WISDOM – FROM THE MILITARY MANUALS
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‘If the enemy is in range, so are you.’
– Infantry Journal
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‘It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.’
– US. Air Force Manual
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‘Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.’
– General Mac Arthur
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‘You, you, and you … Panic. The rest of you, come with me.’
– U.S. Marine Corp Gunnery Sgt.
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‘Tracers work both ways.’
– U.S. Army Ordnance
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‘Five second fuses only last three seconds.’
– Infantry Journal
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‘Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.’
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‘Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do’
– Unknown Marine Recruit
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‘If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him.’
– USAF Ammo Troop
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‘Though I Fly Through the Valley of Death , I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 50,000 Feet and Climbing.’
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‘You’ve never been lost until you’ve been lost at Mach 3.’
– Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)
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‘The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.’
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‘If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it’s probably a helicopter — and therefore, unsafe.’
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‘When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.’
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‘Even with ammunition, the U.S. Air Force is just another expensive flying club..’
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‘What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies;
If ATC screws up, ….. The pilot dies.’
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‘Never trade luck for skill.’
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The three most common expressions (or famous last words),
in aviation are:
‘Why is it doing that?’
‘Where are we?’
And …
‘Oh S…!’
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‘Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.’
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‘Mankind has a perfect record in aviation;
we have never left one up there!’
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‘Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding
or doing anything about it.’
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‘The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world;
it can just barely kill you.’
– Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
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Airman, maintain thy air speed, lest the earth rise up and smite you!
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‘There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime.’
Sign over the Squadron Ops. Desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970
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‘If something hasn’t broken on your helicopter, it’s about to.’
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‘You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it
takes full power to taxi to the terminal.’
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As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives; the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks, ‘What happened?’
The pilot’s reply: ‘I don’t know, I just got here myself!’
– Attributed to Ray Crandell
(Lockheed test pilot) =
