuries. A Navy spokesman said that the F-14 downed the RF-4C with an air-to-air missile, but did not know whether it was a Phoenix, a Sparrow or a Sidewinder. When told by the Saratoga's Admiral that they had been shot down, Sprouse remarks "I thought we were supposed to be on the same side?" to which the Admiral replies "We're sorry about this, but most of the time we are." The Tomcat pilot is duly disciplined and leaves the Navy.
A F-14 Tomcat downed a USAF RF-4 during an exercise in the Med after getting the call "Warning Red, Weapons Free", which was a standard exercise call at the time (vice Weapons Tight or Hold). The nugget pilot was alarmed by the call and asked his RIO if he was supposed to shoot. The infamous reply was "Yeah, go ahead and shoot em". Of course, the RIO meant making an exercise shot call, but the pilot was not on same wavelength and armed the jet, selected Sidewinder and shot the RF-4. Fast forward....the USS Saratoga plunked the hapless and demoralized aircrew out of the water who it turned out had no idea why their Phantom departed controlled flight and thought their careers were over. When told they had been shot down in error, their morale improved knowing they wouldn't be saddled with burden of losing a jet to unknown causes.
Mike is a hell of a guy and I'm glad, despite the circumstances, I had a chance to meet him!
